About that really clear statement Seal made this weekend? When he obviously accused Heidi Klum of cheating on him with bodyguard Martin Kristen ? He’d like to take it back, thanks. After telling TMZ he wished his ex-wife would have “at least waited until we separated first before deciding to fornicate with the help” and adding that the press has the answer it’s “been looking for” regarding his split with the super model, the singer has now released a new statement through his rep. It reads: “Seal would like to clarify that he was not implying his wife was cheating while they were together, but he was merely pointing out that their separation and divorce are not yet final and they are indeed still legally married.” It’s unclear how a separation must be finalized, but, hey this is really none of our business. Klum, meanwhile, also released a rebuttal through a rep that states: “It is sad that Seal has to resort to this kind of behavior and spread these untruths about the mother of his children.” For the sake of those children, four of them, let’s hope the estranged couple calls for a media ceasefire starting… right… NOW.
Alicia Etheredge, the new wife of Bobby Brown who married the singer in June , is recovering today from a seizure. The incident reportedly took place last night in a Florida hotel room while Brown was taking care of a sound check for an upcoming New Edition concert. Etheredge serves as her husband’s manager. “The report that my wife was rushed to the hospital is true,” Brown subsequently Tweeted. “She is recovering and is in good spirits and doing well. Please keep my family in your prayers.” Brown has been undergoing his own issues as of late. He checked into a rehab facility for alcohol abuse in mid-August and is trying to get his life back on track.
The October issue of Vanity Fair magazine has a Scientology-related cover story about Tom Cruise that makes Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master look like light comedy. In a feature titled, ” What Katie Didn’t Know: Marriage, Scientology-Style,” special correspondent Maureen Orth reveals the details of a top-secret 2004 mission that Shelly Miscavige, the wife of Scientology head David Miscavige, undertook to find a girlfriend for Tom Cruise. The magazine reports that, according to several sources, the organization devised “an elaborate auditioning process in which actresses who were already Scientology members were called in, told they were auditioning for a new training film, and then asked a series of curious questions including: ‘What do you think of Tom Cruise?'” The sweepstakes winner was Iranian-born, London-raised actress Nazanin Boniadi, who had a recurring role in General Hospital and How I Met Your Mother . Boniadi dated Cruise from November 2004 until January 2005, after Orth reports, a month-long preparation in which she was “audited” every day — a Scientology-based process in which she revealed “her innermost secrets and every detail of her sex life.” Boniadi also underwent a physical transformation that allegedly included losing her braces, the red highlights in her hair and her boyfriend. (Orth cites a “knowledgeable source” who says that the actress was shown “confidential auditing files of her boyfriend to expedite the breakup,” although the church denied any “misuse” of confidential information.) According to Vanity Fair , Boniadi was flown to New York in November to meet Cruise. After dinner at Nobu and ice-skating at the Rockefeller Center rink there, which had been closed to the public but not “an entourage of Scientology aides,”, the actress spent the night with Cruise. Orth cites several sources who say the two did not have sex, but that Cruise told Boniadi, “I’ve never felt this way before.” Approximately one month and at least two confidentiality agreements later, the magazine reports, Boniadi was kicked to the curb. Orth writes that anything the actress said or did that met with Cruise’s disapproval was relayed to a member of the Scientology staff. Boniadi, also reportedly offended fast-talking Scientology top gun David Miscavige by repeatedly telling him “Excuse me?” while she was entertaining him in Telluride. (A representative for Miscavige told Vanity Fair , “Mr. Miscavige doesn’t remember any girlfriend of anyone, in his entire life, insulting him.”) Despite these reportedly stressful conditions, Boniadi “was in love with Cruise,” Orth writes. That said, she was “overwhelmed” by “the intensity of his affection, especially his predilection for public displays” — a detail that should not come as a surprise to those who remember Cruise expressing his newfound love for Katie Holmes on national TV by jumping on a couch on Oprah Winfrey’s show in 2005, Cruise, on the other hand, told Boniadi “I get more love from an extra than I get from you.” By the third week in January 2005, Boniadi was asked to move out of Cruise’s house and into Scientology’s Celebrity Centre. She was told that the Mission Impossible actor “wants someone with her own power — like Nicole,” as in Cruise’s ex-wife Nicole Kidman. Cruise would meet Homes later that year and announce his engagement to the Dawson’s Creek actress that June. Boniadi would not fare nearly as well. The magazine reports that when the actress ran into a friend at a Scientology Center in Florida, Boniadi spilled the beans on her relationship with Cruise, only to have the friend report her. As punishment for her indiscretion, a “knowledgeable source” told Orth that Boniadi’s