Celebrity Today @ Live Journal

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Shiloh  Nouvel Jolie-Pitt,  Brad and Angelina’s beautiful $4 million baby smiled at all the fuss about her as she enjoyed a stroll with her mom on a sunny day in India earlier this week.

Jolie held Shiloh close to her chest on the walk, keeping her body covered in a sheet, though Shiloh managed to peek her head out just enough for the world to catch a glimpse of her face.

As for the rest of the fam, Maddox and Zahara kept a close eye on their sister while trailing just a few steps behind mom.

The family celeb had added protection during their outing, a guard ushered Jolie through the crowd of curious onlookers the entire way.

Tags: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Maddox Jolie- Pitt

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“I guess there have been a few questions about my sexuality, and I’d like to quiet any unnecessary rumors that may be out there. While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I’m gay isn’t the most interesting part of me."

Today T. R. Knight, who plays Dr. George O’Malley on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, confirmed to People Magazine that he is gay.

It shouldn’t be, but there is little doubt there will be a great deal of media interest in Knight’s coming out. He is, after all, a star of one of ABC’s most important shows.

Knight doesn’t address exactly what led him to come out, but speculation is that it has something to do with the recent fight between Grey regulars Patrick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington.

The National Enquirer reported last week that a scuffle broke out on set between Dempsey and Washington when Washington grew annoyed with another cast member’s tardiness. During the fight, Washington reportedly said to Dempsey, “ I’m not your little faggot like (name deleted).”

That name apparently was Knight’s whom reports also have Washington calling a “bitch” at one point earlier during the argument.

When contacted for a comment by the media, Mr. Knight’s publicist said he wasn’t doing interviews at this time.

The 33 year old actor grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota before moving to New York in hopes of establishing a career in theater. In an interview earlier this year with Back Stage West, Knight talked about his struggle to establish himself in New York. Said Knight, "It’s just hard with New York rent to survive, even if you’re lucky to be working. The last Off-Broadway show I did was, like, $187 a week … Luckily, I was able to get some commercial work every once in a while that would float me."

Knight did land work including roles on Off-Broadway, but they didn’t always work out. After getting fired from one job, Knight’s representation dropped him and he wound up working as a reader for the Roundabout Theater Company. Then Knight finally landed another acting job that ironically took him back to Minneapolis where he was to perform in Amadeus. Broke, Knight decided Amadeus would be his final curtain call.

Things didn’t quite work out that way, and Knight wound up returning to New York in a revival of Noises Off that in turn led to other parts including his role as George O’Malley on Grey’s Anatomy. The role of O’Malley was one that Knight wanted desperately, but feared he wouldn’t get.

Tags: T.R. Knight, Patrick Dempsey, Isaiah Washington, Grey’s Anatomy

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Vince Vaughn, still in love with Jennifer Aniston,  is taking legal action against the Sun, Daily Mirror, and New York Post after the tabloids said he kissed a "mystery woman" at a London charity event.

The papers reported that Vaughn and Aniston had broken up days before.

The couple say they remain together. Vaughn is due to argue that the articles falsely suggested he had been unfaithful to Aniston.

Seriously Misleading
The Sun and Daily Mirror articles were accompanied by a photograph, which Vaughn will argue was seriously misleading.

He will argue that the suggestion he was involved in a passionate embrace and kiss was false, said a statement from the London lawyers Schillings, who are representing the actor.

The alleged incident took place at the Old Vic theatre earlier this month.

Vaughn and Aniston reportedly started dating during the filming of their recent romantic comedy, The Break-Up.

New Digs for Jen
Meanwhile back in the States, Aniston has splurged 15 million dollars on a new home in Beverly Hills, 18 months after parting from ex-husband Brad Pitt.

Aniston’s new house is a private six-bedroom mansion close to the home she used to share with Pitt and which was sold earlier this year for 25 million dollars.

Since the split, Aniston, 37, has been living in a rented two bedroom house in Malibu where she enjoys walking the dog on the beach and barbecuing with neighbour and former co-star Courteney Cox- Arquette.

Tags: Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn, Courteney Cox-Arquette

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

Last week the Walt Disney Co. said it took "appropriate action" against employees at its Paris theme park who were caught simulating sex while dressed as Disney characters in a digital video that has received wide attention on the Web.

Disney would not say whether it had dismissed any of the costumed employees featured in the grainy video, which appears to have been shot with a hidden camera at a backstage dressing room at Disneyland Resort Paris.

"The behavior shown on the video is unacceptable and inexcusable," Disney said in a statement.

"The video was taken in the backstage area not accessible to guests. Appropriate action has been taken to deal with the cast members involved."

The video shows Minnie Mouse struggling to free herself as she is grabbed from behind by Goofy and then a giant snowman.

Showbiz Tonight played a clip of the video during it "That’s Ridiculous" segment.  The snowman humping Minnie Mouse, Goofy humping an indistinguishable character (or was Goofy just humping the wall?) ….yeah, very ridiculous and very funny.

