Aug 30, 2011

'True Blood' recap: Kill Bill Volume 2

Eric's memory has returned! In "Burning Down the House," Sunday's episode of "True Blood," the Viking became himself once more, thanks to a powerful blast of Sookie's fairy magic. But what should have been one of the most climactic events of the season, played, well, a little anticlimactic. Maybe there were just too many other things to sort out what with the Festival of Tolerance degenerating into a Festival of Bloodletting, Jason and Jessica sorting through the ramifications of their pickup truck hook up, Marnie and Antonia reaffirming their spiritual alliance and, of course, Tommy dying at his brother's side.

Turns out, naturally, that Bill was right. They probably should have canceled the tolerance event. It's the place where Sookie, desperate to protect Bill from Eric, summons her own mysterious power and aims it squarely at Eric, restoring his memory (which happens to include all the details of their time together this season). Looking to protect herself and her acolytes from the melee, Antonia vanishes, retreating back to the MoonGoddess Emporium with Roy and two of Bill's vampire sheriffs, both of whom are under her spell.

Bill takes charge, insisting that the vampires go after the necromancer before she can inflict any more damage, while Nan dispatches minions to glamor any humans who might have witnessed the carnage. His plan? Blow up the emporium with Antonia/Marnie and the remainder of her coven (including Tara and Holly) still inside.

Back at Bill's, Jason tries to deal with his regret over sleeping with Jessica. He tells her that their being together will break Hoyt's heart, and Jason asks her to glamor him so that he won't feel guilty. Probably not the best way to make a girl feel loved. Things go from bad to worse later on, though, when a distraught Hoyt shows up at Jason's place, crying into his beer and counting on his best friend for some solace. Instead, he finds a twitchy Jason who later complains to Sookie about how poorly Hoyt's handling his grief over losing Jessica, asking if he can maybe stay with his sister that evening in order to avoid his glum buddy.

Sookie, of course, is dealing with complicated feelings of her own. Eric professes his love to her, but grows a little irritable when she tells him that she still cares for Bill too. But Sookie being Sookie, she sets her romantic woes aside and hatches a plan to help free Tara, recruiting Jason and turning to Lafayette and Jesus for even more help.

As Nan, Bill, Jessica, Eric and Pam are all silvered at Bill's for the day, Sookie and her counterparts turn up outside the Emporium, Sookie listening in to ascertain exactly who might be trapped inside with Tara. Although Antonia has cast a spell to clear the neighborhood and put up strong magical protections to ward off any attacks on her headquarters, Jesus believes that if he can reach Marnie, he might be able to draw out Antonia as he did with Mavis. He does manage to breach the magical defenses, not without some great difficulty and a moment in which he turns into a horned demon.

His perseverance and talent impress Antonia, who allows him inside and grants him an audience with Marnie. He's surprised to learn, though, that Marnie is thrilled about her "union" with Antonia and the new-found power she wields. As she's showing him the two vampires under her influence, Holly and Tara are working some magic of their own, casting a spell that enables them to flee the confines of the store and make a break for the safety of the outside world. Sookie and Lafayette run toward them, but Antonia/Marnie appears and they all vanish in a flash of golden light, leaving Jason standing alone and confused out in the open.

Speaking of brothers left alone, let's have a moment of silence for young Tommy, the shifter with the poorest judgment in Louisiana. Alcide is driving him to the hospital, but he asks the werewolf to take him to Merlotte's instead. Sam arrives on the scene and tries to comfort him as he dies. There's no comforting Sam, though, who vows to kill Marcus for taking his brother's life. Alcide doesn't seem to object much, helping Sam track down one of the men who beat Tommy.

Alcide might be even more helpful to Sam if he knew that Luna's ex was at that moment putting the moves on Debbie. She complains to the leader of the pack that Alcide is too much of a loner and doesn't want a family the way that she does, and he tells her that maybe it's time she hooked up with another wolf. (Marcus might be the Alpha, but there's no way Alcide would lose that fight.)

Terry and Andy got in some serious bonding time, too. After Terry and Arlene confront him about his V addiction, Andy heads with Terry to "Fort Bellefleur," the tree house where they played as children -- and where apparently Terry lived for some time after coming back from the war. Terry takes Andy shooting, telling him that he needs to admit to the fact that he's an addict. Old wounds come pouring out, the men fight, but in the end, Andy does recognize what his life has become and vows to make the first steps toward recovery. Still, Terry forces Andy to walk home.

The episode concludes with a black combat-clad quartet of Bill, Jessica, Eric and Pam preparing to lay siege to the emporium that night with some serious firepower.

Again, who's happy Eric's back? Leave your comments below.

King of Pop Michael Jackson’s 53rd Birthday: Fans and Family Celebrate (Photos)

King of Pop Michael Jackson’s 53rd Birthday: Fans, Family Celebrates

Aug. 29 would have been the 53rd birthday of the globally beloved singer and entertainer Michael Jackson had it not been for the King of Pop’s shocking death on June 29, 2009.

While the music industry big stars paid tribute to the Legend at 2011 MTV’s Video Music Awards on Sunday, the singer’s family together visited MJ’s childhood home in Gary, In.

The family was led by MJ’s mother, Katherine Jackson, who attended the gathering in a green dress, taking with her the late singer’s children, The Daily Mail reported.

Dubbed by media as the Jackson matriarch, the court has legally recognized Katherine Jackson as the guardian for MJ’s kids -- Prince, 14, Paris, 13 and Blanket, 9.

The family was joined by hundreds of MJ’s fans who camped outside MJ’s Indiana home over the weekend before tuning in to MTV’s 2011 Video Music Awards.

The Christian Post quoted the teenager Paris Jackson telling a local television station, WLS-TV that she “enjoyed seeing her father’s fans.”

MJ’s sister, La Toya posted a message about brother MJ on Twitter but it was not confirmed whether other Jackson siblings attended the gathering in MJ’s childhood home.

“Happy Birthday Michael! I miss you and we will always love you! You’ve given such an extraordinary gift to the world! We cherish it!” LaToya Jackson posted on Twitter.

MJ, over the course of his 40-plus years in the music industry, has left behind amazing memories and legacy of music. Guinness Book of World Record has recognized Jackson as the most successful entertainer of all time.

Jackson was born in 1958 in Gary, In. Jackson’s Midwest roots were tied up with his musician father Joseph and his brothers who were known as "The Jackson 5."

GLAAD on 'Dancing with the Stars' casting: 'Tremendous step forward'

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation doesn’t typically weigh in on the latest round of celebrities on Dancing with the Stars, but then it’s not every season that a transgender and an openly gay man decide to tango under the mirror ball. As a result, GLAAD lauded ABC for including Chaz Bono and Carson Kressley in the 13th season.

“With both gay and transgender contestants represented on this upcoming season, ABC will send viewers a strong message about the diversity within the LGBT community,” said Herndon Graddick, senior of director of programs for GLAAD, in a statement. “At a time when transgender representation in the media is sorely lacking, Chaz Bono joining the cast is a tremendous step forward for the public to recognize that transgender people are another wonderful part of the fabric of American culture. Appearing on such a high-profile show will allow millions of Americans to get to know him in a whole new light.”

