OK! Magazine has a new very brief interview with sexy 90210 actress AnnaLynne McCord, 24. It seems like we only report on AnnaLynne when she’s half-dressed or dating a much older guy. She also had an on-off relationship with Kellan Lutz, but eventually quit getting back with him in favor of Dominic Purcell. Anyway, AnnaLynne told OK! that she was an abuse victim. This was at a event for a charity raising awareness of human trafficking and sexual slavery. She didn’t get into details though, and just seemed to be explaining why the charity was meaningful to her. What little she did say was moving to me.

AnnaLynne McCord is so passionate in her support of the Somaly Mam Foundation, which fights human trafficking and sexual slavery around the world. “I’m a victim of abuse,” AnnaLynne, 24, told OK! exclusively, without going into further detail, at a foundation fund-raiser on Oct. 20. “We have a connection to these girls. The innocence of my mind was stolen as a child. I’m not sorry, because I wouldn’t speak with the fervor that I speak with about these girls had I not known what it feels like.”

[From OK! Magazine, print edition, November 7, 2011]

It’s her story to tell, and if she wants to simply say that something happened to her as a child and not get into the details, that’s definitely her prerogative. It’s a powerful way to say it too, that “the innocence of her mind was stolen.” Somehow just thinking about that makes me angry and upset at the same time. I’m a mom and when I think about a kid being hurt at all my emotions are right at the surface. Good for AnnaLynne for helping out and for speaking out.

The Somaly Mam foundation was founded by sexual slavery survivor Somaly Mam. She’s shown in the pink dress next to Susan Sarandon in these photos. You can learn more about their work by visiting their website.

Photo credit: WENN.com

These are some new photos of Taylor Swift launching her new perfume at Macy’s NYC. The perfume is called “Wonderstruck” and I’m sure it smells like a mixture of coffee after apple-picking, the sweat of glitter-ponies and the damp skin after a good cuddlefesting session. No, I won’t make fun! That was too harsh, especially because Swifty just did something really awesome – she donated 6000 books to the Reading, Pennsylvania public libraries. I mean… come on, that’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard. That’s not just writing a check or showing up at some dinner (although both of those things are great) – Swifty actually did her research and gave a thoughtful donation through Scholastic Books:

Eleven-year-old Emily Rankin has looked up to Taylor Swift as long as she can remember, back to the days when the country music superstar was performing at local fairs. But now Rankin thinks even more of the Wyomissing native, thanks to her big donation to the Reading Public Library.

Swift donated 6,000 books to the library, which has divided them equally among its main, northeast, northwest and southeast branches.

The books are worth $68,000, and will be available for patrons to borrow beginning Saturday. In six months, the books will be available for inter-library loans throughout Berks County.

Rankin of Shillington was in the children’s department of the main branch in downtown Reading when the books there were unveiled Thursday, picking out a few novels she plans to read.

“I think it’s amazing she did this for her community,” Rankin said of Swift.

Library officials agree.

They learned of the donation in March during a call from Scholastic Books. They picked the books they wanted from the publisher: five copies each of 500 titles. Two copies of each title will be placed on the shelves, two others will be given as prizes and incentives for young patrons and the fifth will be kept in reserve.

The books include fiction and nonfiction for children and teens, and picture books for younger patrons, among others.

Not only will they give youngsters more books to choose from, but with Swift’s popularity, they will motivate more children and teens to read, said Bronwen Gamble, library assistant director.

The library placed a white star on the spine of the donated books to recognize Swift’s star status, and also placed a sticker inside recognizing that she purchased them.

“She adds the coolness factor to reading,” Gamble said.

Library Director Frank Kasprowicz said the donation is the largest made to the library in recent years.

Swift is on tour and did not attend the unveiling.

Her representatives told Reading library officials that she decided to help three U.S. libraries that were struggling to remain open, and picked Reading as one of them.