Later, Mickey Mouse simulates sex with the snowman and Goofy does the same with either Chip or Dale, the chipmunks, as laughter is heard on the tape.

The tape is described on the Web as the "Mouse Orgy."

Tags: Mouse Orgy, Minnie Mouse, Goofy

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Public speculation is that the wide-eyed runaway bride will not garner much sympathy from a jury in her legal battles over money with her former fiance.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that John Mason, the groom left standing at the altar in April 2005, has filed a response to the lawsuit filed by Jennifer Wilbanks over the $500,000 the couple received from ReganMedia for telling their story.

In his counterclaim, Mason calls Wilbanks’ actions "intentional, reckless, extreme and outrageous" and adds he still carries the scars of being suspected by law enforcement when his bride-to-be was on the lam.

"If this gets to a jury, I feel that she will be in bad shape," Mason’s attorney, B.J. Bernstein, told the Journal. "She is not a sympathetic figure for a jury, and that can make all the legal issues moot."

Mason believes he deserves compensation for the "emotional and monetary losses" he suffered during Wilbanks’ weird odyssey to New Mexico to avoid her extravagant wedding that included 14 bridesmaids and 600 guests.

Wilbanks’ lawsuit states that she granted Mason power of attorney in May 2005 to deal with the New York-based publisher, and Mason sold the story for the listed amount.
Wilbanks alleges that Mason abused the power of attorney privilege and defrauded her, and all this allegedly occurred while Wilbanks was in the hospital and on medication.

Wilbanks is also seeking at least an additional quarter of a million dollars for punitive damages.

Wilbanks claims that Mason bought the home in his name only and later evicted her. The couple split up for good in May 2006.

As far as money in the countersuit, Mason is not requesting a specific dollar amount, only an amount to be proven at trial, the document states.

As the tale has been told over and over again, Wilbanks, then 32, fled the state on April 26, 2005, to escape a lavish wedding scheduled just four days later. After a massive three-day manhunt, she called Mason from New Mexico, claiming to have been abducted and sexually assaulted. She later came clean, pleaded no contest to telling police a phony story and was sentenced to two years probation.

Mason’s attorney, James C. Watkins of Norcross, told the Gwinnett Daily Post that the family did not wish to be interviewed.

Mason’s countersuit states that Wilbanks’ conduct and behavior “was intentional, reckless, extreme and outrageous and causing Defendant Mason severe emotional and physical injury and distress” and “as a result of (Wilbanks’) disappearance, (Mason’s) personal and private life were virtually destroyed.”

Furthermore, Mason was scarred by Wilbanks’ “bizarre behavior and is still the subject of national media attention, humiliation and embarrassment.”

Mason also complains in the document that he “became the focal point of a possible criminal investigation and was the subject of intensive interrogation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

Before any lawsuits were filed, letters from Wilbanks’ attorney, Michael L. Wetzel of Bogart, dated May 31 and June 5, 2006, stated that Wilbanks asked Mason for furniture she bought or received from her parents before the wedding.

She also asked for the wedding gifts from her family and friends and items that include a washer, dryer, grill, entertainment center, breakfast table and chairs, a gold sofa, a comforter set on the master bed and a ladder that belongs to her father.

Additionally, Wilbanks wanted $5,750 she contributed to a joint savings account, which was to pay for their honeymoon.

In a letter dated July 7, Watkins wrote that Mason “is agreeable to deliver the … items to Ms. Wilbanks, at his expense, to a destination designated by her.” Court records did not show if the items have been returned as of Friday.

Tags: runaway bride, John Mason, Jennifer Willbanks

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A Los Angeles judge Wednesday refused to dismiss the contempt charges that Oscar-winner Kim Basinger faces.

The actress stands accused of disregarding court orders over her ex-husband Alec Baldwin’s visitation rights with their daughter, Ireland, and the case will go to trial in January.

Superior Court Commissioner Maren E. Nelson refused to accept a motion filed by Basinger’s lawyer Judy Bogen that there was insufficient evidence to prove the alleged 12 counts of contempt.

Basinger, 48, and Baldwin, 52, agreed to share custody of 10-year-old Ireland in 2004 — four years after their divorce.

Baldwin accuses his ex-wife of blocking his visitation rights and failing to notify him when Ireland was injured and needed medical treatment in 2005. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

If convicted, Basinger could spend up to two months in jail and receive a $12,000 fine.

Tags: Kim Basinger, Alec Baldwin

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China’s culture ministry has denied permission for a planned concert in Shanghai by New York rapper Jay-Z because his lyrics were deemed too vulgar, state media said on Wednesday.

The ministry decided that "some of Jay-Z’s songs contain too much vulgar language", the official China Daily quoted concert promoter Sun Yun of the KS production company as saying.

Jay-Z was scheduled to perform at Shanghai’s Hongkou Football Stadium on October 23.

"The Ministry of Culture has decided to protect the city’s hip-hop fans from nasty lyrics about pimps, guns and drugs," the newspaper said.

