On an overcast day in New York City, Woody Allen, Steve Guttenberg and Patricia O’Connell emerge from the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway, where Woody’s “Relatively Speaking” production of three one-act comedies is in previews. We attempt to question the great writer and director about his pick of candidates presently contending on “Dancing With the Stars” but, sadly, Woody was taking an important phone call at the time.
“Ned was heartbroken and went to Necker to take his mind off things,” a source told British tabloid The Sun of Rocknroll, 33, who separated from his wife, heiress Eliza Cowdray, earlier this year. “But when Kate came out they really hit it off.” Kate Winslet not only escaped a house fire while vacationing at Richard Branson#39;s Caribbean home last month, but apparently found chemistry with Branson#39;s nephew “Ned Rocknroll,” who was also staying on Necker Island at the time. Though the recen
DJ Khaled hit up Invasion Radio on Sirius speaking on why he can use the N’ word. He claims that he is a product of his environment and that the N’ word is positive and endearing term… Take a Listen: “I’m a n—a. If somebody ever took that in an arrogant – if someone thinks it in another way, they dumb.I grew up like that. It’s slang. It’s actually a positive word the way that I use it, the way that Ace [Hood] is using it. If you think like that, that goes back to the internet. The hate. For me to say ‘We the best, oooo weeee n—a, we the best!’ You know what I’m talking about. N—as that’s thinking that is dumb f–ks. You know what I’m saying? Once again, I’d like to shout out the fans who love this music. What makes me mad, ’cause when I grew up, n—as was calling me sand n—a. Now, that’s ignorant, because there’s only one way to say it. You can’t say, ‘Yo what up my sand n—a?’ That’s not the way we grew up in the streets. When I say ‘What up my n—a,’ I say that to Green Lantern all the time. ‘What up my nig?’ That’s just me greeting you with love, but if somebody takes it another way, they dumb, man. That’s like, dumb. Like, they dumb. Just so we are clear Khaled bin Abdul Khaled aka DJ Khaled, born in New Orleans of Palestinian descent… You use the N’ word because you are a N’ and because you mean it as an endearing term then the world should understand. mmmmkkkaaayyy! Sooooo – every person that is not black can use the N’ word as long as they give an explanation or Is it okay for very person that is not white to get a pass? Just a Note: This interview is about 3 years old…
Thanks to some incredibly gifted, and we’re sure very persistent, publicist, someone thought asking Gloria Govan and Matt Barnes about their love life as parents would be interesting. It wasn’t. But part of it did bring up an interesting question for us… Gloria, how do you and Matt keep things exciting? Do you have date nights? We’re super sappy. We’re into the rose petals and candles and balloons. He leaves me notes everywhere — like in my car, my purse, and places I would never think to look in, like my sunglasses case — and then I just find them throughout the day. They’re really brilliant notes. He’s always encouraging and supportive. He’s so cute. We used to have date night a lot, but now that the boys are older, we stay up later, so it’s hard. We have this really cool balcony that overlooks the water that’s very romantic and chill and we end up there just talking. We catch each other up. We get up and we’re like, wow, it’s 1 o’clock in the morning. We try to chill. We used to go on walks all the time, but with my schedule and his schedule it’s hard. Plus, I’m trying to do “Dancing with the Stars” next season so it’s just going to get even worse. I’m excited. I love to dance… I love to cut a rug. It’s fun just to let it loose. Okay, beyond the mystery that is what qualifies someone as a “star” as far as “Dancing With The Stars” is concerned, that answer left us so confused. If Matt is writing sweet notes and doing all types of thoughtful, romantic-y things all the time, and y’all are oh so in love WHY ARE YOU STILL NOT MARRIED??? Source
Back in 2007, Diddy teamed up with Ciroc to help boost the vodkas image. According to Forbes, within two years, Diddy’s Ciroc campaign help take the brand from distributing 160,000 cases a year to 400,000 cases a year. Now in 2011, Ciroc is on the verge of selling more than 1 Million cases and it’s all thanks to Mr. Take That Take That Combs! The deal he struck up with the company has set him up for placement on the Forbes 400 list, if someone were to come in and buy it. Diddy is one of the ultimate hustler’s of our time. Anything he signs up for, he goes hard and this time he might have hit the jackpot! The notorious name-changer has taken to calling himself Ciroc Obama, and for good reason: Through his vodka deal with beverage giant Diageo, Diddy receives an annual cut of profits and a big chunk of cash if the Ciroc brand is ever sold. With the spirit’s value soaring toward $1 billion, and stakes in clothing lines Sean John and Enyce, marketing firm Blue Flame and record label Bad Boy, Diddy may beat buddy Jay-Z, featured on last year’s cover, to The Forbes 400. Net worth: $550 million. At this point, Ciroc is more than a drink… Diddy has made it a movement! If you follow @CirocNation on Twitter, they are constantly retweeting tweets with the word Ciroc and drink recipes that people come up with! The brand and marketing strategy is genius plus the fact that it’s in every song there’s no way around it! We’ll Drink To That!!! Source