punishment was “to scrub toilets with a toothbrush, clean bathroom tiles with acid and dig ditches in the middle of the night.” She was also tasked with selling copies of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s book, Dianetics on street corners. (A Scientology spokesperson told the magazine, “The Church does not punish people, especially in [that’ manner.”) A spokeswoman for Cruise called the Vanity Fair story, which includes a number of other revelations about Scientology and Cruise, “false.” [ Vanity Fair ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Michael Jackson’s kids Paris, Prince and Blanket threw out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game in Gary, Ind., along with MJ’s sister La Toya. The King of Pop’s three children made the trip to their father’s hometown on Thursday to celebrate what would have been Michael Jackson’s 54th birthday . Prince Michael, 15, Blanket, 10, and Paris Jackson , 14, each took the mound to kick off the Gary Southshore Railcats baseball game. Check it out:
Deneeta Pope, the African-American ex-girlfriend of Republican V.P. nominee Paul Ryan, wants nothing to do with the upcoming Presidential election. She’s also a Barack Obama supporter , though she wishes Ryan well. Ryan mentioned in an interview years ago that he’s experienced racism in part because he has a black sister-in-law as well as a black ex-girlfriend. This came up again recently after some of Ryan’s policies have been criticized – fairly or otherwise – as detrimental to the African-American community. Deneeta Pope has since been ID’d … and wishes she hadn’t been. Pope said yesterday, a day after Paul Ryan’s acceptance speech at the RNC, “I’m not interested in talking. I don’t know why everyone is calling.” “I’m newly married and would just like to be left alone.” Deneeta did speak briefly on the newly-minted V.P. hopeful, though, telling the Daily Mail that while she remains an ardent Barack Obama backer, she can’t help but cheer for the #2 man on the GOP 2012 ticket at the same time. Pope, 40, said, “I am indeed a Democrat. That’s no secret. But although I have a different political association to Paul, I support him and wish him success.” “Paul is a very nice guy, a kind guy and a family guy.” Daneeta says that she remains in touch with the Wisconsin Congressman; Paul and his wife, Janna Ryan , were even invited to Pope’s wedding in May. Wonder if she has a Paul Ryan shirtless pic or two of her own. Election 2012 :
LeAnn Rimes’ prolific Tweeting is apparently something her husband, Eddie Cibrian, took issue with long before she sought treatment for stress issues . The 30-year-old singer announced she has entered facility to treat “stress and anxiety,” having endured a relentless, vitriolic campaign of cyber-bullying. But could LeAnn Rimes’ emotional breakdown have been prevented? Even though he’s been nothing but supportive of his wife through this bullying ordeal, for Eddie Cibrian, this may be an I-told-you-so-moment of sorts. From her over-sharing about Eddie’s kids to posting countless bikini pics and chatting with fans for hours on end, the actor has long been concerned. “Eddie hates Twitter and doesn’t want LeAnn to be on there so much,” a source close to the couple said, and this was before the star’s breakdown. “He would ask her to not meet people through Twitter and wanted her to get off of there … he thought she was out of control and not able to handle it.” Eddie was worried about his wife’s interaction on the Internet with fans and detractors, and for good reason, as it looks to have taken a severe toll . Two people LeAnn claims to have extended an olive branch to recorded her illegally and posted excerpts of their conversation online. She’s suing. Bottom line … Rimes’ haters need to chill out and take it down a notch or 20, but LeAnn may want to follow Eddie’s advice on this one as well. [Photo: WENN.com]
Andy Roddick announced this afternoon at a press conference that he will retire from professional tennis after this year’s U.S. Open, which is currently underway in New York City. Asked why he’s calling it quits, Roddick simply pointed to a gallery of Brooklyn Decker photos and reminded reporters that stepping away will allow him to spend more time with his wife. Just kidding. “It’s a matter of how I feel, and if I feel I can compete at the highest level,” he actually said of his decision. Roddick owns 32 career titles and won the U.S. Open in 2003 for his only major title. He’s currently ranked No. 22 in the world. The American star has banked $20 million in career prize money and enjoys a host of endorsements. He has also battled knee, ankle, shoulder and back injuries in recent years. And, oh, did we mention he’s married to Brooklyn Decker ? Hard to blame the guy for walking away. The 30-year old plays Bernard Tomic in the second round on Friday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Let’s all cheer him on during this final run.
Yahoo News’ Washington bureau chief David Chalian has been fired after a shocking remark he made about Mitt Romney and his wife Ann was caught on camera. Chalian was overheard saying that the Romneys were “not concerned at all” about Hurricane Issac and are “happy to have a party with black people drowning.” Chalian seemed to be referring to the Republican National Convention taking place in Tampa just as the Category 1 storm barreled across the Gulf of Mexico. Yesterday, Yahoo announced it was firing Chalian, “effective immediately.”