"Like many rap stars, Jay-Z is known for his use of profanity and songs about the ugly side of street life, complete with drug dealers, pimps and violence," it said.

But some people criticized the ministry’s decision, pointing to a performance of "sexually suggestive songs" in the city three months ago by the Black Eyed Peas.

The newspaper quoted an industry insider who refused to be identified as saying that the difference in treatment is that Jay-Z hasn’t released an album on the Chinese mainland while the Black Eyed Peas have.

The event on 23 October would have been the rapper’s debut concert in China.

At a concert in Shanghai in April, the Rolling Stones were asked not to play songs with suggestive lyrics.

No surprise

Jay-Z is thought to have fallen foul of the Chinese authorities for references to drug dealers, pimps, violence and guns in his music.

Concerts by chart-topping US group The Black Eyed Peas were allowed to go ahead in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong earlier this year, despite the adult nature of some of their songs.

Rolling Stones lead singer Sir Mick Jagger said the censorship of the band’s China gig was no surprise and had not worried them.

Fortunately, we have 400 more songs that we can play so it’s not really an issue," said the veteran rock star.

Tags: Jay-Z

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

You’re the man! But every once in awhile, you wish your honey would be all over you for a change.

Here, revealed for your pleasure are some reasons your lady’s holding out on you…and how to get her to ignite the foreplay.

‘Cause she doesn’t have to.

Think about it. She knows you’re going to make a move. All she has to do is wait and decide to comply or not. More than likely your past behavior has trained her to do so. If you’ve got the willpower, and you know you do, you need to wait her out. Tempt her with long, deep kisses and sensual massages, and then pull back and let her make the next move. While you’re re-training her, be sure you look and smell great; try wearing something sexy that you know she likes on you, too. Within the week, she’ll be hauling your hard ass off to hit the sheets faster than your can get undressed.

‘Cause she doesn’t like rejection any more than you do.

Women mean to give you a hard time about your fragile male egos, but when it comes to sex, she can be just as sensitive, too. Your honey could be playing hard to get to avoid your personal rejection of her (just like you would!). The antidote? Be sure to apply tons of encouragement when she does put the moves on you. Reward her well, my man.

‘Cause she’s got a ‘headache’

This is tricky. The first step is to figure out just why she’s not in the mood. Is she just not as attracted to you anymore? Maybe you’ve stopped being that sweet and considerate guy she fell for. Is she stressed out? Maybe a massage and someone else making dinner for a change will perk her up.

‘Cause she doesn’t know you love it.

For the most part, women aim to please. Yes, they are trained that way, too. It’s their nurturing tradition, one of the prime values of the sisterhood. But women really do love to make others happy. So do encourage your lady to take charge once in awhile and more than likely  she’ll probably be eager to satisfy. Who knows, after a while, you’ll be the one saying, "Easy baby, you’re wearing me out!"

Tags: dating, matchmaking, personals, love, romance, sex

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

R&B couple Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri are reportedly in talks to buy a $30 million apartment overlooking New York City’s Central Park.

The singer, and her producer beau, had viewed a 9,000-square-foot home in a high-rise block in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle, according to Upscale magazine.

As she viewed the apartment’s walk-in closets, she said, "Jermaine could take the bigger one. He has way more shoes than I do and I’m a shoe whore!"

If Jackson goes ahead with the sale, the purchase could be one of the highest prices on record for an apartment in the Big Apple.

Tags: Janet Jackson, Jermaine Dupri

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Jennifer Aniston has laughed off reports she has split from her The Break-Up co-star VINCE VAUGHN reports FemaleFirst.

Vaughn was reported to have split from Aniston on September 9th. A source close to Vaughn told Us Weekly, the pair started arguing over Vince’s bachelor lifestyle, and the actor allegedly called time on their romance before flying to the UK to start shooting Christmas comedy ‘Joe Clause’.

Vaughn told a friend in September:

"It’s not common knowledge, but we’re not together anymore. We’ve split up."

After he arrived in London, Vince, 36, and Jennifer, 37, had a heart-to-heart telephone call, and the pair decided it was best for them to go their separate ways.

The former ‘Friends’ actress also canceled a proposed trip to the UK capital to meet up with Vaughn.

A source close to Jennifer confirmed: "They’re 100 percent done."

Aniston and Vaughn’s low-key romance started in June 2005, but both have refused to discuss their relationship with the media.

Rubbish Reports
However, Aniston’s representative declares the report is "rubbish".

And, despite the "rubbish" report from Aniston’s camp, Vince Vaughn has been photographed at a showbiz party in London kissing another woman barely a week after the rubbish broke news.

Vaughn was in the UK to perform on stage at the Old Vic Theatre for a 24 hour play marathon.

Attending the after show party the star of Dodgeball and the Wedding Crashers was spotted canoodling with a blonde babe.

He’d earlier caused at stir with his unkempt appearance turning up in a stained sweater and walking round with his flies undone.

Vaughn reportedly split from Aniston after he’d seen “a glimpse of what life would be like” with the Friends actress.

