Saturday, April 30, 2011

Bret Michaels, Gary Busey Back Donald Trump While Other Stars Pile On

Donald Trump sure knows how to stir up celebrities.

Not only does he do it weekly on his NBC show ?Celebrity Apprentice,? he does it in real life, too.�

Stars from Robert De Niro to Jerry Seinfeld have hopped on the anti-Trump bandwagon. But not every Hollywood honcho agrees with them.

Last weekend, when speaking with NBC?s Brian Williams, De Niro likened Trump to a ?used car salesman,? referring to the potential presidential candidate Trump?s questioning of President Obama?s birth certificate.�

"He?s full of it,? Bill Cosby told NBC?s Meredith Vieira. ?You run, or shut up? but the only thing he's running is his mouth."

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld pulled out of an event benefiting St. Jude Children?s Research Hospital because Trump?s son, Eric, was hosting the event.

Trump was quick to fire back at all three.

?I just learned you canceled a show for my son's charity," Trump wrote in a letter to Seinfeld obtained by the New York Post. "Because of the fact that I am being very aggressive with respect to President Obama, who is doing an absolutely terrible job as our leader."

"We don't care that you broke your commitment," he said, "even though the children of St. Jude are very disappointed, and despite the fact that your manager clearly stated you are 'truly a man of his word.'"

Trump told ?Fox & Friends? that while he enjoyed De Niro?s acting, the star was ?not the brightest bulb on the planet.?

About Cosby, Trump noted that ?As I am sure he must know, I cannot run until this season of ?Celebrity Apprentice? ends. I know he has taken a lot of heat over the years in that he seems to be talking down to the people he?s talking to and purportedly trying to help.?

Cosby?s rep told FOX411.com that ?Mr. Cosby has no response regarding Donald Trump.?

Seinfeld?s rep told FOX411.com that ?Jerry has nothing to say on this.?

After Seinfeld relieved himself of his St. Jude Children?s Research Hospital hosting duties, ?Celebrity Apprentice? winner Bret Michaels stepped up to the plate.

?Donald Trump and his family have been wonderful to me and St. Jude?s Children?s Hospital is one of my favorite charities, so I?m honored to have been asked by Eric and the rest of the Trump family to be a part of this event and help raise money for such an admirable cause,? Michaels told FOX411.com in a statement. ?Regardless of political views, the only thing that should matter is the lives of these children and their families, so I?m eager to offer my assistance to St. Jude?s Children?s Hospital in any way that I can.?

Former ?Celebrity Apprentice? contestant Gary Busey also told FOX411.com he?s firmly on Team Trump, even though Trump axed him from the show last week..

?Mr. Trump has the insight from the knowledge he has attained in a situation this country is in under the administration of President Barack Obama,? the Oscar-nominee said. ?He is a force of nature with a personality that considers the country first, not the government. Mr. Trump knows the meaning of freedom as the Founders knew the meaning of freedom when they wrote The Declaration of Independence. Mr. Trump will bring the standards of America back to equal footing and it will be an honor to say: GOD BLESS AMERICA."

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Charlie Sheen's gospel of egoism set to land in Atlantic City

Every time it seems like Charlie Sheen fatigue is setting in, the erratic actor manages to make news with bizarre stunts at each stop along his spoken word "greatest hits" tour.

On Friday, Sheen led a messianic walk in Toronto, inviting Twitter followers to make the mile-long pilgrimage from his luxury hotel to the theater, where he performed the second of two gigs.

The trek was described by the fired sitcom star as a "Bipolar Awareness Walk." Reportedly, hundreds of fans strolled behind their hero, donating $1 each to a local mental health support group. Sheen expressed his compassion for those suffering mood disorders by wearing an "I'm not bipolar" hat.

Saturday night, Sheen will preach the gospel of egoism and excess at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. It marks two weeks on the road for him.

He famously bombed in Detroit two Saturdays ago. At the time, critics declared the tour dead on arrival. Yet Sheen endures, stubbornly taking the stage night after night even as audiences express their, er, displeasure with his presentation.

In Toronto, he did share some new personal information, claiming that the first famous person he bedded was Jennifer Grey. He confessed that he doesn't get along with his brother, Emilio Estevez. But even those "truths" did not curb walkouts and jeers, according to reviews and tweets.

Perhaps this tour is being sustained by people who are willing to pay for the chance to boo a rich man.

Or maybe it's because America loves a winner, particularly one who advocates debauchery as a path to personal growth.

More Charlie Sheen Coverage:

Charlie Sheen in New York: American dream turns into an American nightmare

Charlie Sheen booed off stage in Detroit

Charlie Sheen, jeered in Detroit, redeemed (somewhat) in Chicago

Charlie Sheen show not worth the dough

Top quotes from the 2011 Tiger Blood tour

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Lindsay Lohan's Latest Casual Courtroom Attire: What's the Verdict?

Our judgment: Lindsay Lohan is guilty of underdressing for court?again.

The starlet strolled into her probation hearing this morning in wide-leg Lanvin sailor pants, Lanvin platform peep-toes, black Wolford bodysuit accessorized with sunglasses, cream scarf and a Fendi bag, her hair loosely pulled back.

PHOTOS: Court Appearances

It's a perfectly good ensemble for a business lunch or a meeting, but definitely not formal?and, more important, remorseful looking?enough for court.

On the bright side, it's better than her white mini and skintight nude dress.

So what's your judgment on LiLo's latest court getup? Weigh in below.

WATCH: LiLo's got Gotti?

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"I Never Wanted to Be the American Idol," Says Eliminee Stefano Langone

Say what?! Who goes on American Idol not wanting to win? Well,�Stefano Langone does just that?or so he claims, after the fact.

The morning after being booted off the Idol stage, he isn't wondering what he could have done differently to stay. Instead, he's thinking about his future and making sure his self-proclaimed "brother," James Durbin, is doing all right after last night's emotional meltdown. So what's Stefano's next move now that he's off the No. 1 show in America....and how did he console James after the cameras stopped rolling?

We reported last night that James was an emotional mess after Stefano's elimination. When he stormed offstage in tears and obvious discontent, we saw a new side of James. But while James took the elimination hard, Stefano himself says it was never his intention to make it all the way.

"When I came out for American Idol I never wanted to be the American Idol," he said, "It was getting my foot in the door of the music industry and taking a step forward in that way. I am so happy about my experience, so thankful for all of this and blessed.

"What I came out here to do, I did it. I succeeded. I got to lucky No. 7, and it doesn't really reflect on who I am as a musician or a performer at all. It's a show. That's one thing you've got to remember, it's a show, and now it's time for me to really move forward. There's a wide open crowd and market out there right now, and I'm ready to pounce on it."

As for James' postshow meltdown, Stefano says he was able to talk him down by reassuring him that everything was going to work out the way it's supposed to.�

"I told him not to worry about me," Stefano told us. "I did everything I set out to do on this show and it's going to pay off and I'm going to do great. I told him, 'Just keep focusing on the show and what you gotta do to keep succeeding and I'll be back in a couple weeks.' I talked him down a little bit. He's a big crybaby."