Kasprowicz hopes the gift motivates the community to increase its donations to the library, which has suffered from state and city funding cuts in recent years, and in 2009 almost had to close all but its main branch.

“We need this same kind of support and generosity from people and organizations closer to home,” he said. “We hope that our patrons and other members of Reading and Berks County will follow her lead and take up our cause.”

[From The Reading Eagle]

I really can’t even describe how awesome I think this is, and the librarian is right, it does encourage kids to read. I’ve always been a reader – my parents were both huge readers growing up, and so I learned it from watching them. Not all kids have parents who read for pleasure, though, and I worry about the younger generations with their text-speak and their lack of concentration. It’s nice that Taylor is out there, representing and promoting books and libraries and reading. So… I’m giving her a pass for a month. Swifty, if you want to start boning John Mayer again, here’s your chance! I won’t yell at you. Have at it.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Ian Somerhalder has a new photoshoot for Flaunt Magazine which could best be described as “70s demented preppy off his meds.” He’s shown in loud mismatched resort wear while brandishing a gun and generally looking crazy. This is the same publication that had Kirsten Stewart pose in a trashy outfit while smoking cigarettes in a trailer, which seems positively quaint when compared to the ridiculousness that is this photoshoot.

In terms of the interview, Somerhalder talks at length about the environmental causes he’s involved in, and the new technologies he’s excited about that will help us live greener, cleaner lives. I know a lot of you find him preachy and sanctimonious, but he doesn’t come across like that to me here. He’s a man with a cause and he’s young. He wants other people to get as fired up about it as he is, and that’s refreshing to see.

“Here is the problem: university and professional ego are what set us behind in the times.” Now, he’s in the penthouse suite on the eighth floor of the Beverly Hilton, sipping rosé after a successful six-hour shoot. Somerhalder is in L.A. to work on his documentary, and to grace our pages. He lives in Atlanta, where he shoots The Vampire Diaries, the CW network show based on the serial novels by L.J. Smith. It’s a show young girls love—a strategic move on his behalf. Young girls, says Somerhalder, are “the most powerful audience in the world. What you can change is the next generation; generational change is the only thing that’s going to shift the paradigm. I used to get so angry, but then you realize that’s just wasting energy. But if you focus your energy and realize that it all comes from education, and it’s the sharing of information that will eventually blend out the bureaucracies that exist now.” Information is something Somerhalder’s far from lacking…

But, as you may have inferred from Somerhalder’s lofty aspirations for the liege of young girls that covet his resolute gaze, his is not the same old actor story; Somerhalder is not a one-trick pony. In unveiling the Ian Somerhalder Foundation in January of this year, which is now active in 190 countries, he’s given voice to a militia of young followers, aptly calling themselves the ISF Kids Army. Through the foundation, Somerhalder testified before Congress at a conference on energy policy in Washington, D.C. last week; he’s been offered an ambassadorship for the United Nations Environmental Programme; he’s bought a 195-acre farm in Louisiana to invite students to learn how to build green bunkhouses; he’s been trying to win his mentor Allan Savory a Nobel Prize for slowing climate change through holistic farming by directing a (soon-to-be-finished) documentary; and he’s begun Go Green Mobile Power which is about to innovate the county of Los Angeles and two oil companies with solarised lights. He’s trying to create an “environmental keeping up with the Joneses.

“We look at things like deforestation in Brazil,” he continues, “and we always say, ‘Oh god, it’s a shame what they’re doing down there.’ What do you mean ‘down there’?! There is no ‘down there.’ It’s all the same f*#%ng sphere! We’re literally in each other’s backyards, there is just a nautical distance between us, and for some reason we don’t see these distances.”

Those nautical miles are something Somerhalder thinks about everyday, having grown up in the Gulf of Louisiana, in the marshes that BP destroyed. Suddenly his frutti di mare—the fish, the crab, the shrimp—was gone. Somerhalder’s ex-girlfriend’s uncle, Peter Seligmann, the CEO of Conservation International quickly became a confidant of his, as too did Deepak Chopra, whom he met at a telethon on Larry King Live for Gulf Aid. He then met Allan Savory, and what started as a plight to bring attention to global environmental issues, inspired him to invest in the project and get his hands even dirtier.