Tags: Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

Johnny Depp is getting married. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is set to marry his French lover Vanessa Paradis in a small ceremony at their home in the South of France next year.

A source revealed to Britain’s Daily Express newspaper:

"Johnny and Vanessa are planning to finally get married next summer at their villa. It will be a private event rather than a showbiz extravaganza."

The couple have been together for eight years and have two children, Lily-Rose, seven, and four-year-old Jack. The family split their time between Los Angeles and France.

This is not the first time Johnny has been involved in wedding plans - he was engaged to actress Winona Ryder and Jennifer Grey and briefly married to musician Lori Anne Allison in 1983.

For many years Johnny was reluctant to marry again, insisting:

"If you are together and you love each other and are good to each other, for all intents and purposes you are married."

Vanessa, who had a worldwide hit with ‘Joe le Taxi’ when she was just 14, recently revealed how special their relationship is.

She said:

"Johnny is all I dreamed of. No one could love the way we love. He ’s a beautiful person so obviously he’s a beautiful dad."

Tags: Johnny Depp, Venessa Paradis, Parates of the Caribbean

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

Guys, check your kisser! Women love great kisses. And while you may think a kiss is just a little something you do on your way to the main course, your lady feels your kiss as a hint to what else you might have to offer.

So although you’re thinking you’re a skillful kisser, she could be thinking:  if his kissing is this lame, why waste time with this dud?

If you’re making these make-out mistakes, for the sake of good women everywhere, stop it now!

Lip Slip #1: Tongue Twisters

There’s nothing more annoying than a guy whose reptilian tongue probes an unsuspecting mouth prematurely. You could take an eye out with that thing. And while we’re on the subject of tongues, could we keep it in the shallow end of the pool for a bit? Apart from just generally being unsexy, shoving your tongue down her throat - especially suddenly - could induce vomiting. Probably not the effect you were looking for. And don’t be afraid to let her probe you. Relax an give in to your lady. Try sucking her tongue gently but firmly to let her feel your interest.

Lip Slip #2: Jaw Breakers

Remember those nature videos you’ve seen where the snake unhinges its jaw to eat some cute little rodent whole? That’s what women think of when a guy comes at them with a mouth wide enough to cover her face. Breathtaking, but not sexy.

Lip Slip #3: Fresh Air

Kissing a mouth that reeks of stale cigarette smoke or morning breath is . . . repelling. But making out with a mint factory isn’t that much better either. No amount of gum or candy can replace good, old fashioned brushing and flossing. And don’t forget the bacteria breeding on your tongue and the roof of your mouth. Think clean is sexy.

Lip Slip #4: Goal Oriented

When we became adults, suddenly "necking" became "foreplay". Which means that as soon as we get really caught up in kissing, a hand sneaks up her blouse. The guy switches his brain to cruise control and steers the smooching to the final destination - sex. Now, instead of making your kissing so perfunctory, remember your lady might just enjoy it for the fun it is.  It’s not like she won’t have sex with you, right? After all, you want her to feel she can’t get enough of your great kisses. Don’t you?

Tags: dating, personals, matchmaking, love, romance, sex

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

Charles Frazier’s "Cold Mountain" was successful not just as a book, but also as the 2003 film staring Jude Law and Nicole Kidman. The film was nominated for seven Academy awards.

Frazier, who won the National Book award for "Cold Mountain" in 1997, has finally — after nine years — penned a new novel called "Thirteen Moons."

Frazier has a penchant for writing historical fiction. "Cold Mountain" was set during the Civil War. "Thirteen Moons" is another epic story set in the glorious North Carolina countryside. With this book, Frazier tackles the transformation of America from the middle of the 19th century through the 90 year life span of Will Cooper, Frazier’s central character.

The book begins when older people still wear revolutionary era knee britches and ends with Cooper sitting on the porch watching cars go by and listening to the phone ring.

"Will is a guy who — he’s moving forward towards something every minute of the day, every year of his life," Frazier told CBSSunday Morning correspondent Rita Braver. "He’s got that American sense of momentum."

Main Character Based on Real Person
Frazier based Will Cooper on a real person, William Holland Thomas, who like Frazier’s fictional character was taken in by Cherokee Indians as a boy. Thomas was also a successful businessman. His desk, journals, deeds, and other papers are displayed at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, N.C. Barbara Duncan who runs the Museums Education Department says that by buying up a lot of private lands, Thomas was able to save a small group of Cherokees from being banished from North Carolina.

"More than 15,000 Cherokees were removed in the process at least 4,000 of them died. About 1000 Cherokees got to stay here in the mountains of North Carolina," she said. "Will Thomas was kind of their white chief. He was the person that they sent to deal with the federal government."

Will Thomas’s exploits in Washington inspire some of Frazier’s most humorous scenes like Cooper’s take on President Andrew Jackson and Senator John C. Calhoun.

