Monday, March 24, 2008
Hogans Know Lawsuit
Photo credit: Splash News
The family of John Graziano, the man injured in Nick Hogan's August 2007 street racing crash, has filed suit against Hulk, Linda and Nick Hogan alleging they were negligent and are directly liable for the wreck that seriously injured the former Marine. According to court papers filed today in Pinellas County, Fla. Circuit Court by Graziano's court-appointed guardian Peter Musante, Hulk and Linda (whose real names are Terry and Linda Bollea) should be held legally responsible for their son's accident. In the suit, Musante also says Hulk purchased alcohol the day of the accident -- August 26 -- and that Hulk "knew or should have known" Nick was driving under the influence of the crash and he failed to take appropriate action. The lawsuit also names Daniel Jacobs, who was driving the Viper that night, as a co-defendant. He pleaded no contest to reckless driving last month.
Whoa! I don't think I heard about the Hulk buying alcohol part of the story. If true, then he should deffo be held responsible, at least in part, for the outcome of the events from that tragic night. I do not understand the whole notion of parents buying booze for their kids ... especially for a kid who loves to operate motor vehicles like Nick Hogan does (it is no secret that he loves to race cars, he has been cited numerous times before this accident for speeding, etc.). I imagine this is going to be a long, drawn out process that may or may not result in criminal prosecution. I suspect the Graziano family will not rest until some form of monetary relief comes their way. In light of this new development, no word has come out as to how John has been doing lately. Last I heard he was still hospitalized. No amount of legal wrangling can undo the damage done on that fateful night, I can only hope that some relief can come from any of these new developments. [Source]
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The TV Guide: Easter Fun
In years previous, Easter and Passover fell on the same weekend so I was able to partake of both celebrations with the Hauslaibs ... this year, the holidays are a month apart so I won't be able to make it out for Passover (sadly). We did have a great day yesterday tho. After we dyed the eggs we did a little egg hunt and then went for a walk around the Yale campus. Dinner was at a nice Indian place nearby. No fuss, no muss.
Tonight, Monique and I are heading out for The Hills premiere shindig happening here in NYC ... natch, I am too excited for words. I will do my best to make sure that I take note of all the fun stuff tonight and will post pics as soon as I can. Don't forget, Britney Spears guest stars on tonight's ep of How I Met Your Mother ... there'll be some discussin' on that to come as well.
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Les News: A Spederline Reunion?, A Hills Drinking Game, Happy BDay, Aly
- Horton Hears a Who was, once again, the #1 movie at the box office this weekend.
- JK Rowling admits that she was near suicidal before writing her mega-successful Harry Potter books.
- The Raconteurs new album Consolers Of The Lonely was being mixed 2 weeks ago, is released tomorrow.
- Spederline to reunite?
- Justin Timberlake donates $200,000 to his hometown of Memphis, TN.
- 24 + ER = THIS?
- Stealing words from Ann Coulter has to be the saddest thing I think I've *ever* heard.
- It's tough out there for a paparazzo.
- Ex-stripper, ex-American Idol David Hernandez to score a part in Rent on Broadway ... he better hurry, the show closes in June.
- Who's afraid of bunnies?
- Wow! Kate Beckinsale must really like vagina.
- It would seem that Heidi Klum does not like bras.
- Who needs a Green Card?
- Britney Spears to return to the performance stage ... at Mel Gibson's church?
- Alyson Hannigan is 34, Lara Flynn Boyle is 38 and Star Jones is 46 years old today. Click HERE to see who else is celebrating a birthday today.
- OMG, I love THIS!!
- Emma Bunton wants to find fame on US TV.
- Amber Benson and Tom Lenk talk to PETA.
- Radar magazine offers a Hills Drinking Game.
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And How Did YOU Celebrate The Jewish Festival Of Purim?
As a legend in her own right perhaps Madonna wanted to draw comparisons with France's most famous singer. The Queen of Pop chose to recreate the smoky look of tragic jazz singer Edith Piaf for a Kabbalah fancy dress party. Dripping in diamonds and shrouded in a fur stole the 49 year-old singer's sophisticated look was in stark contrast to that chosen by her husband. Guy Ritchie, 39, opted to dress as cartoon character Asterix - donning a shapeless white tunic, platinum blonde plaits and a Viking helmet with horns. The annual party to celebrate the Jewish festival of Purim has become a fixture in the Ritchie's calendar ... Madonna has an affinity with Edith Piaf and in 2000 it was reported that she was considering an offer to play the performer on the West End stage. Piaf's story came to renewed prominence this year due to the Oscar-winning French film of her life, La Vie en Rose. Mr and Mrs Ritchie have toned down their outfits since their first Purim outing in 2005. They raised eyebrows when they attended dressed as a nun - Madonna is a lapsed Catholic - and the Pope. The festival of Purim celebrates the foiling of an ancient plot to kill Jews in Persia led by Queen Esther. The tradition of fancy dress is symbolic of the reversal of fate and of Esther's concealed Jewish heritage. Madonna's herself adopted the Hebrew name Esther in 2005.