Introducing H.R.M. Queen Elizabeth II, O.G. In a photo only slightly less surprising than ones of Prince Harry naked , the 86-year-old British royal family matriarch was photographed over the weekend wearing a hooded sweatshirt behind the wheel of her Range Rover. Straight chillin. Here’s the Queen in her hoddie … The morning shows, including Today , first ran the photo, which showed the Queen driving on her Scottish estate, Balmoral, after a grouse shoot. Last week, the Queen was reportedly joined at the family’s Scottish residence by her wild, scandal-stricken grandson, as well as his father Prince Charles. We would love to have been a fly on the wall then. Fun fact: Elizabeth is the only person in the U.K. who does not need a driver’s license to drive, which she rarely does anyway, at least in London. Royals … they’re just like us. Sort of a little.
We’re down to six on America’s Got Talent , as the NBC hit reformatted its concluding rounds this year. Which act stood out? Which do we think could be remaining on the finale? Read on for a rundown of the latest moves, shakes, notes, impressions and grades… Andrew De Leon – Andrew seemed destined to make it to the semifinals even with his inexperience because of that underdog sob story. There seems to be a disconnect between his falsetto with his lower notes and he continues to lack any charisma whatsoever. He still was a strong opening to the show and hit his high note correctly. Grade: B Todd Oliver – After a second chance, I continue to question Todd’s material. The stage was “The Todd Oliver Show,” and while the Prince Harry joke was topical, I felt as though some of the jokes sounded familiar. The dog-based quips can only go so far for me and I’ve hit my threshold. Grade: B- Donovan & Rebecca – After a great shoulder balancing, Rebecca showed both agility and grace as she spun around. They did the right thing to go with more enthusiastic music and one has to point out that Rebecca is doing all the lifts in heels which throw off a person’s center of gravity. I also appreciated that they did the neck lift which didn’t seem to work as cleanly as it did on Britain’s Got Talent Grade: A- Edon – It seems like Edon’s voice seems to be going through a bit of a shift since we first saw him. He decided to perform a slow version ” What Makes You Beautiful ” and he should be credited for attempting a different arrangement. Some of his higher notes were screechier than he used to be, considering that “Titanium” can sound like someone’s killing a cat. Notice that he had to go low at the end to make the vocals a bit stronger. If anything, the song was age appropriate. Grade: B+ The Scott Brothers – After going for a “fun” spirit, the brothers decided to be technical and dedicated their performance to their mother. The two decided to go for a mannequin based routine. Conceptually, the piece looked great though there were color blending issues where they would meld with the background. They were technically sharp and the tempo changing near the end of the routine worked well. I preferred the comedy, but it was still strong. Grade: B Eric Diddleman – Diddleman decided to aim for Howard this week as he made Howard color his self-portrait from the auditions. The colors were painted in as Howard botched his coloring because Howard accidentally made the goatee the same color as the devil horns, but the rest of the act worked well. The circle/triangle act made no sense to me but it was a good waste of time. Grade: B+ Turf – Turf’s goal this week was to be more dance-friendly. The contortions of his mouth worked perfectly as he contorted faster than he ever did. The increased speed made his contortions feel dance-like. His glides were a time waster, but flip into contortion was amazing. Turf has continued to perform better each time. Grade: B+ Bria Kelly – Our country music YouTube struggler was tense as she practiced this week. She decided to choose Pink’s “F-ing Perfect.” The song has a strong narrative, which matches the country aspect, but she didn’t match the spirit of the song. I didn’t notice during her original performance that she had an insane vibrato. The key change was a smart move as was the high note at the end. It wasn’t the best, but it was better than her last performance. Grade: C+ Joe Castillo – Our beret wearing artist needed to fit an epic story in 90 seconds and immediately created a very hippie message of peace. His profiles of people are great and whoever was in charge of coloring did a great job. The act felt even shorter than 90 seconds because of how much time he spent on single images. Grade: B+ William Close – William and his earth harp collective had four new instruments and his wife on stage with him basically as a human-violin of sorts. The performance must be a joy to watch in person because there was so much happening. The vocals could have been better, but in an odd way the flaws work with the organic sounding instruments. One didn’t even notice the fact that the drummers were doing ballet. Grade: A- Tom Cotter – Tom decided to provide “comedy on demand” and Howie picked College. Not only did he get a Diddleman joke through, he had some great drug/sex jokes. His material was edgy and pushed boundaries which were perfect for what he needed. It’s a difficult road to choose a comedian, but he has a wonderful shot to win. Grade: A Academy of Villains – The academy took a risk and one of the dancers broke her kneecap during practice forcing the group to readjust all their choreography. The speed of the routine was unexpected; their use of dubstep made sense. Some of the transitions between formations could use some help. I liked that they slowed down to “Secrets” and appreciated the doorways they used. While I’m still not a huge fan of mimes, the performance was fun. Grade: A- Only three acts can make it through and my personal choices are Tom Cotter, Diddleman and William Close. Academy of Villains did a great job and going last may leave a lasting impression, but they will probably split their votes with Turf and The Scott Brothers.