The pair have been close buddies and roommates since Hollywood Week, making it extra hard to say goodbye, but James guarantees Stefano will be an intricate part of one of the most important days of his life. �

"He's a brother to me, and I'm going to be his best man in his wedding," Stefano said.�

As for Stefano's future in music, well, he's pretty confident he'll have a career as successful as established stars�John Legend and Stevie Wonder.

"I have the range of Stevie Wonder," he said. "I have that range and I have that soul, especially when I get on the piano. People haven't seen that John Legend feel. I have a lot of stuff in the bag that I haven't really shown yet. I haven't gone and done my original stuff, I haven't gotten behind the piano and shown vocally what I am capable of. I am really going to show the world not just what I can do on American Idol but in the music industry the kind of impact I can make."

Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, but Stefano is nothing but excited.

"I cannot wait to start this long and successful journey."

Do you think Stefano has the talent of Stevie Wonder? Do you believe he didn't want to win Idol? Does James emotional meltdown make you love him more? Let us know in the comments!

READ MORE:�Live at�American Idol: Why Did James Durbin Storm Offstage After the Show?

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Nobel literature juror in RI denies prize biases

By IAN MacDOUGALL, AP
Thu Apr 14, 12:13 AM EDT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. ? The Swedish panel that awards the Nobel Prize for Literature isn't biased toward European writers or against American writers, a member of the panel said Wednesday.

Nationality isn't an important factor in selecting the prize winner, Swedish Academy member and acclaimed poet Kjell Espmark told The Associated Press.

Other members of the Swedish Academy have suggested both biases exist.

In 2008, the committee's then-permanent secretary, Horace Engdahl, said European writers tend to beat out American writers because American literature is overly insular. In 2009, his successor, Peter Englund, worried the prize was too "Eurocentric."

The list of the past 20 laureates includes one American ? novelist Toni Morrison, in 1993 ? and 11 European writers, including German novelist Gunter Grass and British playwright Harold Pinter. Some of the others selected during that time are not from Europe but have spent much of their writing careers there.

The literature prize election is by secret ballot among the 18 members of the Swedish Academy. Espmark has been a member of the Academy since 1981.

Engdahl sparked an uproar in 2008 when he declared in an interview with the AP that Europeans tend to win because they deserve to win, particularly compared with Americans, whom he dismissed as "too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture."

Engdahl's words were taken out of context, Espmark said Wednesday.

"That interview was summed up in such a way that could make you think that American writers were out of the question because they were too insular and so on. That's just nonsense," he said. "What he talked about actually is that very little translated literature is read in America."

Very few foreign-language books make it into English, especially in the U.S. market, and even fewer reach a wide audience, as Espmark pointed out.

"It's just a matter of a low percentage of translation that makes American audiences rather unaware of what happens in other countries," he said.

He also said he disagreed with Englund when he revealed in 2009 that he thought it was a problem that members of the Swedish Academy tend to "relate more easily to literature written in Europe and in the European tradition."

"The nation is not important, and balance (of laureates' homelands) is not interesting," Espmark said, noting that the panel tries to be impartial and make selections based purely on literary criteria.

Espmark, who is a professor emeritus of literary history at Stockholm University, was in Rhode Island as part of a tour to promote his latest collection of poetry, "Lend Me Your Voice." He gave a lecture at Providence College and read from the poetry collection; he spoke to the AP afterward.

View Next Article: 'American Idol' finalists attack movie tunes

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Fashion Police: Best Dressed of the Week?Reese Witherspoon, Megan Fox or Scarlett Johansson?

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reese Witherspoon, Megan Fox, Scarlett JohanssonnullBe our bestie on�Facebook�and follow us on�Twitter!

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Friday, April 29, 2011

Nobel literature juror in RI denies prize biases

By IAN MacDOUGALL, AP
Thu Apr 14, 12:13 AM EDT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. ? The Swedish panel that awards the Nobel Prize for Literature isn't biased toward European writers or against American writers, a member of the panel said Wednesday.

Nationality isn't an important factor in selecting the prize winner, Swedish Academy member and acclaimed poet Kjell Espmark told The Associated Press.

Other members of the Swedish Academy have suggested both biases exist.

In 2008, the committee's then-permanent secretary, Horace Engdahl, said European writers tend to beat out American writers because American literature is overly insular. In 2009, his successor, Peter Englund, worried the prize was too "Eurocentric."

The list of the past 20 laureates includes one American ? novelist Toni Morrison, in 1993 ? and 11 European writers, including German novelist Gunter Grass and British playwright Harold Pinter. Some of the others selected during that time are not from Europe but have spent much of their writing careers there.

The literature prize election is by secret ballot among the 18 members of the Swedish Academy. Espmark has been a member of the Academy since 1981.

Engdahl sparked an uproar in 2008 when he declared in an interview with the AP that Europeans tend to win because they deserve to win, particularly compared with Americans, whom he dismissed as "too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture."

Engdahl's words were taken out of context, Espmark said Wednesday.

"That interview was summed up in such a way that could make you think that American writers were out of the question because they were too insular and so on. That's just nonsense," he said. "What he talked about actually is that very little translated literature is read in America."

Very few foreign-language books make it into English, especially in the U.S. market, and even fewer reach a wide audience, as Espmark pointed out.

"It's just a matter of a low percentage of translation that makes American audiences rather unaware of what happens in other countries," he said.

He also said he disagreed with Englund when he revealed in 2009 that he thought it was a problem that members of the Swedish Academy tend to "relate more easily to literature written in Europe and in the European tradition."

"The nation is not important, and balance (of laureates' homelands) is not interesting," Espmark said, noting that the panel tries to be impartial and make selections based purely on literary criteria.

Espmark, who is a professor emeritus of literary history at Stockholm University, was in Rhode Island as part of a tour to promote his latest collection of poetry, "Lend Me Your Voice." He gave a lecture at Providence College and read from the poetry collection; he spoke to the AP afterward.

View Next Article: 'American Idol' finalists attack movie tunes

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Lindsay Lohan's Latest Casual Courtroom Attire: What's the Verdict?

Our judgment: Lindsay Lohan is guilty of underdressing for court?again.

The starlet strolled into her probation hearing this morning in wide-leg Lanvin sailor pants, Lanvin platform peep-toes, black Wolford bodysuit accessorized with sunglasses, cream scarf and a Fendi bag, her hair loosely pulled back.

PHOTOS: Court Appearances

It's a perfectly good ensemble for a business lunch or a meeting, but definitely not formal?and, more important, remorseful looking?enough for court.

On the bright side, it's better than her white mini and skintight nude dress.

So what's your judgment on LiLo's latest court getup? Weigh in below.

WATCH: LiLo's got Gotti?

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Are LeAnn and Eddie Teasing Toward a Beachy Wedding?