“I am fed more information on a daily basis than I know what to do with,” Somerhalder says, “but if you start to study the history of the most phenomenal thinkers of modern times, guys like Buckminster Fuller, who in the ’40s designed cars that ran on ethanol that got 60 miles to a gallon that transported four people…” He trails off, then bites again, “What I’m saying is that we are perpetually pushed backwards technologically. Now fine, [the pushing] has been done for years; I say it stops now. I say the generations to come will start to understand that alternatives are available to them. I’m not saying shut down oil companies. You can’t fight them—they’re too big. Wouldn’t it be better to show them really amazing technologies that they can actually invest their money in? Instead of putting together gigantic funds to battle them? That seems like a much better bet.” He makes a point.

And then somehow we begin to discuss an even deeper topic of humanity: love. To that, he offers this advice, “I think we’re in love all the time with various things,” and he detours, “I mean, I know what it’s like to be in love, trust me, and it’s a very interesting game because it always inextricably brings up our deepest darkest insecurities. It’s just a matter of being able to see them, appreciate them, squash them, and let them go before they get the best of you.”

It’s getting cold on the balcony and Somerhalder’s rosé is long gone, leaving the smudged fingerprints on his glass to reflect in the light through the hotel window. The sunlight has fallen from the sky and lights turning on sparkle across the horizon of the ever-decadent Beverly Hills—people are using energy at an alarming rate. Somerhalder spots four ducks flying overhead. “Where are they going?” he asks, and then louder toward the flock, “Where are you going?” He rights himself. “Probably to some rich person’s pond.” Somerhalder looks into the night. “There are seven billion people in this world going through all this crazy insanity and we’re part of it, trying to save this and conserve that. We’re trying to protect this, trying to teach that, and to learn this, and not learn that. There’s so much sh*t, I don’t know how you could be bored.”

[From Flaunt.com via ONTD]

Somerhalder has testified before congress, he’s started his own charity and he’s also funded a green energy company and has a big farm to show these principles at work. I would love it if more celebrities got into causes like this. It’s better than reading about another train wreck, or hearing someone bitch about how hard it is to be rich, famous and privileged beyond most of our wildest dreams. Yes he uses a lot of unnecessary big words and sounds like that pseudo intellectual douche in your college earth science class who was always lecturing you about something, but I like that. I find it interesting and I love to see someone put their money and effort where their mouth is.

Here are some new photos of Jennifer Aniston and some of the other ladies involved in Lifetime’s Five, at the premiere in Washington, D.C. last night. Aniston didn’t get dressed up to the nines – she just wore a simple blazer and a great pair of black boots – I think those boots are the same ones she’s been wearing all over NYC. She looks nice.

Before the D.C. premiere, Aniston did a breast cancer awareness event with Jill Biden, wife of VPOTUS, in Alexandria, Virginia:

It’s not often you hear the names “Jill Biden” and “Jennifer Aniston” in the same sentence. But the two women came together today in support of breast cancer research, visiting the the Breast Care Center at the Inova Alexandria Hospital at Mark Center in Virginia.

The two chic blondes were joined by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Kristin Hahn, co-producer of Aniston’s newest film project, “Five.” The Lifetime film series, composed of five short movies, chronicles different women’s experiences with breast cancer.

The four women toured the center and met with doctors, who listened to the group talk about their own experiences with cancer.

Biden said that her “personal involvement with breast cancer started 20 years ago when several of my friends got breast cancer,” compelling her to create a program in Delaware that invites doctors educate on the subject in classrooms.

Aniston, pool reports wrote, was particularly affected by nurse Ami Bhavsar, who spoke about the difficulties of helping patients without insurance.