Clearly, the couple that costumes together stays together. Madge looks great as the Little Sparrow ... Guy looks great as Thor or whatever he's supposed to be. Happy Purim to all!! [Source]
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This Is, Quite Simply, Hilarious
In benefit of the doubtness, let's assume that Mr. Mayer is being ironic. [Source]
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Feminist Manifesto
The pseudo-improvised reality series "The Hills," as it plays out beyond MTV, on tabloid covers and in nearly every other byway of the modern media, is above all a vicious decimator of hope. It mocks our hearts; it plays with our allegiances, and we welcome the abuse. During its third season, which picks up again on Monday after a three-month hiatus, "The Hills," set among young aspirants of the Hollywood Hills' music and fashion industries, has continued to track the emotional warfare between former best friends Lauren and Heidi, while delving more deeply into the twistedness, gaslighting and superficiality of the boyfriends who ensure that the tortured rivals treat each other like Crips and Bloods. The show that looked, in all of its Antonioni-esque plotlessness and dreamy cinematography, at the ignominies of youthful friendship has turned toward the more conventional cruelties that good-looking playboys perpetrate on young women who wear low-rise pants and put on boots in warm weather. Defying our expectations, Heidi has emerged as a kind of feminist hero this season, climbing her way to a bigger position at the event-planning company where she orchestrates Nascar parties, and refusing to acquiesce to the demands of her fiancé, Spencer, that she get herself home on time. Her career-mindedness sets their relationship off course. Heidi identifies the problem with no name: a boyfriend who sits around an apartment decorated to look like an '80s video arcade while trying to deny Heidi a real wedding with the glory of registering. Her groundswell of self-assertion begins when he insists on eloping, prompting Heidi to declare, "This isn't, like, Spencer's relationship and you decide what we do." The full-on joyous Oprah-fication of Heidi culminates with the show's return and gives "The Hills" a new momentum. After taking a break from Spencer at her parents' modest house in Crested Butte, Colo., Heidi returns to Los Angeles to kick him out and chastises him for taking her flat-screen TV with him. How proud Gloria Allred would be. And oh, what Lauren, her vulnerability hidden beneath her baroque moralism, could learn from Heidi right now. Lauren is pining for Brody, who, she has confessed, never makes her feel good enough. (Although we are led to believe that she could still have a chance with him, Us magazine has already told us no — reality squelching the suspense of mock reality.)
... and the review goes on from there (click HERE to read it in its entirety). I, for one, am not surprised that the New York Times has taken this TV show under review, it really has become the guilty pleasure of a large portion of the
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Cold As Balls: Catching Up With Les Beckhams
David Beckham received a frosty welcome after flying to London for a training session with England today. The football star, who has farewelled sunny LA over the weekend, braved the snow for a warm-up session in Hertfordshire ahead of Wednesday's match against France. England manager Fabio Capello addressed the interest surrounding the star's recall and the possibility he'll give the midfielder his 100th appearance for England. He explained: "It is not my style to call up someone and do them a favor. I understand the nation's obsession with Beckham, but I am not obsessed with him. I called him up because I believe he will be useful for the team" ... Before leaving LA for England, David enjoyed some quality time with his wife Victoria. The couple dined together at West Hollywood restaurant STK with fellow Brit Kate Beckinsale and her husband, Len Wiseman on Friday night.
Yes, yes ... we'll get to that double date from last Friday night in a sec. Firstly, these snowy training pics show how dedicated Becks is to his craft ... it looks really freakin' cold in England these days, I dunno that I'd want to be running around the soccer pitch in teeny tiny soccer shorts -- but I *am* glad that Becks has no problem doing so. [Source]
Additionally, here are recent pictures of Becks with his sons Brooklyn (not in soccer uniform), Romeo and Cruz kicking around the ol' soccer ball with a bunch of LA Galaxy supporters at a recent Fans' Day at the Home Depot Center back in Carson, CA earlier this week. The weather sure was warm and sunny ... and Becks's two younger sons look like little chips off the old block:
Dad Becks rushed over to lend a soothing hand when three-year-old Cruz took a knock during a kickabout. With a towel draped round his neck like a physio, Becks tenderly rubbed the youngster's shin better. And Cruz, sporting a shirt with "Beckham 23" on it, was soon back in action after a big kiss. The lad was playing with elder brothers BROOKLYN, nine, and ROMEO, five, during a fans' day at their dad's LA Galaxy club stadium. Yesterday Becks, 32, left the sunshine of California behind for the wintry sleet of Britain as he flew back for England’s match with France.