Does it really surprise any normal human being out there that LeAnn Rimes spent Thursday showing off her intense six-pack, fake boobs and ribs beachside with future hubby Eddie Cibrian? It's a standard move?and a strategic one on so many levels.

Really? All these PDAs and tanning sessions come amid rumors that the two plan to shock us all and tie the knot beachside in Los Angeles.

PHOTOS: Blingtastic Engagements!

Color us not the slightest bit stumped!

With the "family" birthday celebration for Eddie's son Jake this past weekend and both LeAnn and Eddie's divorces finalized, the wedding and the bride-to-be's bones really seem to be coming to the surface.

Plus, a super-soon ceremony would be fitting since the singer spilled her guts?well, what's left of them?to reporters about her messy divorce with Dean Sheremet and about the salacious start of her relaysh with Eddie.

And what's a LeAnn bikini photo op without a tweet here and there, right?

Drowning in denial, she defensively tweeted per usual, saying:

"Only working out I've done this week has been playing on the beach! It's been so nice! Beach is gorgeous!"

Subtle hints of your upcoming, laid-back wedding locale, or are you trying to prove you're weightier than we all think and see?

Either way, we remember the days L-girl and that buff fianc� fibbed over and over again about engagement talk.

That yes-no, maybe-so game looks like it has been reset, and it involves much more photo faking.

If indeed the beachside Los Angeles wedding is set to be this weekend, Eddie's kids would be with mommy Brandi Glanville. But with the former Twitter enemies making peace over pizza at Chuck E. Cheese's, maybe Brandi will take a turn as a bridesmaid. �

Why the hell not? After all, if LeAnn and Eddie are really all about love this weekend, so are we!

WATCH: LeAnn spill her "guts"

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Bikinis Get Dangerous This Summer

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Song of the Week: 'Till the World Ends,' Britney Spears

"Britney Spears" has always been a marketing construction. In the early days of the brand, it made a bold impression. We knew who this character was and what she stood for: She was the ing�nue, on the cusp of adulthood and wrestling with her grown-up desires. She had control of her life, but the screws were loose and the platform was wobbly, and the handle always seemed ready to break off.

She wasn?t a girl and she wasn?t yet a woman. She was something beautiful and terrible and all-too-human, caught in between.

As Spears? life began to resemble the fiction constructed around her, a funny thing started happening to her music. That personality, so sharply (some would say garishly) drawn earlier on, began to disappear. On "Femme Fatale," her latest chart-topping album, the eclipse becomes total. Spears has been swapped out for a robotic version of herself who feeds typical dance-floor injunctions into a computer processor.

In the right hands, AutoTune software can enhance the personality of a pop singer. Consider Kanye West?s groundbreaking work on "808s and Heartbreak" or T-Pain?s playful "Chopped and Screwed." This is the computer as an instrument of the producer?s whims; software as a playground for a digital provocateur.

Ke$ha, never short on cartoonish personality, co-wrote "Till the World Ends," the lead-off track on "Femme Fatale" and a current Top 10 hit. On her 2009 hit "TiK ToK," she and her producers used AutoTune to augment the narrator?s giddiness. The unnatural, computer-generated melodic leaps in the chorus couldn?t have happened without the software, but they also couldn?t have happened without Ke$ha herself. Like Cher on "Believe," this was the pop star as cyborg ? half giggling schoolyard seductress, half robot girlfriend.

"Till the World Ends" is another thing entirely.

The song?s hook employs artificially generated negative space: Split-second silences are inserted between the sung notes. The inhuman sound of the chorus is undeniably ear-catching. "Femme Fatale" has been described as a producer?s showcase, but it isn?t Dr. Luke?s personality inscribed in this mix. It?s not Ke$ha?s, either, and it?s certainly not that of Spears, whose relationship to the track feels tangential at best.

If there?s any personality on "Till the World Ends," it?s that of the software programmers who created the computer plug-in that processes Spears? signal beyond recognition.

We don?t like to think that our hit songs are being cooked up by white-coats. When we rock out, we prefer to believe we?re responding to human talent, not laboratory science. Technophobia accounts for much of the hysterical reaction to AutoTune and signal processing in general, but the charts don?t lie: we?re getting comfortable with it.

"Till the World Ends" is pop designed by algorithm on a spreadsheet, but that doesn?t mean it?s a bad song. It might even be a great one ? and a harbinger of the depersonalized pop future we don?t want to embrace, but that?s coming at us with the speed of a Eurodisco backbeat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMEx4dSdxwI

Songs of the Day are posted Mon.-Thu. at 3 p.m. Songs of the Week, which will focus on contemporary chart hits, will be posted on Friday. For past Songs of the Day, click here

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Paris Hilton, Boyfriend Attacker Jailed

Cy Waits and Paris HiltonJames Rainford, the man who attacked Paris Hilton and her boyfriend Cy Waits on Wednesday, has been sent to jail.

TMZ is reporting that Rainford got sentenced to 227 days in prison after he pleaded 'no contest' to misdemeanor battery.

Rainford was already on probation and the judge threw the book at him for violating the terms of his probation. He was arrested last October after trespassing on the socialite's property and getting into an altercation with her security.

In addition to the jail sentence, Rainford was sentenced to three years informal probation and ordered to stay away from Waits once he's released.


Hilton and Waits were walking into a Superior Court building in Van Nuys when Rainford attempted to grab Waits in the back of the neck. He was immediately subdued by a bodyguard and handed over to police.

After his arrest, Rainford explained to police that he was in love with Hilton and had her father's permission to marry her.

Hilton and Waits were at the Van Nuys courthouse to testify in a case against Nathan Parada who broke into their home last year wielding a knife.

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Celebrity Mug Shots

Lawrence Taylor was charged May 6 with raping a 16-year-old runaway who police said was forced into prostitution by a man who had beaten her up. He was arrest at a Holiday Inn in Montebello, NY and is also charged with solicitation.

Ramapo Police Department / AP

Ramapo Police Department / AP


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Thursday, April 28, 2011

1970s Pop Singer Phoebe Snow Dies

Phoebe Snow, a bluesy singer, guitarist and songwriter whose "Poetry Man" was a defining hit of the 1970s but who then largely dropped out of the spotlight to care for her disabled daughter, has died.

Snow, who was nominated for best new artist at the 1975 Grammys, died Tuesday morning in Edison, N.J., from complications of a brain hemorrhage she suffered in January 2010, said Rick Miramontez, her longtime friend and public relations representative. She was 58.

Snow's manager, Sue Cameron, said the singer endured bouts of blood clots, pneumonia and congestive heart failure since her stroke.

"The loss of this unique and untouchable voice is incalculable," Cameron said. "Phoebe was one of the brightest, funniest and most talented singer-songwriters of all time and, more importantly, a magnificent mother to her late brain-damaged daughter, Valerie, for 31 years. Phoebe felt that was her greatest accomplishment."