Annie Ilonzeh is one tough cookie. After an exhausting 15 hour shoot the night before, the actress still manages to find the time to sign up for an early Saturday morning phone interview to chat about her role as Kate Prince in the iconic “Charlie’s Angels” franchise. After getting her feet wet in the biz as Maya Ward on daytime sudser “General Hospital”, the stunning biracial beauty now has the distinction of being the very first African-American “Angel.” Not bad for a girl from Grapevine, Texas, whose strict Nigerian father gave her an ultimatum: to make it as an actress in Hollywood in one year, or come back home. Ilonzeh shares her intense audition process, working with Hollywood powerhouse Drew Barrymore, and why she proudly waves her “curly girl” flag high with The Urban Daily . Tell us about your character Kate Prince on “Charlie’s Angels.” Kate Prince is an ex-cop detective turned dirty. And now Charlie has given her a second chance as an Angel, an attempt at redemption. Throughout the series, her overall objection is to seek redemption. She also has other motivations like trying to seek validation and seek approval from the other Angels and Bosley. And then her ex-fiance (Isaiah Mustufa) pops into the picture, which creates all this new tension. What was the audition process like? I was given the opportunity to audition back in November 2010. I didn’t have a script but the Charlie’s Angels franchise is iconic. When I read the breakdown of the character I fell in love with the project immediately. I found so many similarities between Kate and myself: we’re both athletic, both very strong mentally. There’s also the relationship Kate has with the other Angels—and I come from a family with four sisters, so I understand the sisterhood. We’re also the same in knowing we have flaws, that we make mistakes and using those experiences to turn it into something positive. So between Fall 2010 and February 2011 I had about six auditions. I finally landed the part and started shooting in March. It was a tough process but like Kate, it shows that we’re tough and we don’t give up. Drew Barrymore is the Executive Producer of the series–have you met her? How involved has she been in this project? Drew is very involved. She was there at every one of my auditions. She was very charming and would give me suggestions. She’s a very good director and it’s a pleasure working with her. She’s like that veteran Angel and you look up to her. What kind of training did you have to undergo to prepare for the role? A lot, actually. I’m a gym rat; I”ll lift weights or hit the treadmill. I like to explore different types of extreme exercising. For this role we had to do specific training like martial arts, scuba diving and gun training. My character’s specialty is martial arts so she knows kung-fu, jujitsu That was really different for me because I come from a basketball background. So I had to change the muscle memory. The gun training was fun though. As my co-star Minka Kelly likes to say “We’re trained assassins now!” Do you think your newfound combat skills would allow you to defend yourself if you ever found yourself in danger in real life? At the end of the day you never never if you’re going to go into flight or fight mode but I would definitely be more confident in defending myself. You are the first African-American angel in the “Charlie’s Angels” franchise. What kind of responsibility do you feel in the representation of black women on television? In the beginning I didn’t really think about it. My mother is White and my father emigrated here from Nigeria, so I didn’t look at it color wise. I don’t see a distinction between myself, Minka and Rachael (Taylor). It took me a while to realize it is an accomplishment. It’s great to set a stage to tell women that no matter your color or nationality, you can do it. I want African-Americans to know that with Obama in office, there’s no ceiling anymore. Sometimes it might feel like that, but we have to keep pushing and that’s what makes us strong as a people. Let’s talk about the hair. When you landed the role of Kate Prince, was there ever a discussion in how you would wear your hair? Yeah, we did talk about it like “So, what can we do with this kind of hair?” Women are embracing their natural hair, which is great, but we don’t always do that as African-American women. Sometimes we’ll perm it or put some tracks in it, which is awesome because we like play and explore. I wear my hair natural, but I have a few pieces I’ll use when I go undercover on the show. But the producers want me to wear my hair natural, to be true to Annie, instead of washing me into a different person, of what society thinks is more appealing. As a black actress in Hollywood, What would you say to women who are worried about not being accepted or seen as beautiful when wearing their hair in its natural state? I would say go for it. You see women who shave their head and think that is the most beautiful thing. You should wear your hair however you feel comfortable. You might see a woman with long straight flowing hair down her back and there might be a little African-American girl who knows her hair will never grow that long. If you’ve got a mini-fro or a kitchen in the back, if you want to put a little heat on it, just embrace it and keep it movin’. I wake up with dreds some mornings because my hair locks up, but I just work with it. You’re never going to please everyone, so you should find your own beauty. Charlie’s Angels premieres tonight on ABC 8P.M EST/7c Follow Annie Ilonzeh on Twitter: @AnnieIlonzeh
It’s become one of the most pressing celebrity gossip questions of our time, right up there with: How low will Taylor Armstrong sink ? Disney actress Brenda Song was spotted inside a Sherman Oaks mall this week with boyfriend Trace Cyrus… and a baby bump? You tell us: In late August, insiders claimed the couple was expecting its first child , yet Song’s mom then came out and shot down the rumor . But is she simply in denial? Why has Brenda not issued a simple statement denying the story? One can’t tell much by the photo above, due to Brenda’s baggy clothes. Unless the baggy clothes themselves are a clue! We’ll stop speculating now and turn it over to readers: Do you think Song is pregnant?