"Between them Jackson and Calhoun had two of the most alarming heads of hair I had ever seen on white men," Cooper reflects. "They hated each other and yet continued to share their lofty hairstyles, which struck me as having all the features of placing exploding possums on their heads. Of course they were both from South Carolina and thus given to strange enthusiasms."

NC Cherokee Community Thrives Today
The North Carolina Cherokee community that Will Thomas helped preserve is still going strong. The Indians have a thriving tourist trade and own an area of 56, 000 acres and are thrilled with the idea of a book based on the man who’s still recognized as an important tribal chief. Chief Michele Hicks says he isn’t troubled by the fact that Charles Frazier doesn’t paint an idealized portrait of the Cherokees.

"People have jealousies, people turn on each other. There’s you know, barbaric practices. People get scalped in the book. These type things did occur and its something that again, that we must remember," he said. "And I think it’s very important that we teach ourselves, but also teach our children …what history really was about."

Fazier received $8 million — a sum he called "ridiculous" — for his new book based on the success of "Cold Mountain" — success he never anticipated.

"I mean writing the book I always felt like I couldn’t even let myself hope that it would be published," he said. "I mean even when I broke that rule and allowed myself to hope all I thought was, there might be 10,000 people in the south that might be interested in this book."

Frazier Unchanged by Fame
With his success and notoriety, Frazier said he hasn’t changed much.

"You know, if that had happened when I was 25 it probably would have turned by life upside down, but at 46 you’re settled into a lot of things in life," he said. "I bought a house in the mountains that I’d been wantin’ for a long time."

Like "Cold Mountain" Frazier has also written a completely fictional love story into "Thirteen Moons." Like his previous book, the story doesn’t necessarily end happily, either.

"I wanted Will to be this guy, he’s yearning for home and he’s yearning for that human connection and he succeeds in a lot of areas of his life and he fails in areas and one of those areas is with Clair," he said. "I think of this as a book with a happy ending, for me anyway, it works as a happy ending, they have their time together."

So far, reviews of "Thirteen Moons" have been mixed, but Frazier says he tried to write something he feels good about and hopes readers will come along for the ride.

Tags: Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain, Thirteen Moons

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

Mel Gibson, 50, is set to appear on Good Morning America.

Gibson, in case you missed it, is the actor-director, whose high-profile drunken-driving arrest and subsequent anti-Semitic tirade made international headlines earlier in the year.

The TV appearance follows other efforts by Gibson to mend his personal and professional life, including participating in a recovery program, attending court-ordered alcohol-rehabilitation classes and meeting privately with Jewish leaders to understand the source of his "vicious words," as he described them.

These steps will be followed by the December 8 Disney release of Gibson’s new film, Apocalypto.

Gibson spoke with Diane Sawyer in Southern California recently for a two-part TV interview scheduled to air on Good Morning America on October 12 and 13. This is the first time he has talked to the media since his arrest.

The interview "will be a segment in the show," said ABC news spokeswoman Bridgette Maney. "It’s not going to be the entire Good Morning America."

As for what to expect during the discussion, Gibson’s publicist, Alan Nierob, would say only, "We’ll have to wait and see".

Gibson has made few public appearances since his July 28 arrest in Malibu, when he told the arresting officer: "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked him, "Are you a Jew?" He also made sexist comments to a female deputy.

Gibson later apologised for what he called "vitriolic and harmful words."

Gibson quietly stepped back into the public eye late last month. He attended two screenings of his new movie in Oklahoma on September 21 and 22. He arrived at the first wearing a mask and wig. He did not speak to reporters.

The actor-director also appeared at a film festival in Austin, Texas, on September 22 where he showed footage from Apocalypto. He answered questions from fans, who did not ask about his arrest or recovery.

Disney spokesman Dennis Rice would not offer specifics about Gibson’s or the studio’s plans to market the movie, which chronicles the decline of the Mayan civilisation. The subtitled film features a cast of unknown actors speaking in an ancient Mayan language.

Some have criticised Gibson for not doing more outreach toward the Jewish community.

"You would think that he would also find time to say that he wants to address his terrible statements," Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles, told The Associated Press this week.

"His remarks were so anti-Semitic and so hurtful to Jews. You can’t make amends for that by talking on the phone to 12 Jews you know from Hollywood."

Gibson pleaded no contest to charges of drunken driving on August 17 under a deal in which he will serve three years’ probation, pay a fine and attend alcohol rehabilitation classes. He also volunteered to make a public-service announcement about the hazards of drinking and driving.

He is scheduled to appear in court January 17 for a progress report.

Tags: Mel Gibson, Apocalyto

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

Ladies, and perhaps somes men, are still drooling for this great Dane.

Eric Dane has joined the cast of ABC’s hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy as a regular. Dane plays plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Sloan, aka “McSteamy,'’ a role he originated in a guest appearance last season. Dane returned to the series as a regular in the final scene of Thursday’s Grey’s. It marks Dane’s second co-starring stint as a hot young doctor on an ABC medical drama. Several years ago, he played Dr. Wyatt Cooper on the network’s Gideon’s Crossing.