Bono has been very candid about his gender transition from female to male. The only child of Cher and the late Sonny Bono was the subject of the recent documentary Becoming Chaz, which aired on OWN and is now up for three Emmys.

Kressley, who hosts his own show on OWN, isn’t the first openly gay man to participate on DWTS. Lance Bass, who came out in 2006,  danced with pro Lacey Schwimmer in season 7. And pro Louis Amstel, who hoofed it with Kendra Wilkinson in season 12, is openly gay.

Aug 29, 2011

Shaq’s Pint-Sized Girlfriend, Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander

Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal has successfully scored himself a hottie. Not that it’s his first time doing so or anything.

Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander, former reality television star and certified munchkin, can be seen hanging off of Shaq’s arm these days, chilling just below his elbow (see picture below).

Good for you, Shaq. Every man secretly wants a girl who can wear his denim cut-offs as a dress.


MTV Video Music Awards: 10 Things Seen and Heard

Justin Bieber's snake, Snooki's boob, Beyonce's bump and more shenanigans from Sunday's show.

Awards certainly had its share of gawk-worthy moments, from Lady Gaga’s foul-mouthed alter-ego to the biggest surprise of the night: Beyonce’s pregnancy announcement. The Hollywood Reporter had every angle covered, from the carpet to the star-heavy orchestra seats. Here, 10 things seen and heard at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater on music’s big night.

Selena Gomez questions Justin Bieber … literally. During an early rehearsal, Justin Bieber played stand-in for girlfriend-turned-MTV correspondent Selena Gomez (he pretended to be Gomez’s next interview, Kim Kardashian). Later, when it was time for Gomez to sit down with Bieber for a Q&A, her first question seemed almost accusatory: “Why did you bring him?” she asked of Bieber’s pet snake.

And Bieber’s snake is no babe magnet. Bieber’s red carpet date, his pet snake Johnson, scared the bejesus out of Demi Lovato, who screamed when Bieber approached her inside the theater.

Dave Grohl experiences ageism on the carpet. Walking the carpet alongside teen stars like Victoria Justice and Bieber might give a more seasoned rocker a bit of a complex. But not Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. “This VMAs I think is the first time I haven’t felt like Father Time on the red carpet,” he told THR. “I mean, I heard Tony Bennett is here and I was kind of psyched because that means I'm not the oldest one.”

Jersey Shore’s Pauly D comes face-to-face with his idol. Getting to meet Busta Rhymes on the carpet (and make plans to “hook up after”) was a dream come true for Jersey Shore’s resident DJ. “It was so cool,” Pauly D told THR. “I played his music my whole life.” He hasn’t soured on red carpets, either. “I get to meet all these guys, I love this stuff.”

Lady Gaga grabs Snooki’s boob. Or was that Jo Calderone who placed his filthy paw on Snooki’s left lemon? After all, Gaga stayed in character all night -- in the audience, backstage, across the street in the press room, rubbing her face and fussing with her hair often. Even when talking to Tony Bennett and Brian May, she never broke character, according to multiple witnesses.

Katy Perry and Russell Brand PDA proudly. It was a big night for Katy Perry, who won two moon men including Video of the Year, and no one was more elated than her husband Russell Brand. Viewers saw Brand get emotional on camera, and when he greeted Perry offstage, it was all hugs and kisses and big heartfelt congratulations. As one backstage observer described it, “they were more affectionate than we’ve ever seen. It was so cute.”

Beyonce and Gaga hug it out. The pair of pop superstars embraced for a solid minute while standing in the audience surrounded by a wall of bodyguards. Presumably, congratulations were in order, but the two do go back in the music video world. They collaborated on Gaga’s “Telephone” from 2009’s The Fame Monster.

Britney Spears takes it all in. The most subdued star of the night award goes to… Britney Spears, who stayed quietly seated for most of the show, flanked by longtime manager Larry Rudolph on one side and boyfriend Jason Trawick on the other.

Jersey Shorecast attend sans Situation; Snooki grabs the spotlight. The big question on Jersey Shore fans’ minds (and there were plenty judging by the ear-shattering shrieks for Pauly D on the carpet): where was The Situation? His absence seemed suspect to the press corps situated in a complex at the nearby Marriott. Equally perplexing: why Snooki was the only Shore star to pose solo for photographers (while the rest of the crew waited awkwardly to the side).

Jay Z and Kanye West get downright giddy. Beyonce’s baby news coupled with a Watch the Throne surprise appearance meant the two rappers were in a really good mood all night. It probably didn’t hurt that Taylor Swift was safely tucked away across the street at Staples Center, where she was joined by Nicki Minaj for another surprise: a duet of “Super Bass."

'Hunger Games' VMA Teaser 'Epic,' Experts Say

Ever since production began on "The Hunger Games," fans around the world have been waiting patiently for a first look at footage of heroine Katniss Everdeen in action. MTV News was very happy to provide that first-ever teaser, which star Jennifer Lawrence introduced to the world during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night.

Given the excitement surrounding our exclusive look at footage of the big-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins' beloved dystopian bestseller, MTV News sought out three "Hunger Games" experts to get their reactions to seeing Katniss' survival skills first-hand.

"That was epic," gushed Samus Belle of fan site Sparks Will Fly. "I'm so excited. Especially seeing Jennifer Lawrence running through the whole arena, she looked like a hunter," Belle said. "She just captured Katniss onscreen."

Kimmy West, of Mockingjay.net agreed with Belle on Lawrence's spot-on portrayal: "Jennifer Lawrence is just embodying Katniss," West said. "The big trait about Katniss is that she's animalistic when she hunts. You can totally tell that she's been training so much for that shot," West explained of seeing Lawrence wield a bow and fire an arrow in the clip. "She really looks like a pro."

Our experts were so delighted to see Lawrence assume pole position in the teaser, they didn't mind not getting to see male leads Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale (Liam Hemsworth) in action. Hemsworth's voice can be heard throughout the footage, however, offering Katniss words of encouragement that echo in her mind as she's running for her life.

"I think they maybe want to wait a little bit longer on [showing] Peeta to build up the excitement even more," said Arianna Ruiz of Down With the Capitol. "And Gale is still a very important part of Katniss' life."

"Basically, [Gale] is saying, 'You know how to hunt,' 'All they want is a good show,' 'Show them how good you are,' " West said, summarizing the voiceover. "I feel like it's a really good message to send across for the trailer because it's showing she's not a career tribute," she explained of the story's highly trained expert contestants. "She's not someone who wants to kill anyone; she's just wants to live after this."

Belle speculated about when fan favorite Peeta might appear in the film's marketing campaign: "I'm a Peeta fan, but I think they will put him somewhere during the trailers because half the 'Hunger Games' fandom probably wants him in there at some point.

"In all fairness, throughout the first part of the games, she is thinking mostly about Gale and the advice he gave her."

West added that although she is just as excited as anyone to see Peeta, she's happy for certain elements to remain a surprise for as long as possible.

"I like to be in anticipation still; I don't want to see everything," she explained. "I'm excited to see Effie and Haymitch and Primm and Peeta," West said of her favorite characters. "But I think it's good I'm still waiting for it."

Speaking of waiting for things, West thinks director Gary Ross and Lionsgate added a special bonus for fans to pick up on at the very end of the footage.