The women’s outfits did not distract from the experience, as Biden wore a very SLOTUS-esque ensemble consisting of a purple jersey dress, nude pumps and a long, silver necklace. Aniston kept it cool in jeans and a black sweater.

One unexpected accessory? A heart-shaped ring on the movie star’s left hand, which had the press room buzzing after the event.

[From HuffPo]

You can see the photos from that event here, at the Mail, but there are also some shots where you can see Aniston’s rings in these premiere photos too.

In other Aniston news, do remember that she did a “Between Two Ferns” bit with Zach Galifianakis? Here’s the video:

Well, Zach discussed the behind-the-scenes story during a recent interview, and it’s just…weird:

Jennifer Aniston is long over her split from Brad Pitt — and according to Zach Galifianakis, she has no interest in taking a walk down memory lane. During the New Yorker Festival in New York City Saturday, the Hangover star revealed that the 42-year-old actress wasn’t keen on his idea to use a Pitt look-alike for his Between Two Ferns comedy segment on Funny or Die.

“I had found this guy [in our hotel] who looked exactly like Brad Pitt. I wanted to use that in some way,” Galifianakis, 42, recalled. “I said, ‘Jennifer, I have this guy who looks like Brad Pitt. I want to make it seem like I think it’s him.’”

“She looked at me like, ‘What the f–k?’” an embarrassed Galifianakis admitted. “And I totally agreed with her. How rude of me to do that! Why would she want to talk about that? She get inundated with that sh-t all the time. I totally understood.”

A dejected Galifianakis then met with the look-alike to “tell him sorry that we couldn’t do the bit.”

“People are pretty game, usually,” Galifianakis said of his guests on Between Two Ferns. “It’s a fun, stupid thing to do.”

After Aniston nixed his original idea, Galifianakis enlisted former MTV reality star Tila Tequila, 29, to appear in the skit. During the four-minute clip, Galifianakis made it clear that he favored Tequila, prompting Aniston to (jokingly) storm off.

[From Us Weekly]

So instead of a Brad Pitt look-alike, Aniston opted for Tila Tequila? That’s like Sophie’s Choice, dude. And I’m kind of surprised that Zach is so nice about the whole thing – this is the guy who will talk sh-t about any celebrity. But not Jennifer. Probably because she was game for pretty much anything – anything besides a Brad Pitt look-alike.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

I hate the way Christina Hendricks looks in these photos. I hate it so much that at the end of the post, I’m going to include some of the days-old tit-buffet photos of Christina in the rose Vivienne Westwood, just because that’s the way I like my boob-tastic gingers: with their racks out and heaved to high heaven. These photos – of Christina in black and white – are from Tuesday, a celebration for Self Magazine. Hendricks was one of several women honored by the magazine for their work with non-profits and charities. Christina’s work is with the Make A Wish Foundation, which she supports through her work with Latisse Wishes Challenge. At the event, Christina told reporters:

“I’m taking a Make A Wish Foundation child to the Emmys on Sunday. That’s his wish. So I’m excited to grant that. He’s 19, he’s from Texas. He’s gonna have a good date. I get to meet him Saturday, we’re gonna go half lunch with his family and meet him, and brooks brothers is going to give him a tuxedo and we’re going to get him really set up, its gonna be fun.”

Um… he’s 19 and his “wish” is to go to the Emmys with Christina? One of two things: he’s a sick-but-horny 19-year-old who loves boobs and just wants to spend an evening looking at the best pair in America; OR, he’s a sick-but-fabulous young man and he wants to give Christina some one-on-one criticism of her style. That conversation begins, in my mind, with, “BITCH, I told you to wear a jewel tone. I don’t even want to be seen with your ass now.” But seriously, how cute is it that she’s bringing a Make A Wish kid to the Emmys? That’s really nice.

