Sometimes, I just want to post a piece of news *cough...gossip* about a celebrity but don't want to create a thread for it. So I figured a catch-all thread might be a good idea.
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http://apnews.excite.com/article/20041227/D8789RCO0.html


George Carlin Entering Drug Rehab Clinic

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Comedian George Carlin is entering a drug rehabilitation facility to shake his dependence on wine and a painkiller.

"I'm going into rehab because I use too much wine and Vicodin," the 67-year-old Carlin said in a statement released Monday by his publicist, Jeff Abraham. "No one told me I needed this. I recognized the problem and took the step myself."

The name and location of the facility weren't disclosed.

The stand-up comedian - and author of the best-selling book "When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?" - said he's never been treated in a rehabilitation facility.

"I know it isn't easy, but I'm highly motivated, and will do whatever's needed," he said in the statement. "My levels of use are nowhere near the worst you hear about these days. I could easily have continued functioning at a good level for a while, but my use would have progressed.

"I would have been in deeper trouble and I didn't want to tolerate that."

His acting credits include "With Six You Get Eggroll,""Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" and "Jersey Girl."

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20041228/D878IUDO0.html


Liza Minnelli Hospitalized After Fall


NEW YORK (AP) - Actress Liza Minnelli was hospitalized early Monday after falling out of bed at her residence, police said.

Minnelli was taken to a Manhattan hospital, according to Sgt. Gerry Falcon, a police department spokesman. A message left for Minnelli's publicist was not immediately returned. Her lawyer could not be reached for comment.

The Oscar-winning actress has had a recent rash of legal difficulties.

In November, she was sued by her former bodyguard and driver, who has accused her of assault and battery and claimed she made him have sex with her to keep his job.

Her estranged husband, David Gest, has filed a $10 million lawsuit alleging that she beat him so badly that he suffered extensive head injuries. Minnelli has countersued both Gest and her former bodyguard.

http://www.accesshollywood.com/entertainment/3806514/detail.html


Access Hollywood


Are Nick & Jess On The Rocks?

It seems you read something about Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson breaking up just about every week.

"Is There Trouble In Paradise?"

"Are The Newlyweds...Newly-Dead?"

Apparently it sells, but as for its merit -- you be the judge, as Access Hollywood's Adrianna Costa spoke with the couple to find out if they are still consumed by marital bliss.

"You just look at each other all the time and gaze -- it's so cute and genuine," Costa noted to the couple, as the jokingly stared dreamily into each other's eyes.

"I guess love does that to you," Jessica said with a smile.

Love is well and good, but what's the real glue that keeps this relationship together?

"He always grabs my butt," Jessica added, as hubby Nick, right on cue leans over and grabs a hand full of posterior.

And tf all the butt-squeezing doesn't help squash the rumors that Nick and Jess are on the rocks, we don't know what will.

But Jess' dad, Joe Simpson, told Access Hollywood it's all been taking a toll on the happy couple.

"She doesn't mind if people come down hard on her music or come down hard on her acting, or come down hard on her body or whatever, but when they go after her husband and they go after her marriage, that's sacred and that's the toughest part," Joe admitted to us. "This thing going on about Jessica and Nick, we've had our family calling us asking, 'Are Jessica and Nick getting a divorce?' and we're like, 'Don't you think you'd be knowing if there was a divorce?'"

In fact, in less than two weeks from now, Mr. and Mrs. Lachey will be celebrating their second anniversary in a very familiar way.

"I think we'll be having MTV cameras with us again, so we gotta start up a new season," Jessica quipped.

"Which always adds to the romance," Nick joked.

But as they approach year three, shouldn't there be some sort of term limit on using the word "newlyweds?"

"We're pushing the limits of the definition of a 'newlywed' but we are going to call ourselves newlyweds for one last season and then we'll move on into the next phase of our marriage," Nick concluded.

The Skinny On Kirstie's Weight Gain

UPDATED: 2:38 PM PST December 15, 2004


NBC

Twenty years ago, Kirstie Alley was a TV pinup girl. Women wanted to look like her and men wanted to be wit her.

Then, after a less than successful chance at being a sitcom star, Kirstie went into seclusion and when she emerged bigger than anyone could remember, she quickly became a tabloid target.

Now, Kirstie is using her size for strength as she spoke with "Dateline NBC's" Matt Lauer for an interview that will air on Sunday.

"She is, I have to say, one of the most vibrant and funny people I've ever met," Lauer noted after speaking with Kirstie. "I think you’re going to love the interview."

During the chat, it was clear that anything goes and the outspoken star leaves no stone unturned when it comes to her much-publicized weight gain.