"Right as you see the 'Add us on Facebook' stuff, and the screen turns black, and you can hear four really high-pitched whistles, kind of like if you're not listening hard, you might miss it," she explained of a character's memorable communicative methods with Katniss in the book. "That's really awesome. I was wondering what tune they were going to use, and it sounds really perfect for what I was thinking."

Amber Rose on the MTV VMA 2011 red carpet: What's she famous for?

Though she's a model in her own right, we'd be lying if we pretended that Amber Rose isn't mostly famous for her rocky relationship with Kanye West (and for a few unfortunate photos).

Still, Rose looked hot on the red carpet with her current boyfriend, Wiz Khalifa, whose single "Black and Yellow" hit #1 on the Billboard charts.

Aside from modeling Louis Vuitton sneakers, among other campaigns, Rose is known for appearances in vids like Ludacris' "What Them Girls Like", Young Jeezy's "Vacation", Mary Mary's "God in Me", Nicki Minaj's "Massive Attack", and Fabolous "You Be Killin' Em."

What do you think of Rose's red carpet look? It was enough to have her at the top of the trends on Sunday night. (Or, perhaps people were searching to find out who she was. The world may never know.)


Beyonce, Jay Z Celebrate VMA Baby News Backstage

Another year, another unbelievably action-packed Video Music Awards. As expected, viewers were treated to mind-blowing performances and several jaw-dropping surprises. The most unexpected moment came courtesy of Beyoncé Knowles, who not so subtly announced to the world that she and husband Jay-Z are expecting their first child.

When B unbuttoned her sparkly jacket and rubbed her belly with a knowing smile, after which the camera panned to a visibly elated Jay-Z and Kanye West cheering from the audience, the Nokia Theatre was bursting with warm and fuzzy well-wishes for the soon-to-be parents. And that very public moment of celebration was just the beginning.

When Beyoncé returned backstage to her dressing room, she was greeted by a team of people who enveloped the visibly happy star with hugs, cheers and congratulations.

Click for photos of Beyoncé's big VMA night.

"I'm free!" she said to one of the well-wishers, indicating that she and Jay are thrilled to not have to keep such a big secret any longer. "We're all free!" she said to the group.

A few minutes after her arrival backstage, she was joined by her husband, a very excited West (whose first words upon entering the dressing-room area were "Where is Beyoncé?" as if he could not wait to give B a huge hug) and her former Destiny's Child ladies, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Even with the doors to their dressing rooms closed, the applause and whoops of joy could be heard everywhere backstage.

"That was an eventful night, to say the least," Jay, still smiling, said to some of the revelers in the hallway, who continued to shower him with congratulations and hugs.

Tyler, The Creator Falls 'Into Kanye's Arms' After VMA Win

Not long after learning he had won the Moonman for Best New Artist at Sunday's Video Music Awards, Odd Future's Tyler, the Creator seemed to have blown up too big to even do his own talking. Instead of delivering a straight-on post-victory interview with MTV News, he whispered answers about the win into his groupmate's ear.

After a question about whether he was at all disappointed to earn Best New Artist and not Video of the Year (it went to Katy Perry's "Firework"), OF's Jasper Dolphin responded, "I just wanted one, I'm fine.

"I like cheese," Jasper added, as Tyler, the Creator whispered the responses into his ear.

While accepting his Best New Artist award, the rapper told the crowd he was on the verge of tears. So, we asked him if it had been hard to hold them back. "It was really hard, but [the tears] came out when I fell offstage into Kanye's arms," he said, speaking again through Jasper Dolphin.

After nabbing the Best New Artist statue from presenters Taylor Lautner and Selena Gomez earlier Sunday night, Tyler delivered a mostly bleeped-out speech. "Yo, I'm excited as f--- right now, yo," he said. "I wanted this sh-- since I was 9. I'm about to cry. This is for my little brother Earl. He's not here right now. I really can't believe I'm here right now. I didn't write a thank you speech. I don't know. F---. To all the kids watching, you can do this sh--. Thank you."

The 20-year-old bested fellow Best New Artist nominees Big Sean ("My Last," featuring Chris Brown), Foster the People ("Pumped Up Kicks"), Kreayshawn ("Gucci Gucci") and Wiz Khalifa ("Black and Yellow").

Britney Spears And Jo Calderone: A VMA Romance?

Lady Gaga's male alter ego even got fresh with Brit after her VMA tribute.

On Sunday night at the 2011 Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga's alter ego Jo Calderone met the princess of pop herself, Britney Spears. Gaga, in full drag as Calderone, and Spears had a bit of a VMA romance, sharing kind words -- and even swapping spit.

"It was interesting, her character," Spears later told MTV News about the encounter, even dishing how the kiss between the two took place. "We got onstage and we felt it out."

Spears, of course, has already kissed a famous pop star on the VMA stage, when she and Madonna locked lips back in 2003. And it's that kind of free spirit that Calderone noted in his speech about the singer. "She taught us all how to be fearless, and the industry wouldn't be the same without her," Calderone said when he not only kicked off the tribute to the star, but also later presented her with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

After a troupe of dancers, who performed dance routines to everything from " ... Baby One More Time" and "Crazy" to "Toxic" and "Do Somethin'," left the stage, Calderone and Spears came face to face, and lips to lips. Although Spears seemed fine with the initial kiss, when he tried to make a few more advances, Spears rebuffed him with a big smile on her face.

He took it like a gentleman, adding, "I don't want Gaga to get pissed."

So was Gaga completely Calderone the whole time? "She's in full character," Spears later added. "Yes, definitely.

Aug 28, 2011

Jennifer Aniston And Justin Theroux Find Romance Rental

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux have reportedly taken their romance to the next level by moving in to a new pad together.

The couple is renting a Hollywood Hills house while searching for the perfect place to buy, according to People.com.

A source tells the website, "Jen and Justin are very excited about living together in their new home."

Aniston and Theroux have spent much of the summer (11) looking for a love nest after the actress moved out of her Beverly Hills estate, revealing the sprawling property was "too much" for her. She sold the house for $38 million (£23.8 million).

The actress reportedly rented the new home on 1 August (11) and the couple has been living there ever since.

Justin Bieber Writes Song With Taylor Swift

Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift have written a song together, according to Grammy award-winning songwriter and producer Kuk Harrell.

Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift have written a song together.

The 'Baby' hitmaker - who is currently dating the 'Love Story' singer's close friend Selena Gomez - have penned a track together in the studio, according to Grammy award-winning songwriter and producer Kuk Harrell, who has worked Rihanna and Katy Perry in the past.

He wrote on twitter: "Wow!! Got to see @justinbieber & @taylorswift13 write a song together last night!! SMASH!!!! SMASH!!! SMASH!!! Let's do it again Yall!!! (sic)"

He then tweeted the 21-year-old beauty to praise her and the 17-year-old pop sensation for their work.

Kuk wrote: "@taylorswift13 You and Justin Killed that writing last night!!! SMASH!!!!!!!"

Justin and Taylor's collaboration comes shortly after the 'Never Say Never' singer made a surprise appearance on stage with the blonde stunner to perform his song 'Baby' with her as part of her 'Speak Now' tour gig at the Los Angeles' Staples Center on Tuesday (23.08.11).

