Already mired in a season-high losing streak, the Boston Celtics received news today that effectively ends their season: Rajon Rondo has torn his ACL. The All-Star point goes ends his season with averages of 13.7 points, 11.1 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game. He was coming off back-to-back triple-doubles as well. Barely locked into the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs even before Rondo went down, Boston will now look to the future. Might they trade Paul Pierce? Kevin Garnett? Both veteran superstars? Even the most loyal fan must admit: it’s time for the Celtics to rebuild.
En route home from war, Prince Harry “can’t wait” to become an uncle this year and is “thrilled” Prince William and Kate Middleton are expecting. “Obviously I’m thrilled for both of them,” he said, joking, “It’s about time.” In an interview in Afghanistan , where he served since September, the prince says he had chatted with the couple when their news was released. “I spoke to my brother and [Kate], and they’re both very well and both very happy obviously,” he says, expressing regret at how it came out. “I think it’s unfair that they were forced to publicize it when they were, but that’s the media for you,” Harry said, referring to Kate’s morning sickness. The royal family leaked the Kate Middleton pregnant bombshell due to her hospitalization; she was probably only 8-9 weeks along at the time. Harry’s remarks on the subject were given weeks ago, but were kept under wraps for security reasons, released now because he’s returning to the U.K. “I literally am very, very happy for them,” he says, “I just only hope that she and him – but mainly Catherine – hopefully that she gets the necessary protection.” Protection that will “allow her as a mother-to-be to enjoy the privacy that that comes with. I seriously hope that’s going to be able to happen.” Now that he’s back from his tour of duty, which followed the Prince Harry naked scandal, is there some pressure on him to follow his brother’s lead? “I don’t think you can ever be urged to settle down,” he says. “To find the right person where everything feels right, it takes time, especially for myself and my brother.” As he has hinted before, it is hard to find the right kind of woman who isn’t going to be scared off by everything else that goes with being with a royal. “You ain’t ever going to find someone who’s going to jump into the position that it would hold,” says the 28-year-old Prince of Wales. “Simple as that.” Harry was also named the World’s Hottest Bachelor recently, so that’s a positive for any potential suitors. Probably also has a good amount of cash.
Note to all fans of Saved by the Bell : you may soon need a new pair of pants. Tiffani Thiessen – who also starred on Beverly Hills 90210 and currently plays a role on White Collar , but who will remain Kelly Kapowski forever in the eyes of many – poses below for Me In My Place and looks rather attractive while doing so. Click around now and try to avoid saturating your keyboard with saliva… Was there pressure on Thiessen during her Saved by the Bell days? To remain slim, avoid any Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe and act like a sex symbol? “I think any time you are on a hit show as a young actor or actress, you feel that way,” she says. “I was not the girl that was a size 2 and didn’t work for it. I was never the waify model type.” That’s okay. It’s clearly worked for Tiffani… and then some!
Sasha Obama let out a big yawn during her father’s inaugural address today, making for a moment she will never, ever live down at home. Kids will be kids. Sasha Obama Yawn During one pause by President Barack Obama, cameras cut to Sasha, sister Malia, and mother Michelle Obama ; Sasha yawned for the whole U.S. to see. One can sympathize with Sash. She’d been to church, attended Katy Perry’s inauguration performance and witnessed a swearing-in ceremony in 24 hours. She’s also 11, and the speech – while stirring in rhetoric, moving in its evocation of American greatness, and inspiring in its grandeur – was a tad boring. Sorry Barack.
