The parents and youngsters of Toddlers & Tiaras will go to the greatest of lengths to make an impression, as we’ve seen in hooker outfits and the like over the years. Four-year-old Destiny smoking is just the newest, crudest example. Dressed up as Sandy from Grease, she took the stage in a black leather outfit, puffing from a prop cigarette. Now that’s sending a positive message! This makes Here Comes Honey Boo Boo look like wholesome TV. At least one judge deducted points on this episode for the use of the prop and the poor message it sends … which may be the understatement of all time. One wonders what doesn’t qualify for a deduction based on that, but we digress. Tell THG what you think of Destiny puffing on her cigarette below. Toddlers & Tiaras: Cancel it?
Former aide Andrew Young, the star witness in the trial of former presidential candidate John Edwards, began his testimony against his former boss Monday. Edwards is accused of using hundreds of thousands of dollars from 101-year-old Rachel “Bunny” Mellon and Fred Baron to conceal his affair with Rielle Hunter . Young, testifying as the first witness Monday, said Mellon was an enthusiastic supporter who apologized for not being able to give more than $1 million. “She said she was close personal friends with Senators John and Bobby Kennedy and felt like Edwards was the best combination of them,” Young testified. Prosecutors say Edwards broke federal law by accepting about $725,000 from Mellon and more than $200,000 from Fred Baron, a now-deceased Texas lawyer. The money was used to pay for Rielle Hunter’s living and medical expenses, travel and accommodations to quash the scandal while he sought the presidency. Edwards is accused of concealing the money from the public and the Federal Election Commission, which polices political contributions, in the 2008 campaign. Federal prosecutors say he filed false and misleading campaign disclosure reports to do this, though Edwards denies any (legal) wrongdoing in the case. The defense argues the money he received from Mellon and Baron was for personal reasons – to protect Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth, who was dying of cancer. Basically, he says he did it to hide his cheating from his family, and that the donors would have given the money regardless of these rare circumstances. Of course, by concealing it from his family, he also hid it from the public, and made a serious run at the White House in the process. Needless to say, the John Edwards trial represents a murky legal gray area. Young, who is married, initially claimed he was the father of Hunter’s child. He went on to become the author of The Politician: An Insider’s Account of John Edwards’s Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down . In the book, he accuses Edwards of using money from his rich benefactors to maintain his relationship with Hunter, breaking the law in the process. Edwards admitted to his affair with Hunter in 2008, after his presidential ambitions foundered. In 2010, he admitted he was the father of Hunter’s daughter.
Facing The Voice’s instant elimination round , Cheesa knew she had to make an impression that lasted with coach Cee Lo Green, his fellow panelists, and America. Her courageous performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” did just that. It earned a standing ovation from Christina Aguilera, who’s been surprisingly hard to please at times this season. “That is a beloved song,” the coach said. “Those are huge shoes to fill and you still managed to do you own thing. I loved it.” Cheesa – I Have Nothing (The Voice Audition) Do you agree with Christina? Cee Lo did, at least to the point where James Massone got the boot and Cheesa lived to sing another day. Will she survive tonight? That’s up to the viewers of The Voice. The top vote-getter among Cee Lo’s remaining three team members will advance, with the coach picking the other semifinalist.
THIS… is your American Idol host for at least the next two years. Fox has announced that Ryan Seacrest inked a new deal with the network yesterday and will remain at the helm of TV’s highest-rated show through 2014. “For the last 11 seasons, I’ve had the privilege to be a part of one of television’s most iconic shows,” Seacrest said in a statement. “It’s been a wild ride, and I’m excited for my journey with American Idol to continue. The legions of fans, amazingly talented contestants, judges, and producers, along with the hard working Idol crew, impress me every time we go on air and make hosting the show a dream job.” Seacrest, easily the busiest man in show business, will also help cover the Summer Olympics on NBC in June.