Too.cute.for.words. I just love seeing Becks with his boys ... it's my second favorite thing to seeing Becks without much clothing on ;) I wonder which of his boys is going to be the one to make a serious attempt at a soccer career. I doubt that they all will ... I think Brooklyn is headed for Hollywood (he is the eldest child). I think Romeo is headed for the fashion world (he does spend a lot of time with fashionista Vicki B. and his name *is* Romeo). My guess is that little Cruz, who has a lot to prove as the youngest child (unless Les Beckhams squeeze out another little tyke in the coming years) will go after the soccer career ... or a career as a back-up breakdancer for future popstar Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt. [Source]
In further Becksness, DB was featured in segment on 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper (on special assignment) last night ... here is video of his entire appearance on the show divided into two parts:
Part I
Part II
To be honest, the 60 Minutes segment doesn't really offer any new info. But it is a nice little puff piece for Becks and his upcoming second season with the LA Galaxy.
And so ... that double date. David and Victoria Beckham went out to dinner with Kate Beckinsale and her hubby Len Wiseman for a double date to STK ... then, while Becks was freezing his bum off in England, Vicki B. hooked back up with Kate and her family for a nice afternoon yesterday at the Getty Museum in SoCal ... here are a few pics:
David and Victoria Beckham looked like newlyweds when they tucked into a table at Los Angeles's STK with fellow Brit Kate Beckinsale and her husband, Len Wiseman, for a double date Friday night. "Posh was giggling and laughing the whole time," says a fellow diner. "They looked totally normal, not really paying attention to anyone else but just focused on catching up and enjoying each other." Adds another restaurant patron: "David is still really attentive to her. Her had his arm around the back of her chair and would whisper in her ear. She was beaming, the fire is still there, you can just tell." On Easter Sunday, Victoria was spotted (sans her hot hubby) checking out the exhibits at the Getty Center Museum in Los Angeles with their three sons: Brooklyn, 9, Romeo, 5, and Cruz, 3. Beckinsale, Wiseman and their daughter, Lily, 9, joined them.
I wasn't aware that the Beckhams were taking on new friends ... but it seems like they do, in fact, have room for a new family of famous friends. We're moving into Year 2 of the Beckhams' American Life and they've already run thru the Cruise-Holmes', the Pinkett-Smiths and the Longoria-Parkers ... not too shabby, I think. Which celeb couple will be chosen next to rub elbows with His Hotness and La Robot next? I understand the fabulous blogging Hauslaib-Vanegas couple are available for tea and crumpets :) [Source]
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Fakin' It For The Kids
Photo credit: Splash News
On again? Pam Anderson spent Easter Sunday with ex-husband Tommy Lee in Malibu, California. The pair – who have two sons, Brandon, 11, and Dylan, 9, from their 1995-1998 marriage – went to the movies and had lunch at Geoffrey's. Two days earlier, Rick Salomon filed papers to annul his two-month marriage – which ended in December – to Anderson. Salomon's filing cited fraud as the reason for the annulment. Anderson's earlier divorce filing also cited fraud. On Wednesday, Anderson told Ellen DeGeneres that she is not dating anyone, following her Salomon split, and is spending her days with her "kids. That's taking up a lot of time." She said she volunteers on the safety patrol of her sons' school. "I get a lot of high fives," Anderson added. "[Other parents] think it's funny that I'm there doing that. I'm a Mom – you have to do it and I love it."