"She takes on this subject head on," Lauer said. "You can ask her any question and she will answer it."

"It's like a kid with candy," she explained to Matt. "Is the kid in the candy store eating all the candy? Yes. But can they do that everyday and isn't that a little irresponsible if that's all you do?"

Kirstie is about to unleash her new, unscripted Showtime series "Fat Actress," which is about, what else, an overweight star looking for work.

Currently weighing in at around 200 pounds, Kirstie told Matt to expect a much thinner Kirstie soon.

"She says she's going to get skinny and she wants to do it by next summer," Lauer explained. "She has a secret method of doing it, but wouldn't share it with me."

"I think I've been in the candy store a little too long," she smiled. "But I'm on my way out."

Catch Matt's complete interview with Kirstie when "Dateline NBC" airs Sunday at 7 p.m.

"Fat Actress" is slated to debut in March on Showtime.

Jennifer Lopez Sued By Ex

POSTED: 8:33 am EST December 23, 2004

LOS ANGELES -- An ex-husband of Jennifer Lopez is taking her to court.


AP Image
Jennifer Lopez and Ojani Noa in 1997

Ojani Noa's lawsuit claims he was wrongly fired as the manager of her restaurant in Pasadena, Calif.

Noa -- a waiter who married Lopez in 1997 -- filed the suit in Los Angeles.

They met at a restaurant in Miami where he worked and were married for about a year.

Noa quit his job managing the Conga Room in Los Angeles in 2002 to take a job running Lopez's new restaurant, Madres.

The lawsuit says he was told by her that she would not fire him "without good cause or reason."

The suit says he was fired six months later and wasn't told why.

Noa is seeking unspecified damages.

Originally posted by Janice
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20041228/D878IUDO0.html


Liza Minnelli Hospitalized After Fall


NEW YORK (AP) - Actress Liza Minnelli was hospitalized early Monday after falling out of bed at her residence, police said.

Minnelli was taken to a Manhattan hospital, according to Sgt. Gerry Falcon, a police department spokesman. A message left for Minnelli's publicist was not immediately returned. Her lawyer could not be reached for comment.

The Oscar-winning actress has had a recent rash of legal difficulties.

In November, she was sued by her former bodyguard and driver, who has accused her of assault and battery and claimed she made him have sex with her to keep his job.

Her estranged husband, David Gest, has filed a $10 million lawsuit alleging that she beat him so badly that he suffered extensive head injuries. Minnelli has countersued both Gest and her former bodyguard.


She probably fell out of bed and hit her head because she was plastered again. Poor Liza.

Lohan's Loves: Past & Present

UPDATED: 6:13 PM PST December 15, 2004


Access Hollywood

Lindsay Lohan stopped by our Access Hollywood studio and was open for questions. She let loose on the boys in and out of her life, even the one that got away. So with all that Lindsay was willing to give up to our own Billy Bush in the exclusive interview, we started by giving back.


"Lindsay here's some breaking news! I don't know if you heard this yet but your album went platinum," Billy told Lindsay. "That's big! A million copies of your album were shipped."


"Wow. That's cool," replied Lohan.


"Were you nervous if it was going to sell?" inquired Billy.


"I was nervous. I was worried that people weren't going to accept me as a recording artist but, wow.. thank you," beamed Lindsay.


Of course we had to get to the bottom of Lindsay's surprise appearance with Colin Farrell on "SNL" this past weekend.


"You have a big crush on Colin Farrell, don't you?" asked Billy. "We have you on our 'Real Access' teen show we launched a few years ago and we asked who's your crush and you said Colin Farrell."


"He's not my crush," said Lindsay. "No, I don't have a crush."


But Lindsay did have a boyfriend for nine months, 'That '70s Show's" Wilmer Valderamma. The two broke up in November and Lindsay was very candid about it in Entertainment Weekly.


"In the magazine you speak about the break up almost as if you didn't want it to happen -- kind of hoping you would get back together. Then on MTV days later there was a T-shirt that said, 'You Were Never My Boyfriend.' Which one is it?" asked Billy.


"It was kind of like when you're with someone... it was my first real relationship. That happened it's hard to get over at first. Then suddenly you're like why did I even care," replied Lindsay.


"Who broke up with whom?" asked Billy.


"It was mutual thing. It was bound to happen that way and it had happened previously before that," answered Lindsay.


"It's never mutual," commented Billy.


"To an extent it's never mutual. You're always kind of like torn. You don't know why it happened but everything happens for a reason," said Lindsay.


So with the Wilmer and Colin history out of the way, were than any other long lost loves in Lindsay's life?


