I have an embarrassing confession to make. I am a member of Hoff Space, the David Hasselhoff social networking site. I signed up a few months ago to write a story – I mean how many celebs make up their own MySpace instead of just joining it? I’d completely forgotten about it until today, when this email popped up in my inbox.

Yep, you’re reading that right. Either The Hoff sure knows how to market himself, or he’s just like the rest of us and a little cash strapped this holiday season. What I really love is the price: $30 for a personalized photo. And you’ve got to admit, those are some sexy pictures. Nothing has ever made me feel so conflicted about my feelings towards Santa Claus as pictures of a shirtless David Hasselhoff in swim trunks, holding a surfboard, and donning a Santa robe. The sex appeal is undeniable.

This is obviously a great “for the person who has everything” sort of present. In fact I’m going to buy at least a dozen and keep them wrapped as good “just in case” gifts. You know how there’s always that one person who stops by with a thoughtful present and it didn’t occur to you to get them anything? Blamo: David Hasselhoff to the rescue. I’m also considering some of the larger prints: like it says, both framing and laminating are available. And nothing says classy like a 4 by 6 foot laminated David Hasselhoff photo hanging above a broken futon. Now go buy half a dozen right now. You know at least six people in your life want this.

Roger Clemens has taken beating after beating in the media since his unceremonious return to retirement from major league baseball. First, it was his lackluster return to the NY Yankees, then the allegations that Clemens was a steroid user- which he vigorously but not very convincingly denied - and now, his former mistress, whom he began a relationship with when she was only 16, is talking about their decade-long affair.

McCready, 32, told “Inside Edition” she met Clemens when she was 16, not 15, as reported by the Daily News last April. She told the news magazine they met in a karaoke bar, that her relationship with the pitcher didn’t turn sexual until several years later and the relationship lasted for a decade.

During their relationship, McCready says Clemens treated her “like a princess,” but that she still regrets the relationship with the married athlete.

“Carrying on a relationship with him is not something I’m proud of,” she said, according to a partial transcript released by the show.

Clemens in May denied having an affair with a 15-year-old but didn’t specifically address whether he had a romance with McCready. He issued a statement that “I have made mistakes in my personal life for which I am sorry.”

Clemens’ lawyer, Rusty Hardin, did not respond to an e-mail for comment Monday.

“We never had a meeting in secret. We went on vacations together. We went to Palm Springs. We went to Las Vegas, New York City,” McCready told “Inside Edition.” I wanted him to do right by me … and when he wouldn’t, I broke it off.”

But McCready, who was once engaged to “Superman” star Dean Cain, was quoted by the Daily News as saying: “I didn’t want to get married to him and I don’t want to get married now. He should have done right by his family — a person is unhappy in their marriage and spending all their personal time with someone else, you need to do right by your marriage. He should have just told Debbie and been honest with her. If he didn’t want to be with her and wanted to be with me, he should have told her.”

McCready regrets any hurt inflicted on Debbie Clemens’ the pitcher’s wife.

“I have nothing but remorse and nothing but sympathy for what she’s had to go through with this situation, and she has my utmost apology,” she told “Inside Edition.”

[From Fox News]

First Roger gets thrown under the bus by his trainer, then his best friend, fellow Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, and now his former mistress. It’s probably not a good time to be The Rocket right now.

For those of you following the strange saga of Mindy McCready, whose life is shaping up to be a doozy of a country song, the singer has been in and out of jail over the past couple of years on charges tracing back to her fraudulent use of prescription painkillers, alcohol abuse and domestic abuse charges - none of which involved the All-Star pitcher.

Roger Clemens is shown testifying about allegations of steroid use by professional ball players before the US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on 3/12/08. Mindy McCready is shown on 6/7/08. Credit: WENN

