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Archive: December 10, 2006 - December 16, 2006
Friday List: Sad Songs
Sad songs. They say so much. (Or so sang Elton John in his mid-80's paean to the sappier side of the musical spectrum.) And obviously others agree. A new "scientific" study has named The Verve's "The Drugs Don't Work" as the saddest rock/pop song ever. Here's the full Brit-centric list: 1. The Verve - "The Drugs Don't Work" 2. Robbie Williams - "Angels" 3. Elton John - "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" 4. Whitney Houston - "I Will Always Love You" 5. Sinead O'Connor - "Nothing Compares 2 U" 6. Will Young - "Leave Right Now" 7. Elvis Presley - "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" 8. Christina Aguilera - "Beautiful" 9. James Blunt - "Goodbye My Lover" 10. Radiohead - "Fake Plastic Trees" I dunno about the above list, but I think Sir Elton has a point. There seems to be a sad song for every emotional let down...
By Liz | December 15, 2006; 10:43 AM ET | Comments (249)
Morning Mix: Brangelina Plan to Adopt Again
Headlines: Angelina Jolie says she and Pitt plan to adopt again... Martha Stewart opens up to Howard Stern... British journalist angers Madonna with adoption jokes; Courtney Love wants to end long-running feud with Madge... Group not satisfied with Rosie O'Donnell's apology... Star Jones Reynolds briefly surfaces on radio show... Pamela Anderson says Kid Rock lied about partying... Tom Brady and Bridget Moynahan split... Pageant officials evaluating current Miss USA's behavior... Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun dies... "Babel" grabs seven Golden Globe nominations... Previously banned Snoop Dogg to return to Britain... Public Enemy end Arizona boycott... "Xanadu" headed to Broadway. Rumor Mill: Oddsmakers say Britney Spears will be next starlet charged with DUI; fan tries to jump in Spears's car... Kato Kaelin on O.J. Simpson: "What do you mean if?"... Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell set wedding date... Shanna Moakler dating "Dancing With the Stars" partner Jesse DeSoto... Uma Thurman rescued...
By Liz | December 15, 2006; 7:58 AM ET | Comments (17)
Biggest Celebrity Stories of 2006?
Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and daughter Suri -- the biggest headline grabbers of 2006? (AP) I've been asked to compile a digest of the biggest celebrity stories of 2006. I'm fairly certain I can rattle off many of the year's big headlines in my sleep (the inevitable result of hours spent scanning my weekly stack of tabloids and the far reaches of the celebrity blogosphere), but odds are that if I rely on my usual top-of-mind method of research I'll miss an important story or trend. That's where you come in. What celeb-centric story or stories do you consider the biggest of 2006? Did a new king or queen of the headlines rise above the crowd? Did any stars flame out? What was the biggest surprise or unexpected trend? Who got too much attention and who too little? Who should we watch heading into 2007? I could rattle off...
By Liz | December 14, 2006; 10:43 AM ET | Comments (56)
Morning Mix: Brangelina Brood Named 'Family of the Year'
Headlines: Brangelina brood named "family of the year" by People magazine; Jolie's mother fights cancer... "Raymond" dad Peter Boyle dies (Appreciation | Photos)... Julia Roberts gearing up for return to big screen... Janice Dickinson struck by hit-and-run driver... Yoko Ono's driver held on extortion charge... Kitty Kelley penning unauthorized biography of Oprah... Bob Dylan wants to stop release of "Factory Girl"... Martha Stewart visits Howard Stern show... "Access Hollywood's" Nancy O'Dell expecting first child... Val Kilmer says he had fun gaining weight for film role... Shelley Long ("Cheers") in treatment for depression... Danny Glover pleads not guilty to trespassing charges... Producer Joe Francis ("Girls Gone Wild") to pay fine for featuring underage girls in videos... Judge may drop drug charges against Tawny Kitaen... Sexual harassment lawsuit against David Gest dismissed. Rumor Mill: Nicole Richie says she took Vicodin for menstrual cramps; could face jail time... Britney Spears done with new...
By Liz | December 14, 2006; 7:51 AM ET | Comments (35)
Actors Who Think They Can Sing: Halle Berry
Halle Berry. (Reuters) Warning: Oscar-winning super-hottie Halle Berry is poised to make what could amount to the biggest mistake of her career. In the December issue of Ebony magazine, she confirmed that she'll release an album in February. Said Berry: "I've always loved to sing and this album will show people that I can do more than act." No. It. Won't. There are actors who sing and singers who act, but the former tend to be an exercise in humiliation while the latter (Mos Def, Erykah Badu) tend to make the transition better. Someone like J.Lo -- who arrived on the scene as "multifaceted" performance machine -- is left out of this conversation. Today, we're concentrating on names who rose to fame as actors before arriving at the unfortunate decision to sing. Apparently, Berry failed to learn this lesson from those who have preceded her into this same blunder-filled...
