American Idol judge Randy Jackson was at The Grove today and told Mario Lopez of Extra that Simon Cowell is “irreplaceable”.
Along the same lines, Jackson had recently told Entertainment Weekly, “It’s not about replacing him or any of the others – Paula [Abdul], Ellen [DeGeneres], Kara [DioGuardi], anybody else… it’s definitely been interesting. He’s our friend for life…
“So, listen, we definitely miss him, but it’s a different kind of vibe. It’s a different kind of energy now. And I think in season 10 the show actually really needed it.”
The new season of American Idol with new judges Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler will premiere in the 19 January. Simon Cowell’s new show – a US version of the X Factor – will be broadcast later this year.
The heartbreaking shootings near Tucson, Arizona has left U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition, killed six people and wounded many more.
One of the deceased victims, 9-year-old Christina Green, was the second cousin of One Tree Hill star Sophia Bush.
Sophia has taken her grief to Twitter: “There are no words to explain what my cousin’s family is going through in Arizona. How can this be? Violence is never the answer. She was my 2nd cousin… Devastating.”
Christina was born on another day of national tragedy, September 11, 2001. She even once appeared in a book called 50 Faces of Hope that showed children born on 9/11 and which was sold to benefit 9/11 charities.
Christina’s mom, Roxanna Green, told The New York Times: “From the very beginning, she was an amazing child. She was very bright, very mature, off the charts. She was the brightest thing that happened that day.”
Rep. Giffords is the cousin of Gwyneth Paltrow. Gwyneth sent her love in a statement: “Although I have never had the pleasure of meeting congresswoman Giffords, my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family as well as the other victims of this horrible act of senseless violence.”
Ted Williams, the homeless man who made headlines all week when his “golden voice” was discovered on YouTube, has landed and completed his first voice over job!
And it’s a pretty impressive gig.
Ted’s voice now appears on Kraft Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese commercial where his unmistakable voice can be heard saying, “cheesy noodles topped with golden brown breadcrumbs – you know you love it.”
Ya, we love it Ted, we all love it!
Watch the video:
And in case you missed it, here is the video of Ted’s emotional reunion with his mother:
Sexy Dancing With the Stars pro, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, is expanding his hotness wingspan from the reality dance floor to the reality dating scene by starring on the Ukrainian version of The Bachelor.
Chmerkovskiy, a native Ukrainian, announced on his website that he had refused an offer to star in the American/ABC’s The Bachelor but has now decided to do the Ukrainian version. He states, “This is the first thing in a VERY LONG TIME that I’m doing for ME. For the first time, I don’t really care what people think. First time that I’m not being ‘judged’, ‘placed’ or ‘criticized.'”
Maksim is pictured here with former DWTS contestants Erin Andrews and Stacy Keibler
Apparently Chmerkovskiy went to Ukraine in late November, right after Dancing With the Stars‘ latest season ended, and filmed the dating show for four to six weeks. Chmerkovskiy continues on his website, “There has never been a show such as this in Ukraine, and it makes me think that a first season would be the most ‘real’ as far as participant’s perception of ‘what its all about’….I know it’s hard to find someone you can connect to on a project like this, but nothing is impossible. For the sake of the show I can’t reveal anything, but I must say I am very pleasantly surprised so far.”
No one movie could adequately and beautifully portray an explosive honeymoon sex scene, a horrifying pregnancy and childbirth, and the threat of impending large-scale vampire massacre. So, to do the movie justice, the last book of the Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn, will be broken into two parts.
That’s not news to Twihards. But what is news is how this book will be broken into two. Producer Wyck Godfrey spoke to USA Today this week and tried to answer some of us fans’ biggest questions:
On how the story will be slit in half: “We basically want to take the audience through the emotional part of Bella’s journey as she becomes a vampire. The first part will cover the wedding, the honeymoon and the birth.”
On how the film will be able to keep PG-13 rating despite the sex and horrifying birth scenes: “It would be a crime against our audience to go R-rated. This is based on a much more mature book. We need to progress and be more sophisticated.” The bloody, bone-crushing childbirth will be seen only through Bella’s eyes. “She is looking through the haze, experiencing pain and everything rushing around her. We only see what she sees.”
On the Edward/Bella (Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart) sex scene: “It does not become soft porn. It is a legitimate and important part of the movie, romantic and sensual.”
Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian have been collectively sued by The Revenue Resource Group, LLC for $75 million for breach of contract.
The lawsuit was filed five weeks after the Kardashians refused to remain the faces of RRG’s MasterCard-approved prepaid debit card.
In late November, the Kardashians walked away from the sealed deal because of the “outrageous” fees attached to the debit card. But RRG says the Kardashians had signed a two-year deal from which they can’t just walk away without penalty. They also claim that the family has openly talked trash about the card and the bad press has hurt RGG’s financials. So, they want $75 mil in damages.
Talk show host and Oprah Winfrey‘s BFF, Gayle King, is getting her own show! The Gayle King Show will premiere Monday, Jan. 10 at 10:00 AM on Winfrey’s OWN Network.
Gayle stopped by The Grove in Los Angeles, CA to tell Mario Lopez of Extra all about her new show, her best friend Oprah, her love for Katy Perry, and to dish out some great advice to women.
About her new show, Gayle said: “We’re marrying radio [her popular Oprah XM radio show] and TV together. It’s not celebrity-driven, although I am a big pop culture and news junkie, and so am certainly very in touch with that. What makes it work is the people that come to call and come to play with me.”
King will also be participating in OWN’s Ask Oprah’s All Stars with Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz and Suze Orman.
At the moment OWN launched, Gayle could not be with her best friend. But she called Oprah and told her, “I am so proud and so happy for you!” Gayle continued, “Listen, this is a young black girl. ‘Colored’ girl back then who grew up with no TV! Who now has a network!”
What is the biggest advice Gayle has learned along her road to success and which she wants to tell women: “We are juggling so many balls. And occasionally you’re gonna drop a ball but my thing is you pick it up and just keep going. And just refuse to beat yourself up when you are doing the best you can.”
Gayle loves Katy Perry’s Firework, so, the crew played the song and Gayle and Mario danced away!