Known as a folk guitarist who made forays into jazz and blues, Snow put her stamp on soul classics such as "Shakey Ground," "Love Makes a Woman" and "Mercy, Mercy Mercy" on over a half dozen albums.

Not long after Snow's "Poetry Man" reached the Top 5 on the pop singles chart in 1975, her daughter, Valerie Rose, was born with severe brain damage, and Snow decided to care for her at home rather than place her in an institution.

"She was the only thing that was holding me together," she told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2008. "My life was her, completely about her, from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed at night."

Valerie, who had been born with hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain cavity that inhibits brain development, was not expected to live more than a few years. She died in 2007 at age 31.

Over the years, Snow found time to sing on Paul Simon's song "Gone at Last" and tour with him, as well as perform at the Woodstock 25th anniversary festival in 1994, as part of a soul act that included Thelma Houston, Mavis Staples and CeCe Peniston.

Snow was also recruited by Steely Dan's Donald Fagen to participate in the New York Rock and Soul Revue, which took her, Charles Brown, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs and others on tour and into New York's Beacon Theatre to record a rollicking live album in 1991.

"Occasionally I put an album out, but I didn't like to tour, and they didn't get a lot of label support," she told the Chronicle. "But you know what? It didn't really matter because I got to stay home more with Valerie, and that time was precious."

She was born Phoebe Ann Laub to white Jewish parents in New York City in 1952, and raised in Teaneck, N.J. Though many assumed she was black, Snow never claimed African-American ancestry.

She changed her name after seeing Phoebe Snow, an advertising character for a railroad, emblazoned on trains that passed through her hometown. Snow quit college after two years to perform in amateur nights at Greenwich Village folk clubs.

Her first record, "Phoebe Snow," came out in 1974, and showed off her songwriting chops on a selection of tunes that spanned blues, jazz and folk. Hit-bound "Poetry Man" took the record to No. 4 on the album charts, but her success was uneasy.

"There are turning points in everyone's life where you decide if you're going to sink or swim. My insecurity wasn't serving me well at all. It was really a stumbling block," she told The Associated Press in 1989.

Rumors abounded that Jackson Browne was Poetry Man. "No, no. It's somebody you wouldn't know. People just thought Poetry Man was Browne because he was the first act I toured with," Snow told USA Today in 1989.

After 1976's gold-selling "Second Childhood," Snow's subsequent albums found smaller audiences. Through the 1980s and into the 1990s, Snow sang commercial jingles -- for companies including Michelob, Hallmark and AT&T -- and performed live here and there.

Inexperienced in the music business, she broke a number of contracts with record companies and others, and found herself embroiled in a number of lawsuits and severe financial problems. Snow's husband, musician Phil Kearns, left her while Valerie was still a baby.

She sang the theme for NBC's "A Different World" and the jingle "Celebrate the Moments of Your Life" for General Foods International Coffees. She also sang at radio host Howard Stern's wedding to Beth Ostrosky in 2008 and for President Bill Clinton, who asked her to perform at Camp David during his presidency.

In 2003, she released the CD "Natural Wonder," her first album of new, original material in 14 years. Her other albums include 1989's "Something Real," and 1981's "Rock Away." In 2008, she released a live album titled "Live" and a best-of CD in 2001.

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Tribeca Film Festival Celebrates 10th Year With Star-Studded Bash

From a legendary director to a 'Twilight' beauty to the sitcom king, the stars came out last night to celebrate Tribeca Film Festival's tenth successful season at Vanity Fair's Deluxe party. And although the festival jury won't be making their final selections until the screenings end, they were all certain of one thing: the festival has become such a successful New York staple simply because it's homegrown.

From Harvey Keitel to Denis Leary, they all agreed that it is New York's spirit of artistry that keeps filmmakers creating pieces that push the envelope as well as those that remind us of why we go to the movies in the first place.


Shorts, feature films, comedies, dramas and documentaries, success at the New York festival is one thing that creates a unified narrative for the Ron Howards of tomorrow and the Abigail Breslins of today. And if the stars weren't there to celebrate the power that film has over a city, they were there for the loot. One celeb even told us that he was planning on re-gifting his anticipated gift bag.

Check out our coverage of the event and see which megastar shouted, "Trump the chump!"


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Jason Sudeikis Tapped to Host MTV Movie Awards

Jason Sudeikis' next hosting gig is a little bigger than the '80s sportscaster he plays on 'Saturday Night Live.'

The 'SNL'-er has been tapped to host the MTV Movie Awards from Los Angeles on June 5.

"I'm sincerely flattered that the folks from the Mostly Teenage Viewers network have invited me to host this year, and I look forward to keeping the streak of flawless and critically lauded movie awards show hosting in 2011 alive," Sudeikis told MTV News of his new gig.

The six-year 'SNL' vet will appear in the film 'Horrible Bosses' this summer with Jason Bateman and Charlie Day. First, though, he'll finish out the sketch show's 36th season with hosts Tina Fey, Ed Helms and Justin Timberlake.

"Smart and funny is the new rock and roll for our audience - and that combo pretty much sums up Jason," MTV president Stephen Friedman said. "He is a smartass and a gentleman who never goes for the easy or obvious joke. Because of that, he is the ideal Movie Awards host, and we are confident with him anchoring the show, our audience is in store for unexpected and crazy moments with Hollywood's biggest stars and musicians."

This year's nominees will be announced May 3. The ceremony will air June 5 at 9PM ET.

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Charlie Sheen Hands Out Fist Bumps, E! News Thrilled!

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As everyone in the celebrity news game knows, E! is the ultimate source for the balanced, incisive reporting you crave. How do we do it? When was the last time you saw Billy Bush fist-bumping with Charlie Sheen? It's all about credibility.

Speaking of cred, get all the news that fits from your beloved anchor Joel McHale tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT! He's even funnier than Wolf Blitzer.

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Bret Michaels, Gary Busey Back Donald Trump While Other Stars Pile On

Donald Trump sure knows how to stir up celebrities.

Not only does he do it weekly on his NBC show ?Celebrity Apprentice,? he does it in real life, too.�

Stars from Robert De Niro to Jerry Seinfeld have hopped on the anti-Trump bandwagon. But not every Hollywood honcho agrees with them.

Last weekend, when speaking with NBC?s Brian Williams, De Niro likened Trump to a ?used car salesman,? referring to the potential presidential candidate Trump?s questioning of President Obama?s birth certificate.�

"He?s full of it,? Bill Cosby told NBC?s Meredith Vieira. ?You run, or shut up? but the only thing he's running is his mouth."

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld pulled out of an event benefiting St. Jude Children?s Research Hospital because Trump?s son, Eric, was hosting the event.

Trump was quick to fire back at all three.

?I just learned you canceled a show for my son's charity," Trump wrote in a letter to Seinfeld obtained by the New York Post. "Because of the fact that I am being very aggressive with respect to President Obama, who is doing an absolutely terrible job as our leader."