Now in the final seconds of a recent Grey’s Anatomy, viewers gasped when the Adonis-like actor walked out of a bathroom barely wearing a towel and aptly living up to his nickname "McSteamy."

The scene instantly turned Dane, who plays Dr. Mark Sloan on ABC’s hit show, into the talk of television.

"The response has been overwhelming," says Dane, whom some will regret learning, is married, for now, to Rebecca Gayheart from Fox’s Vanished. He adds, "My wife liked it."

Grey’s is off to a strong third-season start. The premiere drew 25.4 million viewers, and last week’s episode drew 23.3 million. The third installment, "Sometimes a Fantasy," airs tonight at 9 ET/PT with Dane now a regular cast member.

"I get to talk," he assures.

Most recently seen in X-Men: The Last Stand, Dane says it took six takes to get the sexy scene right. "I was there for like seven hours that day," he says. "It was a brand-new towel, and it did not want to stay."

Although he was afraid the towel would drop while the cameras were rolling, Dane says he wasn’t actually naked. His underwear was cut and double-stuck to his skin to make it appear as though he had nothing on under the towel. He artfully showed some hip.

It was more than skin that caused viewers to catch a breath; the scene was another turn in a double love triangle. Dane emerged during an emotional moment between Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and wife Addison (Kate Walsh) discussing their crumbling marriage, a union doomed by his affair, prompted by her cheating some time ago — with Dane’s character, Derek’s former best friend.

Dempsey, who remained fully clothed in the scene, "was really funny," Dane says. "He kept asking me when my calendar was coming out."

To get those six-pack abs, Dane, 33, says he "eats right" and goes to the gym three or four times a week to work with a trainer.

"The scene was pretty jaw-dropping," says Sarah McLaughlin, a TV comedy writer and blogger at ivillage.com’s TV Cocktail. "Everyone’s talking about it."

McLaughlin’s jaw isn’t the only one that dropped. Even the writer responsible for the scene, Krista Vernoff, says on Grey Matter, the show’s writers’ blog at abc.com, that she, too, was surprised.

"I wrote it. And still, when I first watched the cut, my jaw dropped with giddy surprise when I saw him emerge from that bathroom. Love me my McSteamy."

More than 800 comments have been posted in response to Vernoff’s blog posting. Words viewers often used: "loved" and "gasped," along with mentions of "yum" and "holy cow."

And some complained their DVRs cut off just as Dane entered, causing them to miss his hot scene. ABC says the episode officially was booked until 10:02 p.m., although some local cable carriers might not have updated the guide information from the usual 10:01.

Tags: Eric Dane, Grey’s Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey, Kate Walsh

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

As political lobbyist, evangelical Christians are perhaps the most powerful single force in American politics today. One such church leader actually says he has weekly phone contact with the Bush White House. Now with the film "Jesus Camp," Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing take a look at what Evangelical America believes, preaches, and teaches in their on homes, churches, and summer camps to their own children.

Shot over a year amid the gray tangle of interstates and truck stops that typify the semi-rural Midwest, and later at the "Kids on Fire" evangelical summer camp at Devil’s Lake, N.D., the Grady-Ewing documentary boasts a remarkable cast of characters.

We meet Rachael, a 9-year-old believer whose evangelical fervor prompts her to interrupt her family’s bowling outing to present a bemused young woman with a pamphlet and an offer of salvation.

You meet Levi, a charismatic 12-year-old whose preaching skills already have surpassed those of many adults. He, like many other evangelical kids, is home-schooled, in his case by his mother, who instructs him on the dangerous absurdity of liberal theories such as global warming and evolution.

Becky Fischer, a round, genial, stunningly intense woman with short, aggressively styled hair, is a Pentecostal children’s minister in Missouri and leader of the "Kids" camp whose passionate belief in Jesus is matched only by her dedication to turning children into foot soldiers in America’s culture war.

"Harry Potter is an enemy of God," she proclaims during one children’s sermon. "The devil goes after the young, which is why I’m trying to warn you."

Fischer’s ministrations make one thing clear:

Fear and self-righteousness are key weapons in the war for young minds. And make no mistake, these people truly believe they are engaged in a war, not only for their children’s souls, but for the soul of the entire country.

George W. Bush is their ally in this war, they believe, giving "credibility," as Fischer says, "to the Christian faith."

There are so many things to fear, which is perhaps why Christian extremism (as portrayed here) looks and sounds so much like any other kind of religious fanaticism.

"I want to see these kids laying down their lives for the Gospel in the same way fundamentalist Muslims do," Fischer explains. Muslims are referred to as "the enemy," or used as a pretext for teaching really young children that entire segments of the world’s population are doomed to hell.

According to the film, 43 percent of evangelicals accept Christ as their savior before the age of 13.

That being said, Rachael and Levi, along with Tory and other camp participants, boast social skills anyone would envy: They’re all supremely self-confident, verbal and seemingly fearless when it comes to speaking their minds. Already, at 9 or 12, they have unshakable faith and are eager to disseminate it.