A literally smoking-hot photograph of a nude Madonna lying seductively on a bed almost two decades ago is set to go to auction in New York next month, MTV reports. The pic in question was taken by fashion photographer Steven Meisel for her controversial 1992 book Sex , but for whatever reason was never included in it. Featuring a bleach-blonde Madge, the picture shows the queen of pop wearing nothing but a strategically-placed sheet and holding a cigarette to her lips. Judith Eurich from the auction house selling the photo suggested that the cigarette was merely for dramatic purposes, telling the UK’s Daily Mail: “Madonna is, by all accounts, a very healthy person and I’d have to imagine the cigarette is just a prop to make her look sexy and sultry.” Indeed, Madonna recently blasted accusations of hypocrisy over her daughter Lourdes’ smoking habit and insisted she doesn’t even partake. The latest photo of Madonna nude is expected to fetch more than
‘They make life more exciting,’ Chris Pine tells MTV News at premiere. By Kara Warner Tom Hardy, Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine in “This Means War” Photo: 20th Century Fox Woe is the woman entangled in a complicated, messy love triangle — particularly one that involves easy-on-the-eyes actors Chris Pine (“Star Trek”) and Tom Hardy (“Warrior,” “Inception”). This is the dilemma Reese Witherspoon faces as lucky lady in love with two very-eligible CIA operatives in “This Means War,” released Friday (February 17). Hopefully, you can read our sarcasm, because we don’t feel any ounce of sympathy for Witherspoon, as she had the best of both worlds working on the film. There are, of course, pitfalls to real-life love triangles, so when MTV News hit up the premiere of the new action-filled romantic comedy, we asked the stars to debate the pros and cons of being caught between two eligible romantic interests. “I guess the pros of a love triangle is that they make life more exciting,” Pine offered. Abigail Spencer, who plays Hardy’s character’s ex-wife, said, “I think there’s only cons,” adding “I think the only pro is that you might discover who you actually like by having a distraction but it forces you to make a decision.” “I can’t even answer that question,” Hardy admitted. “I’m trying to think of too many literal answers.” Chelsea Handler, meanwhile, provided a thoughtful answer to our poll: “You get to have sex with two people simultaneously, but at some point, you have to tell the truth to both people so they’re OK with it, and then you have to pick one,” she said. “It should only happen for a myopic period of time.” “I wouldn’t know from any personal experiences,” Witherspoon chimed in. “But from the movie, I think it’s very complicated dating best friends.” The film’s director, McG, admitted to speaking from personal experience: “That’s difficult to ask because I’ve only been on the losing end of any love triangle I’ve been a part of because all of my friends are super good-looking.” Check out everything we’ve got on “This Means War.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV First: This Means War
‘Lost Without You’ singer was held for 15 minutes at the police station and signed autographs for the staff, according to reports. By Sowmya Krishnamurthy Robin Thicke Photo: Jamie McCarthy/ Getty Images Robin Thicke was arrested for marijuana possession in New York City on Friday (February 17), according to reports. The 34-year-old “Lost Without You” singer was apprehended near Manhattan’s Madison Square Park after he was pulled over for throwing something out of the window of his Cadillac Escalade, a source told Access Hollywood . Police reportedly opened the cigarette box in the vehicle and found an unknown amount of marijuana. Thicke was taken to a police station and issued a summons before being dismissed. He was reportedly held for 15 minutes and signed autographs for the staff while in the station. No official statement has been made from Thicke or his reps on the charges. Thicke released his fifth studio album, Love After War, in December. His single “Pretty Lil’ Heart” featuring Lil Wayne was released in November. The duo had previously collaborated on “Shooter” and “Shoot Me Down,” from Wayne’s Tha Carter II and Tha Carter III albums, respectively. Thicke and his wife, actress Paula Patton, had their first child , Julian Fuego, in April 2010. Related Artists Robin Thicke
“I wanted to do a portrait film with extended takes. Smoking came into it later, as the ploy to get people to stand still and not be totally conscious of being filmed, although a big part of Twenty Cigarettes is that very self-consciousness of a person in front of a camera and how that changes over time. Cigarettes also have this built-in duration and people will smoke at a different rate, and they’ll smoke the whole cigarette or part of the cigarette. Smoking has such a stigma now, especially in the U.S., so I thought it would be interesting to make a film where I won’t have any value judgment at all on smoking.” Sorry! This has NC-17 written allllll over it . [ NYT ]
An MTA bus driver could be in trouble after video obtain exclusively by Fox 5 News shows him forcibly removing a disruptive passenger from his bus in Brooklyn. A B35 bus stopped on Nostrand Avenue Thursday because passengers complained that a woman lit up a cigarette. The video shows her smoking. Passengers are heard insisting she put out the cigarette or get off, but she refuses. She goes for another puff, and the driver, wearing his NYC transit sweater with a patch on the right arm for identification, walks into view. He tells the woman that he could have police remove her and asks her to get up. The video shows her refusing. The driver grabs her and forcefully lifts her from the seat and out the back door. Once off the bus, the situation seems to be over. But then the driver appears to take a jab while she is on the ground. The MTA is reviewing the footage to identify and interview the driver. But the agency did say that the driver’s actions were inappropriate and that he should have contacted the bus command center to get help from the NYPD.
An MTA bus driver could be in trouble after video obtain exclusively by Fox 5 News shows him forcibly removing a disruptive passenger from his bus in Brooklyn. A B35 bus stopped on Nostrand Avenue Thursday because passengers complained that a woman lit up a cigarette. The video shows her smoking. Passengers are heard insisting she put out the cigarette or get off, but she refuses. She goes for another puff, and the driver, wearing his NYC transit sweater with a patch on the right arm for identification, walks into view. He tells the woman that he could have police remove her and asks her to get up. The video shows her refusing. The driver grabs her and forcefully lifts her from the seat and out the back door. Once off the bus, the situation seems to be over. But then the driver appears to take a jab while she is on the ground. The MTA is reviewing the footage to identify and interview the driver. But the agency did say that the driver’s actions were inappropriate and that he should have contacted the bus command center to get help from the NYPD.