Wooo boy, they sure do make the perfect picture of family bliss. You gotta love that the couple has managed to remain friendly for their children. Besides, there is always the chance that Pam and Tommy may get back together again for good in between her frequent but very short marriages ... I imagine these little family dates are timed perfectly so that the door to a reconciliation can always be kept open. Oh and pardon me for not believing this "safety patrol" b.s. that Pamela is trying to peddle to Ellen ... sure it makes a cute story but until I see a pic of Pamela Anderson with a fluorescent yellow safety patrol belt strapped across her heaving bosom, I'm gonna call bullshizz on this little story. [Source]
And speaking of those frequent yet short marriages, Pamela's latest soon-to-be ex-husband Rick Salomon was also spotted out and about in Malibu, CA on Easter Sunday ... except the poor guy had no one to share the day with except for the iced mocha-choca-latté he had just purchased:
Photo credit: Splash News
Hold on to that iced beverage, Rick, it will never use, abuse and cast you aside like an unwanted empty plastic cup ... and suddenly, I see what Rick is getting out of this new relationship. [Source]
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A Very Speidi Easter
Photo credit: Pacific Coast News
Don't lie ... you know you love them. These two may appear cheesy as all get out but they are ridiculously fun ... and you know it. Speidi has managed to take, what were essentially, supporting roles on an MTV reality TV show and turn themselves into stars themselves. The couple pop up everywhere ... on magazine covers (Heidi on Maxim) and in magazine columns (Spencer in Radar) and all by their own design. And when they don't happen to show up in mags, they go out and ensure that they get photographed for possible inclusion in the next batch of mags (mark my words, one of these Easter pics will show up in the new issue of either People, US Weekly, OK! or Star ... prolly all four). AND, if you consider that this latest batch of cheese-ola pics come right in time for the premiere of the new mini-season of The Hills (which airs tonight on MTV) then you've gotta give them props. Love them or hate them ... it's Speiditime. [Source]
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Tie One One, Shoot One Off
As a kid growing up in Los Angeles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt felt the weight of his parents’ politics early on. "I wasn't allowed to play with G.I. Joes," he says. "My parents drew the line at toys with guns." Which is ironic, considering the 27-year-old actor is now filming (yup) the bigscreen adaptation of G.I. Joe. Is Gordon-Levitt's stint in Hollywood ammo porn a slap in the face to Mom—a woman who, it should be said, once ran for Congress on the leftwing Peace and Freedom ticket? Nah. "The G.I. Joe costumes and the effects are just so fucking cool," he says. "And it looked like fun" ... The actor's do-right onscreen mission includes this month's Stop-Loss, Kimberly Peirce's follow-up to Boys Don’t Cry; it’s the story of an AWOL soldier (Ryan Phillippe) slapped with an unwanted return ticket to Iraq. Joe Gordon (that's what his friends call him), in a standout performance of complex rage, plays a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition he self-medicates by using his household appliances for target practice. The film may be a tough sell, what with Iraq-themed movies falling at the box office. But he's quick to point out that unlike some of those films, Stop-Loss isn't a polemic: "The movie isn't about geopolitics or oil. It's about staying alive and keeping your friends alive—it's basic, and it's in a man's nature." Still, what would Mom make of all this gunplay? "The more guns you're around, the more likely you're gonna get shot," he says, pausing to smile: "But at the same time, they're fun as hell to shoot."
Again, I have *no idea* what any of this movie talk has AT ALL to do with the accompanying photospread which, may come as a bit of a surprise to all y'all, I really like ... after all, who wouldn't get a kick out of a pic like this:
I guess GQ really does understand their target audience ... I don't know that many publications would so adeptly pair talk of guns with sexy pics like this ... and in such a classy way that even *I* find the whole thing interesting. It would appear that metrosexuality swings both ways. [Source]
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Makin' The Finale
Ack ... is it entirely wrong that I have become completely obsessed with DK's first single Damaged? I'm not sure what it is about the song but I kinda need to hear it about 5 times in a row whenever it comes up on my iPod ... and I kinda always make sure it comes up on my iPod when I'm listening to music lately. Now, don't think I'm crazy or anything but Damaged really sticks in my head in much the same way that Rihanna's Umbrella did last year. I don't really think that DK are gonna enjoy the same success as Rihanna did but their song is effing catchy as hell and I can't get enough of it. But anyways, the show itself was pretty good ... I did watch this entire season of Making The Band if only to see what kinda of drama might come from all those young kids living and working together (and to be *entirely* honest, I was lured in by those preview commercials that showed Aubrey and Donnie hooking up -- which I now think was totally staged just to lure me in cuz I have a hard time seeing Aubrey with a little boy like Donnie at all). While I love the DK stuff, I'm not all that into the Day26 stuff. I think the Donnie stuff might be interesting, if only cuz his producer acts like a crazy mix of Prince and Björk (who wants to be Timbaland) all in one ... I want to hear more. In all of this MTB hoopla, it occurred to me that the last band that Diddy made, called Da Band, absolutely and entirely disappeared after their album got released. I was a minor fan of their first single Bad Boy This and Bad Boy That (and I really loved Babs more than I really should) and then *poof* they were gone. I wonder what happened to them ... they don't even get mentioned at all, as if they never existed in the first place. But anyways, I'm getting off point ... the moral of the story is, Danity Kane's new single Damaged kicks all ass ... the girls even performed it live on the show:
Diddy man (who brought along his adorable baby twin daughters onto the show last night) also announced that there will be, yet, another season of Making The Band ... next time we follow the kids on tour. OMG, seriously, I know I'm gonna watch cuz MTV kinda owns my soul. As much as I really miss seeing music videos on MTV, there are enough MTV2s, MTVhits', VH1classics to keep me happy on that front ... the MTV reality drama is like drug -- and I can't kick the habit. [Source]
DON'T FORGET: The new mini-season of The Hills debuts tonight :)
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