Ashlee and husband Pete Wentz on 5/31/08. Credit: PRPhotos
- Ashlee Simpson may get her labor induced. Hang in there Ashlee! [Celebrity Baby Scoop]
- Cloris Leachman was hospitalized for a “bad cold” but she’s ok now [Popeater]
- Twilight stars unscripted (link leads to video) [Moviefone]
- Most midnight showings of Twilight on Thursday are sold out [Radar Online]
- Getting divorced is even harder in this bad economy [Black Voices]
- Bad celebrity fashion [Stylelist]
- Did Maria Shriver make her husband, CA governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, sleep on the couch until Obama won? [Bild]
- Domino Day 2008. My husband loves to watch this every year [Cityrag]
- Kim Kardashian bikini pics [Bastardly]
- Will Smith and Rosario Dawson at the premiere of Seven Pounds [The YBF]
- Easy five minute recipes for your family [ParentDish]
- Chloe Sevigny bikini pictures [The Blemish]
- Behind the scenes phtoos of Scarlett Johansson for Allure [Popcrunch]
- Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer went on a double date with Nicole Richie and Joel Madden. Or they just ran into each other and hung out. [The Insider]
- Crocs are finally waning in popularity [Agent Bedhead]
- George Clooney: keeper of the stache [Defamer]
- Barack Obama is one of GQ’s Men of the Year [Concrete Loop Sexy GQ Outtake Pictures [Popoholic]
- Amy Winehouse brings the beehive back [Seriously? OMG! WTF?]
- Goldie Hawn steps out without a bra in a sheer top [CelebNewsWire]
- Charlize Theron and John Galliano in a ridiculous outfit. [Best Week Ever]
- Rihanna and Justin Timberlake’s “Rehab” video [PopBytes]

Heartthrob Johnny Depp, 45, is playing the Mad Hatter in a Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland. A photo reportedly of Johnny in costume and makeup has been leaked online. His hair stands out in curly coils from the sides his head and Depp’s face is white with red streaks on his cheeks and around eyes. Talented at playing nearly unrecognizable, eccentric characters, Depp will bring his unique take to the role.

Alice in Wonderland also stars Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, and Crispin Glover. It will be part Beowulf-type live action CGI and part live footage. Alice is due out in theaters in March, 2010 and given how far away the release date is this seems like a genuine photo leak and not an attempt to drum up publicity for the film. You never know, though.

Doesn’t it look like Depp has gained a little weight? His cheeks look a little fuller, although it could be the makeup. Like some of the advance photos of Heath Ledger as the Joker that came out ahead of The Dark Knight, there’s always the possibility that someone cooked this up in Photoshop.

Photo from ComingSoon.net via WeSmirch.

Hello! Magazine has a retrospective on Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ two year marriage, including quotes from insiders on how they make it all work. Some of Hello!’s sources are named, and seem to have dependable, maybe pre-approved, insight on the Hollywood couple who look, dress, speak, and smile vacantly alike. They even have a few tidbits from Cruise himself, who says he was taken by surprise by the romance. Hello! says that Katie met Tom while auditioning for a role on MI3, and it sounds like that information comes directly from Cruise, although it’s hard to tell. Katie was largely rumored to have been among a pool of actresses to have been invited to a personal meeting with Cruise with the purpose of finding him a famous girlfriend. Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Alba are among the other young women who were asked to an interview with him at the Scientology Centre. It turned out well no matter the intent of their meeting, and Cruise says that they proved their critics wrong by lasting two years.

Tom Cruise: ‘And they said it wouldn’t last. I guess we proved them wrong’
“And they said it wouldn’t last.” Those were Tom Cruise’s words a couple of weeks ago after I congratulated him on the approaching second anniversary of his marriage to Katie Holmes.

We were backstage… in NY City after one of Katie’s performances… “I guess we proved them wrong, didn’t we?” Tom laughed.

It’s certainly true that many believed the union of Tom and Katie was destined to fail. “It’s because it came out of left field,” the 46-year-old actor reasoned. “I get it. It was a big surprise to us, so why wouldn’t it be the same to everyone else?”

On how they met: it was a MI3 audition
So, exactly how did it happen? Tom and 29-year-old Katie seldom talk about how they met, preferring to keep such personal stories sacred between them. So, on the occasion of their anniversary on 18 November, here’s the true story of their modern-day fairytale.

Back on 11 April 2005, Katie flew from NY to LA to audition for a possible role in the Tom Cruise movie, Mission: Impossible III However, after she met Tom, the movie became the farthest thing from her mind. “The chemistry between us was instantaneous,” she later explained. “If ever there was love at first sight, that was it. Tom was the most lethally attractive man I have ever met.”

His intellect, his drive, his sense of humour… his good looks - Katie said she was bowled over by all of it. As it happened, he felt the same way about her. “She is an absolutely spectacular woman,” is how he put it. In fact, the two spent so much time savouring each other’s company, they didn’t even discuss the movie.

[From Hello! Magazine, print edition, November 25, 2008]

The insiders quoted by Hello! give some information about the goings-on in the TomKat marriage. Katie is said to have been overwhelmed and afraid by the paparazzi attention right after Suri was born, but Tom told her that it would pass. She soon learned to handle it and matured quickly in the past two years to say the least.

A source claims that Tom was reluctant for Katie to return to work after Suri was born because he thought it would be too much given his dual career experience with his ex Nicole. She gradually convinced him though by waiting and letting him warm up to the idea before she took the role in Mad Money and then on Broadway.