"We don't care that you broke your commitment," he said, "even though the children of St. Jude are very disappointed, and despite the fact that your manager clearly stated you are 'truly a man of his word.'"

Trump told ?Fox & Friends? that while he enjoyed De Niro?s acting, the star was ?not the brightest bulb on the planet.?

About Cosby, Trump noted that ?As I am sure he must know, I cannot run until this season of ?Celebrity Apprentice? ends. I know he has taken a lot of heat over the years in that he seems to be talking down to the people he?s talking to and purportedly trying to help.?

Cosby?s rep told FOX411.com that ?Mr. Cosby has no response regarding Donald Trump.?

Seinfeld?s rep told FOX411.com that ?Jerry has nothing to say on this.?

After Seinfeld relieved himself of his St. Jude Children?s Research Hospital hosting duties, ?Celebrity Apprentice? winner Bret Michaels stepped up to the plate.

?Donald Trump and his family have been wonderful to me and St. Jude?s Children?s Hospital is one of my favorite charities, so I?m honored to have been asked by Eric and the rest of the Trump family to be a part of this event and help raise money for such an admirable cause,? Michaels told FOX411.com in a statement. ?Regardless of political views, the only thing that should matter is the lives of these children and their families, so I?m eager to offer my assistance to St. Jude?s Children?s Hospital in any way that I can.?

Former ?Celebrity Apprentice? contestant Gary Busey also told FOX411.com he?s firmly on Team Trump, even though Trump axed him from the show last week..

?Mr. Trump has the insight from the knowledge he has attained in a situation this country is in under the administration of President Barack Obama,? the Oscar-nominee said. ?He is a force of nature with a personality that considers the country first, not the government. Mr. Trump knows the meaning of freedom as the Founders knew the meaning of freedom when they wrote The Declaration of Independence. Mr. Trump will bring the standards of America back to equal footing and it will be an honor to say: GOD BLESS AMERICA."

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Video: Will America Still Love 'Idol' James Durbin Tomorrow?

James DurbinJames Durbin, the resident rocker on this season of 'American Idol' brought it back to basics this week. Taking on The Shirelles' 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow.' The performance launched with Durbin strumming a single chord and otherwise letting his voice tell the story.

We knew he had a huge voice, but he brought us the tender side of that incredible range. It was a nice facet to his talent that had been largely under-represented throughout the competition this far.

"Tonight, you weren't just a great rock singer. Tonight, you proved that you're a great singer," Randy Jackson said.

He then upped the ante and made a bold claim. "You know what I think guys?" he said. "This guy just might win the whole thing."

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Evangeline Lilly expecting first baby

The Baby Bump Police must have been have on a donut run. Evangeline Lilly, who has been flying under the radar since ?Lost? wrapped last year, is very well into her pregnancy, judging from photographs snapped in Hawaii this week.

Her boyfriend is Norman Kali, who worked as a production assistant on ?Lost,? Usmagazine.com reports. Lilly split from fellow ?Lost? star Dominic Monaghan in 2009.

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Couric returns to 'Today' for interview with Lauer

By DAVID BAUDER, AP
Wed Apr 13, 10:15 AM EDT

NEW YORK ? Katie Couric returned to the "Today" show Wednesday for an on-air reunion with Matt Lauer, but didn't give him an exclusive about her future.

"I'll call you," she said with a wide smile, her hand mimicking a telephone. The current "CBS Evening News" anchor, whose contract expires in June, said she expected to make a decision about her future in a few weeks.

It was her second time back on the morning show where she was host from 1991 to 2006 (the other was to promote an anti-cancer initiative). She's currently on a tour touting her new book, "The Best Advice I Ever Got," a collection of essays with words of wisdom for young people.

She insisted she hadn't made a decision on what to do next, after Lauer suggested that she knew but just hasn't told anyone yet.

Several companies are seeking to have her host a daytime talk show, including both CBS and NBC. That's considered an area of opportunity with the imminent end of daytime leader Oprah Winfrey's show.

Asked by Lauer what appealed to her about that idea, Couric mentioned the creative freedom to choose subjects and have intelligent discussions about them. Medical, health, social issues and politics were subject areas she said she'd like to address.

"It might be nice to have a little more wiggle room for me to show a little more personality," said Couric, who has sought other avenues of expression beyond the tightly-formatted, half-hour evening newscast.

Left unspoken on the air were a handful of published reports speculating she could team up again with Lauer on a talk show when his "Today" contract ends at the end of 2012. Such an idea is considered highly unlikely.

Even though she and Lauer worked side-by-side as anchors from 1997 to 2006, Couric showed loyalty to her current employer: she talked about her book Tuesday on CBS' "The Early Show," and also appeared on "The View."

She said she had no regrets about moving to CBS and loves working at the evening news.

___

Online:

NBC's "Today" show: http://on.msnbc.com/dMI26z

View Next Article: PBS head: Public broadcasting funding intact

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Source: Lindsay Lohan Gets Standing Ovation on 'Tonight Show' Appearance

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan can count a "Tonight Show" studio audience among her boosters.

In an appearance taped to air on the talk show Tuesday, Lohan received a standing ovation from the crowd, according to a person connected with the show.

"Tonight" host Jay Leno asked the 24-year-old about touchy subjects including her court appearance and brief jailing Friday, her family and what she's learned from her experiences.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because NBC had announced Lohan's appearance but not its details.

Lohan's interview with Leno was taped separately at the conclusion of Monday's show. The "Mean Girls" actress is a late addition to Tuesday's show, knocking a scheduled guest, Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth, to another date.

Lohan told the "Tonight" audience that she's playing the wife of John Gotti Jr. in the crime family movie, "Gotti: Three Generations." Her casting in the role was announced last week but it was unclear if her legal woes might affect it.

A Los Angeles judge sentenced Lohan to 120 days for violating her probation by taking a designer necklace, a charge the judge reduced from felony grand theft to a misdemeanor. The actress's attorneys appealed the jail sentence, Lohan's fourth, and she was freed on bond after a few hours behind bars.

Lohan told Leno she found the sentence "shocking" and said it her left her "kind of numb."

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1970s Pop Singer Phoebe Snow Dies

Phoebe Snow, a bluesy singer, guitarist and songwriter whose "Poetry Man" was a defining hit of the 1970s but who then largely dropped out of the spotlight to care for her disabled daughter, has died.

Snow, who was nominated for best new artist at the 1975 Grammys, died Tuesday morning in Edison, N.J., from complications of a brain hemorrhage she suffered in January 2010, said Rick Miramontez, her longtime friend and public relations representative. She was 58.

Snow's manager, Sue Cameron, said the singer endured bouts of blood clots, pneumonia and congestive heart failure since her stroke.

"The loss of this unique and untouchable voice is incalculable," Cameron said. "Phoebe was one of the brightest, funniest and most talented singer-songwriters of all time and, more importantly, a magnificent mother to her late brain-damaged daughter, Valerie, for 31 years. Phoebe felt that was her greatest accomplishment."

Known as a folk guitarist who made forays into jazz and blues, Snow put her stamp on soul classics such as "Shakey Ground," "Love Makes a Woman" and "Mercy, Mercy Mercy" on over a half dozen albums.

Not long after Snow's "Poetry Man" reached the Top 5 on the pop singles chart in 1975, her daughter, Valerie Rose, was born with severe brain damage, and Snow decided to care for her at home rather than place her in an institution.

"She was the only thing that was holding me together," she told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2008. "My life was her, completely about her, from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed at night."

Valerie, who had been born with hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain cavity that inhibits brain development, was not expected to live more than a few years. She died in 2007 at age 31.

Over the years, Snow found time to sing on Paul Simon's song "Gone at Last" and tour with him, as well as perform at the Woodstock 25th anniversary festival in 1994, as part of a soul act that included Thelma Houston, Mavis Staples and CeCe Peniston.

Snow was also recruited by Steely Dan's Donald Fagen to participate in the New York Rock and Soul Revue, which took her, Charles Brown, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs and others on tour and into New York's Beacon Theatre to record a rollicking live album in 1991.

"Occasionally I put an album out, but I didn't like to tour, and they didn't get a lot of label support," she told the Chronicle. "But you know what? It didn't really matter because I got to stay home more with Valerie, and that time was precious."

She was born Phoebe Ann Laub to white Jewish parents in New York City in 1952, and raised in Teaneck, N.J. Though many assumed she was black, Snow never claimed African-American ancestry.

She changed her name after seeing Phoebe Snow, an advertising character for a railroad, emblazoned on trains that passed through her hometown. Snow quit college after two years to perform in amateur nights at Greenwich Village folk clubs.

Her first record, "Phoebe Snow," came out in 1974, and showed off her songwriting chops on a selection of tunes that spanned blues, jazz and folk. Hit-bound "Poetry Man" took the record to No. 4 on the album charts, but her success was uneasy.

"There are turning points in everyone's life where you decide if you're going to sink or swim. My insecurity wasn't serving me well at all. It was really a stumbling block," she told The Associated Press in 1989.

Rumors abounded that Jackson Browne was Poetry Man. "No, no. It's somebody you wouldn't know. People just thought Poetry Man was Browne because he was the first act I toured with," Snow told USA Today in 1989.

After 1976's gold-selling "Second Childhood," Snow's subsequent albums found smaller audiences. Through the 1980s and into the 1990s, Snow sang commercial jingles -- for companies including Michelob, Hallmark and AT&T -- and performed live here and there.

Inexperienced in the music business, she broke a number of contracts with record companies and others, and found herself embroiled in a number of lawsuits and severe financial problems. Snow's husband, musician Phil Kearns, left her while Valerie was still a baby.

She sang the theme for NBC's "A Different World" and the jingle "Celebrate the Moments of Your Life" for General Foods International Coffees. She also sang at radio host Howard Stern's wedding to Beth Ostrosky in 2008 and for President Bill Clinton, who asked her to perform at Camp David during his presidency.

In 2003, she released the CD "Natural Wonder," her first album of new, original material in 14 years. Her other albums include 1989's "Something Real," and 1981's "Rock Away." In 2008, she released a live album titled "Live" and a best-of CD in 2001.

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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

First Pics of LeAnn Rimes' Revealing Wedding Gown

After the media scrutiny over LeAnn Rimes' shrinking frame in anticipation of her wedding day, the pics of the country crooner's plunging neckline, leg-flashing gown have finally surfaced (via Us Magazine).

Ever the modern bride, Rimes walked down the aisle in a revealing Reem Acra gown -- a high slit revealing her toned legs with every step she took toward now hubby, Eddie Cibrian. The groom looked equally stylish in a white jacket and shirt, but toned things down by losing the tie.

The pair said 'I do' in California in front of an intimate gathering of roughly 40 friends and family -- including Cibrian's two sons, Mason and Jake, from his marriage to Brandi Glanville.

Rimes' unconventional gown could stem from a similarly unconventional relationship with Cibrian.

The pair met while both were respectively married. But their attraction proved too much of a temptation and their subsequent affair became prime media fodder, and a decision that has unfortunately become synonymous with Rimes' name.

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Nobel literature juror in RI denies prize biases

By IAN MacDOUGALL, AP
Thu Apr 14, 12:13 AM EDT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. ? The Swedish panel that awards the Nobel Prize for Literature isn't biased toward European writers or against American writers, a member of the panel said Wednesday.

Nationality isn't an important factor in selecting the prize winner, Swedish Academy member and acclaimed poet Kjell Espmark told The Associated Press.

Other members of the Swedish Academy have suggested both biases exist.

In 2008, the committee's then-permanent secretary, Horace Engdahl, said European writers tend to beat out American writers because American literature is overly insular. In 2009, his successor, Peter Englund, worried the prize was too "Eurocentric."

The list of the past 20 laureates includes one American ? novelist Toni Morrison, in 1993 ? and 11 European writers, including German novelist Gunter Grass and British playwright Harold Pinter. Some of the others selected during that time are not from Europe but have spent much of their writing careers there.

The literature prize election is by secret ballot among the 18 members of the Swedish Academy. Espmark has been a member of the Academy since 1981.

Engdahl sparked an uproar in 2008 when he declared in an interview with the AP that Europeans tend to win because they deserve to win, particularly compared with Americans, whom he dismissed as "too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture."

Engdahl's words were taken out of context, Espmark said Wednesday.

"That interview was summed up in such a way that could make you think that American writers were out of the question because they were too insular and so on. That's just nonsense," he said. "What he talked about actually is that very little translated literature is read in America."

Very few foreign-language books make it into English, especially in the U.S. market, and even fewer reach a wide audience, as Espmark pointed out.

"It's just a matter of a low percentage of translation that makes American audiences rather unaware of what happens in other countries," he said.

He also said he disagreed with Englund when he revealed in 2009 that he thought it was a problem that members of the Swedish Academy tend to "relate more easily to literature written in Europe and in the European tradition."

"The nation is not important, and balance (of laureates' homelands) is not interesting," Espmark said, noting that the panel tries to be impartial and make selections based purely on literary criteria.

Espmark, who is a professor emeritus of literary history at Stockholm University, was in Rhode Island as part of a tour to promote his latest collection of poetry, "Lend Me Your Voice." He gave a lecture at Providence College and read from the poetry collection; he spoke to the AP afterward.

View Next Article: 'American Idol' finalists attack movie tunes

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Chris Evans Makes a Mark on Tribeca With 'Puncture'

Most fans are accustomed to seeing Chris Evans donning spandex and, this summer, wielding a star-spangled shield as a superhero, but he burst into this year's Tribeca Film Festival as a different kind of hero. In the gritty drama 'Puncture,' Evans stars as Mark Weiss, a lawyer representing a nurse (Vinessa Shaw) infected with AIDS after accidentally puncturing herself with a tainted needle. Based on a true story and directed by brothers Adam and Mark Kassen, 'Puncture' follows Weiss and law partner Paul Danziger's crusade to make safety point needles a standard in hospitals.