By Liz | December 13, 2006; 10:43 AM ET | Comments (48)
Morning Mix: Daniel Craig Named 'Sexiest Man' in New Poll
Headlines: Daniel Craig named world's sexiest man (by condom maker)... Naomi Campbell cleared of assault charge... Angelina Jolie says she didn't mean to fall in love with Brad Pitt; new picture of Jolie-Pitt clan... Stella McCartney gives birth to baby girl... James Gandolfini to preside over 2007 Mardi Gras... Tickets to Princess Diana concert sell out in minutes; jeweler says Dodi Al-Fayed bought engagement ring hours before crash... Second graders urge Jay Leno to eat vegetables... Robert DeNiro says his directing days are over... Evil Knievel sues Kanye West over video... The Stooges plan new album for spring release... Rolling Stone names Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" as top song of 2006. Rumor Mill: Is K-Fed planning a tell-all book?... Jessica Simpson having trouble remembering movie lines... Denzel Washington says mom saved him from drugs... New book claims Kurt Cobain was planning to divorce Courtney Love. "I haven't had a drink in...
By Liz | December 13, 2006; 7:56 AM ET | Comments (28)
The Nicole Richie Effect
Nicole Richie's booking mug shot. (AP) So the latest and greatest from the West Coast is news that Nicole Richie was arrested early Monday morning on charges of driving under the influence. This triggers an automatic response in folks like me. I fall all over myself to get to TMZ.com, squint critically at the mug shot and ready my keyboard for a few caustic paragraphs of "drunk rich girl sinks even lower" finger pointing. Today, though, I'm not sure I have it in me. I'm no fan of Nicole Richie -- she hasn't got much to recommend her beyond a famous dad and being friends with the equally untalented Paris Hilton. Still, she's important and we need to pay attention to her. Because Richie has become the poster child for all that is wrong with young Hollywood. She is the canary in the coal mine and an 85-pound canary...
By Liz | December 12, 2006; 10:43 AM ET | Comments (54)
Morning Mix: Britney Spears's New Man?
Headlines: Tom Cruise voted "most unpopular film star" in new poll... Nicole Richie arrested for DUI... Judge dismisses cases against Courtney Love... Beyonce discusses alter-ego "Sasha"... Ashton Kutcher jealous of male models... Nicolas Cage wants to take a break from acting... Jada Pinkett Smith donates $1 million to Baltimore arts school... Elton John, Duran Duran, Joss Stone among performers at Diana memorial concert... Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun in coma after fall... Busta Rhymes charged with weapons possession... Stephen Colbert's "truthiness" is Merriam-Webster's word of the year. Rumor Mill: Britney Spears dating music producer Jonathan "J.R." Rotem?... Lindsay Lohan and mom Dina taking strip tease classes... J.Lo rep denies adoption rumors... Publicist denies Paris Hilton engaged to Stavros Niarchos... No political aspirations for Ted Danson (Oh, darn.)... Cameron Diaz wishes she had more junk in her trunk... Kirstie Alley says she slimmed without surgery, but doesn't rule it out in...
By Liz | December 12, 2006; 7:54 AM ET | Comments (24)
Celebritology Holiday Guide: Stars By the Book
Have someone on your holiday gift list who won't sit still for "Access Hollywood" or the "E! True Hollywood Story" but is spellbound by "Inside the Actors Studio," hanging on James Lipton's every well-chosen bon mot? I know the type: the closet celebritologist -- scoffing at your Us Weekly subscription, while surprisingly well-versed in the latest starlet scandals. So sad. This holiday season indulge their "academic" interest in celebrity with one of the following books, sure to win approval from even the most tabloid-averse entertainment buff. (Courtesy Melcher Media) The Pop-Up Book of Celebrity Meltdowns By Heather Havrilesky, Bruce Foster and Mick Coulas From the Publisher: "...puts you front and center as ten of the most spectacular public crack-ups of our day unfold before your eyes... Open the page to trigger a wardrobe malfunction and watch as Janet Jackson bares all at the Super Bowl... Pull the tab and see...
By Liz | December 11, 2006; 10:43 AM ET | Comments (1)
Morning Mix: Report: Diana's Driver Was Drunk
Headlines: Brangelina visit Fallingwater; rep denies wedding rumors... Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" wins weekend box office... Prince to headline Super Bowl halftime show... Stars fete TomKat at post-wedding bash... Diana Krall, Elvis Costello welcome twin boys... Dakota Fanning, 12, says she wants to direct... Kate Winslet speaks out against ultra-thin ideal... James Bond's tux raises thousands for charity; David Bowie's boots bring $2595... Wesley Snipes pleads not guilty to tax charges... Mariah Carey sues porn star over stage name... Pete Doherty questioned about party death... "Sopranos" actor pleads guilty to shoplifting. Rumor Mill: Report: Princess Diana's driver was drunk... Eddie Murphy hired detective to tail "cheating" Scary Spice... Al Gore never offered to help Lindsay Lohan... Report: Paul McCartney to give Heather Mills $235 million divorce package... Elizabeth Hurley finds non-celebrities "exhausting"... College student claims she spent Thanksgiving weekend "shacking" with Vince Vaughn... Photo shoot crew told not to look Katie...
By Liz | December 11, 2006; 8:15 AM ET | Comments (9)