‘1 of the most #Legendary performers ever is joining the album!!’ Bieber’s manager tweets. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber Photo: WireImage On Tuesday, Justin Bieber had this message for fans eagerly awaiting some new music from the teen star: “oh yeah … and i think LESS THAN A MONTH … I’m gonna give you some #newmusic.” Bieber is busy in the studio locking down features for his forthcoming Christmas album . With rumored collaborations with Sean Kingston and Taylor Swift , as well as a confirmed track, “Falalalala,” with Boyz II Men , Bieber is hustling to get the album done. “He thought we’d be perfect for it,” Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman said of their work with the star. “And we went in and locked in.” On Wednesday, Bieber not only confirmed another guest for the album, the Band Perry, but also teased a secret one. “@thebandperry heard the final version of our song for the Christmas album!! Love it. glad to have you!” he wrote, before going back and forth with his manager, Scooter Braun, about that other feature. “Wow. Just got an #epic phone call regarding @justinbieber xmas album. 1 of the most #Legendary performers ever is joining the album!!” Braun tweeted . Bieber responded, “@scooterbraun cant believe it … completely #HONORED. I think people are going to be shocked. I was. #christmas.” In addition to all the feature updates, Bieber revealed, “working hard on this #SOMEDAY shoot. they are playing my first single from the christmas album. what is the name of it again …. hmmmm …..” Bieber apparently also has something big in store for fans this week. Braun only had this to say about it: “kinda hyped right now …. @justinbieber has something pretty wild in store for this week. #remix.” Related Artists Justin Bieber
‘I think that all of these shows are great for the music business,’ Seacrest tells MTV News. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Jim Cantiello Ryan Seacrest Photo: MTV News On Wednesday night, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and the rest of the “X Factor” gang kicked off the show on American TV. It’s the latest (and perhaps one of the most high-profile) addition to a television market already full of singing competition series . While both shows airs on Fox, “Factor” doesn’t directly compete with Cowell and Abdul’s old “American Idol” stomping grounds, but it does raise a question: Will TV viewers have singing fatigue by the time “Idol” kicks off next year? When MTV News caught up with host Ryan Seacrest at “Idol” auditions in New Jersey on Thursday (September 22), he said he wasn’t concerned about that at all. “I’m not worried about audiences being burnt out,” Seacrest told us as he made his way to meet with contestants. “I think that all of these shows are great for the music business and they’re great for people who want to make it in the music business. The more opportunity, the more shots, the more chances dreams come true, right?” Just as “X factor” wraps things up in December, “Idol” will be gearing up for a January kickoff. But Ryan insisted to reporters that things are “friendly” between the two shows, even revealing that he has spoken to “Factor” host Steve Jones. “I didn’t give him tips; he’s done this for a long time. I had a chance to meet him not too long ago and he was very, very kind and very nice and I wish him the best of luck,” he said. “I think he’ll enjoy his time with Simon. I had a decade with him. I think it’s time for him to endure Simon.” In addition to all of the “Factor” chatter, Seacrest gushed about the talent “Idol” has seen for the upcoming season. “Good. So far, so good. I have no idea what they sound like yet [today], but they look like they have potential, don’t they?” he said. “We’ve had a really good run so far with auditions. It’s been very, very impressive. The contestants have been very, very good.”
Time for a big, fat celebration. There are celebrity weight loss stories, and then there’s this. Kirstie Alley cleared the 100 lb. weight-loss hurdle this summer, a truly impressive feat. “When I hit that mark, I went, ‘That’s it!'” Alley told People this week from Florence, Italy. “I have more energy than I’ve ever had in my whole life.” While Alley’s weight has fluctuated in recent years, the actress, now 60, hit a wall two years ago at 230 pounds: “My body had gotten really weak.” No longer. By dancing daily after her dazzling appearance on Dancing with the Stars , where she came in second, changing to an organic diet and following Organic Liaison, her own weight-loss program, she’s turned her life around for good. “There was nothing positive about being fat. Now I feel back to normal,” the star, now a proud size 6 and 130 pounds, says. “I have my game again.” Her next challenge: “What I’m looking for is to be madly, deeply in love,” says Alley, who will also star in the upcoming ABC pilot, The Manzanis . “For the first time in my life, I know exactly what I want in a man,” she says. “I want someone who has my back, who is courageous and brave.” Her new body can only help. Along with her dance moves: Dancing With the Stars Finals – Kirstie and Maks (Freestyle) [Photos: WENN.com]