Evans, under the guidance of the Kassen brothers, takes on a role fans aren't accustomed to seeing him in. Weiss, a functioning drug addict, has his own personal demons to battle, and the film focuses as much on his evolution as it does on the case.

It was an important film to make for the Kassens, whose parents both work in healthcare professions, as it was for Evans, who proves his real acting mettle in this indie precursor to his upcoming turn in a studio blockbuster. PopEater spoke to the first-time feature directors and Evans about 'Puncture,' drama and being the Captain of America.

See the video below!

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LeAnn Rimes Gushes About Life As a Newlywed After Wedding Eddie Cibrian

LeAnn Rimes gushed about her life as a newlywed this weekend, tweeting how excited she was to be Mrs. Eddie Cibrian following their wedding Friday.

?Eddie and I are overwhelmed by the amount of lovely well wishes,? she tweeted Saturday. ?We are blessed and ? I?m Mrs. Cibrian!!!!! So wonderful to wake up as husband and wife. Love to all of you.?

The couple wed Friday in California, stating their vows in front of 40 friends and relatives, People magazine reports.

The pair, engaged since December, were both married when they famously began an affair in 2008 while filming the TV movie ?Northern Lights,? a fact she temporarily overlooked in her joy about the wedding.

?Happy Easter Sunday my beautiful friends! Coffee?me the computer?.Eddie the Sunday newspaper?.waves crashing?.holding hands?nice way to start it. My first Easter as a WIFE! God thank you for your goodness! May we all be blessed today and forever.?

She was quickly forced to correct the mistake after people pointed out that she was married for eight years to Dean Sheremet.

?I am beyond happy to have my first Easter as Mrs. Cibrian?ARE WE CLEAR?LOL,? she said. ?I hope everyone had a blessed Easter with their family and friends. Love and Light to you all!?

Last week, Rimes admitted that she didn?t end her first marriage ?the right way.?

?It got really messy, but I have learned a lot from that,? explains Rimes about hooking up with Cibrian, who ended his eight-year marriage to Brandi Glanville to be with Rimes. ?And I'm not glad it happened, but I know why it did."

Rimes said she feels that she never learned the proper way to end a marriage.

"I didn't have the tools to know how to do it the right way, how to let go the right way,? says Rimes. ?I'd never been taught that."

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Statue of Liberty stamp error: Las Vegas replica honored instead

Talk about screw ups. The Statue of Liberty pictured on a new U.S. stamp is not the neoclassical icon on Liberty Island in New York Harbor but the replica at the New York New York Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

While the popular magazine Linn's Stamp News caught the error, the suits at the Postal Service seem very nonchalant about the situation. "We still love the stamp design and would have selected this photograph anyway," said United State Postal Service spokesman Roy Betts. So how was the image even chosen? The USPS picked the image from a photo service.

The big difference between the lovely lady in the harbor and her Sin City counterpart is namely size. The Vegas replica stands at only half of the original's 151 feet. What's more, the New York New York Lady Liberty has different hair and better-defined eyes.

A spokesman for MGM Resorts (who owns New York New York) tells Time that they are "honored" by the stamp.

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Lindsay Lohan's Latest Casual Courtroom Attire: What's the Verdict?

Our judgment: Lindsay Lohan is guilty of underdressing for court?again.

The starlet strolled into her probation hearing this morning in wide-leg Lanvin sailor pants, Lanvin platform peep-toes, black Wolford bodysuit accessorized with sunglasses, cream scarf and a Fendi bag, her hair loosely pulled back.

PHOTOS: Court Appearances

It's a perfectly good ensemble for a business lunch or a meeting, but definitely not formal?and, more important, remorseful looking?enough for court.

On the bright side, it's better than her white mini and skintight nude dress.

So what's your judgment on LiLo's latest court getup? Weigh in below.

WATCH: LiLo's got Gotti?

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Monday, April 25, 2011

Donald Trump Responds to Robert De Niro's Criticisms: 'He's Not the Brightest Bulb'

Donald Trump slammed Robert De Niro Monday, following the Oscar-winner?s criticisms of him this weekend, telling Fox News that the actor is ?not the brightest bulb on the planet.?

?I like his acting, but in terms of when I watch him doing interviews and various other things, we?re not dealing with Albert Einstein,? Trump told ?Fox & Friends? Monday. ?He can say what he wants but the fact is that this guy has not revealed his birth certificate, a lot of people agree with me.?

De Niro gave an interview this weekend to NBC?s Brian Williams, where he slammed Trump for his thoughts on the president?s birth certificate.

?I won?t mention names, but certain people in the news in the last couple weeks, just what are they doing? It?s crazy. They?re making statements about people that they don?t even back up,? De Niro said. ?Go get the facts before you start saying things about people.?

De Niro later confirmed he was talking about Trump.

"It?s like a big hustle. It?s like being a car salesman. Don?t go out there and say things unless you can back them up. How dare you? That?s awful to do. To just go out and speak and say these terrible things? Unless you just wanna get over and get the job. It?s crazy.?

But Trump defended his stance on Obama, saying the response from the public has been overwhelmingly positive.

?What I do best is China, jobs, OPEC, all of this, that?s what I do best, that?s going to be my strength ? [But] recently I did a Tea Party event and we had a tremendous crowd. They love this issue. There are so many people that really want him to provide his birth certificate. Now you have states going out and saying, ?In order to run for office, you have to be able to provide a birth certificate.? There?s a big lot of things going on with respect to the birth certificate.?

?Why is he spending millions of dollars to fight this issue, instead of just providing his birth certificate?? Trump added about Obama. ?There are so many different elements here and I will say, it?s a very frightening thing for this country.?

De Niro is among a growing number of Hollywood stars who have criticized Trump for his comments, including comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

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Larry Fortensky 'Sick and Tired of the Lies' About His Life With Liz Taylor


Elizabeth Taylor has reportedly left her last husband $800,000 in her will. Larry Fortensky was number seven in Taylor's long line of spouses (eight marriages/seven men) and after years of staying mum on their relationship, the 59-year-old former builder recently opened up to London's Daily Mail.

In a lengthy interview, Fortensky insisted that he was never after Taylor for her money. He reflected on the couple's happy times together and claimed to only be breaking his silence now in an effort to stop the rumors about him being a gold-digger.

"This is nothing to do with money, I have been offered so much over the years," he said. "This is about wanting people to know the real story. I am sick and tired of the lies."


To the public, the two seemed an unlikely match from the get go: he was a construction worker who never finished high school and was 20 years younger, she was among Hollywood's most glamorous, well-known (and well-bejeweled) movie stars.

The pair met during stays in rehab at Betty Ford in 1988 and were married at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in 1991. The marriage was over by 1996 and Fortensky walked away with $1 million in the divorce settlement, which for Taylor was a drop in the bucket (her worth was recently estimated between $600 million and $1 billion).