Christina also gave some longer interviews to various oulets, including New York Magazine (you can read the full NY Mag piece here), and here are some highlights:

On her supporting part in Drive: “To be honest, the real reason I did Drive was because of Nicolas Winding Refn, the director. I had seen Bronson and I was floored by it, and I said, “I want to work with this guy. I don’t care what it is.” And this is a smaller role, but I just wanted to be part of what he was doing, and it’s an instrumental role, and I think it’s really different than anything else I’ve ever done, and an opportunity to work with Ryan [Gosling] … there were so many reasons to do it. And I love that I actually have these coming out on the same night, on the opposite end of the spectrum of movies, both enjoyable in completely different ways.”

On Nicolas Refn wanting her for Wonder Woman: “Sure! I grew up on the TV show, and I had Wonder Woman Underoos, and my brother had a Wonder Woman doll — sorry, Aaron, you’re exposed. [Giggles.] And Nicolas said, when we were on set, “I want you to be Wonder Woman.” And I think he is such an extraordinary and exceptional director, that if he asked me to do it, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Joss Whedon wants her for Wonder Woman too: “I’d like to think that Joss would have cast me! I also loved working with Joss [on Firefly]. I’m excited to see what he does with The Avengers. Hopefully the stars would align [for Wonder Woman]. It would be really fun. It would be cool, wouldn’t it? I’d get to kick ass.

Christina on her Emmy chances: “I’m not preparing a speech. There are some pretty extraordinary actresses in that category. I hate to say it, but I think it might be a long shot. But I’m super excited — especially since the show is nominated, too.”

On her husband: “My husband does so much to help me, and I do as much to help him as possible. If one day he’s off from work, he’ll help me to do something – and vice versa. We’ve been doing a lot of traveling and different jobs and going back and forth. I don’t freak myself out if something doesn’t happen.”

She’s not ready to have a baby: “At least not any time soon. I feel busy enough right now.”

More on her husband: Geoffrey Arend, 33, is “an amazing cook,” Hendricks said, so she’s trying to stop feeling guilty when he takes care of the groceries. “You don’t have to feel guilty about it. And sometimes, [he] really enjoys it! I think he’s surpassed me now in his culinary talents.”

[From People and New York Magazine]

I’m not sure if I want to see Christina do Wonder Woman. I’ve gone back and forth on it, considering people have been talking about it for a while. At first I thought it was a great idea, but…? I’d kind of like to see a brunette do Wonder Woman. Oh, and there are even more quotes from even more interviews:

By the way, don’t you love how it seems like Geoffrey Arend is the Nerd King of All because he landed Christina? He’s doing everything to make her happy – cooking, running errands, rearranging schedules. He adores her. Just as it should be.

Oh, and I still f–ing love Christina in this dress:

Photos courtesy of WENN & Fame.

Colin Farrell was a guest on Letterman Friday night. I’ve been dying to report on these sexy photos of him outside the studio with his shirt half open. He looked delectable as usual, and was promoting the Fright Night remake he stars in, which is out in the US next Friday, August 19. On the show, Farrell mentioned his two boys, Henry, nearly 2, and James, 7. (Both are from previous relationships with different women, but it’s not like Farrell talked about that at all.) James has a rare genetic condition called Angelman syndrome, which is characterized by motor, intellectual and speech delays and a positive affect. Farrell has discussed his son’s condition in the past, and said that he is blessed to have him in his life. In 2007, he said “I have never thought of my son as being someone with a disability. It goes back to special needs and what is a disability and what isn’t.” On Letterman, he addressed the need for more funding to research the condition and said that a doctor has cured the condition in mice. Here’s more:

Colin Farrell appeared on Late Show With David Letterman last night to promote his upcoming movie, Fright Night, but also took a little time to give a shout out to CureAngelman.org and revealed that one of his sons has been diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome.

Colin has two sons James, 7, and Henry, almost 2, and briefly discussed his family with David Letterman.