"Who did you have a crush on when you were 13 years old?" asked Billy.


"Tom Cruise was my first crush ever. I thought I was going to marry him," blushed Lindsay.


"You still may," said Billy.


Lindsay album "Speak" is now in stores.

Depressed Moore Lived As a Hermit After Election Shock


Movie maker Michael Moore was so upset by the result of the American presidential election he refused to leave his house for three days. The Fahrenheit 9/11 director was a fierce opponent of President George W. Bush, and he felt sure America would have a new man in the White House after the November election. He says, "I cut the TV off and stayed in the house for about three days. Then, finally, a friend of mine said, 'Our daughter is in a fifth grade play. Do you wanna come watch it...?' It was good to get out of the house."
http://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/#2

Joe Simpson's Double Duty

UPDATED: 10:20 AM PST December 28, 2004


Access Hollywood

Having your daughter melt down on "SNL" would be a nightmare for any parent. But for Ashlee Simpson's father, Joe, it meant even more.

As her dad, it's his role to comfort her. As her manager, he had to begin damage control. No question -- it's not easy being a pop star's parent, especially when you are pulling double double duty for two celebrity daughters.

"What's the hardest lesson you've learned managing pop star daughters?" Access Hollywood's Billy Bush asked Joe Simpson.

"Well, the biggest lesson I've learned is to listen to my own gut -- you know with no experience in this business, I thought every one knew more than me about how to manage my child, so I let everyone's voice be stronger than mine," Joe admitted.

That is largely because Joe entered the music biz as a second career. His first profession? Minister.

"Do you feel like you've sacrificed any principles or given in any of yourself being in Hollywood?" Billy asked.

"Well, I think life is always a compromise," Simpson suggested. "There were compromises in ministry. I was away from my family 60 hours a week because I was giving my life to other kids, and my own kids suffered from it. I think I was made to do this. I wake up everyday excited about my job. And most of all, I get to see that my children's dreams come true."

Make no mistake, Joe has always been serious about raising his girls right. When Jessica was 12, he gave her what he called a promise ring, vowing to be the man in her life until she got married.

"I was serious about saying to Jessica, 'You know what? I am gonna be the dad that tells you how beautiful you are everyday, and I'm gonna be the dad that says even when you make a mistake you're still special, and I am gonna do that until the day you find a man who will do it and take my place so that's what the ring was about," he explained.

And Jessica's promise in return? To save herself for marriage.

"What greater gift can you give your husband, than to say, 'The most important gift I have is not my money, not fame, just me never touched by another man for you,'" Joe said.

Originally posted by Desperate_Fan03
She probably fell out of bed and hit her head because she was plastered again. Poor Liza.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

Anyone remember, in 1981, when the actor William Holden died, while drunk, after smashing his head into his bedroom nightstand? Poor guy was so out of it.

The fall didn't kill him....he actually bled to death because he was so drunk and didn't have the presence of mind to call for help. They found blood soaked tissues indicating he was trying to help himself. So sad.

Originally posted by Janice
http://www.accesshollywood.com/entertainment/3806514/detail.html


Access Hollywood


Are Nick & Jess On The Rocks?

It seems you read something about Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson breaking up just about every week.

"Is There Trouble In Paradise?"

"Are The Newlyweds...Newly-Dead?"

Jessica Simpson is an absolute moron,but i gotta respect the whole no sex before marriage achievement.What a guy Nick is to have waited to sleep with Jessica for all that time,if he didn't walk out then,he's not going anywhere.Come on,thats love.;)

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20041231/D87AA8PO0.html

Ex-Playmate Anna Nicole's Fortune Reversed

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A federal appeals court Thursday threw out a judge's ruling that awarded $88.5 million to former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith from the estate of her late husband, an oil tycoon who died at age 90 just over a year after they wed.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a Texas probate court's decision that the oilman's son was his sole heir should stand. The appeals court said the federal judge in California who ruled in Smith's favor in 2002 should never have even heard the case.

The decision comes after years of wrangling in three courts over the fortune of J. Howard Marshall II.

Smith met him in 1991 when she was working as a stripper. The couple married three years later when she was 26 and he was 89.

"After nine years of litigation, I'm very pleased by the judgment issued by the 9th Circuit upholding my father's wishes regarding disposition of his assets," E. Pierce Marshall said in a statement.

A call to Smith's attorney was not immediately returned.

Ashlee Simpson 'Wannabe'

UPDATED: 7:38 AM PST December 30, 2004


Access Hollywood

Joe Simpson has helped launch not one, but two, daughters' successful careers and he told Access after Ashlee's SNL snafu, she's been invited back! Ashlee told Access Hollywood's Shaun Robinson she might just sing a capella to prove a point.


