Anderson Cooper is one of those journalists I’ve always really respected/had a crush on. For a very long time he refused to disclose his position on most issues, maintaining that old journalistic credo that his job was to remain impartial. He got a little more emotional after the Hurricane Katrina coverage, but his ratings improved and people seemed to like it when he let lose a little.

Anderson’s been a regular substitute for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis and Kelly! for years. The show obviously has a more relaxed format that CNN, and at one point during yesterday’s show Anderson went on a little diatribe about how Ali Lohan looks old. Which, to be fair, she does. People have been saying that about her for a long time. It’s something about her features and her cheekbones. Ali actually looks younger now than she did two years ago – I’m assuming with the help of some stylists and makeup artists.

Anderson talks about the show, constantly using the word “horrific,” to describe not just the program, but also specifying that the Lohans are “horrific people,” over and over again. Then he starts talking about Ali, noting, “…and there’s this perfectly nice, seemingly, allegedly 14-year-old girl – looks about sixty – [audience laughter] – no I say that with concern and love.”

For someone usually so reserved on his own program, he really goes off on the Lohans. And it’s damn funny. According to Anderson, “Denise Richards Colon It’s Complicated” is an absolute entertainment gem compared to Living Lohan. When Kelly tries to pacify Anderson and tone down what he just said with a comment about how “They’re obviously a multi-talented family… the kids sing, and they perform, and they’ve been in the…” he just folds his arms and shrugs, noting flatly, “Maybe that was in the episode I didn’t see.”

Dina of course had a classic, well-thought-out angry rebuttal issued to OK! Magazine.

“People are just cruel!” she said. “This is bad karma for him.”

[From OK! Magazine]

Dina, the fact that Anderson Cooper even knows who you are (and does a wicked impression of her, by the way) is the absolute highlight of your “career.” Be grateful.

Photo Credit: WENN

Yesterday Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton told the press he wasn’t going to attend a meeting about creating laws to restrain the paparazzi. Clearly there are MUCH bigger issues for police to worry about in Los Angeles than photographers. You know, gangs, murder, drugs, robbery, rape… it’s a pretty long list. But unfortunately, instead of saying something along the lines of “We have even more pressing criminal matters to attend to,” Bratton basically made a smart ass remark about how dumb celebrities are; noting that the idiot trifecta of Paris/Britney/Lindsay had calmed down a lot lately.

‘If you notice, since Britney started wearing clothes and behaving; Paris is out of town not bothering anybody anymore, thank God, and evidently, Lindsay Lohan has gone gay, we don’t seem to have much of an issue,” he told KNBC-TV.

[From OK! Magazine]

Well it makes for an amusing sound bite if nothing else. But it probably wasn’t the most professional way to say “I don’t think it’s an issue anymore.” And it was perfect Lohan bait.

Lindsay Lohan is taking no prisoners to protect her personal life and rumored relationship with d.j. pal Samantha Ronson.

On Friday, in response to L.A. Police Chief William Bratton’s comment that the city’s paparazzi problem is no longer an issue because evidently Lindsay Lohan “has gone gay,” the actress fired back with a statement of her own. And yes, it was to the paparazzi.

“Police, you shouldn’t get involved in everyone else’s business when it comes to their personal life. It’s inappropriate,” she said in a video posted on TMZ.

[From OK! Magazine]

I do enjoy how Lindsay erroneously addresses all police. I realize Lindsay Lohan isn’t smart enough to know the man’s name, but you’d think she could have been a little more specific in her phrasing. Her comments are so over-generalized and vague that it makes her come across as exceptionally stupid. Even for Lindsay Lohan.

It’ll be interesting to see if any of these paparazzi laws come into effect. John Mayer and Milo Ventimiglia were all at the meeting – which Bratton called a “complete waste of time.” He did clarify that he has a gay sister and is a fan of gay rights – so I’m not sure why he tossed that original comment in at all.

Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson are shown at LAX catching a flight yesterday. Credit: Fame and WENN.

In case you wanted further proof that Dina Lohan is a raving, manipulative bitch, we have a perfect example of her usual diva behavior at the premiere of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. First of all, keep in mind that to be a diva, you must first be successful. And not suck. You have to EARN the right to be all demanding and snooty. Otherwise you’re just a bitch. Which is exactly what Dina Lohan is.

The senior Lohan brought daughter Ali and a friend to the movie’s premiere, where they managed to behave themselves. Then all shit broke loose at the after party, when Dina was politely asked to move after she plopped her ass in someone else’s reserved table.

Forget about Lindsay Lohan getting into trouble. Now it’s her mom, Dina, and sister, Ali, who have gotten themselves into a bit of a skirmish. Depending on whom you believe, Dina and Ali were either booted from last night’s New York City premiere of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2—or they decided to leave on their own.

I talked to Dina and some other guests, and, well, I’ll let you decide. Sources report that when Dina, Ali and a friend of Ali’s arrived to the after-party, they sat down at a reserved table. A studio staffer politely asked her to change tables, but “Dina “went apes–t,” a partygoer tells me. “It so wasn’t cool.”

So not cool that “Dina was quietly removed” from the rooftop soiree, another source says. Dina, however, claims she decided to ditch the party because she says that the studio staffer started raising his voice. “He made the girls uncomfortable,” Dina wrote in an email to me this afternoon. “At that point, the girls wanted to leave.”

But my party source insists, the studio folks “couldn’t have been nicer. Dina was so awful,” the source said.

[From E! News]

E also notes that the debacle became the “talk of the party.” Keep in mind that E! airs Dina’s crap-ass reality show Living Lohan, which is probably why they bothered to give Dina’s account of the whole thing. It doesn’t seem like they’re really buying it; just putting it in there for technicality’s sake. I really wish more people would put that woman in her place. It sounds like everyone else at the party was polite and dealt with an unpleasant situation in a normal and rational way. And the problem is either Dina Lohan or everybody else, I’m going to go with Dina.

Here’s Ali Lohan at the eco-friendly world premiere of “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2″ at the Ziegfield Theater in New York City on Monday. Images thanks to WENN. Header of Dina at the event. Image thanks to PR Photos.

Shanna Moakler and Kim Kardashian are involved in a high school level feud over whether Kim had an affair with Travis Barker, Shanna’s on-off-on-probably-off ex-husband. It gives me a headache just to read the drivel they’re hurling back and forth, but Kardashian’s response seems to make the most sense and sum up the issue best: Moakler accused Kardashian of having an affair with Barker, which would mean she cheated on her boyfriend, Reggie Bush. Kardashian was a model for Barker’s clothing line and says their relationship was purely professional. Plus, she says Travis isn’t her type anyway. Here’s Kardashian’s response to Moakler:

“I was a model for Famous Stars and Straps clothing line owned by Travis Barker. I ONLY had a professional relationship with Travis, in which he hired me to represent his brand for one season, which was a year and a half ago.”

[From The Dirty via TMZ]

While Kardashian’s response may be more measured and easier to follow, we shouldn’t pass up Moakler’s priceless interviews and MySpace entries, which make her sound clearly in the wrong, antagonistic and self-obsessed to boot. This isn’t the first rant against a perceived wrong Moakler has posted. She’s written nasty things about Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton in the past and even put up their contact information in a bid to get back at Lohan for claiming that Moakler hacked her myspace.

Apparently Kardashian and Moakler got into a fight at a barbeque in which Moakler accused Kardashian of sleeping with Barker and then proceeded to try and throw a drink at her - which landed on Kardashian’s foot instead. Moakler described the incident in an interview with TheDirty.com, and proceeded to call Kardashian fat:

Yea, we heard you had a little altercation with someone at Carmen Electra’s bbq. Is that true?

Shanna: Yea! I was at this bbq and I saw what I thought was a donkey posing on the stairs but much to my surprise, it was Kim Kardashian. No, wait, it was a donkey! She’s soooo f*cking fat! She’s 5′2″ and she’s like 140. She was wearing a sarong to cover her huge big ass! I like a nice ass but hers is not a nice ass!

[From The Dirty.com]

The way Moakler describes it, she then talked to Reggie Jackson, Kardashian’s boyfriend, and warned him that she had cheated on him. Moakler claims to have e-mails stolen from Kardashian’s sidekick that the were sent to Travis Barker trying to get him to hook up with her. She doesn’t describe the fight in that interview.

Moakler wrote an entry on her myspace acknowledging the fight on July 24, but on July 21 she complained that Kardashian distracted some paparazzi she called and said Kardashian “could never get Travis drunk enough” to sleep with her. Then a few days later she admitted she had “a [sic] incident” with her at a party:

I absolutely had a incident at a recent BBQ, it was long over due and I don’t regret it, I had reasons and they were my own, and some of them very painful. I had a feeling the other party would run off to Perez and they did amongst some other things and so I had to go to bat, don’t be pissed cause I speak my mind and I don’t need a PR firm to blow smoke up all your asses…even thou I know you like it…I personally don’t care. I live for me and my family.

[From Shanna Moakler’s myspace]

TMZ reports that Kardashian’s response to Moakler was that Barker wasn’t her type at all. Moakler then responded by saying that Kardashian has dated plenty of white guys. Maybe she doesn’t like skinny white guys who look like rats and that’s what she meant:

Come on Kim, Let the truth be told! You have dated numerous white guys. Your quote saying that you are not into white guys is a sham - not a SHIM like you! How about you just be honest Kim and say, “Shanna, I’m sorry for f’n with your man!” It’s that simple… then you can deal with the aftermath from Reggie, you know- your man that you cheated on!”

[From The Dirty]

I feel like I’ve regressed just trying to follow that argument. Shanna Moakler could make anyone look like the more responsible party, and in this case Kardashian seems positively noble in comparison. If Moakler’s just trying to get press she picked a good time since it’s the middle of the summer and most celebrities are vacationing or promoting films, not picking fights online.

Kim Kardashian is shown on 7/22/08, Credit: WENN. Shanna Moakler is shown on 5/21/08 and with Travis Barker on 6/7/08. Credit: WENN and Splash

Whoever would have thought that working for Heather Mills would be anything less than a rewarding, satisfying experience? Well, her publicist for one. After an astounding four years working for Mills, Michele Elyzabeth is finally fed up – and she’s not going down quietly. After a drawn-out argument in which Mills berated her, Elyzabeth quit.

But to make the story even better, Elyzabeth didn’t just quit, she decided to talk to Extra about it – and confirmed that Heather Mills is just as horrendous as everyone says. Not that it’s a surprise, but Heather is always claiming the media is unfair to her and that they don’t really know her. It seems Elyzabeth knows her pretty well – though I’m guessing she wishes otherwise.

If Heather Mills is looking for some positive PR, she’s going about it all wrong. On Thursday, Mills’ publicist quit after four years, calling the former Mrs. Paul McCartney “an impossible person.” In a statement to Extra, Michele Elyzabeth says,

“After working for Heather Mills for four years, I have decided to cease representing her. Since her divorce has become final, in my opinion, Heather has become an impossible person.

“Yesterday, we engaged in a heated argument during which she called me “stupid.” I reminded her that she was not “God” and she answered, ‘I will never ever talk to you again.’ I have been very patient in my dealings with Heather, however, I cannot take any more. I have given her substantial unpaid time and attention. I am owed money. I refuse to be subjected to her outbursts.

“On reflection and given the way I have been treated, I now have sympathy with much of what the British press have reported about her.”

[From OK! Magazine]

I can’t believe anyone could work for Heather Mills for four years. The kindest nun would bitch slap her after two days. Heather has bitched and moaned about how horrible the British press is towards her, and seems to think she’s got a better reputation in America. Thus she bought a condo in Manhattan, planning on reaping the benefits of her misperceived social status. I, for one, will be camping outside said condo wearing assorted sandwich boards with various offensive phrases.

In fact I’m thinking I’ll hold some sort of contest, and the top five suggestions will be emblazoned on some kind of interchangeable sandwich board panels, which I will then wear around Heather Mills’ neighborhood. And by “emblazoned,” I mean me and my Sharpie. And by “panels” I mean cardboard. I think the first will be “Go away you one-legged hussy.”

Here’s Heather Mills at Gatwick airport outside of London on July 19th after taking a luxury holiday to Necker Island with friends and family. In surprising news, Heather Mills has friends. For the life of me I can’t figure out what her sign says, but I’m choosing to believe it’s probably something rude.

Brooke Hogan really is a daddy’s girl. Even though both of her parents are dating massively younger people since their split, Brooke is pretty much alright with the Hulk but isn’t even on speaking terms with her mom. Yesterday Brooke confirmed to Chelsea Handler that she and mom Linda aren’t talking anymore. Which you can’t really blame Brooke for – it’s super weird to have your mother dating your younger brother’s friend.

Brooke Hogan’s been pretty vocal about her mom’s much younger lover. (Linda Hogan, 48, is dating someone 29 years her junior.) But now the Hulkster’s daughter says the two are no longer even speaking.

Not at all, she tells Chelsea Handler, host of E!’s Chelsea Lately. “The more time that goes on now that she doesn’t call, she doesn’t confront me, she doesn’t tell me the truth, I’m like, all right, it’s just time that’s pulling us apart.”

But what about dad’s young twinkie, why doesn’t that bother Brooke? “She’s not even that young…she’s grown.”

The girl in question, she is all of 34 years old. Meanwhile, pop celebrates his 55th birthday next month.

[From E! News]

Brooke gave an interview two weeks ago to the Associated Press in which she went into a bit more detail about the awkwardness and frustration of her relationship with her mom.

AP: How did you and your mother get so far apart?

Hogan: My mother and I naturally have a tremendous bond, there’s like a bond that you just can’t break with us. … Right now I’m just really disappointed with her and I feel like I wish I could talk to her, but you just can’t. It’s one of those kind of things where, I am a very straight-laced person and maybe that makes it even harder for me to see the path that she’s going down as being right, but I look at her now and I’m like, “You were my hero at one point. Why are you making these weird choices?” I don’t understand it. I definitely don’t condone what’s going on. I definitely don’t think it’s cool who she’s dating. I think it’s ridiculous but at the end of the day she’s my mother and I will still respect her and love her but right now … I just have to love her from a distance for now.

[From FOX News]

Brooke admits that she had a spat with the Hulk earlier this year, but that they were able to work past it because she ultimately respects her dad and believes he’s a good person. Her phrasing implies that she doesn’t think the same of her mother.

Here’s Brooke on Chelsea Lately.

Oscar nominee Terrence Howard claims that Bill Cosby once blacklisted him. As a brash 19-year-old, Howard had a confrontation with the legendary Cosby, and says he didn’t work for four years after that. Terrence went on to star in Hustle & Flow, for which he was nominated for an Oscar.

Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard almost destroyed his promising acting career when he was axed from The Cosby Show. The Crash star landed his first acting part in the legendary comedy show in 1988 - but he was sacked before any of his scenes were aired.

He explains, “I was 19 and had just moved to New York from Cleveland, I got on The Cosby Show on my second audition ever.” Howard was so angry that his scenes were cut, he confronted the show’s star and producer Bill Cosby - who he claims subsequently blacklisted him in the entertainment business.

He explains, “I told him, ‘I’m a man just like you.’ He didn’t like it, and the casting agent never took my calls again.” Howard didn’t work for four years, but recovered to forge a successful acting career - landing an Academy Award in 2006 for his role in Hustle + Flow.

[From Contact Music]

Obviously it didn’t hurt Howard in the long run, since his film career is doing pretty well these days. The story doesn’t seem that surprising or outlandish to me. After Lisa Bonet - who played one of Cosby’s children on The Cosby Show – filmed a movie that almost got an X rating and then did a nude photo shoot for Rolling Stone, Cosby had her fired because he disapproved. She was given a spinoff show after she threatened legal action. But Cosby has long felt it okay to dictate right and wrong, especially to young people.

Cosby seems to take his role of the moral authority pretty seriously, so Howard’s claims sound legit. It’s pretty damn ironic, considering the claims against Cosby.

Here’s Terrence Howard at the BET Awards on June 24th. Header Los Angeles, California - 24.06.08. Header image of Bill Cosby outside the ‘Late Show With David Letterman’ in New York on January 28th. Images thanks to WENN.

I walk a fine line between loving and hating the Osbourne family. Luckily they’ve lost much of their appeal in the U.S. so I don’t have to think about them a lot anymore. On the one hand, I think they’re loud and tacky and rude. On the other, I appreciate that they stand up for each other and seem to have a close bond, albeit an unusual one. Matriarch Sharon Osbourne went off on comedian Jim Jeffries, telling him in an email exchange to “fuck off” after he called daughter Kelly fat and implied she was ugly.

The feisty matriarch - who has a penchant for firing off poison-pen letters to those who dare cross her - sent a scathing email to Jim Jeffries, telling him to ‘f*** off’. Potty-mouthed Aussie comic Jim clashed swords with Kelly during this year’s inaugural NME Awards USA. But he has now revealed the fallout from daring to criticise the Osbourne clan - even in jest - and the frank and hilarious exchange of emails between him and Sharon.

He was presenting awards in April and had made a joke to Kelly that she wasn’t as attractive as Agyness Deyn, who had just left the stage. The 23-year-old responded with a string of expletives, to which Jim replied drily: ‘I think she’d be famous even if she wasn’t Ozzy’s daughter - she’s that good.’

Kelly then spat in his face (charming). If that wasn’t enough retribution, Jim said: ‘I thought that would be the end of it but I got an email from Sharon which said, ‘Dear Nobody. Wait until you’re a celebrity before you criticise REAL celebrities. Why don’t you f*** off ‘.’ But Jim hit back by replying: ‘Dear Sharon. After you had all that plastic surgery and had the fat sucked out of your thighs, why did you pump it into your daughter’s face?’

[From the Daily Mail]

Jeffries shared the emails at a gig last night. Frankly I don’t think anyone comes off that well here. Jeffries sounds like a jerk for saying what he said in the first place. Especially in front of an audience. Kelly comes off as disgusting for spitting in his face. The cursing I can understand; in this particular case I’d say it was appropriate. But spitting… not so much.

And Sharon Osbourne could try broadening her vocabulary beyond her traditional 30 words. In fact what she said would have a lot more impact if she didn’t speak that way all the time. As it is, it’s pretty easy to brush her off. And to be fair, Kelly is definitely not fat, though she does have a very round face.

Here’s Kelly Osbourne leaving after eating lunch at an outdoor cafe in Manhattan yesterday. Photographer: Anthony Dixon. Header of Sharon Osbourne leaving Sur Restaurant in Los Angeles on July 8th. Images thanks to WENN.

This past week Florence Henderson – aka Mrs. Brady – told a bunch of reporters that she told Christopher Knight – aka Peter Brady – not to marry his wife, original America’s Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry. It seemed pretty odd and out of place, given that she was being interviewed about her upcoming TV movie. Henderson also said that while she declined to counsel them before their marriage, she’d consider counseling their divorce. Snap!

It took a few days, but both Christopher and Adrianne have responded. Christopher released the expected adult, mature response – albeit on his MySpace blog. Adrianne released a similarly mature response via her PR rep – but got a little more pissy on her MySpace blog.

I forgive Florence…

She may not be asking for it, but I am going to give it to her. My anger is released. I am sorry she is acting this way, and am a little embarrassed for her. I was nothing but nice to her when we met, and she had it out for me before I said a word. I even hope her tv movie does well, since she is so desperate to generate attention for it. I pray she has the right mind to at least give my husband a call and apologize to HIM. She disrespected him and hurt him in her attempt for attention. If she loves him as much as she says, I know she will do the right thing. I wish this could have worked out better. Lord knows I tried to connect with “this person”, but it is obvious that it was never meant to be. I just wish she could be more professional about this. It’s weird to have someone on the level of Mr Rogers and Barney hate you. I must be the bad child ; )

[From Adrianne Curry’s MySpace Blog]

I’m embarrassed to say that the little bit of reality television I’ve ever watched was pretty much all about this couple. I saw them once or twice on the Surreal Life and just found the whole relationship so odd that I had to keep watching. They also spent a little time chilling on Dr. Phil’s couch last year. I’ve always found Adrianne to be pretty immature, but in this case I think her feelings are totally warranted.

Florence Henderson’s little TV movie wouldn’t have garnered the even the tiniest bit of attention were it not for her comments about their marriage. And it had nothing to do with anything, and seems like a huge betrayal of her supposedly close relationship with Knight. I always thought she was reasonably classy. The day you make Adrianne Curry look mature and intelligent is the day you should seriously consider reexamining your behavior.

Here’s Florence Henderson at the Television Critics Association presentation where she made the comments about Knight’s marriage on Tuesday. Photographer: Apega. Header image of Christopher and Adrianne shoping at AG Beverly Hills in January. Photographer: Michael Wright. Images thanks to Splash.

It would have been an epic feud. Legendary, some might say. No, not Clay vs. Liston, or Holyfield vs. Tyson, or George Foreman vs. non-grilled meat. I’m talking silicone vs. saline, bad dye jobs vs. bad hair extensions. Tofu vs. bacon, if you will. That’s right, after Pamela Anderson attacked Jessica Simpson for wearing a dumb t-shirt that said “Real Women Eat Meat,” Jess wanted to get even. She wanted revenge. She wanted an epic feud. But so-called “rational” people talked her down.

Her sassy message tee (“Real Girls Eat Meat”) may have sparked tensions with her would-be adversary, but Jessica Simpson never expected to be branded a “bitch and a whore” by Pamela Anderson. According to The Sun, Jessica was ready to “go after” the former “Baywatch” babe when she learned of the low-blow comments Pam delivered to an Australian radio station.

“She was deeply hurt and upset at the comments,” an insider told the paper. “To say Jessica is mad about it is an understatement.”

Allegedly, Jessica was ready to jump headfirst into a full-fledged Hollywood feud, until her loved ones explained who the real winner would be.

“She is disgusted at Pamela’s remarks and fully intended to go after her, until her family made her see sense,” the source explained. “Her folks told her not to make a big deal of it — as that would only get Pamela the press she’s so desperate for.”

[From MSNBC]

I am so disappointed in Jessica Simpson’s maturity. I’m not saying she was mature for wearing the shirt in the first place, but for ultimately refusing to escalate this from a fight to a feud. I’ve always thought her parents were ridiculous nincompoops who wanted nothing more than to pimp their daughters out for whatever bit of fame and money they could. But telling her to rise above Pamela Anderson? Making her look classy and composed – at least in comparison? Not giving PETA more ammunition? That’s just good parenting. And generally well-thought-out advice all the way around. I feel like I don’t even know Joe Simpson anymore. And that might be the most upsetting part of this whole debacle.

Here’s Jessica Simpson leaving Caesar’s Palace after appearing on ‘The View’ on June 25th. Header photo of Jessica Simpson during the live taping of ‘The View,’ and Pamela Anderson attending a celebrity memorabilia auction at Planet Hollywood in vegas on June 21st. Photographer: Chris Connor. Images thanks to WENN.