“James, just a quick shout out if I can, James has a condition called Angelman Syndrome and it only affects one in 30,000 children, they say,” Colin said on Late Show. “So there’s not that much funding because it doesn’t benefit pharmaceutical companies, of course.”

The actor asked for anyone to help by visiting CureAngelman.org to help donate and then discussed a bit more about his son and how he was diagnosed.

“It was actually when a doctor saw how happy he was,” Colin explained. “He was like, ‘Does he always smile this much?’”

James started walking just short of his 4th birthday and doesn’t have any verbal speech, but Colin made sure to say that his boy is a “a really happy boy.”

[From OK Magazine]

For as much as Colin flits around to different women, he sure seems like a caring and devoted father. He’s also giving some invaluable attention to this cause.

Look at how shy Colin looks outside the studio with his hands crammed in his pockets. He’s doesn’t look too comfortable with the crowd. He also seemed a little nervous on the show.

Matt Damon took part in a Save Our Schools march and rally on Washington on Saturday for teachers’ rights. Damon’s mother, a former teacher, was at the event along with his former high school history teacher. The famous actor rallied the crowd with a speech praising teachers for shaping his life and outlook. Save Our Schools is calling for teacher empowerment and grassroots support to help end the practice of tying school funding and teacher salaries to standardized testing. Damon made many thoughtful comments about the cause:

Matt Damon dedicated his Saturday to a cause close to his heart, rallying with teachers on a march to The White House.

The Bourne Identity star, whose mother was a teacher, joined the Save Our Schools March to protest the use of standardized testing throughout the education system.

In a touching speech to the amassed crowd, Damon, 40, discussed how he feels his own public school education impacted his life.

“As I look at my life today, the things that I value about myself, my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity, came from the way that I was parented and taught,” Damon told the crowd as the sun beat down on his head, shaved bald for his next role.

“And none of these qualities that I just mentioned, none of these qualities that I prize so deeply, none of these qualities that have brought me so much joy, that have made me so successful professionally, none of these qualities that make me who I am can be tested,” he said.

“Now don’t get me wrong. I did have a brush with standardized tests at one point. I remember because my mom went to the principal’s office and said, ‘My kid ain’t taking that. It’s stupid, it won’t tell you anything and it’ll just make him nervous.’ That was in the ’70s when you could talk like that.”

Damon also voiced support of all the educators throughout the United States.

“We love you, we thank you and we will always have your back,” he said.

[From Radar Online]

Both of my parents are retired teachers, and I admire the work that educators do and know a little about it. It’s a tough job for low pay and there’s a ton of bureaucracy to deal with. I’ve been out of the loop since they retired, but it sounds like it’s even worse now with these new federal policies. It’s heartening to see Damon lend his celebrity to this cause and you can tell that it’s one he cares about deeply.

Damon has been sporting a bald head for a little over a week. He shaved it for a role in a science fiction film called Elysium, which he’s been filming in Vancouver. It also stars Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley. As Lainey points out we’ll be seeing plenty more of Matt this year. He has two films coming out: Contagion in September and We Bought a Zoo in December. I always love to see him on the big screen, with hair or without. (I much prefer with, but I’m not going to be picky.)

I love this picture of him spraying sunscreen on his head.

photo credit: Fame Pictures

Ashton Kutcher is engaged in a little twitter war with the Village Voice over their adult-oriented personals section, backpage.com. Ashton is criticizing The Voice for allegedly providing a forum for underage prostitution and human trafficking, which is his cause celebre through his recently formed DNA Foundation. This all sounds very important and laudable, only The Voice just ran a piece that sheds light onto the issue of human trafficking and questions whether it’s as widespread and as ignored as Ashton and his wife Demi’s foundation make it out to be. Both Ashton and The Voice have vested interests in this very hot button issue.

Don’t mess with Ashton Kutcher! That’s the message he and his seven million Twitter followers have made very clear after he became embroiled in a bitter war with Village Voice, which he claims is profiting from victims of child prostitution.