In the meantime, Ashlee's moving way beyond her "SNL" lip sync controversy and following in sister Jessica's footsteps by making her starring big screen debut.


Ashlee's swinging away in Los Angeles for her role as an aspiring actress in her film "Wannabe," while big sis simultaneously dons the short shorts in Louisiana as Daisy Duke in "Dukes of Hazzard."


"Have you seen your sister in her Daisy Duke shorts yet?" asked Shaun.


"I've seen her in her real shorts and she is looking really good, I have to tell you. She's been working out like so hard," said Ashlee.

"What has she been doing?" inquired Shaun.


"Just being on the treadmill for like two hours a day and all that kind of stuff," said Ashlee.


While Jess is acting like an on-screen sexpot, well, little sis Ashlee's role is just a little different.


"My character -- I actually play a tom boy," explained Ashlee.


"Is that anything like the real Ashlee? Are you a tom boy? Or are you more a girly girl?" asked Shaun.


"I am a tom boy but my character's name is Cleo and she is a little bit more boyish than I am. I like my girly stuff every now and then," replied Ashlee.

THe Simpson Sisteres

Hmm can you say 2005's Ben and J. Lo?;)

Originally posted by Superstar


Of course we had to get to the bottom of Lindsay's surprise appearance with Colin Farrell on "SNL" this past weekend.

"You have a big crush on Colin Farrell, don't you?" asked Billy. "We have you on our 'Real Access' teen show we launched a few years ago and we asked who's your crush and you said Colin Farrell."

"He's not my crush," said Lindsay. "No, I don't have a crush."



According to the New York papers, Lindsay spent quite a bit of time hanging around Colin Farrell's hotel the weekend he was on SNL.

Originally posted by TJL
According to the New York papers, Lindsay spent quite a bit of time hanging around Colin Farrell's hotel the weekend he was on SNL. I'd believe that:lol:

Is anyone but me sick to death of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson? My daughter Lucy thinks that Jessica is a giant barbie doll-we'll she certainly has the intelligence of one!:D

Originally posted by Pretty Woman
Is anyone but me sick to death of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson? My daughter Lucy thinks that Jessica is a giant barbie doll-we'll she certainly has the intelligence of one!:D I'm sick of Jessica, but I really like Ashlee

http://entertainment.excite.com/celebgossip/tvginsider/id/12_31_2004_2.html

Hollywood Wife Has No Regrets

Kyra Sedgwick isn't too proud to admit she's no longer on Hollywood's A-list. "To be perfectly frank, there was a time when I was on a really fast trajectory [towards movie stardom]," says the 39-year-old actress. "Then, I got married and had kids. And you know what? I kind of blew it.

"I didn't really blow it, of course," she adds, "but I stopped my own flow. I met the right person, we wanted to have kids and we did. Somewhere along the way, doing studio pictures just stopped for me and I don't know why. But I can tell you that it's my road and it won't look like anyone else's and for that, I'm very proud."

The latest stop on Sedgwick's career path is a just-released indie film, The Woodsman. She plays Vickie, a woman with a troubled past who falls in love with Walter, a convicted pedophile recently released from prison. Tough stuff, made even tougher by the fact that Sedgwick's co-star in the movie is her real-life husband Kevin Bacon.

"It's the hardest acting job I've ever had to do by far," Sedgwick says of working with Bacon. "There's a trust there that lets us go to deep places, but we know we can go to deep places anyway. He's an unbelievably amazing actor. You throw the ball and he throws it back in an interesting and surprising way. As much as I know him, I'm constantly amazed at his choices, which really is where your talent lies.

"I think we've gotten a little braver about working together," Sedgwick continues. "I had a career before I met Kevin and vice versa. In some ways, the fact that we're married has worked against me. I never wanted to capitalize on it or jump on his coattails. I also don't think that people like seeing couples working together very much. But [we feel like] we're good enough and we can pull this off."

Clearly, the couple feels secure enough in their personal life to take their professional relationship to the next level. Bacon recently finished directing his wife in the independent film Loverboy, which debuts at the Sundance Film Festival in January. "He's an amazing director," gushes Sedgwick. "I'd work with him as a director every time out."

But don't expect her to return the favor. "I don't want to direct," she says. "I am a good producer — I'm good at hiring other people to do jobs I know I can't do. As far as directing goes, I just don't know if I have the head for it. I'd be good working with actors, but would have trouble visualizing how it all comes together."