Well, as it turns out, the British tabloids got it right. The only thing I’m going to give Madonna credit for is that she waited five days to throw M.I.A. under the bus. Just to recap, during the Super Bowl Half-Time show, Madonna performed her new (terrible) song “Give Me All Your Luv” with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. You know exactly why Madge “collaborated” with Minaj and M.I.A. Madonna knows why she collaborated with them too. Because she’s 50-something years old and she desperately wants to be young again, and failing that, she’s trying to “borrow” the youth of performers like Nicki and M.I.A. Anyway, during the half-time show, M.I.A. slipped the bird to the camera while singing “I don’t give a sh-t…” Here’s the video again:

The British tabloids claimed that Madge was seriously pissed off at M.I.A. for basically stealing focus from her – classic Madge, right? What would Madge be if not a giant vacuum of narcissism? As it turns out, the tabloids were right – Madonna really is pissed off at M.I.A. She said so during an interview with Ryan Seacrest yesterday:

Sounds like M.I.A. made a very powerful enemy in Madonna. Backing up the pop legend alongside Nicki Minaj at last Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show, the British/Sri Lankan rapper nearly hijacked the spectacle when she flipped her middle finger; the obscene gesture aired on live TV as over 100 million viewers watched.

But this wasn’t a provocative move planned in advance with Madonna a la her infamous VMAs kiss with Britney Spears. “I was really surprised. I didn’t know anything about it,” Madonna, 53, told Ryan Seacrest Friday during a radio chat for On Air With Ryan Seacrest. “I wasn’t happy about it.”

Explained the singer, who invited M.I.A. (real name: Mathangi Arulpragasamand) and Minaj to perform on “Gimme All Your Luvin’,” the lead single off her album MDNA: “I understand it’s punk rock and everything, but to me there was such a feeling of love and good energy, and positivity it seemed negative.”

“It’s such a teenager…irrelevant thing to do,” she sniped. “There was such a feeling of love and unity there. What was the point? It was just out of place.”

Besides, Madonna was nervous enough for her big moment without M.I.A.’s unexpected gesture. Her most stressful moments? “When my throne docked on the stage,” she said of her dramatic entrance. “Then getting my cartwheels on the bleachers right.”

By the time the 12-minute set concluded with “Like a Prayer” (with Cee Lo Green singing alongside her), “I was overwhelmed,” she said. “I started crying. I felt an incredible sense of warmth, love, and support. To see an entire stadium light up like candles it was…like a religious experience.”

[From Us Weekly]

“It’s such a teenager…irrelevant thing to do…” Is it wrong to admit that I agree with the argument Madge is making (but not WHY she is making it)? It was just a dumb, immature thing for M.I.A. to do. But that’s not why Madonna is pissed off. Madge is pissed off because A) She didn’t think of doing it first and B) Doing “teenage” things is Madonna’s game, bitch and C) No one was talking about MADONNA!!!!!!!!! Waaaaah!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

By all accounts, Jeremy Renner is a fun dude to hang out with. He became famous when he was well into his 30s, so he spent most of his formative adult years actually living, working, developing opinions and interests, and he actually has stuff to say. He also throws a great party (reportedly) and he likes to hang out in bars, with girls (reportedly). So Jeremy found himself in a bar in Phuket, Thailand with a group of friends. At first, I wondered if Jeremy was in Thailand on some kind of vacation, but his IMDB indicates that he’s currently working on The Bourne Legacy, so they’re probably filming scenes there. Anyway, Renner was at the bar with some friends, and a fight broke out. And somebody got AXED. Seriously.

Jeremy Renner was attacked in Phuket, Thailand in an early morning bar brawl that left one man in serious condition after getting slashed in the neck with a rotor axe.

Thai authorities say Jeremy and his party had been bar hopping and ended up at the club where the violence broke out at 4:30 AM, after hours. One of the men in Jeremy’s party — Vorasit Issara, the General Manager of the Siri Panwa Resort — dropped a glass on the floor and apparently that started the melee.

Six men — who apparently worked at the bar — then allegedly attacked Jeremy, Vorasit and the others in their party. In addition to being stabbed in the neck, Vorasit was stabbed in the stomach with a knife.

One source claims Vorasit was drinking and was in a heated argument with the bar staff immediately before the attack. The six men who attacked Jeremy’s group were arrested.

Jeremy suffered minor injuries.

UPDATE 8:15AM PT: According to his rep, Jeremy left the bar when the fight broke out … and was not injured at all.

[From TMZ]

Hm, that’s interesting that Renner’s rep denied that Renner was injured. I have a hard time believing that Jeremy would walk away from a bar fight, especially if a person in his group was being attacked. Jeremy just seems like the tough little dude who would jump into the middle of the fight and start throwing punches and kicks, insurance liabilities be damned. We’ll see how this story plays out.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I don’t know why I didn’t cover the original salvo launched in this bitch-fight. Maybe it was because I’m kind of creeped out by Thin Jonah Hill? I know that’s wrong and I should be happy that he’s healthier, but Thin Jonah is still weird to me. Anyway, last week, Jonah Hill was on Jimmy Fallon, and he told some anecdotes about Hollywood. He ended up calling out Matthew Morisson as a bully, telling two stories:

“This publicity woman is giving us these instructions and no one is paying attention. And Zooey (Deschanel) starts talking to me. And I’m, like, whatever I don’t want to get in trouble or anything like that. And she keeps talking to me, and the woman goes, ‘Jonah, please be quiet while I’m talking.’ This guy (Matthew Morrison) piggybacks this woman calling me out. I’ve never met this guy before in my entire life. He goes, ‘Yeah Jonah, can’t you stop talking for one second?’ And everyone laughed at me! I wasn’t even talking to anybody!”

So, I’ve already got in my head that I don’t like this guy. I’m sure he’s a good human being but you don’t throw a dude under the bus that’s just sitting there being quiet… He bullied me. He’s a big timer on Fox, I’ve got stars in my eyes and he’s been to the dance before, I’m just some movie guy trying to make it in that world.

Cut to a couple weeks later… and I see this guy, Matthew Morrison, and he’s talking to one of the Gossip Girl guys, Chace Crawford… I go, ‘They don’t see me, I’m gonna get some scoop, I’m gonna call this dude out, I’m gonna like bust up his conversation.’ And I wander up behind these two guys and I’m eavesdropping and I can’t really hear what’s going on and then I hear, ‘Something, something, something… Jonah Hill.’ And then they both start laughing! And so I’m the punchline in this guy’s joke? He doesn’t even know I’m at this party. What is his deal?”

[Transcribed by Dlisted]

After Jonah told those stories to Fallon, he challenged Morrison to “bring his s–t” the next time. Well, Morrison has responded:

Morrison says: “I heard that Jonah said I should bring my sh-t next time… Well guess what, this is next time. Jonah, pick a date and I will meet you on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and we will settle this like men. Because nobody messes with someone from musical theatre.”

It’s cute, I guess. I thought Jonah seemed kind of silly and paranoid about Matthew, especially when it seems pretty clear (to me) that Matthew was just trying to play-fight and mess around. Like, even though Jonah was just telling the story for effect, you could tell that it actually did kind of bother him. Whatever… Matthew handled it the right way.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie are working together on a Project Runway-knockoff show called Fashion Star. It’s already started filming, and it will be airing on NBC in a few months. About a month ago, The Enquirer reported that Jessica and Nicole weren’t getting along at all. The claim was that Nicole is super-professional, always on time, always knows her mark, and that Nicole is kind of a Mean Girl. On the other side, Jessica is always late, always farting, always dumb as a box of mall hair, never knows what she’s doing or where she’s going, and she doesn’t even realize Nicole is mocking her and making fat jokes about her. It was an interesting story, and I really didn’t have any problem buying that dynamic between the two women. Now Us Weekly seems to be confirming that there are definitely issues between Nicole and Jess:

Two blonde ex-reality stars turned fashionistas don’t see eye-to-eye? Who could’ve predicted that one?

Nicole Richie and Jessica Simpson are both mentors on Fashion Star, a reality competition for aspiring designers debuting midseason on NBC. But a source tells the new Us Weekly — on stands now — that there’s “definite friction” between the two women.

“They chat only when they need to, and they have wildly different opinions about style,” adds an insider.

Richie, 29, “thinks Jessica doesn’t have much of a high-fashion eye” and “makes snarky comments about Jessica’s outfits,” according to a source.

But Simpson, 31, isn’t phased by Richie’s digs. She “really doesn’t care what Nicole thinks,” says an insider. After all, Simpson’s fashion empire had $750 million in sales in 2010, while Richie’s lines pulled in an estimated $10 million.

“Nicole may know trends, but Jessica believes she know how to make clothes for all kinds of women,” says a source. Still, other insiders tell Us the ladies “get along well, and hang out on set.”

[From Us Weekly]

Hm… I don’t think Jessica’s style is all that great either, but she occasionally wears stuff that I really like. On the other hand, I almost always hate what Nicole wears. She’s still doing that boho crap that’s SO Sienna Miller circa 2004. And when Nicole tries to go glam, it’s almost always cheap-looking and over-processed too. Honestly, neither one of them has any business judging fashion, but I’ll give Jessica more of a pass because her clothing lines are so wildly successful, while Nicole’s House of Harlow crap looks like 1970s vomit.

By the way, Jessica denied that story that originated in In Touch Weekly a few weeks ago, about the possibility that she might undergo a breast reduction before her wedding. Jessica tweeted her thoughts:

[From Jessica’s Twitter]

Ugh, “boobies”. Just say boobs. Or tittays. Or “the girls”. Or rack. Or “the money makers”. Boobies is just so juvenile.

Photos courtesy of WENN & Pacific Coast News.

Do you ever watch The Talk? It’s the CBS knockoff of The View, starring a motley crew of Julie Chen, cat-faced Sharon Osbourne, Scientologist Leah Remini and out-lesbian Sara Gilbert and no-adjectives Marisa Jaret Winokur and Holly Robinson Peete. I think I’ve seen part of a few episodes, but it doesn’t really matter. All that matters is the bitchfight, and it seems like there’s something going down off-set at The Talk. I always forget that Julie Chen is married to CBS president Les Moonves – and apparently, because she’s married to the boss, she thinks she gets to order everybody around:

Julie Chen’s “queen bee attitude” is forcing the ladies of CBS’s “The Talk” to flee the daytime gab-fest after just one season. Sources say fed-up Leah Remini plans to quit on the heels of Sharon Osbourne’s bombshell that she’s taking a break. Co-host Holly Robinson Peete last week said she will not return for Season 2.

The last straw for Osbourne and Remini was Chen’s order, passed down from her master-of- the-universe husband, CBS President Les Moonves, following their South of France break, that the women were not allowed to discuss the Casey Anthony case without her because she’s the only host with journalistic credentials.

“[Julie] said, ‘My husband feels strongly that you should not be talking about news [without me], you are not news people,’ ” our source told us. “Sharon just said, ‘I don’t know about this.’ She’d had enough. ”

Despite the friction, one program insider called Chen “the glue that holds the show together” and firmly placed the blame on Remini.

“[Remini] was a disruptive force,” the source said. “She had a huge morale problem,” adding that Remini often brought her mother on set, who refused to follow studio rules.

“Her mother never parked in her assigned space,” the insider said. “She was told not to park in the lot anymore. ”

Two executive producers have abandoned the show since it began last fall. But co-host Sara Gilbert is slated to return.

A CBS spokesperson told us, “ ‘The Talk’ just finished a strong first season . . . The producers are currently working on a creative game plan for Season 2, which launches on Sept. 6.”

Osbourne’s rep said she was “not reachable.” Remini’s agent said, “I don’t believe anyone’s option has been picked up. Her mom does go to the show every day as does Sara’s mom and Holly’s mom.”

He declined to comment about the parking-lot matter because Remini couldn’t be reached by deadline.

[From Page Six]

Since I don’t really care about any of these people (well, I have some affection for Gilbert), I’m willing to believe all of it. It wouldn’t surprise me that the president’s wife was pulling rank, it wouldn’t surprise me that the Scientologist was being disruptive, and it wouldn’t surprise me that the other ladies might be trying to bail.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

These are some new photos of Kate Hudson and her fiancé and baby-daddy Matthew Bellamy out and about in LA yesterday. They were actually at a baseball field, watching Ryder play with his team. Lots of people have been noting that Bellamy seems to have put on some “sympathy weight” during Kate’s pregnancy. I kind of love when that happens – I think it’s shows that the soon-to-be mom and dad are totally bonded. Probably because I associate food with love? Yeah. Anyway, you can kind of see that Bellamy is working a gut here. And Kate is pretty big too – doesn’t it seem like she got really pregnant really fast? But she’s carrying much differently now than she did with Ryder. Do you remember what she looked like during her first pregnancy? It all went to her face, I swear. It was awesome.

In other Kate-and-Matt news, Star Magazine has a story that I don’t think much of. They’re claiming that Matt and Kate are in the midst of a huge battle over money. More specifically, over the pre-nup that Kate’s demanding. The source says:

“Kate and Matt are clashing over money issues… and it may destroy any chance they have of getting married. Their relationship was in a much healthier place before her put a ring on her finger.”

Kate is insisting on a pre-nup because she has more money than Matthew, and the proposed agreement is tougher on him than her.

“He would be on a payment plan of sorts, where he is allotted a certain amount of money annually… and if he cheats, he will lose everything, but if she cheats, no harm, no foul. The fighting over the pre-nup has soured the experience… they may not get married at all. They may just stay engaged, or even split up.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition]

I don’t believe this because I don’t really think Kate gives a crap about money in general. I mean, she cares about buying things and working and stuff, but she’s not one of those people who prioritize the big paychecks. Now, is it possible that they’re fighting? Sure. Is it possible that Kate thinks it would be no big deal if she cheated on Matt? Sure. But it’s just as likely, in my mind, that they are totally loved up and blissed out right now.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

I have enjoyed several parts of Eva Longoria’s relationship with Eduardo Cruz, the younger brother of Penelope Cruz. One part of enjoyment comes from Eva’s blatant hypocrisy and mixed media messaging when talking about her divorce from Tony Parker. She’s trying to milk the divorce for all of the public sympathy that she can get, and she’s being really, really obvious about it. At the same time, she’s pushing her “new” relationship with Eduardo to any paparazzo who will snap their photo. Also: the relationship began long before the “official” line – there were photos of Eduardo at Eva house just weeks after Eva and Tony split. But I digress.

My absolute favorite part of Eva’s Eduardo drama is how Eva is trying to sidle up to Eduardo’s Oscar-winning, A-list sister, Penelope. The Enquirer had a story a few weeks ago about how Penelope hates Eva’s guts and thinks that Eva is a famewhoring B-lister who should get her cougar claws out of Penelope’s baby brother. And now, a new chapter. Us Weekly has yet another “Eva is moving on, she’s got a new man!” story, and this week’s twist is that Eva’s people are leaking the story that she and Penelope get along really, really well. Riiight.

Look who’s rebounding!

“I’m moving on,” Eva Longoria tells Hot Stuff. “Life is great!”

Indeed, a source says Eva has been “blossoming” with boyfriend of two months Eduardo Cruz.

“With Tony, she used to feel pressure to learn French and deal with his crazy mother. Now she’s in a family where she feels comfortable.”

Adding to her bliss? Longoria already has the approval of her beau’s bid sister.

“At first, Eva was unsure if Penelope would like her,” adds the source. “but now they embrace each other. She just met Penelope’s baby!”

[From Us Weekly, print edition]

Seriously, I’m not one for gratuitous catfights, but I would seriously pay good money to see Penelope take care of this famewhore once and for all. Penelope can throw down. “But Eva is scrappy,” you say. NO! Penelope is going to cut a bitch, especially now that Eva has taken to famewhoring the baby!!! It’s not just about Penelope and Eva now. Eva crossed a line.

Photos courtesy of WENN & Fame.

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t watch Glee. It’s not that I dislike musicals – I actually love musicals. Real musicals. But I don’t enjoy the vibe of Glee, with it’s ridiculous high school setting and what amounts to glorified Karaoke. Plus, the people in the show annoy the hell out of me. Lea Michele? I want to smack her. Matthew Morrison? Zzzzz. Dianna Agron? Double zzzz. That 40 year old Jeremy Piven-esque douche with the Mohawk? Ugh.

Anyway, as Glee’s popularity seems to be waning, more and more rock stars are speaking out about their hatred for Glee. Slash was one of the first to say he didn’t give a crap and wasn’t going to license his songs for the show. Then in January, the Kings of Leon and Glee creator Ryan Murphy got into a public bitch-fight over song-licensing, which quickly devolved into a faux-homophobic controversy. Now Dave Grohl, former Nirvana bandmate and current lead of the Foo Fighters, is calling out Murphy and Glee in a new interview:

When it comes to using his band’s songs on ‘Glee,’ the Foos frontman sides with Kings of Leon and Slash in the licensing battle. Don’t count on hearing the Foo Fighters hit “Times Like These” on Glee anytime soon. Frontman Dave Grohl says he and his bandmates are squarely in the corner of Kings of Leon and Slash. As in, they want no part of the Ryan Murphy-helmed show.

“It’s every band’s right, you shouldn’t have to do f—ing Glee,” Grohl told THR following the premiere of Foo Fighters: Back and Forth, the new Foo Fighters documentary which just made its South By Southwest debut. “And then the guy who created Glee is so offended that we’re not, like, begging to be on his f—ing show… f— that guy for thinking anybody and everybody should want to do Glee.”

You might be wondering, has Grohl ever actually watched the show? As it turns out, yes, he gave Glee a whirl. “I watched 10 minutes. It’s not my thing,” Grohl grizzled. But he doesn’t have as much of a problem with the series as he does with its creator.

Recounting anti-Glee comments made by Slash earlier this year and subsequent retorts by Murphy, reported by THR, Grohl explained to drummer Taylor Hawkins: “The Glee guy, what a f—ing jerk. Slash was the first one. He wanted to do Guns ‘n’ Roses and Slash is like, ‘I hate f—ing musicals. It’s worse than Grease.’ Then [Murphy's] like, ‘Well, of course he’d say that, he’s a washed up ol’ rock star, that’s what they f—ing do.’ And then Kings of Leon say, ‘No, we don’t want to be on your show.’ And then he’s like, ‘Snotty little assholes…’ And it’s just like, Dude, maybe not everyone loves Glee. Me included.”

Said Hawkins: “Yeah, f— that sh-t.”

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

You know what I love about these quotes? I love that Dave recounted everything that went down between Ryan Murphy and these rock stars. Like, Dave was paying attention and he has a gossip-writer’s memory for details and chronology. I love him now. He and I are the same person.

Anyway, I can’t wait to see what Ryan Murphy says about this. You know he’s going to have another epic douche meltdown.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Currently, Leonardo DiCaprio is filming the J. Edgar bio-pic with director Clint Eastwood. I’ve been hearing various stuff about the filming, mostly controlled leaks about potential plotlines and that kind of stuff, but I hadn’t heard anything about tempers flaring. Until now! The National Enquirer’s gossip guy Mike Walker claims that Clint and Leo got into a little tiff while filming in Washington, D.C. one day. Clint, a famously reserved and fast director, got the take he was looking for and called it a day. Leo did not agree, and pitched a fit. I mean… you know Clint has turds bigger than Leo, right?

FEELIN’ LUCKY, PUNK?… WELL, ARE YOU? You coulda heard a pin drop when LEONARDO DICAPRIO suddenly got feisty with Oscar-winning director CLINT EASTWOOD on the set of “J. Edgar” and demanded a retake on a scene where he reacts to a bomb explosion on a Washington, D.C., street.

Clint loved the take, called it a wrap and told everyone to go home – but Leo felt he hadn’t looked shocked enough in the scene, and insisted on a redo.

“No,” said Clint, “I’m happy with it.”

Said My On-Set Spy: “Leo got upset and demanded that Clint reshoot the scene. Stunned by Leo’s challenging manner, everyone got real quiet. Then Clint turned to the cameraman and said, in a quiet Dirty Harry rasp: ‘He can shoot it again – but make sure there’s no film in the camera.’”

Instantly, Leo lost his temper, screamed: “FORGET IT!” – and stormed off the set. Shooting resumed the next day, but sources say the air’s thick with tension.

[From The National Enquirer, print and online editions]

Seriously, don’t mess with Clint. He’ll cut a bitch, and has, often. The only thing that makes me not believe this story is that Clint is supposed to be one of the greatest directors of actors. Actors love him. They worship him. It’s always a love affair between Clint the director and his cast. But… I’ll tenuously believe this story because although Leo fronts like he’s the King of Hollywood, he still has moments where he’s a punk.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

First I’ll give the disclaimer that this story is in the National Enquirer, so it could have a grain of truth to it or it could be wishful thinking. Beyonce and Lady Gaga are presumably friends or at least work acquaintances considering that they did that Telephone song and video. According to the Enquirer they’re not getting along and there are some bad feelings there. Like a lot of us Beyonce (supposedly) finds Gaga’s stunts tired, over-the-top and “tacky” and thinks that Gaga tries to steal focus from other hardworking musicians who don’t go to the lengths she does for attention.

“Beyonce thought Gaga’s entrance [at the Grammy's] was way over the top and ridiculously self-serving,” said the insider. “Every other artist worked the red carpet in a traditional manner, but Gaga made it all about her.”

The ill will boiled over backstage, according to the insider, with Beyonce going out of her way to ignore her former collaborator. That enraged Gaga, who was heard complaining to friends about the “Single Ladies” singer.

“At this point, Gaga is used to people criticizing her. It’s part of being so successful,” explained a source close to Lady Gaga. “But she never expected it from Beyonce, who she saw as a friend and supported. Gaga plans to confront her the next time they run into each other and demand an apology.”

But Beyonce, 29, remains upset at how Gaga tries to steal the spotlight at public events with other stars, disclosed the insider.

“Beyonce believes that musicians should let their talent do the talking, and she finds it really tacky that Gaga constantly tries to one-up everyone with her ridiculous fashion statements.

“She telling people that she wants to take Gaga down a few pegs.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, March 21, 2011]

Beyonce is just mad she didn’t think of this first. She’s not above wearing outlandish outfits while she performs, and she does videos as strange as Gaga’s. She just doesn’t let her “Sasha Fierce” persona bleed too much into her off stage presence, except for the occasional metal glove.

Even if this is a manufactured feud from the Enquirer, you can see where they could be right, not only about Beyonce’s feelings about Gaga but for other musicians in general. Imagine if you’d been working hard at your job for years, showing up and doing exactly what you’re supposed to every day and some new employee comes along, screws the boss and gets a promotion right away. That’s pretty much what Gaga’s been doing with her “look at me,” “talk about me” antics, only she’s trying to get the attention of the fans. She works hard at what she does but you could see where people would say she’s not playing by the rules at all. She’s learned from other successful artists before her how to cause a scene and its like she’s throwing every trick against the wall and seeing what sticks. Talent does not trump all in the music industry.

Photos courtesy of WENN.