The actor began his quest to bring down the paper after it published an article about he and his wife, Demi Moore. Village Voice claimed the pair had used exaggerated numbers when campaigning against sex-trafficking.

Ashton then used his Twitter social networking page to contact huge businesses such as American Airlines, Disney and Domino’s Pizza to get them to drop their advertising from the site.

“Hey @disney @dominos are you aware that you are advertising on a site that owns and operates a digital brothel?” he tweeted.

Now despite stating he is ready to put his battle ‘to bed’ he has launched another scathing attack on his blog.

Kutcher writes that Village Voice has a vested interest in downplaying the problem of sex trafficking. The paper and its website end with a huge section called backpage.com that advertises jobs, cars for sale and apartments for rent, and also escort services, “body rubs” and “adult jobs.”

“The Village Voice has repeatedly attempted to reduce sex trafficking to an ‘under-age’ issue,” Ashton wrote.

“And while they claim to spend millions of dollars fighting underage sex trafficking, they fail to address the countless number of girls that are over the age of 18 and being forced by their pimps and traffickers to post ads on Backpage.com. I have personally had conversations with many of these victims and have heard horror stories confirming this.”

Kutcher launched a campaign called ‘Real Men Don’t Buy Girls’ but was angered by the article published by the Voice called, ‘Real Men Get Their Facts Straight’.

In his latest blog he suggests is selling victims next to couches and bicycles and claims they are trying to ‘discredit’ his fight against the cause.

He signs off with a warning: “As for advertisers, it’s my intention to continue to make them aware of who you are and what happens on your platform. They can do with that what they choose.”

[From Radar Online]

I get that Ashton and Demi want to protect kids and women from human trafficking and that’s admirable. Whether it’s 200,000, 800 or 8 kids that are being exploited yearly, it’s one too many. It’s good that this guy has a cause and that he’s raising awareness of it, even if it may be slightly misguided. (And I’m not saying it is, although I found the Voice article convincing.) However, he’s now going after the Village Voice and their advertisers hard right after they posted a negative article questioning his knowledge of the issue he claims to hold dear. This is a guy who blogs Internet hoaxes without checking snopes and has admitted he’s prepared for armageddon. The ad compaign for this charity was ridiculous. I don’t find Ashton an authority on much and it doesn’t help his argument that he’s striking out at the Voice right after they ran a well researched article questioning his cause.

However, Ashton did post some letters to his website from the Seattle Police department asking the Village Voice to help combat underage prostitution by running an age verification ID check for the classifieds in their “backpage” section. This seems completely reasonable and like something the Voice should institute. It just strikes me that there’s a better way to ensure that happens.

Ashton is shown on 5/18/11. Credit: WENN.com

Halle Berry did an interview with Extra to help publicize her work with the Jenesse center for abused and battered women and children. (Video above and here.) Halle looked really hot in a lot cut fuschia dress that she wore to a fundraiser for the center over the weekend. Her face was impossibly smooth and glowing. If I could get some injectables, laser resurfacing and Botox and look as supernaturally perfect as Halle I would do it in a heartbeat. I’d probably get the dermatologist who ended up making me look like Jill Zarin, though. Maybe it’s genetics plus injectables though, like some people look more normal after getting work done.

Halle told Terri Seymour about how she helped set up a special room with clothing, art and educational materials at the shelter called “Nahla’s world.” She said that there’s a stigma associated with staying at a shelter but that she wanted to create something aspirational for the women there. Terri asked about Halle’s boyfriend, Oliver Martinez, who went to the fundraising event to support her. Halle got kind of excited and said “he is really proud and you know, he’s inspired. He’s got his own ideas of how he can get involved in the center and help the boys… be sort of a male figure.”