There does seem to be some trouble in paradise as Katie is said to want to stay in NY while Tom is jetting back and forth from LA. That isn’t in Hello! though, and is reported in the November 24 issue of Star, so it’s likely completely fabricated. These two aren’t going away anytime soon unfortunately, although lasting two years isn’t really proving critics wrong. Maybe by Hollywood standards it is.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are shown in the header on 10/31/08 and below on 10/20/08. Credit: WENN

The young stars attended the much anticipated premiere of the film Twilight, based on the first book in popular young adult vampire series by Stephenie Meyer. Advance buzz for the film, which features relatively unknown actors Robert Pattison and Kristen Stewart, has been enormous, especially among teens. The film, about a young girl who falls in love with a vampire, is put out by small film studio Summit Entertainment and is expected to be a box office smash. There are three additional books in the series by Meyer and if Twilight is a hit we can expect to see a phenomenon to rival Harry Potter.

The film, directed by Catherine Hardwicke (”13″ and “Lords of Dogtown”), arrives Friday on 5,500 screens with the industry already abuzz with reports about spectacular advance ticket sales. During the last few weeks, I’ve been hearing from studio marketing chiefs, who all seem in awe of the word-of-mouth groundswell for the film.

When the film’s young stars, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, showed up at Comic-Con last July, they were greeted by Beatlemania-style screams. Last week, 10,000 kids showed up at a Dallas mall to mob them. They’ve been on the cover of Entertainment Weekly and several teen tabloids as well as all over MTV.

But what’s amazing is that one of Hollywood’s biggest studios had the project for years and simply let it go. “Twilight” was originally at Paramount’s MTV Films, which spent nearly two years trying to develop the picture before the studio put the project in turnaround. A second studio, Fox Atomic, also passed on the project before it came Summit’s way.

It wasn’t as if “Twilight’s” teen appeal was exactly a secret. The second novel in Meyer’s series, “New Moon,” debuted at No. 5 on the New York Times bestseller list for children’s books when it was released in 2006. It hit No. 1 the following week and remained in the top position for 11 straight weeks. The fourth installment, “Breaking Dawn,” sold 1.3 million copies in its first day of release. The entire series has now sold 8.5 million copies in the U.S., more than 17 million copies worldwide.

[From The LA Times]

Considered a Romeo and Juliet tale with vampires, you can see Twilight’s appeal among the younger set. At least 250 people camped out overnight to make sure to secure their spot for last night’s premiere.

Expect the stars to earn millions and get a lot more media attention. Pattison, 22, previously played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Stewart, 18, starred In the Land of Women and Into the Wild.

Here’s a trailer for Twilight, which is out Friday in the US.

Thanks to WENN for these photos from the premiere last night in LA.

Rarely does Tyra Banks do anything good, as far as I can tell. Unless it benefits her in some way. Thus I’m sort of conflicted about her doing what appears to be a good dead for transgender former “America’s Next Top Model” contestant Isis King. Tyra surprised Isis on her show by telling her she was finally getting her sex change operation, thanks to a surgeon who had the surgery herself. Millionaire Tyra isn’t paying for the surgery, the doctor is.

Tyra Banks surprises Isis King, the first transgender contestant on America’s Next Top Model, with sex reassignment surgery in an episode of her talk show to air Tuesday. “This is not happening!” King, who was born Darrell Walls, says when Banks introduces her to Dr. Marci Bowers, a leading gender reassignment surgeon who has experienced the surgery herself. Bowers is paying for the surgery.

“[I feel] like I’m about to wake up,” says King - who lived in a homeless shelter in Maryland before trying out for the show. The 22-year-old hadn’t gone under the knife yet because she couldn’t afford the $20,000 to $35,000 price tag.

“It’s hard. I try not to think about it because it is something I’m really passionate about,” she says. “I feel like I really was born in the wrong body, and it’s just the one thing that makes me feel uncomfortable.” King wouldn’t allow photos of herself as a male shown on the 11th season of ANTM, but reveals them for the first time on The Tyra Banks Show.

Why was she hesitant about the pictures? “I look at it like yes, I’m the first transgender contestant, but okay, lets move past it now,” King explains. “I’m just a woman trying to compete just like everyone else.”

[From Us Weekly]

This is obviously something Isis has wanted for a really long time, so I’m glad she’s getting it, no matter what. And I guess it makes sense that Tyra can’t pay for the surgery herself because then she’d be more obligated to all of her contestants and guests. Overall, it seems like she did a good thing. Certainly she’ll get ratings and a lot of press for it, so she’s not without benefit. But ultimately Isis will benefit the most and finally feel like her outside matches her inside, and that counts for a lot.

Here’s Isis on “America’s Next Top Model.”

You’ve got to hand it to the PR team behind the Victoria’s Secret’s annual fashion show. They made a non-event, consisting of little more than a bunch of models walking down a catwalk in their underwear, into a nationally televised obsession - complete with rock stars, after parties, gossip and plenty of photo opps. It’s become the Super Bowl of underpants.

This year’s models included senior stateswoman of sexy Heidi Klum, mother of three who rocked the runway (I try to hate her for it, but I can’t), along with Miranda Kerr, Selita Ebanks, Doetzen Kroes, Marissa Miller and Alessandra Ambrosio.

Victoria’s Secret brought the sexy to South Beach Saturday at their annual fashion show, featuring Angels’ Heidi Klum, Alessandria Ambrosia, Miranda Kerr, Karolina Kurkova and more supermodels strutting their stuff.

While Diddy, Terrence Howard, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Lenny Kravitz, Martha Stewart and John Stamos all scored front row seats to the show and Usher’s performance at the Fontainebleau Resort, Aubrey O’Day was relegated to fifth row status. During the show, models catwalked carefully, as the runway was filled with broken glass.

“I already cut my foot once in rehearsal!” Karolina told me backstage before she hit the stage. Luckily, the leggy model worked the runway with no problem during the real thing. And once the sexy show ended, the serious partying began…

At the official afterparty at LIV, Diddy, Terrence Howard and the VS models had their own VIP area on the stage, while all other stars in attendance had to settle for tables on the dance floor stocked with bottles of Belvedere.

As for the rumor Miranda Kerr is engaged to Orlando Bloom, insiders insist it’s not true. The adorable Aussie chatted up Stavros Niarchos with no bling on her ringfinger.

Former friends Paris and Kim had tables directly across from each other, and it seems like Kim’s got more famous friends these days. While Paris was joined only by her BFF candidates, Kim had her sister Kourteney, Kristin Cavallari, Mario Lopez all hanging out with her.

Heidi Klum opted to avoid the packed club, instead heading to Blade with hubby Seal. The lovey dovey duo held hands and sipped champagne as they hung with Usher and Lenny Kravitz. And although A-Rod skipped the VS show, he made a late night appearance at Blade.

[From E!Online]

The thing to keep in mind here is that once you strip away the partying, celebs and TV cameras, it’s really a glorified version of the Victoria’s Secret catalog. In the end, they want us to buy stuff. So, let’s take a look at the garments themselves and see if they’re worth the hype. There were some very pretty underthings showcased on the runway, but since it’s a fashion show, of course the visuals were amped up with angel wings, giant capes an other weird accessories that you can’t get at the mall, and probably wouldn’t be able to fit in your closet. My favorite was the green bra and panty set worn by Doetzen Kroes - it’s a great color and I’d definitely buy it. Of course, there are a few “WTF?” moments where it looks like the stylist just threw a bunch of products on a girl hoping to get as much commercial exposure as possible.

Images from the 2008 Victoria’s Secret Fashion show, including a live performance by Usher. Because when you think of lingerie, don’t you think of Usher? Photo credits:WENN.

March 2008 Playmate of the Month Ida Ljungqvist is involved in a custody battle with her ex. They’re not fighting over who the kids get to live with though. Ljungqvist’s husband of under a year, Joshua R. Lang, claims she took his dog from him without permission when they separated in September. Ljungqvist says the dog was a gift, but her ex claims he adopted it as a pup and it’s rightfully his. Lang says the dog, Bonnie, is like a child to him and he wants visitation rights and co-custody. He’s spent thousands in attorney’s fees trying to exercise his right to see the dog and claims that Ljungqvist offered him $200,000 to take the chihuahua with her to Europe. Ljungqvist denies this, and it’s a real he-said she-said when it comes to who owns and cares for the dog. If only all animals could be so wanted:

Lang wants visitation, spent thousands in attorney’s fees
Joshua R. Lang, who married March 2008 Playmate Ida Ljungqvist last Dec. 7, bought Bonnie in the City of Commerce in February when the Chihuahua was 1 month old. He claims the dog is his and that Ljungqvist took the canine without permission when they separated on Sept. 11.

Lang, who filed for divorce on Sept. 19, is asking a Santa Monica Superior Court commissioner to order Ljungqvist to bring back the dog to him immediately, or to allow him visitation with the pet during alternating weeks.

In a sworn declaration, Lang says he has spent “an enormous amount of attorneys’ fees on this issue” because he believes the cause is worthwhile.

“I love Bonnie and miss her tremendously,” his declaration says. “She is like my child and I want to have her returned to me, or in the very least I want to exercise custody of her.”

Ljungqvist says the dog was a gift
But Ljungqvist — the first African-born Playmate — maintains Lang purchased the dog for her as a gift during difficult times between the couple. She does not wish to part with the animal, according to one of her lawyers, Jeffrey S. Helfer.

“For her to return the gift will not happen,” Helfer wrote in a letter to Lang’s attorney, Megan E. Green, who attached a copy of the missive to her client’s court papers. “If you intend to proceed forward in court, so be it.”

Helfer also denied Green’s statement, in a letter to him, that Ljungqvist offered to give Lang $200,000 if he allowed her to take the dog to Europe.

“Ms. Ljungqvist has no intentions of relocating from Los Angeles to Europe,” Helfer wrote. Commissioner David J. Cowan held a brief hearing on Lang’s motion on Monday. He postponed further proceedings until Nov. 24 so Ljungqvist’s lawyers can file papers on her behalf, according to another member of her legal team, Keith A. Fink.

“If the best show award was given for the silliest lawsuit, this matter would be the odds-on favorite to win,” Fink said. “Mr. Lang claims to be emotionally devastated not because he no longer is with his charming, beautiful and intelligent wife, but because he misses his Chihuahua Bonnie and wants joint custody.”

Ljungqvist claims he was the dog’s caregiver
A copy of Helfer’s letter was included within Lang’s court papers, which say he found Bonnie while searching online ad for puppies and bought the dog for $400. The night Lang brought the Chihuahua home, Ljungqvist chose to go out to dinner while he stayed home with the new puppy, according to his court papers.

“At no time did I tell Ida that Bonnie was a gift for her,” Lang states in his court papers. Lang says he walked the Chihuahua every day, took her to parks to play with other dogs, went hiking with the dog in Malibu and traveled with the animal to San Francisco and Arizona.

“Ida rarely, if at all, cared for Bonnie,” Lang states. Lang’s lawyer submitted a copy of a community petition from fellow pet owners at the Barrington dog park who support Lang and want Bonnie “returned to Mr. Lang as soon as possible.”

[From MSNBC, subheaders added]

Maybe if more divorcing couples had the resources of this two we would see more lawsuits in which exes fight over pet ownership. According to the Christian Science Monitor, many law schools including Harvard, Georgetown, and Yale, have animal law classes which include pet custody issues. Pets are considered personal property under the law, but animal rights activists encourage judges to take a broader view of animals and the emotional attachment they have with caregivers. In order to avoid battles over who gets custody of the pets, experts recommend that marrying couples sign off on a “pre-pup” agreement as well as a pre-nup.

Ida Ljungqvist is shown at the Marijuana Policy Project’s Party and Fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion on 6/12/08. Credit: WENN

Kelly Osbourne, 23, has been dating 18-year old model Luke Worrell since May of this year. They’ve been inseparable and sparked rumors about the seriousness of their relationship when Kelly was seen with a diamond on her left hand. The couple kept mum on what exactly the ring meant. This last weekend, however, Worrell officially announced his engagement to the rock-n-roll princess the best way an 18-year old knows how: on his Facebook page.

According to a Sunday newspaper, Luke yesterday changed his online relationship status to ‘engaged to Kelly Osbourne’.

His profile page has been inundated with congratulatory messages from friends and family, according to The People newspaper.

Relative Nicola Worrall wrote: ‘I’m pleased for you both xx’, while former babysitter Claire Merchant added: ‘Wow, you’ve come a long way from the little boy I used to love babysitting for’.

Luke is thought to have had the stamp of approval from Sharon Osbourne at a lunch meeting in July, but it is unclear what her reaction is to news of an engagement.

[From The Daily Mail]

Kelly and Luke were friends for a year before they became a couple, although for half of that year Worrell wasn’t even 18 yet and Kelly was over 21. But the point is they were friends for a reasonable amount of time before becoming romantically involved. They haven’t been dating long, and they’re both young, especially Worrell. Some would say they’re not the most mature couple, but maybe they’ll have a long engagement.

I don’t know anything about Worrell’s family, but I never missed an episode of The Osbournes and if anyone has seen how to make a marriage work through the most extreme of dysfunction, it’s Kelly Osbourne. I just hope Luke watched the show, too, so he’s got some idea of what he’s about to step into for life, however long that works out to be in celebrity land.

Kelly Osbourne is shown out with Luke Worrell on 10/11/08. She is also shown at LAX with her engagement ring on 11/14/08. Credit: WENN