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Liz's Men

No. 6: Richard Burton
Oct. 10, 1975 - July 29, 1976
Taylor was compelled to get remarried to Burton after doctors found spots on her lungs that she feared could be cancerous. But after Burton allegedly began drinking again, the remarriage turned sour.

Getty Images

Getty Images

Fortensky's health has been ailing ever since he fell down the stairs in 1999 while he was drunk and he's had more than his share of financial troubles since (his house was repossessed last year). Still, he argued that while he accepted money from Taylor over the years, he never asked, not even when they were married.

"I am a proud man and I like to work. I didn't want her money," he said. "I'd get up at 6am to go to the construction site. Elizabeth would get up, put on a kaftan and we'd have breakfast."

With such a financial gulf between them, Fortensky said he never tried to compete with Taylor- the year she gave him a Harley for Christmas, he gave her chocolate covered roses. Warming to the spotlight though was something he could never do.

"Everywhere we went there were cameras," Fortensky recalls. "Elizabeth would put lipstick on constantly because she said she never knew when she was being photographed. I found it hard. It wasn't my cup of tea, those cameras everywhere. Elizabeth was used to it. I never got used to it."

Fortesnky's short-term memory is suffering, but he was able to take the Mail through a highlight reel of his years with Taylor, from the time she threw a fur coat over her nightgown and ran outside to make a snow angel, to how much the two enjoyed riding his Harley along the coast before stopping for burgers at biker bars.

"Of course she was very pretty and I wasn't too bad-looking in those days either. We had an instant physical attraction," Fortensky said. His sister Donna, who lives with him in a town two hours south of Los Angeles, chimed in a little too much on the subject of their sex life.

"She would call Larry her 'stallion.' He loved that," she said. "They were very sexy together. Larry would get up from the table and drag Liz off to the bedroom."

Forstensky said he and Taylor were not only very much in love during their marriage, but that they continued to have an amicable relationship following the divorce. The two spoke on the phone several times each month.

"I love her, I always will. And I know she loved me, too."

With the money she left him, he's planning on buying a new house.


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Johnny Cash's Boyhood Home to Become a Museum

Johnny Cash is a music legend, and now his boyhood home in the otherwise obscure town of Dyess in northeastern Arkansas is being turned into a museum.

Funds from the Johnny Cash Music Festival on August 4 will go towards renovating the home and creating the museum. Family members will be among those performing, as well as George Jones and Kris Kristofferson. Locals are also raising funds with an annual Dyess Day.

So what else is there to see in Dyess? It was built as an agricultural colony during the New Deal and has an interesting past and lots of historic buildings. It's also close to some beautiful natural areas such as the Ozarks and the Saint Francis Sunken Lands Wildlife Management Area. More importantly for music fans, being only an hour's drive from Memphis and Graceland, it makes a cool stop on a musical road trip through America's heartland.

Click here for more from Gadling

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Jenn Sterger Calls Brett Favre's Alleged Sexts 'Humiliating' and 'Intimidating'

Sexy sideline reporter Jenn Sterger, who was allegedly bombarded with X-rated photos and voicemails from Brett Favre, said she never even met the ex-Jets quarterback and at times felt "intimidated" by the attention he was giving her.

Sterger, the former New York Jets game day hostess who was at the center of the Favre sexting scandal, said, "I've never met him. We've never met."

In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" that aired Monday, Sterger said the closest she ever came to Favre was when they would pass each other in the tunnels at the old Giants Stadium before and after games.

Sterger, however, said Favre did try to meet her in 2008.

"He was like that guy at the bar that just could not get the hint," she recalled.

Both Sterger and Favre worked for the Jets in 2008 when the randy granddaddy allegedly threw a pass at the curvy game-day hostess, as was first reported last October by the sports blog Deadspin.com.

Sterger said she never made any money off the Favre texts or voicemails. She said she's stayed out of the spotlight over the past few months in an effort to rebuild her TV career.

"You know, I was trying to go to work. Do my job," Sterger said. "But how are you supposed to report on the news when you are the news. ... It was tough. It was embarrassing. It was humiliating. All I wanted to do was go to work. Do my job. That's all I wanted."

In an interview Sunday with The Post, Sterger's manager Phil Reese confirmed that he turned down many offers.

Reese said he and Sterger together turned down $300,000 worth of offers, many of which Reese ruled out because he thought they were bogus offers, or publicity stunts.

Sterger was approached by a Jets employee who asked for her number. When she refused, Favre somehow got his hands on it.

Sterger, 27, said she started getting text messages, then a series of voicemails. At first, she said she didn't know who was contacting her.

"Whenever I would reply, it was more to try to figure out who I was interacting with," she said. "It was the same number, always. The texts, the pictures. The voicemails. There was no actual, 'Hey, Jenn. It's Brett.'"

In time, Sterger said she figured it out.

Sterger said she was never flattered by the attention.

"He's married," she said. "And more than anything I feel like it was intimidating."

Go to NYPost.com for the full report.

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Evangeline Lilly expecting first baby

The Baby Bump Police must have been have on a donut run. Evangeline Lilly, who has been flying under the radar since ?Lost? wrapped last year, is very well into her pregnancy, judging from photographs snapped in Hawaii this week.

Her boyfriend is Norman Kali, who worked as a production assistant on ?Lost,? Usmagazine.com reports. Lilly split from fellow ?Lost? star Dominic Monaghan in 2009.

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Beyonce and Jay-Z Invited to Perform at the Royal Reception

Jay-Z and BeyonceIt has been reported that Prince William and Kate Middleton have asked Beyonce? and her husband rap legend Jay-Z to perform at their wedding reception.

According to The Daily Star, a source close to the royal couple said, "Both William and Kate are massive fans of Beyonce? and Jay-Z. They really wanted to make their big day even more special and what better way than by getting pop royalty to perform at the party?"

The source continued, "Will and Kate will have an official reception for hundreds of dignitaries before throwing a less formal bash for loved-ones. They both wanted to ditch traditions and make it more personal for them."


Beyonce? is currently in Europe where she is promoting her new single 'Girls Who Run the World' and Jay-Z is accompanying her.

The source is sure that it would be "highly likely" that the power couple would accept the invite to perform at the royal reception adding. "After all, who would turn down a once-in-a- lifetime gig like that?" the source said.

The palace has refused to neither confirm nor deny whether Beyonce and Jay-Z have accepted the invitation to perform.

A few days ago, a "selected" list of royals and celebs who are confirmed as wedding guests had been revealed.

Brits David and Victoria Beckham and Sir Elton John were no surprises, but the list also confirmed the attendance of director Guy Ritchie, singer Joss Stone, Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe and quirky 'Mr. Bean' star Rowan Atkinson.

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PopScene: Week's Hottest Pics

Gabourey Sidibe attends The American Cancer Society's Choose You luncheon on May 5th in New York City.

Amy Sussman, Getty Images

Amy Sussman, Getty Images


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