Forget who, if anyone, cheated on whom for a moment. Forget the tension that clearly exists between Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber , following their fight in Mexico over New Year’s and subsequent break-up. Forget why Selena said she could relate to Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River” when she covered it over the weekend and let’s just focus on the vocal talents of these singers, okay? Selena Gomez – “Cry Me a River” Justin Bieber – “Cry Me a River” (Live in Boston) Because Bieber sang this same infidelity anthem late last year, we can compare the tracks above and ask: Who did it better? Selena Gomez Justin Bieber View Poll »
Maybe Melo is sick of eating Honey Nut Cheerios… Trouble In LaLa and Carmelo Anthony’s Marriage Even though La La Anthony, Carmelo’s estranged wife, wasn’t at Madison Square Garden Monday night, her name sparked a near riot. Carmelo Anthony lost his cool after Boston Celtics bigmouth Kevin Garnett reportedly said his wife “tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios” — a dig at Anthony, who is estranged from his bangin’ wife, leading some to think they are heading to Splitsville soon! Via NY Daily News reports: The NBA superstars nearly came to blows Monday night after Garnett incorporated the General Mills cereal in a fit of trash talking about reality TV-star La La Anthony. “Your… wife tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios,” Garnett told Anthony in a heated Eastern Conference game at Madison Square Garden, according to the website Black Sports Online. Garnett’s slight came off as offensive and tasteless to Melo, who is having marital problems, a source told the Daily News. Garnett and Anthony had to be separated on court and both were hit with technical fouls. But the insult left Anthony so upset he sought out Garnett after the 102-96 Knicks loss, apparently to settle the score. An infuriated Anthony yelled at Garnett outside the Celtics’ locker room immediately after the game. He then tried to confront Garnett later as the Celtics were boarding their team bus to leave the Garden. Anthony and his wife have been living apart for at least two months , and La La rang in the New Year without him in Miami’s South Beach, the source said. “Getting ready to shut down Miami TONIGHT. Happy New Year!” La La tweeted from South Beach on New Year’s Eve. Anthony refused Tuesday to confirm what Garnett said to set him off, but he acknowledged that the caustic Celtic “crossed the line.” On her Twitter account, the Brooklyn-raised La La, 33, was asked about Garnett’s trash talk by fans, but she refused to take the bait. “Living life. Counting blessings, not burdens,” said La La, star of the VH1 reality show “La La’s Full Court Life.” La La attended Monday night’s game, her first after a noticeable absence from the Garden. Last season, La La attended nearly every home game and even traveled on the road to watch the team play. She’s also curbed her tweets about Melo this season after tweeting about him regularly last year. Looks like KG has sparked the match that lit the rumor mill on fire. Say it ain’t so! Do you think NBA’s biggest couple is heading for divorce??
My name is Alex and I’m 16 years old. This is my Bieber experience. Woah wait, what did I really just say that? I’m still in complete shock I actually met my idol. On October 2nd, I saw the ‘Best Collection’ contest on BieberFever. I immediately called my dad and asked if I could sign up for an account. He said yes because he knew that if I had a chance to meet Justin, I would take it. I signed up and put all of my merchandise together. I sent my picture in to BieberFever and waited a long 5 weeks. On November 9th, the day before the concert, I checked my e-mail about 20 times every hour, hoping that I would get an email. By 9:00 PM, I hadn’t gotten an email so I gave up all of the hope I had left. I went to bed only thinking about the fact I was actually seeing my idol in concert tomorrow for the first time! By some weird instinct, I woke up at 1 AM and checked my email. My heart was pounding out of my chest and I saw the email. The email that changed my whole life. It was from BieberFever and said, “Congratulations Alex! You are officially invited to the attend the photo meet and greet TOMORROW NIGHT, November 10 in Boston!” I started crying, knowing that I would be meeting my inspiration the very next day! I couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night and ended up only get 2.5 hours of sleep, but it was ALL worth it. I took the train into Boston and went to Faneuil Hall to have lunch. I got to the arena around 2 PM and met up with a few of my friends from Twitter. We all stood near the gate and hoped Justin or a crew member would come out to say hi. After about an hour of waiting Dan finally walks out! We all started screaming his name and sang ‘The Dan Kanter Song’ to him and he waved