Terri said it’s been a year since she saw Halle at the last fundraiser and asked her what her year has been like. She answered. “It’s been a year full of challenges, but every year seems challenging in one way or another.” As for whether custody is going well she said “It is, and you know what, that’s a relief. When there’s a child involved, it’s a relief when you can resolve things in a good way. Our issues were never about fighting for her, you know? We know that a child needs both parents but I think what I want to say about it is that sometimes as a couple you reach an impasse. We need a court and a judge to help us work out some of the delicate issues, and I’m so happy we’ve arrived at that place… because for her sake, this is the best way. So we’re good… It’s a huge relief, because we both love her more than life.”

Halle talks a good game and you could tell she was being careful about how she phrased things. Extra! reports that this is the first time she’s spoken publicly about her custody battle, and I could have sworn that wasn’t the case. Only Halle has just leaked stories to the press in the past to try and make Gabriel out to be the bad guy. When she finally deigns to talk publicly, she couches everything in vague concepts like she was just an average mom getting a divorce who didn’t exploit her daughter’s normal emotions about her parents splitting up in order to try and malign her ex. She probably feels like she handled it all normally too, because the end result is that she’s reached a peaceful agreement with Gabriel. Rumor has it that he had some real dirt on her and that’s why she was so willing to play nice.

Kaiser pointed me to this story on Gawker with some new PSAs I guess you would call them for Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s campaign to bring awareness to human trafficking and child sex slavery. My reaction is very similar to Gawker’s editorial, in that I issue a very hearty WTF?! The “PSAs” feature celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Sean Penn and Jamie Foxx doing stupid sh*t like ironing grilled cheese sandwiches, shaving with a chainsaw and opening a beer with a remote. They end the PSAs with their tagline “Real Men Know How To…” whatever and then concluding “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls.” Ok, but how are those two concepts even related, and how did someone greenlight these videos? They’re making really dumb light beer commercials out of kids being sold in slavery. It’s mind numbingly stupid and makes light of the issue, as Gawker notes:

Everyone needs a joke now and then, but do we really need one now, when discussing the very real and very horrifying problem of sex slavery? Hm, no, I don’t think we do? So it’s a bit strange that that’s the angle Ash and Dem chose to go with these ads, featuring silly things that Real Men are doing followed by Jessica Biel or Eva Longoria informing us who are Real Men. See, Real Men don’t buy sex slaves. See that’s how that works. So… no more sex slaves then, because Sean Penn made a grilled cheese? Right. Sean Penn, the original hobo with a shotgun, has once again rescued us from a great injustice, and this time he didn’t need to live in a tent or anything! Thank you also, Jamie Foxx and Bradley Cooper, two men who have totally never hired prostitutes, for bringing this issue to light.

So yeah. What was anyone thinking? Nobody knows. Ashton and Demi should maybe consult with a PR person or something next time. Guys, before you do your jokey ads with Lake Bell and Mila Kunis supporting spina bifida research, maybe make sure you’re not accidentally making light of the problem first.

[From Gawker]

Remember when Demi and Ashton put out a supposedly “funny” video around Christmastime, 2007 where Ashton played Santa and Demi was a sexy reindeer? It was supposed to be funny but it just made no sense and was incredibly dumb. Only in that case they weren’t trying to advocate for an important cause. Then in January, 2009 then had a video that they put out with their friends meant to promote Obama’s USA Service Pledge that was in no way endorsed or approved by Obama’s people.

So Demi and Ashton, both followers of the Kabbalah cult which is being investigated by the IRS for potential fraud and is being sued by a wealthy victim who claims that they start charity projects that never materialize, have started their own foundation. They’re advertising it through these ridiculous videos and they’re asking for donations through their website DemiAndAshton.org and on Facebook. So while it seems admirable they’re involved in a worthy cause, these videos don’t seem to be doing much to bring awareness to it, and it’s possible that whatever money they collect for it will go the same way as Madonna’s Raising Malawi project – nowhere.

Bradley Cooper:

Jamie Foxx:

Old Spice Guy:

To quote Michael K at DListed – something in the milk ain’t clean.