The film’s subject matter, as well as scenes of school children speaking in tongues and weeping hysterically, will undoubtedly cause some uncomfortable seat-shifting among liberal audiences.

And while the overall tone of the movie is very pro-child, some of the more intense worship scenes suggest that these congregations are emotionally abusing their kids, or at the very least, brainwashing them.

Criticism from evangelicals is harder to predict. While one could accuse Ewing and Grady of presenting a negative portrayal of Fischer and her followers, Fischer herself would disagree. Speaking with reporters after the movie screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, she reported being generally very pleased with the representation of her faith, and praised Ewing and Grady for their sensitivity.

Grady and Ewing did strive for balance. The film counters Fischer’s dogma with outtakes from Air America’s Mike Papantonio, himself a Christian, who expresses disbelief and occasional horror at the tactics of the evangelical movement. This does not by any means present a 360-degree view of religion in America, or even of evangelical Christianity. But it does succeed in capturing the visceral desire and unflagging political will of one zealous religious movement.

Tags: Jesus Camp, Harry Potter, Christian extremist, radical religion, radical Christian

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

In a city where celebrities can walk to the grocery store and get treated like any other New Yorker, Mr. T - the ’80s icon from "Rocky III," "The A-Team" and countless stay-in-school videos and public-service announcements - is like the Pied Piper. He steps onto a mid-Manhattan street to get his photo taken for a tabloid, and everyone from little old ladies to young Asian guys, truck drivers to theater people, all flock to say "Hi," take his picture, have their pictures taken with him and get his autograph - one guy, improbably, on a baseball.

Everyone gets a turn - which is rarer than you’d think with less-than-A-list celebrities, who can transform sentiment and nostalgia into long green at autograph shows. Even considering he’s doing promotion for his reality series "I Pity the Fool" (TV Land, premiering Wednesday at 10 p.m.), in which he becomes a personal Dear Abby for people (mostly in the metropolitan area), there’s nothing begrudging or fake about it: At a lunch interview earlier, Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud) led a reporter, a publicist and a stylist in saying grace. The man’s a Christian who practices what he preaches.

And he does preach. Long, excited answers spill out as if he’s got too much to say for one lifetime. Maybe that’s from being a cancer survivor, diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma in 1995 at age 43. Maybe it’s from growing up one of 12 children in the Robert Taylor Homes housing project on Chicago’s South Side. Or maybe it’s from being a novelty - two-time "World’s Toughest Bouncer" on the 1980-81 Bryant Gumbel competition series "Games People Play" - who was plucked from obscurity into movies, pro wrestling and playing Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus in the lighthearted adventure series "The A-Team," stretching his 15 minutes of fame into more than two decades of (yes, we’re actually saying this) making people smile through both his onscreen persona and his largely anonymous charity work.

Frequent contributor Frank Lovece wrestled with Mr. T’s long answers, one paragraph at a time.

"I Pity the Fool" has people writing letters to Mr. T, asking help with their families, careers, relationships. Why write to Mr. T instead of, say, Santa Claus?

Glad you asked that. See, everybody knows Mr. T is real. Santa Claus ain’t. So you never know what you’re gettin’ in that Santa Claus outfit. You could have a pervert dressed up like Santa Claus. You could have a child molester. Also, Santa Claus can’t make them visits. Only God is omnipotent and omnipresent - being there at the same time everywhere. So parents are lyin’ about Santa Claus. One thing that my father taught us: We allow no Santa Claus in our house. ‘Cause if we believe in God, what is Santa Claus?

I tell people the reason why I never believed in Santa Claus is, No. 1, I lived in the projects. There was no chimney. And No. 2, if we catch a white man in a red suit in a black neighborhood, he’s in trouble! And his reindeer are in trouble!

Reindeer steaks tonight!

Yeah! And we gonna cut them antlers off, we gonna put ‘em on my car hood! (Laughs.)

The first couple of episodes, you help an unmotivated Nissan dealership in Jamaica and a family in Suffern, N.Y. Have the people you helped gone back to their old ways?

The guys in the car dealership, they got my home address and my home telephone number. Not my agent’s number. I’m gonna tell you why. Because if I was just to do this show to get the ratings and then say OK, see you later, I’d be like rapin’ them. Trish, the mom in Suffern, her father was sick. So they asked me would I go to the hospital to visit her father. I said I’d be more than happy. They said, "Mr. T, you got a three-hour lunch break." So I went to the hospital . I said, "Trish, this is what I do, this is who I am. God put me here to help."

When I go to the schools to speak to the kids, after I speak, I give the teacher my number, and the principal. Then I would call ‘em back. "How is Billy doin’? Is he OK in class? Has he been tyin’ his shoes up lately?" Or, "How’s that little girl doing who lost a parent?" Follow-up. That’s what separates me from everybody else. I’m sincere. I don’t just go through the motions: "OK, the camera’s gonna be there, I’m gonna speak for the camera." If the camera’s gonna be there, I don’t want to be there. The people can call me personally.