to us! By the time, I looked at my phone, it was almost 4 PM so I had to get my wristbands from the box office. I met so many nice Beliebers while waiting. I got my wristbands and then got in line. While waiting in line, I met Nick Demoura! Fast forward to when I was near the front of the line, I saw Kenny so me and my friend started screaming his name and he walked over to us. We asked if we could get a picture with him and he said he couldn’t take any because of all the people. He was so cute though and so sweet about it. I had written Justin a 3 page letter, basically pouring my heart out to him and letting him know how much he has impacted my life. I also wrote Alfredo a letter and gave him an Oreo cookie bar! I gave those to Sully (one of the security guards) and he was like, “Ya I’ll get these to our man!” I walked through the curtain and saw the most beautiful guy standing in front of me. I couldn’t speak, I was frozen. I got pushed next to one of the ladies in the group we went with and we posed for our picture. Right when we were leaving, I turned to Justin and asked, “Can I have a hug?!” He smiled and said, “Sure!” After our hug, security pushed me out and I broke down crying. I could not believe I just met Justin Bieber. I met up with two of my other friends from Twitter who had also won the contest (@swaggiebeliebs & @forev3rjustin ) and we all just basically cried and screamed with each other. The concert itself was AMAZING. The lights, the dancers, him, everything was perfect. I didn’t have the best seats for the show, but I still had the time of my life. I didn’t care what anyone around me thought. After the concert, I ran out to the tour buses and was right by the fence. The security guards came out and were yelling, “YOU GUYS ARE WAITING HERE FOR NOTHING! HE LEFT 20 MINUTES AGO!” Of course, Beliebers wouldn’t take no for an answer and we stayed. Every time they would kick us out, we would just move to another spot. After they lined the fence with security, we met up with my dad and walked to our car. I tweeted Fredo and said, “Some security guards just kicked us out..#rude” and a minute later I got a tweet and it said ”AlfredoFlores: @BostonBelieberx you shoulda turned around and said “ya people can’t hold me back!” and then run!” I can easily say that November 10, 2012 was the best day of my life and I will never forget it. Never doubt yourself when it comes to meeting Justin. It will happen when you least expect it! -Alex (@BostonBelieberx) See the original post here: My name is Alex and I’m 16 years old. This is my Bieber…
After speculation mounted last that Ben Affleck would possibly hang up his filmmaking and acting hats for a U.S. Senate run from Massachusetts, the Argo director and star said he won’t be running for office at least for the time being. Last week, Boston’s CBS affiliate reported that Massachusetts Democrats were wooing Affleck to run for the seat that will be vacated by John Kerry after his likely confirmation as Secretary of State, replacing Hillary Rodham Clinton. The low probability that he’d run did get a bit of a boost when his publicist didn’t directly deny he was considering a run and he didn’t completely say ‘no’ when asked about running during an appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation Sunday. But, Affleck took to Facebook to give final confirmation of his Senate bow out. He will continue to work for the Eastern Congo Initiative, a non-profit group that gives humanitarian aid in the war-torn African region and other causes. Affleck has gone to Congress to testify on behalf of his work for the group. In his Facebook message, he also gives a shout-out to the presumed new Secretary of State. Affleck’s Facebook statement follows : I love Massachusetts and our political process, but I am not running for office. Right now it’s a privilege to spend my time working with Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), supporting our veterans, drawing attention to the great many who go hungry in the U.S. everyday and using filmmaking to entertain and foster discussion about issues like our relationship to Iran. We are about to get a great Secretary of State and there are some phenomenal candidates in Massachusetts for his Senate seat. I look forward to an amazing campaign. Happy Holidays to All. [ Source: A.P. ]
Olivia Culpo, the 20-year-old Miss USA and former Miss Rhode Island, won the Miss Universe pageant on Wednesday night in Las Vegas, becoming the first American to do so since 1997. The Boston University sophomore outlasted 88 other competitors. Miss Philippines, Janine Tugonon, came in second, and Miss Venezuela, Irene Sofia Esser Quintero, finished third. “What an honor! This night was a dream come true. Thank you everyone for your support tonight!! USA finally did it!” Culpo wrote on Twitter
The Oscar Index’s head is spinning. What critics organization didn’t announce their nominees or award-winners this week? On Thursday it was the Golden Globes , on Wednesday the SAGs , and Monday the AFI and BFCA. The Boston, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles , Phoenix, San Diego, St. Louis and Washington critics associations also weighed in with their picks. But critics don’t vote for the Academy Awards, so much of this will have little bearing on who will be nominated for an Academy Award; not Lincoln ’s seven Golden Globe nominations, not Dwight Henry’s Best Supporting Actor win from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for Beasts of the Southern Wild , and not the Washington D.C. Film Critics Association’s pick of Zero Dark Thirty as the year’s best film. By splitting its acting categories into drama and musical-comedy, the Golden Globes muddle the view of the fields , but they do afford some Oscar dark-horses like Richard Gere some necessary exposure to keep their chances alive. Meanwhile, the Screen Actors Guild Awards do matter as an Oscar precursor, as do perhaps some preemptive strikes at a probable Oscar frontrunner. But how big a target is Zero Dark Thirty ? We got a pretty good idea this week. Let’s go to the Gold Lining Playbook. Best Picture Zero Dark Thirty might have sustained some damage this week in the wake of several newspaper pieces that charge the film with being pro-torture and questioning the character of the real-life inspiration for the CIA analyst portrayed in the film by Jessica Chastain . A New York Times Op-Ed piece provocatively opened, “I’m betting that Dick Cheney will love the new movie Zero Dark Thirty ,” Greg Miller in the Washington Post wrote that the real-life operative, who remains undercover, “was passed over for a promotion that many in the CIA thought would be impossible to withhold from some who played such a key role in one of the most successful operations in agency history.” A New Yorker profile of director Kathryn Bigelow questions whether the film’s waterboarding scene takes dramatic liberties with the true story. The timing of these stories is suspect. If past Oscar campaigning has taught us anything, one has to ask at this early stage: Just how far will Harvey Weinstein go to win Oscars for Silver Linings Playbook ? which did receive a Screen Actor’s Guild’s ensemble nomination, a Best Picture equivalent. Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ’s SAG ensemble nomination could boost the film’s chances for a Best Picture nomination. Its distinguished British cast (classy) and pure escapism would seem irresistible to the typical Oscar voter, which the Los Angeles Times last year found was 94 percent Caucasian and a median age of 62. The Dark Knight Rises and so perhaps its Best Picture hopes after being named among the year’s 10 best films by the American Film Institute. Amends for The Dark Knight ? That The Master was not noticed by the SAG for its powerhouse ensemble is testament to the once presumed frontrunner’s fading buzz, while the omission of the critically praised Beasts of the Southern Wild was due to its SAG ineligibility. Likewise, the shutout of Quentin Tarantino ’s wildly anticipated Django Unchained might be a simple matter of screeners not being available in time for voters, theorizes Awards Daily ’s Sasha Stone. And with its five Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture, Django could join the Oscar Best Picture race. 1. Lincoln 2. Zero Dark Thirty 3. Silver Linings Playbook 4. Les Miserables 5. Argo 6. Beasts of the Southern Wild 7. Life of Pi 8. Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 9. The Sessions 10. Django Unchained Ones to watch: The Dark Knight Rises, The Impossible, The Master, Moonrise Kingdom, Skyfall Best Director It’s doubtful that the potshots at Zero Dark Thirty will be enough to keep Bigelow out of the running. The director and screenwriter Mark Boal returned fire against agenda-driven critics. “This movie has been and will continue to be put in political boxes,” Boal told The Wrap this week. “Before we even wrote it, some people said it was an Obama campaign commercial, which was preposterous. And now it’s pro-torture, which is preposterous.” That leaves a slot for David O’Russell , Ang Lee , or late entrant Quentin Tarantino, who received his inevitable Golden Globe nomination Thursday. Pundits still give Lee an edge. The Golden Globes’ surprise snub of Tom Hooper is another indication that this field is anything but set. The Director’s Guild nominations, a reliable Oscar precursor, will be announced on Jan. 8, two days prior to the Academy. 1. Steven Spielberg ( Lincoln ) 2. Kathryn Bigelow ( Zero Dark Thirty ) 3. Ben Affleck ( Argo ) 4. Ang Lee ( Life of Pi ) 5. Tom Hooper (Les Miserables) Ones to watch: Paul Thomas Anderson ( The Master ), Michael Haneke ( Amour ), David O. Russell ( Silver Linings Playbook ), Quentin Tarantino ( Django Unchained ) Next: Best Actor & Actress