Following the concert, Taylor tweeted: "You think you've heard LOUD screaming in your life. Then @justinbieber comes out and does a surprise song during your show. Woah. Unreal. (sic)"

Adam Levine: MTV 'pretends to still care about music'

Adam Levine just might have the moves like Jagger, and the cockiness to go along with it.

The lead singer of Maroon 5, whose current single with Christina Aguilera is called Moves Like Jagger (yes, a reference to Mick), is lashing out via Twitter at MTV within a day of the cable network's signature Video Music Awards show. MTV's VMAs take place tonight.

What did he write on Saturday? "the VMA's. one day a year when MTV pretends to still care about music. I'm drawing a line in the sand. f--- you VMA's."

About the spotlight his original Tweet drew, Levine, lead also a judge on NBC's singing competition The Voice, later wrote: "i may be a pop singer. but every once in a while the angsty teenager in me just blurts out some raw honesty. it's a reflex."

Turns out he isn't the only one who feels that way as others replied to him with messages of support.

Party Blue Skies in Lower Manhattan After Irene Makes Landfall as a Tropical Storm

Hurricane Irene made landfall in Coney Island, N.Y. at 8:45 a.m. as a tropical storm with winds at 65 mph, but patches of blue are peaking through the skies in lower Manhattan.

Tornado warnings have been issued in the New York City and southern New England regions asIrene moves up the east coast of the United States leaving a path of debris and destruction that has claimed at least nine lives so far.

A significant increase in the forward speed of the storm is expected and the storm's passage will be accompanied by heavy rain fall and possible tornadoes. Forecasts indicate Irene will weaken after landfall in New England and become a post-tropical cyclone tonight or early Monday.

At least 3.1 million homes and businesses are without power while thousands have been evacuated from their homes and approximately 9,600 residents in New York City are currently in evacuation shelters as Irene moves north at maximum sustained winds reaching 80 miles per hour.

Over 270,000 in New York have lost power, while in New Jersey at least 460,000 statewide are without power. The National Grid is reporting that 19,000-plus homes in Rhode Island lost power while 6,000-plus homes are currently without power in Massachusetts.

In lower Manhattan at Wall Street and South Street water from New York's East River is already breaching the seawall. Work crews are swarming the area attempting to halt water from shoving down the streets, where it could affect transformers in lower Manhattan and flow into the subway system.

The north tube of the Holland Tunnel has now been closed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey due to flooding.

Irene made landfall along the coast of New Jersey near Little Egg inlet, just north of Atlantic City, around 5:35 a.m. The estimated intensity of at landfall was 75 mph.

It is the second time Irene made landfall since slamming into North Carolina Saturday.

The hurricane is expected to move near or over the mid-Atlantic coast this morning and on to southern New England by the afternoon.

Irene has been traveling north right on schedule. If it continues as it has, the center of the storm will be 40 miles south of New York City at 7 a.m., still over the ocean, off the coast near Asbury Park, N.J.

By 9 a.m. the center of the storm will be just south of Queens, N.Y. and between 10 and 11 a.m. the landfall is expected to be somewhere east of Manhattan on the Queens-Nassau border.

The worst of the wind and surf is expected to be between 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. throughout Long Island and parts of New York City. Tornado warning for Brooklyn, Queens and Southern Nassau County were issued overnight by the National Weather Service.

For more on how Hurricane Irene is impacting New York and the surrounding tri-state area, go to ABC News affiliate WABC-TV.

The deaths reported so far included victims of car accidents and falling tree limbs. One man suffered a heart attack as he boarded up his house in North Carolina.

Two children are among the hurricane-related deaths: an 11-year-old boy in Virginia was killed when a tree crashed through his roof, and a child in North Carolina died in a car crash resulting from out traffic lights, according to the Associated Press.

A Maryland woman was killed when a chimney fell on her house. The unnamed woman was not killed instantly and was transported to a hospital where she was later pronounced dead, according to the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.

In Florida, a surfer and another beachgoer were killed by heavy waves, according to the Associated Press.

Tornadoes have reportedly touched down in Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Delaware. National Hurricane Center John Cangialosi says such tornadoes are likely to continue popping up as Irene moves north, and that conditions are especially ripe in New York City and Pennsylvania.

For an hour on Saturday night, there was a tornado warning for Philadelphia's Center City, though there was no indication a tornado had actually touched down. Tornadoes often form during hurricanes, but are hard to spot or track because of all the violent weather around them.

Late Saturday night, the Unit 1 reactor at CENG's Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Calvert County, Md. automatically went offline after heavy gusts of winds caused a large piece of aluminum siding to become dislodged from a building. The siding came in contact with our main transformer.

The Calvert Cliffs facility is reportedly safe and stable, as are all employees, but an Unusual Event -- lowest of four emergency classifications by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission -- has been declared. The company says there is no threat from this incident.

Water levels have been rising rapidly in advance of the center of Irene, with recently observed storm surge values of 3.2 feet at Ocean City, Md., 3.7 feet at Lewes Delaware, 3.4 feet at Cape May, N.J, and 3.5 feet at New York Harbor.

President Obama declared today that emergencies exist in Washington, D.C. and the State of Delaware, and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Irene.

The major concern at this point is now flooding, as water levels are anticipated to possibly rise up to much as six to eight feet above ground level within the hurricane warning area -- which extends all the way from the North Carolina, Virginia border, all the way up to Cape Cod, according to Cangialosi.

As winds have swept through Washington, D.C. and Maryland, power outages have followed. At least 6,500 residents lost power in the capital while in Maryland at least 20,000 homes lost electricity.

Winds have gusted to 59 mph in D.C., while wind in the New York area has gusted to near 50 mph, with over 2" of rain so far.

New York has anticipated an almost-direct hit by Irene Sunday. Mayor Mike Bloomberg, having urged 370,000 residents of low-lying areas to move to higher ground, said at a press briefing late Saturday night that it was now too late, and people should stay indoors.

"The time for evacutation is over," he said.

More than 30,000 cots were set up at shelters, though only about 5,500 people had arrived to use them Saturday evening.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered 2,000 National Guard troops deployed to Long Island, New York City, and the Hudson Valley area to help with the storm. Troops will help staff shelters, control evacuation routes, monitor flood threats at the World Trade Center site and work with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to secure railways and train tunnels.

Hurricane Irene hits New York amid storm surge fears

Hurricane Irene barreled into New York City early Sunday after making its second landfall at Little Egg Inlet, New Jersey, near Atlantic City.

The storm has weakened since first making landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina, on Saturday, but Irene is continuing to churn storm surge and flood waters toward the Jersey Shore, The New York Times says.

Hurricane Irene is now classified as a weak Category 1 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds at 75 mph, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center. At 5 a.m., the center reported the storm surge of 3.1 feet at Cape May, New Jersey., 3.8 feet in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and 3.9 feet in New York Harbor, the Times reports.

As the hurricane approached New York, the city was deluged with torrential rains and strong winds, causing flooding and power outages, the Times says. Hundreds of thousands of residents were reported to have lost power.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for Brooklyn and Queens, in effect through 11 a.m.

New York City had shut down ahead of the storm. The city's pubic transit system was closed — the first time transportation has been shut in New York City due to a natural disaster — and low-lying areas evacuated because of fears of severe flooding in parts of Queens, Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan including the financial district. Some 370,000 people had been told to leave.

City officials have warned of the potential for flooding in New York City at high tide, at about 8 a.m. Sunday.

As Hurricane Irene continues to pass through the city, many residents fear a storm surge affecting New York's Hudson River, the BBC says.

The storm is moving slowly and expected to pass through New York City by Sunday afternoon, heading into New England. Earlier Sunday the hurricane tore through Ocean City, Maryland.

Eight people have died as a result of Hurricane Irene which has knocked out power and piers as it churns up the U.S. east coast. CNN says the storm has knocked out power to more than 3 million people along the eastern seaboard so far.

Ed Rappaport, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center in Florida, said it would be a "low-end hurricane, high-end tropical storm" by the time it crossed the New York City area late Sunday morning, Reuters reports.

The five main New York-area airports — La Guardia, JFK and Newark, plus two smaller ones — had their last arriving flights about noon Saturday. Professional sports events were postponed and Broadway theaters were dark.

Although it was too early to assess the full threat, Irene was blamed for eight deaths and is the first hurricane to make landfall in the continental United States since 2008.

An 11-year-old boy died in Virginia when a tree fell on his apartment building, while a 15-year-old girl died in North Carolina in a car crash when the traffic lights failed.

Five of the deaths were in North Carolina, where Irene made landfall early on Saturday morning, before heading up the eastern seaboard.

Two men were killed in separate incidents in North Carolina when they were hit by flying tree limb, another person died in the state in a car accident, a passenger died when a tree fell on in a car in Virginia and a surfer in Florida was killed in heavy waves.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told 6500 troops to prepare for emergency relief work, and President Barack Obama visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency's command center in Washington, D.C., praising the work of FEMA.

On Wall Street, sandbags were placed around subway grates near the East River because of fear of flooding and Manhattan appeared near deserted.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned New Yorkers that elevators in public housing would be shut down, and elevators in some high-rises would quit working so people don't get trapped if the power goes out.

"The time to leave is right now," Bloomberg said at an outdoor news conference at Coney Island, his shirt soaked from rain.

Hurricane Irene Hits Atlantic City, Heads For Manhattan

Hurricane Irene, this blogger was wrong about you. You're not over-hyped, as it happens. Just ask Atlantic City, New Jersey, where the storm has caused flooding and power-outages in and around the city.

As this is written, Gov. Chris Christie has dispelled rumors that officials planned to shut down power and gas service to residents in Atlantic City. "Power will continue to flow as long as it can," Christie said, according to NJ.com. "Power loss will be due to the severity of the storm."

In all, Hurricane Irene has claimed eight lives and left millions either without power or away from their homes, or in some cases both. Nearly all of some areas of NJ, like New Jersey's Cape May County, have evacuated, as the hurricane approaches.

And where they could not get away, intense flooding offered a path of escape. NJ.com reports that a woman in Nutley, New Jersey reportedly jumped from a bridge and "rode the current to Belleville," New Jersey. Captain Victor Mesce of the Belleville Police Department said "Our guys found her at 681, Main Street."

The good news is that, overall, injuries are none, and power outages are low.

For more New Jersey related information, visit NJ.com, or just check it out with a click here.

Stay tuned, next stop Manhattan.

Aug 27, 2011

Minka Kelly, Derek Jeter end relationship

Minka Kelly and Derek Jeter have ended their relationship of three years, after a representative of the actress confirmed the news.

Kelly, 31, was rumoured to have become engaged to the 37-year-old Baseball shortstop, who she started dating in May 2008.

The couple is said to have had an "amicable" split, with the actress spotted cheering from the sidelines as the player got his 3000th hit.

"They care about each other and it was amicable. They're still friends," the Daily Mail quoted a source as saying.

While some sources on the set of 'Charlie's Angels' in Miami have started linking Kelly and her co-star Ramon Rodriguez due to the growing late-night friendship between them, others are tagging them as "just friends".

"We have seen Minka and Ramon talking in his trailer way after hours, and often late into the night. They have been together long after they need to be for the show," People magazine quoted a source as saying.

Another source added: "They're just friends. Ramon is basically the only guy on set so of course they all hang out with him."

Lindsay Lohan has another 'amazing, introspective' Marilyn Monroe moment as she tweets new photo

Lindsay Lohan has tweeted a picture of herself, posing in the style of Hollywood starlet Marilyn Monroe.

It seems the 25-year-old actress really is trying to portray herself as a modern day version of the tragic icon.

After comparing herself to Monroe in the foreword to a new book, Lohan has now gone on a Twitter offensive.

Check me out: Lindsay Lohan poses in the style of Marilyn Monroe and tweets the picture to her fans

Gushing: She described the photoshoot as being an 'amazing, introspective' moment for her

She posted a picture of herself sporting a blonde wig reminiscent of the Some Like It Hot actress, lounging in a chair and smouldering into the camera.

In the background, a model tiger is in view while Lindsay flashes her legs by pulling up her dress.

She tweeted an accompanying message: '@joycebonelli shoot..... the most amazing, introspective experience. #bestmakeupartist ever along the lines of the saint #paulstar.'

Lindsay has long admired Monroe and in 2008 recreated Monroe's The Last Sitting for New York Magazine.

And in the foreword to Susan Bernard's new book Marilyn: Intimate Exposures, Lindsay discusses the blonde bombshell and how she relates to her.

She said: 'Marilyn was the beautiful bad girl in that tight, rose-coloured dress. The character she played was strong and taking control, which I unconsciously knew at that young age [12] was a necessary quality for a woman.

'I can understand the photographer Bernard of Hollywood's [Bruno Bernard] statement, "it took a superhuman effort to be Marilyn." I identify.'

But Lohan didn't stop there when it come to drawing the similarities between herself and Monroe.
The Mean Girls star added: 'People in their mind have created who I am and act as if there is no real person inside of me. Just like Marilyn.

'Marilyn never wanted to be just a celebrity. Neither do I... I had always thought that movie stars were in films that would last forever in your mind. But now the films don't. I don't want to be remembered as someone who just wanted to be photographed, who goes out at night, and gets in trouble.'

No. 1 fan: The actress paid homage to Monroe in New York Magazine in 2008


Original: Monroe's Monroe's The Last Sitting in 1962 - she was found dead from an apparent drugs overdose just six weeks later

Just like Monroe, Lindsay wants to be known for her talent rather than her troubled personal life.

She continued: 'Heath Ledger once said to me, 'It's built you up to knock you down and that's all it is.'

'Marilyn said she had no foundation. But she said she was really working on it. I've been trying to do the same thing...I believe in myself and I'm a good actress.'

Monroe was found dead from an apparent drugs overdose in 1962.


Lohan's father hits out at ex-wife for 'drinking with Lindsay


Lindsay Lohan's father has hit out at his ex-wife Dina over reports she has been drinking with their daughter over recent days.

The Mean Girls actress and her mother were said to have guzzled booze at Kim Kardashian's wedding over the weekend.

They were also spotted leaving a Venice Beach restaurant this week after allegedly sharing three bottles of white wine between them.

Lohan - who completed her fifth rehab stint in January - has long battled alcohol and drug addiction.

She was banned from drinking alcohol earlier this year and fitted with an alcohol monitoring bracelet in relation to a probation violation stemming from a 2007 DUI case.

Her father Michael told RadarOnline: 'My hands are in the air. I don't know what to do.

'Lindsay is apparently out drinking, Dina is drinking. I thought Dina was smarter than to drink around Lindsay.'

Nuclear views diverge in race for Japan's next leader

A former top diplomat vying to become the next prime minister proposed Saturday that Japan stop building new nuclear power plants after the Fukushima disaster and phase out atomic energy over 40 years.

Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara took the clearest stand against nuclear power at a news conference where five ruling Democratic party members outlined their policy goals in their campaign to replace Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who announced Friday he is stepping down.

The ruling party will vote Monday to pick a new party chief, who will then become prime minister -- Japan's sixth in five years.

Nuclear energy is hot topic in Japan following the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, damaged by the March 11 tsunami. Some 100,000 people have been evacuated from around the plant, and government officials have warned that accumulated radiation in some spots may keep areas off limits for the foreseeable future.

The leadership contest is emerging as a close race between Maehara, a youthful defence expert and the public's top choice, and Economy Minister Banri Kaieda, who secured the backing of the ruling party's behind-the-scenes powerbroker, Ichiro Ozawa.

"In principle, we will not build new nuclear plants; then there will be no more nuclear plants in 40 years," Maehara said, adding that Japan needs to seek "the best energy mix" while it phases out of its nuclear-reliant energy policy.

Before the March accident, Japan derived about 30 per cent of its electricity from nuclear plants, and the government intended to increase that to 50 per cent by 2030 -- a plan that has now been scrapped.

Kaieda, whose minister was broadly responsible for nuclear energy promotion, said he planned to decommission aging nuclear plants found to have problems during stress tests, but did not detail his vision for the future of atomic energy.

He promised to speed up decontaminaton efforts and launch health check programs for concerned residents.

"We will achieve a cold shutdown of the reactors as soon as possible," Kaieda said. "I will take concrete measures to address the residents' concerns about their health."

Kan announced Friday he would resign after serving nearly 15 months that have been plagued by ruling party infighting, gridlock in parliament and clamourous criticism of his administration's reponse to the March disasters and ensuing nuclear crisis.

The Japanese public, yearning for political unity and resolve in the wake of the catastrophe, has grown disgusted with the squabbles and blame-trading that have dominated parliamentary sessions.

"It's embarrassing. It's hard to keep track of who's prime minister these days," said Rie Aoki, a housewife in the Tokyo suburb of Fuchu. "It's so upsetting to see them squabbling in parliament. Elementary students have more interesting conversations."

She said she hoped the politicians would focus on the northeastern coastal region -- called Tohoku -- that was devastated by the tsunami. "I really want them to work together to think about what Tohoku needs," she said.

The five candidates generally agreed during the two-hour press conference that the central government needed to spend more money on disaster reconstruction in the tsunami zone, possibly raising money through special bond sales.

Given the slow economy, all agreed it was too early to consider raising Japan's 5 per cent sales tax.

But the gathering also helped bring out some policy differences between the five, which also includes Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, considered a fiscal conservative, former Transport Minister Sumio Mabuchi and Agricultural Minister Michihiko Kano.

Maehara said he would favour reaching out to key opposition parties to form a limited "grand coalition" on certain key policies, such as tsunami reconstruction, social security and tax reforms. Maehara also said he would support a U.S.-backed free trade zone called the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Kaieda, a 62-year-old former television commentator on economic matters, said the so-called TPP needed to be studied more and rejected the idea of a grand coalition, saying the party had not even discussed such a proposal.

A China hawk, Maehara, 49, gained prominence by taking a firm stand toward Beijing during a territorial spat last year over some disputed islands in the East China Sea.

He defended his decision to run despite having quit as foreign minister in March after it was discovered that he had unknowingly received a relatively small political donation from a foreigner -- a Korean permanent resident and a childhood friend -- which is illegal in Japan.

"I don't have anything to hide," he said. "I haven't done anything that tainted my own hands."

Hurricane Irene makes landfall in NC

Hurricane Irene slammed into North Carolina Saturday morning near Cape Lookout with winds clocking 85 mph after battering the Carolina coast. Thousands have already lost power as the storm begins its way up the East Coast.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the enormous storm had weakened somewhat, but winds topping 80 mph began lashing the shoreline near Jacksonville, North Carolina, around dawn. Gusts as high as 94 mph were recorded.

The storm's center was about 35 miles south of Cape Lookout on North Carolina's Outer Banks early Saturday and lumbering north-northeastward at 14 mph.

Wind and rain knocked out power to more than 91,000 customers along the North Carolina coast, including a hospital in Morehead City. A woman who answered the phone there said the hospital was running on generators.

The storm already has dumped 8 inches of rain on parts of North Carolina.

Local and state officials, the Red Cross and other agencies in several states were geared up, and more than 2 million people along the East Coast were warned, or ordered, to flee the storm's path. Millions more as far north as Maine hunkered down for a weekend of historic wind and rain.

North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue urged coastal residents who had chosen to ride out the storm to remain indoors.

"When it it subsides we will have personnel and vehicles and supplies if they're needed, but please use common sense,'' Perdue said. The storm could impact more than 3.5 million state residents, the governor said.

The storm was forecast to reach the mid-Atlantic states later Saturday and New York and New England on Sunday. A hurricane threat this severe is new territory for some northern areas.

"I'm from Atlanta. I spent 10 weeks in Mississippi after Katrina and four weeks in Miami after Andrew," said Teresa Caver, a Red Cross official in Binghamton, N.Y. "I was not expecting to come to New York and have to deal with hurricanes or earthquakes."

U.S. airlines have canceled thousands of weekend flights. Dozens of airports, including New York's three major ones, were closing or curtaling schedules.

Many governors have ordered mandatory evacuations, making it clear that those who stay behind will have to fend for themselves.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie urged 1 million Jersey Shore vacationers and residents to leave: "I saw news feeds of people on the beach in Asbury Park… Get the hell off the beach in Asbury Park and get out.. You've maximized your tan. Get off the beach, get in your cars and get out of those areas…. Do not waste any more time working on your tan. Get off the beach.''

Even President Obama, who cut short his vacation in Martha's Vineyard on Friday, said the storm was shaping up as a "historic hurricane" and urged residents to "be prepared for the worst."

"Don't wait. Don't delay," Obama said. "We all hope for the best, but we have to be prepared for the worst."

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a news briefing to emphasize how serious the storm is for the city.

"It's heading basically, directly for us,'' he said, announcing manadatory evacuations for low-lying areas of the city.

"We've never done a mandatory evacuation before and we wouldn't be doing it if we didn't think this storm is going to be serious, Bloomberg saixpected to churn up the coast, with high winds and drenching areas from Virginia to New York City before a much-weakened storm reaches New England.

In New York City, nursing homes and five hospitals in low-lying areas began evacuating Friday. Mayor Bloomberg said subways, buses and railroads would shut down beginning at noon Saturday and "may or may not be restored" by rush hour Monday.

Delaware's governor pleaded with people to "get out of the way" in case officials have to respond to emergencies.

"We know the roads will be impassable, bridges may have to be closed, emergency vehicles may not be able to get where we want them to get, so it is important that people get out of the way," Gov. Jack Markell told MSNBC.

Already Irene has destroyed hundreds of homes on small Bahamian islands but largely spared the capital of Nassau as it tore over the sprawling archipelago Thursday. There were no immediate reports of deaths, but some small settlements reported up to 90% of their homes damaged. Assessments from other islands were not in because telephone lines were down.

Forecasters issued a hurricane warning for much of New Jersey.

Irene could be "one of the most devastating storms on record in New Jersey," said David Robinson, the New Jersey state climatologist at Rutgers University.

Gary Szatkowski, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service's Mount Holly, N.J., office, agreed: "If this pans out as the track suggests, this will be the worst storm in anyone's lifetime in New Jersey," he said.

In North Carolina, traffic was steady Friday as people fled the Outer Banks and beach towns. A day earlier, tourists were ordered to leave the barrier islands, and many residents heeded authorities' stern admonitions to get out.

At a gas station in Nags Head, Pete Reynolds wanted to make sure he had enough fuel for the long trip. The retired teacher spent part of Thursday getting his house ready for the hurricane. He and his wife then headed to New Jersey to stay with their son's family.

"We felt like we would be OK, and we could ride out the storm," Reynolds said. "But when they announced mandatory evacuations, I knew it was serious."

Some people were opting to ride out the storm.

In Virginia Beach, Va., as earth-moving crews rushed to build sand barriers to protect the southern tip of this beach resort, spectators sat in lounge chairs on an 85-degree Friday morning as the final day of a surfing competition unfolded nearly as planned.

Sandbridge, a low-lying area south of the beach, was already under a mandatory evacuation order by 8 a.m.

But Dylan Altman, a 40-year-old high school history teacher, sat in the sun, on a beach chair with his girlfriend, Jean, by his side. A Virginia Beach native, he said he was staying put, with several days' worth of food, water and batteries. He had spent the week removing lawn furniture and other loose items from his yard and cutting stray limbs from trees.

"This is perfect for surfers," he said. "Actually, I'll probably go out at some point and surf."

What would make him leave?

"A Category 5, I would leave," he said.

Reggie Bario and his wife, Jeanette, who are visiting from Ile-Bizard, a suburb of Montreal, stood watching the earth-movers from an elevated playground. They planned to stay put with ice and supplies in a fourth-floor oceanview room at the Schooner Inn, a boxy high-rise just off the beach.

"We're going to see everything," said Jeanette, 60, with a little laugh.

"It's a concrete building," Reggie said. "If it was a wooden house, I don't think we'd stay."

Standing shirtless and in a black swimsuit and flip-flops, he said many of the folks they've met since Tuesday are downplaying the hurricane's severity.

"The locals are not leaving," he said.

Jeanette jumped in: "And they don't panic — why should we panic?"

Aniston moves into love nest with Theroux

Jennifer Aniston, who gave up her 38-million dollars Beverly Hills mansion just a month ago, has opted for a temporary cosy two-bedroom love nest to live together with beau Justin Theroux. The couple has signed the lease on the property in the Hollywood Hills, as their search for a permanent home continues.

“One bedroom is the master and the other is currently furnished as a guest room,” the Daily Mail quoted a source as telling Us Weekly.

Though the couple’s first home together is smaller than the actress’ previous one, it is said to have warmth and romance besides having “great views”.

“It is a really romantic house with great views and a warm feeling in every room. If they decide they like it, it’s also for sale,” stated the insider.

The house flaunts hardwood floors, a new ozone pool, spa and viewing deck. It also has a master suite that features vaulted ceilings and French doors that lead to the yard.

Video Music Awards to go without a host

MTV manages to surprise viewers almost every year with its Video Music Awards, and this year it has done so before the show even starts: by electing not to have a host.

Producers for the show, which will be telecast live Sunday night, say they concluded that they simply did not need a person or persons onstage guiding the proceedings.

“In this particular year, I don’t think you’re going to miss it,” said Dave Sirulnick, an executive vice president for the channel.

To a much greater extent than other awards shows, the VMAs, as the event is known to viewers, are reimagined every year, with different awards categories, elaborate stages and equally elaborate social media stunts. Twice before, in 2004 and 2007, the show has done without a host, instead having different celebrities present awards and segue into musical acts.

The awards show is typically MTV’s highest-rated telecast of the year, and it has been on the upswing in recent years, with 11.4 million viewers watching in 2010: the channel’s single biggest audience since 2002. But the 2010 edition, hosted by Chelsea Handler, was widely panned, partly because it lacked the kind of must-see television moment in which MTV specializes.

Admittedly, it would have been hard to top 2009, when Kanye West snatched a microphone from Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech, creating a viral video “Kanye moment.”

West closed the show in 2010, alone on the stage, with the premiere of a new song, “Runaway.” Sirulnick said his performance “completed the story” that had started a year earlier.

This year he expects heavy interest in Lady Gaga, the star performer who will open the show. Lady Gaga showed up last year in a dress made of raw meat, which, by the way, was preserved and is now on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.

Sirulnick also expects interest in a performance by Adele, the British singer whose singles have been in heavy rotation this year, but who has not been seen on television nearly as much.

“It’s kind of rare in 2011 for somebody to get to the level she’s achieved through her music and not have a commensurate level of exposure,” he said.

Other performers Sunday will include Pitbull, Bruno Mars, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown and Young the Giant.

Mel Gibson and Ex Reach Custody Settlement

Mel Gibson and his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva have reached a custody settlement concerning their infant daughter, Los Angeles Superior Court officials said in a statement Friday. The couple has been in secret court battles since January of 2010, when Gibson was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery.

The Veteran director and actor was made the target of an international scandal when racist, sexist recordings of Gibson were leaked to the media. Sheriffs took possession of the recordings, but attempts to use the recordings against him in court were abandoned this May.

Despite the tumultuous, public legal battle, Gibson's attorney said the 55-year old actor had provided Grigorieva with a multimillion-dollar home and thousands of dollars a month in restitution.

This is the latest in a series of underwhelming bullet points in Gibson's career, which include a 2006 drunk driving arrest, during which he made anti-semitic remarks.

The details of the settlement were not released.

Aug 26, 2011

Movie Review: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Is the Beastie of Times

Review in a Hurry: Katie Holmes must protect a young girl from hordes of dead-eyed weirdos who insist they both join them in eternal darkness. The story's based on a 1973 TV movie that made an indelible impression on youngsters of the time, including producer Guillermo del Toro. While not as instantly white-knuckle scary as one might hope, director Troy Nixey's monsters deliver a creepiness that lingers in the mind.

The Bigger Picture: The original TV movie, with True Grit's Kim Darby as a haunted housewife harassed by strange little people with furry bodies and wrinkled heads, begged the age-old Eddie Murphy question about why white people don't simply leave the house when there's a ghost (or other scary creature) in it. The new version strengthens this soft spot by making the terror target a 10 year-old girl named Sally (impressive youngster Bailee Madison) foisted off on her father Alex (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend Kim (Holmes).

For Sally, having the typical cinematic dad character (i.e. perfect, except for the fact that he's a clueless workaholic) is a tad more perilous than normal, especially when she opens up a sealed basement fireplace in a secret room of their brand new creepy mansion. A prologue scene set in years past already showed us the previous occupant's penchant for amateur dentistry in the service of mysterious voices; back in the present, those same voices ask Sally to come play. They even sweeten the deal by behaving like benevolent tooth fairies, leaving an antique coin under her pillow. But when they actually turn out to look like demonic rat-people, well...appearances don't lie in this case.

The reconceived creatures (called "homunculi" in the press notes but not the film itself) are genuinely unsettling and plausibly threatening despite their size limitations, but del Toro and Matthew Robbins' script seems more designed to show them off than focus on the human story. We don't really need the prologue scene except for an extra gross-out, and the stakes of the daddy-daughter relationship don't seem as high as they should be. Also, early on it's shown that Sally is on medication, but it's never suggested she could in fact be hallucinating the whole thing, a possibility that would make Alex seem less of a jerk.

And while there is some antagonism between Sally and Kim, by the time the creatures are actively sabotaging Kim's possessions, it's more or less over, Kim having zero doubts whatsoever that Sally is innocent. On paper, the real story ought to be an allegory for a child's loss of trust in separated parents; in practice, that's simply a disposable premise on which to graft li'l beasties.

Nonetheless, those things can stick in one's thoughts days later, making random noises at night seem more terrifying than they ought to be. Regardless of any other weaknesses, that is the movie doing what it set out to do.

The 180–A Second Opinion: It's a conceit you kinda just have to go with, but what kid that you know would go down into a strange and scary basement unattended to do what some creepy, disembodied voices request?

Rihanna: Sex Tape? What Sex Tape?

Rihanna isn't one to be shy about her preferences in the bedroom, but now there are claims that her private moments have been caught on tape.

Adult company Hustler tells E! News that they have footage of RiRi during an intimate session, which reports claim also involves rapper J.Cole, but that they don't know "what we are going to do with it yet."

But a source close to the 23-year-old singer tells E! no such tape exists, and Rihanna has done the same.

"We don't believe U, U need more people," she tweeted Wednesday. "AND ofcourse an actual sextape! #slownewsday."

A History Of Britney Spears At The VMAs


Britney Spears arrives at her first VMAs in 1999



Britney Spears performs with 'NSYNC at the VMAs in 1999



Britney Spears attends the 2000 VMAs with boyfriend Justin Timberlake



Britney Spears presents the final Video Music Award with rival pop star Christina Aguilera in 2000



Britney Spears performs "Oops! I Did It Again" at the 2000 VMAs



Britney Spears performs "I'm a Slave 4 U" at the 2001 VMAs



Britney Spears wishes Michael Jackson a happy birthday at the 2002 VMAs -- which he mistook for the "Artist of the Millennium award



Britney Spears, Madonna and Christina Aguilera perform "Like a Virgin" at the 2003 VMAs



Britney Spears shares a kiss with Madonna during their performance at the 2003 VMAs



Britney Spears performs "Gimme More" at the 2007 VMAs



Britney Spears make an appearance at the 2008 VMAs



Britney Spears accepts her first Moonman at the 2008 VMAs

Britney Spears' Iconic VMA History: Snakes, Stripteases And Smooches

We take a look back at pop princess' decade-plus track record before Sunday's tribute to the icon.

It's hard to believe there was ever a Video Music Awards without Britney Spears. Her iconic performances and eye-popping getups make her a perfect match for the outsized and outrageous VMA stage.

Britney herself told us that her bombshell kiss with Madonna in 2003 is her favorite VMA moment. "My greatest experience -- probably being with Madonna," she told MTV News. "The kiss was amazing. ... Being onstage with someone of that caliber is just iconic."

But Spears certainly has a long list to choose from. And with that track record, it's no surprise that this year's VMAs will pay tribute to Britney. Let's dive into the highlights of her decade-plus history with the show:

1999
For her first-ever appearance, Spears not only went dress shopping with MTV News correspondent Serena Altschul, but also declared herself a VMA pop princess, taking the stage alongside 'NSYNC to perform her breakout hit " ... Baby One More Time." Still the epitome of a teen-pop sensation, Spears performed with a school backdrop, a callback to her video for the track.

2000
Spears upped the sexy ante when she literally did a striptease at the show. She cooed her way through the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" and then -- boom -- it happened: She ripped off her tux to display a nude two-piece getup and shimmied her way through "Oops ... I Did It Again."

2001
Just one year later, not only did the singer give Jamie Foxx a dance lesson to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell," but she also hung out with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger on the red carpet, who appeared not to know who she was. "Am I a Britney fan?" Jagger pondered. "Of course I am. And she did one of our songs, didn't she? She did it very well."

Just one year later, not only did the singer give Jamie Foxx a dance lesson to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell," but she also hung out with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger on the red carpet, who appeared not to know who she was. "Am I a Britney fan?" Jagger pondered. "Of course I am. And she did one of our songs, didn't she? She did it very well."

But that was all kid's stuff until Spears took the stage at the Metropolitan Opera House in 2001 for her sultry and very memorable performance of "I'm a Slave 4 U." Draping herself in a white python and slithering around a steamy garden setting -- surrounded by dancers in zebra and tiger outfits -- Spears created one of the most striking visuals in the 27-year history of the show.

2002
Brit donned a dominatrix outfit and presented idol Michael Jackson with a birthday cake and referred to him as the "artist of the millennium." Michael may have misunderstood and thought that she meant he was receiving some new Artist of the Millennium award and gave an acceptance speech.

2003
Here it is: Britney's favorite. She, along with queen Madonna and peer Christina Aguilera, opened the show with striking dance moves and star power. But things really heated up during a wedding-themed performance of Madge's "Like a Virgin," when Madonna leaned in for a quick smooch with Christina Aguilera and then an even-steamier kiss with Spears. Everyone was surprised by it -- including Justin Timberlake. She later told CNN, "I didn't know it was going to be that long and everything. ... I've never kissed a woman before."

What's better than Britney, Madonna and Christina kissing? Cats re-enacting the smooch!

Apparently, the three-way kiss struck a major chord with music fans around the world, who just voted it the most outrageous moment in the show's long history.

2006
Spears appeared on the show in a way fans had never seen her before: pregnant. The mommy-to-be (Jayden James was on the way) pre-taped a segment alongside then-hubby Kevin Federline to present the award for Best R&B Video.

2008
Spears finally took home her first Moonman -- actually, she took home three, for Video of the Year, Best Female Video and Best Pop Video, all for "Piece of Me." She also displayed her funny bone in a video that opened the show, making us all laugh alongside Jonah Hill. "I just want to dedicate this to all my amazing fans out there for all their support," she said when she took the stage to accept one of her many Moonmen that night.

2009
The show landed back in New York City, and Spears was up for seven awards. She took home the prize for Best Pop Video for her Joseph Khan-directed clip for "Womanizer."

2011
After taking a break in 2010, we come to this Sunday, where a Spears tribute is set to take place and the singer is up for two Moonmen, including Best Pop Video and Best Choreography. Will she add any more hardware to her collection? You'll have to wait and find out. But we are betting on one more memorable moment to add to her stellar VMA history.


A History Of Britney Spears At The VMAs