In the ’80s, there was a Mr. T action figure from Galoob.

That’s right, bro’. We had three sizes. Two sizes didn’t speak, and the third size, you pull the string, guess what it said? "I pity the fool." Then it says, "Stay in school."

Is it fun to say "Galoob?"

Y’know, I very seldom said the name. When I was promoting the doll, I didn’t say, "This doll from Galoob." I liked the company, but I told them I’d call it "Mr. G."

You have any words like "Galoob" that are fun to say?

Thank you, Jesus.

Tags: Mr. T, I Pity the Fool, TV Land

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

Susan Ralston, a key aide to presidential political strategist Karl Rove resigned Friday after a congressional report showed she had extensive contacts with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and accepted tickets to sporting events and concerts from him.

Ralston is a special assistant to President Bush who used to work for Abramoff. She submitted her resignation less than five weeks before congressional elections in which corruption and scandal are emerging as major issues.

Critics have pointed to Ralston as evidence that Rove - and thus Bush - are possibly closer to Abramoff  than the White House has acknowledged.

Ralston’s association with Abramoff was highlighted in a recent House Government Reform Committee report that listed hundreds of contacts the lobbying group had with the White House. The Bush administration insider, who is in her 30s, had been Abramoff’s administrative assistant and, after Bush took office, assumed the same post with Rove.

"She recognized that a protracted discussion of these matters would be a distraction to the White House and she’s chosen to step down," deputy White House press secretary Dana Perino said in announcing Ralston’s resignation. "We support her decision and consider the matter closed."

Rep. Henry Waxman of California, the top Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, said he suspects the White House is trying to make Ralston a scapegoat.

"There is a lot that we don’t yet know about the assistance that Ms. Ralston provided Mr. Abramoff from inside the White House, but there are also many unanswered questions about the assistance that higher-ranking White House officials appeared to provide Mr. Abramoff," Waxman said.

"The vast majority of lobbying contacts and meals with White House officials documented in the report were with White House officials other than Ms. Ralston," Waxman said.

Abramoff has pleaded guilty to fraud and now is now cooperating with prosecutors in an influence peddling investigation that has enveloped Capitol Hill even as lawmakers, facing Nov. 7 elections, struggle with the fallout from a scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley’s salacious messages to teenage male pages.

The latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that about half of likely voters consider corruption and scandal in Congress very or extremely important, and about two in three of those said they would vote for Democrats in House races.

Perino said Ralston, a political appointee who has played an instrumental role in organizing and choosing presidential event sites, was respected by her White House colleagues and will be missed.

The committee’s report - based largely on Abramoff’s billing records and e-mails - listed 485 lobbying contacts with White House officials over three years, including 10 with Rove. The report indicated that Abramoff and associates lobbied on behalf of more than 20 individuals for administration jobs and only was successful once.

According to e-mails, Abramoff and his team offered White House officials tickets to 19 sporting events and concerts, and Ralston was the most frequent recipient.

She received tickets to nine events from 2001 to 2004: four Capitals hockey games, one Baltimore Orioles baseball game, two Wizards basketball games, and Bruce Springsteen and Andrea Bocelli concerts, the report said.

The report did not make clear whether Ralston or other White House officials paid for any of the tickets. In one case, Ralston wrote to Abramoff saying Rove "has to pay" for the tickets he received to an NCAA basketball playoff game. The White House said Rove paid for the tickets.

In another instance, Ralston wrote an e-mail saying she was "willing to pay" for Capitals tickets, but Abramoff replied: "No problem, and you don’t have to pay."

After an Aug. 23, 2003, Orioles game that Ralston attended, she e-mailed Abramoff: "Thanks for the tix to the game last night. Our guests had a terrific time. (W)e had fun and appreciate your generosity."

The federal gratuities statute makes it a crime to give anything of value to a public official for any official act performed by that official. Officials under scrutiny for accepting gifts often defend themselves by saying they did so out of friendship. Ethics rules prohibit federal employees from accepting gifts unless given because of personal friendship.

E-mails reviewed by the committee also indicate that Abramoff and Ralston discussed business plans more than once.

In February 2002, for example, Ralston, Abramoff, and Abramoff partner Ben Waldman had an e-mail exchange about a business opportunity involving leasing an aircraft.

In November 2002, Ralston e-mailed about the possibility of forming a defense or homeland security-oriented company, acknowledging, "I . . . lack the experience to run the day-to-day operations of a defense company."

She added that "it would take a significant amount of money for me to be lured away (from the White House) so unless you’re really serious and can make it worth my while, let’s wait until 2005."

Abramoff responded, "I am not in a position to offer you serious money for this right now."

Tags: Susan Ralston, Karl Rove, Jack Abramoff

Originally published at Celebrity Today @ TidewaterAlive.com. Please leave any comments there.

6. "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

7. "It’s Perfectly Normal" by Robie Harris

8. Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz

9. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

10. "Forever" by Judy Blume

For more information on this topic, these books or their authors, visit www.ala.org/bbooks.

Tags: Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling