The iconic Elizabeth Taylor died early Wednesday morning of heart failure. She was 79.
“She was surrounded by her children- Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton,” said Taylor’s publicist, Sally Morrison.
Her son Michael Wilding released the following statement:
“My mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humour and love. Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world.
Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV and AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished.
We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”
Elizabeth had won three academy awards. Twice for best actress for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Butterfield 8 and was also awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1993.
Some of her other movies include Cleopatra, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Jane Eyre.
A private family funeral for Elizabeth Taylor will be held later this week. In lieu of flowers, Elizabeth’s family is asking for contributions be made to her AIDS Foundation.
Charlie Sheen made a sudden surprise appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday night during an interview with Mark Cuban of ABC’s Shark Tank when Kimmel and Cuban were talking about Sheen.
Cuban was saying, “Charlie’s a smart guy…He doesn’t get near the credit that he deserves for being smart.” At that very moment, Sheen exploded onto the set, and the crowd erupted in a loud cheer which only grew louder when Sheen threw “Tiger Blood” t-shirts out to the audience and gave Kimmel a big wet kiss on the mouth (side note – both men had their eyes closed ;).
And, he left just as quickly as he came…watch the video clip for yourself:
TMZ is reporting that Lindsay Lohan‘s father, Michael Lohan, has been arrested in Los Angeles, CA, on suspicion of domestic violence.
Per TMZ, the arrest came after Michael’s girlfriend filed a report with the Sheriff’s Department claiming that the couple got into an argument which eventually turned physical. The girlfriend is reported to have had visible marks on her from the alleged altercation.
TMZ also reports that police first took Michael to a hospital for a check up on an unrelated medical condition but once released from the hospital he would be taken to the station to be booked.
After the long, record-cold winter, we welcomed in the two-hour Dancing with the Stars season premiere Monday night with wide, warm, open arms! And, so, it began, live from Hollywood: Our favorite ballroom dancing show, now in its 12th season.
I would have never believed who topped this season’s leader board after the debut dance if I had not seen it for myself. Ralph Macchio, the baby-faced 49-year old star of 1984’s The Karate Kid was simply adorable and full of life during his performance of the foxtrot with partner Karina Smirnoff. So much so that he ended the night atop everyone with a total score of 24.
Before he wooed us with his charm on the floor, the actor said he lost his mirror ball in the ’70s and wants to win DWTS to complete his mantle. The duo danced to Dean Martin’s Ain’t That a Kick in the Head? The judges loved our beloved Daniel-San with Bruno Tonioli saying: “Great showmanship, fantastic routine, plenty of content!” Carrie Anne Inaba concurred: “Wow, Ralph, that was an amazing surprise!” Carrie Anne continued, “That was truly gorgeous. You have such elegance in your hold.” Len Goodman charged: “Best foxtrot tonight, well done!”
In a close second for the night was Kirstie Alley, who, at 60, surprised the pants off everyone with her sassy and endearing cha cha and ended the show with a bang. It didn’t hurt that she danced opposite the beautiful Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Set to Cee-Lo Green’s Forget You, the duo’s routine brought a smile to everyone’s face. “Look who’s dancing!” cheered Bruno. “I think we are just scratching at the surface at what you can do.” Len said: “It was fun, it was cheeky, it was entertaining.” “It made me feel good, you looked as though you felt good doing it. Well done.” All that adulation scored the pair a total score of 23 and landed them in second place for the night.
In third place was the duo of two-time champ Mark Ballas with Disney star Chelsea Kane. The home-schooled girl who kissed Joe Jonas and said the kiss “did not suck,” admitted her dance with Mark would be her first dance ever with a boy. Their foxtrot to Sara Bareilles’ King Of Anything was youthful and clean. Len said to the pair, “You’re a young, fresh couple, and I thought that routine had a young, fresh feel.” Bruno, who commented that Chelsea started and ended the routine on her back, said there was “one and a half minutes of pure afterglow” in the middle, but that she needed to extend her lines. The couple ended the night with a score of 21.
Tied for third place with a score of 21 is Pittsburgh Steelers standout star Hines Ward who showed us he can work the crowd on the dance floor just as well as on the football field. Set against Flo Rida’s Club Can’t Handle Me, and with Kym Johnson at his side, the duo danced “the sparkliest cha cha ever!” per Carrie Ann who also said, “You are exuberant, and your smile lights up the whole stage.” Len said: “It was clean, it was crisp, you were confident.” And then Len went there by complimenting Hines’ tush. “Your bottom’s the top.”
Former WWE champ Chris Jericho may possibly present partner Cheryl Burke with her biggest challenge to date since she usually gets the more graceful partners such as Drew Lachey, Gilles Marini and Emmitt Smith. Oh, never mind, she also had to teach Tom DeLay, so, she and Chris may do just fine. And despite lacking precise, refined movements, Chris looked like he was having a ball on the dance floor doing the cha cha against Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash. And he sure was fun to watch. “It was kind of like a Chippendales cha cha,” remarked Carrie Ann. Len liked the dance saying: “It was really, really good, but I think you need to put a little more content in your dances.” He did comment that Chris’ hips were “allergic to music, because they didn’t seem to work.” Bruno had mixed feelings: “At times messy, but always entertaining.” The duo scored a 19.
Tied at 19 is Romeo who is 10 seasons late for DWTS. Romeo came on the show this season to redeem his father Master P’s dismal performance during season 2. But even Tom Bergeron pointed out that Romeo did much more dancing in 60 seconds than his famous but heavy-footed dad had done in three weeks when he filled in for an injured Romeo on Season 2. Romeo and partner Chelsie Hightower‘s cha cha against, what else, Romeo by Basement Jaxx, was dazzling and Carrie Ann told the 21-year-old Romeo he has “sex-tosterone.” Bruno said Romeo had done “everything to do well in the competition.”
Before she stepped on the dance floor, Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett described herself as a “sexy tomboy” and promised her cha cha with Louis Van Amstel would be “Hot: Not club hot, but classy hot.” The pair danced to David Guetta’s When Love Takes Over and I personally thought she danced much better than her score of 18. Her ex, Hugh Hefner, seemed impressed as well as he cheered her on in the audience.
Supermodel Petra Nemcova looked beautiful and elegant on the dance floor, despite having suffered a broken pelvis in the 2004 Thailand tsunami. Her foxtrot with Dmitry Chaplin set to Norah Jones’ Don’t Know Why was well choreographed and was understandably dedicated to the people of Japan. Len said the routine was charming but Petra needed to work on her posture. Bruno loved the “extreme beauty and sophistication” of the routine but said she needed to sustain her movements better. The duo received a score of 18.
Sugar Ray Leonard may not have had the best score of the night, but he sure was fun to watch in the fox trot with Anna Trebunskaya set to Huey Lewis and the News’ The Power of Love. Sugar Ray looked way more fluid during the interludes in his foxtrot and looked a bit stiff dancing in hold, but it was still an enjoyable number. “You’re obviously going to be a fan favorite,” proclaimed Carrie Ann while chastising him, “but posture, posture, posture!” Len picked up where Carrie Ann left off: “The foxtrot is fine wine and caviar, this was beer and a pizza. Energy level was high, dancing level was low.”
The buxom Wendy Williams labeled herself “too much, too loud, too fast.” So I expected a hurricane of personality on the dance floor. Instead, her cha cha set to Whitney Houston’s I’m Every Woman with Tony Dovolani shockingly lacked attitude and confidence. “You are a sultrous, luscious, gorgeous woman,” Bruno said. “Why are you marking?” Carrie Ann felt and saw fear in Wendy’s eyes and said, “You need to go way more. You are a bigger than life spirit. You need to unleash the beast.” Result? A disappointing score of 14.
And in last place was Mike Catherwood (Psycho Mike), cohost of the radio talk show Loveline. His foxtrot against Mike Posner’s Cooler than Me with Lacey Schwimmer was jerky at best, a hot mess at worst. “Dancing is movement to music. You did move and there was music,” said Len. “But there was very little dance quality about it.” Bruno said the foxtrot is a “smooth dance. It should glide. It should never ever end; it should flow” but said Mike looked “uncoordinated” and “constipated!”
Here’s how the leader board stacked up after the night wrapped up:
Ralph Macchio & Karina Smirnoff: 24 Kirstie Alley & Maks Chmerkovskiy: 23 Chelsea Kane & Mark Ballas: 21 Hines Ward & Kym Johnson: 21 Chris Jericho & Cheryl Burke: 19 Romeo & Chelsie Hightower: 19 Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett & Louis Van Amstel: 18 Petra Nemcova & Dmitry Chaplin: 18 Sugar Ray Leonard & Anna Trebunskaya: 17 Wendy Williams & Tony Dovolani: 14 Mike Catherwood & Lacey Schwimmer: 13
No one will be going home this week as results from this week will be combined with scores from next Monday night’s performances and someone will be sent home next Tuesday.
Kate Walsh graces the cover of More magazine and inside the actress admits that she “feels like a loser” for not having any children.
The 43 year-old actress of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice tells the mag: “I would definitely love to be a parent. But I definitely don’t think I want to do it on my own … I thought I’d be married and have three or four kids. I always knew I wanted to be an actress, but I think I always wanted a quote-unquote normal life because I had a very untraditional upbringing.”
The actress was previously married to movie executive Alex Young, but that marriage only lasted 15 months. Walsh says of her divorce: “[It was] the worst thing ever. It was so public, and yet it was so legal-embroiled. You couldn’t talk about anything.”
Well, then good thing you didn’t bring any kids into that, Kate!
A source close to All My Children has confirmed to TV Squad that the 41-year-old series is in jeopardy of cancellation after delivering record low ratings in recent weeks.
We could hear an announcement from ABC as soon as today or tomorrow about the future of the show.
According to Deadline, the soap is dead last in recent weeks in the key demographic of women 18–49. Only 463,000 viewers in that demo watched the show, down a whopping 34 percent compared to last year. Even worse news, the show came in last in total viewers, totaling a mere 2.32 million.
Martin Sheen can relate to what his son Charlie Sheen is going through due to personal experience.
Martin told The Telegraph, “I know what hell he’s living in. I’ve had psychotic episodes in public. One of them was on camera — the opening scene of Apocalypse Now. So I know what Charlie is going through.”
Martin also explains how past drug use is affecting Charlie’s childish behavior now and it makes sense.
“When you’re addicted, you don’t grow emotionally. So when you get clean and sober, you’re starting at the moment you started using drugs or alcohol. You’re emotionally crippled,” says Martin.
Martin, now a devout Catholic, has been sober for 20 years. So he has high hopes that Charlie can walk the same path.
“Faith can help all of us,” he says. “Addiction is the dark side. It’s a reflection of despair. And it’s fed by all the other negativity.”
Another week of craziness went down on Celebrity Apprentice and this time, it was Gary Busey and Niki Taylor who were in charge of Backbone and A.S.A.P. teams, respectively.
You know you were waiting all season for Busey to take charge, admit it!
Oh poor Busey. Although he was named Project Manager, he never seemed to be fully in charge. Of anything. He seemed discombobulated throughout the whole episode which is hard to do considering he spent half the show shooting the breeze with teammate Jose Canseco – to the point that Mark McGrath took video evidence of the two wasting time in case he needed proof in the boardroom.
But despite his lackadaisical yet somehow manic project management style, it wasn’t Busey who lost the task. In fact, his team won overwhelmingly over the Taylor-lead female team which left Taylor as the one hearing the dreaded “You’re fired!” words from Donald Trump.
In case you missed the show, here is a recap:
This week, our favorite B-List celebrities were tasked with promotion of camping gear and RV’s through a display in middle of New York city.
Taylor seemed to be up to the task at the get go. She picked the theme of “camping in the 21st century” after she and fellow contestant and Playboy Playmate Hope Dworaczyk figured out what century we currently live in. Taylor then assigned each celeb on her team a room in the RV to decorate; a tactic which seemed like a pretty solid form of delegation at the time.
Not before long, lots of bickering broke out on both teams involving just about everyone. NeNe Leakes (Atlanta’s Real Housewives) and Star Jones started their feud when Jones once again tried to take full control of the team. Taylor and Dionne Warwick openely had a disagreement in front of customers during the presentation part of the task. Warwick went so far as to call Taylor a “hussy” behind her back after the argument ended.
Taylor was not the only one disgruntled with Warwick. Marlee Matlin labeled Warwick the weakest link when Donald Trump, Jr. came on site for a visit with Team A.S.A.P.
On the men’s side, McGrath seemed to be one of the few busting ass to get the job done while Busey and Canseco did absolutely nothing for long stretches of time. Country singer John Rich became heated when Canseco called Rich’s country RV jingle “hickish,” and Survivor’s Richard Hatch implied country music fans are uneducated.
Somehow Busey was unaffected or unaware of all the tension on Backbone. He told Ivanka Trump: “It’s going great. Every team member I have is like a color of the rainbow!” Not sure what rainbow Busey dreams up in his head.
In the Trump boardroom, things got eerily boring. Taylor took full responsibility for her team’s loss and laid dead. There was no arguing, no mudslinging, no almost fist matches. But Taylor’s lay down was a move which Trump surprisingly admired.
“Niki, you’re basically willing to take responsibility for your loss? I respect that. Niki you’re fantastic, but other than that, you’re fired,” said the Donald.
Justin Bieber is a happy teen tonight. His Justin Bieber: Never Say Never film has now become the most successful concert-themed movie, surpassing Michael Jackson’s This Is It.
Never Say Never has earned $72.2 million at the domestic box ticket sales office through Sunday March 20. This Is It grossed $72.1 million domestically.
This Is It did much better worldwide, grossing $189.1 million overseas, totaling $261.2 million when added to US sales.
Never Say Never has only grossed $10.8 million at the international box office in comparison, but Paramount believes the movie could eventually earn $20 million internationally. Where has the movie done best overseas? Latin America, where Bieber has the strongest fan base.
How does Bieber feel about beating the great MJ in US sales? He Tweeted today:
“INSANE!! MJ is still the greatest and my hero but We are so proud of this and so grateful to the fans for making NEVER SAY NEVER 3D the highest grossing concert doc of ALL TIME!! THANK YOU!!! NEVER SAY NEVER!”
It’s finally official after weeks of speculation: Simon Cowell has confirmed record-producer Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid as the first judge (other than himself) on the The X Factor. Cowell said of his choice:
“L.A. was my number one choice to sit alongside me on the show. In my opinion, he is one of the greatest ever music executives and of course a fantastic writer and producer. I am thrilled he has agreed to join the show, and for any artist auditioning, they know they have the chance to meet a true star-maker.”
L.A. Reid is a perfect pick as a judge for a singing competition. He has after all helped launch the careers of Bon Jovi, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber and countless others.
In an official press release from the network, Reid stated:
“I am proud to stand next to my dear friend Simon Cowell, one of the world’s most gifted and charismatic talent magnets. ‘The X Factor’ provides an extraordinary opportunity for aspiring artists of every age and genre to showcase their unique talents. I truly look forward to discovering our next generation of superstars.”
In case you want to be on the show, auditions for The X Factor begin on March 27th in Los Angeles with stops in Miami, Newark, Seattle, Chicago and Dallas. You just need to be twelve years old or older. The prize? A cool five-million dollar recording contract.
