After Brad and Angelina made a public appearance together last week, the tabloids are starting to do some backtracking from all their claims that the two are splitting up. The more audacious tabloids claimed that Brad was reuniting with his ex wife, Jennifer Aniston, based on the fact that both of them were at the same telethon at the same time. OK! ran a “Yes, they’re together again” cover with the banner “Exclusive” while Star claimed that Aniston told Pitt “I’ll take you back.” The split rumors originated with a story in British rag News of the World that stated that Brad and Angelina had visited a lawyer to sign some sort of agreement that would divide their assets in the event of a breakup.

Now OK! is trying to cover their butts for claiming that Brad was leaving Angelina for Jennifer. Their latest cover reads: “I still love Jen, but I can’t leave the kids” Tabloids rarely bother to correct their stories, so you know this is a big deal for OK! You can tell from the way the teaser article on OK!’s site is worded that they don’t have much new information and are just running with their earlier weak story. They quote “Brangelina” author Ian Halperin, a hack of the highest order, and promise “professional analysis on Brad’s usually unkempt beard,” and “photos of their most memorable happy moments.” The “professional analysis” is getting way out of hand with these two. We were subjected to US’s analysis of Angelina’s hastily signed signature yesterday and now it’s on to the beard that Brad is probably growing for a role.

Despite presenting a united front for awards season, glamorous couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s relationship is dissolving, according to several sources. Friends of Brad say he sometimes regrets leaving Jennifer Aniston and actually still loves her, but he stays with Angie for his children’s sake.

“Brad was very calm and mellow and gave a great, funny speech — he had everyone on the floor with his imitation of Quentin,” a witness tells OK! of their appearance at the Director’s Guild Awards. “He and Angie seemed very happy.”

Or so they would have us believe: Ian Halperin, author of Brangelina: The Untold Story, predicts the couple will announce their split “when no one expects it.”

Exclusively in the new issue of OK!, learn professional analysis on Brad’s usually unkempt beard, photos of their most memorable happy moments and snapshots of Brad bonding with each member of his brood.

[From OK!]

I just want all this Brangelina speculation to end. I do think they’re having problems, but my opinion is based on solely superficial evidence and their circumstances. At least I admit that I’m jumping to conclusions and won’t make blanket statements about how they’re doomed or a split is imminent. Until they make an announcement, we just don’t know. They did make an announcement of sorts with their joint appearance last week, and for now we can assume they’re together. I’ve seen couples that seem happily married split up and people that seem miserable stay together for decades. It’s hard to tell either way.

A couple of weeks ago, The NY Post reported that the former editor of Men’s Fitness claimed that his magazine scored a coveted exclusive interview with Tiger Woods in 2007 in exchange for The National Enquirer killing a story about Tiger cheating. (It was with the Perkins manager, Mindy Lawton, who eventually sold her story to News of the World.) Men’s Fitness and The National Enquirer are owned by the same company, American Media. Tiger has a million-plus multi-year deal with another publisher, Conde Nast, but he obtained their permission to do the rare interview with Men’s Fitness, which became a bestseller for them. I vaguely remember reading this story when it came out although I kind of dismissed it among all of the dizzying Tiger news.

Now that the insane details of Tiger’s frenetic cheating have come out outlets are wondering why we didn’t hear about this much earlier. The guy was not discreet at all and he was carrying on with over a dozen women. The Wall St. Journal has a new story that confirms The Post’s news about Tiger’s deal with Men’s Fitness and offers some more incriminating background. Apparently the Enquirer captured Tiger in a car with manager Mindy in a parking lot, but the photos were too blurry and faraway to be incriminating. They bluffed and Tiger’s people came up with the interview as a way to quash the story. There was even a whole contract with American Media laying out the terms of the interview in exchange for The Enquirer’s silence. The resulting interview was such a coup for Men’s Fitness that the writer who interviewed Tiger ended up being named as new editor. There was also an opening since the old editor took such offense to the backdoor deal with Tiger that he quit in protest.

Here’s the relevant part of the Wall St. Journal’s story. There’s more and it’s very well written and interesting. It really offers perspective on how powerful Tiger and his team are, and helps show how he got away with being a serial cheater with a sex addiction for so long.

The National Enquirer episode began with an encounter in the late winter or early spring of 2007 in a church parking lot near Mr. Woods’s home in Windermere, Fla., according to the people with direct knowledge of the situation. A person working on behalf of the National Enquirer, based in Boca Raton, Fla., tailed Mr. Woods to the empty parking lot, these people said. Hidden from view, the photographer snapped photographs of the married Mr. Woods meeting a woman in his car. After the encounter, the photographer followed Mr. Woods to a small airport, where the golfer got on a private jet and took off, those people said.

The photos were so poorly lit that it was nearly impossible to tell what the couple was doing in the parking lot, says one person who saw the pictures. This person said it was unlikely the story could have been published without more evidence. At any rate, the Enquirer notified Mr. Woods’s representatives and the woman in the photograph that the publication had photographic evidence of the golfer having an affair and was ready to expose the encounter, according to people directly involved. It didn’t disclose to Mr. Woods’s representatives that the quality of the photographs was so poor, according to those people.

Within hours, representatives of Mr. Woods told the Enquirer that Mr. Woods wouldn’t comment on the alleged affair, say people close to the matter. But the representatives made an offer: If the Enquirer dropped the story, Mr. Woods would sit for an elaborate interview for sister publication Men’s Fitness, according to people with direct knowledge of the arrangement.

After Mr. Woods’s camp offered the interview to American Media, people familiar with the matter say the company began negotiating with Lavely & Singer, a 15-lawyer firm in Los Angeles that is known for its aggressive tactics in disputes surrounding the publication of controversial articles about celebrities. Neither Jay Lavely Jr., who represents Mr. Woods, nor his partner, Martin Singer, responded to questions from the Journal.

After weeks of discussion, the two sides hammered out a contract detailing guidelines for the interview and the photo shoot, as well as the guarantee that the story of Mr. Woods’s rendezvous in the church parking lot wouldn’t be printed, according to a person who has seen the document.

The interview and photo shoot took place in 2007. “We had a great discussion,” said Roy S. Johnson, a former Sports Illustrated editor who was working as a freelance writer when he conducted the interview. “He worked out for us in the gym down there. He hit balls for us to be able to capture that wonderful swing. We talked about how he and Elin often worked out together.”

In the August 2007 issue, a beaming Mr. Woods appeared on the cover of Men’s Fitness. Inside, a 3,500-word story appeared, headlined “Tiger!” It was a coup for Men’s Fitness. The issue sold about 176,000 copies on the newsstand—more than 30% more than the average for the magazine’s 10 issues that year, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. In May 2007, Mr. Johnson was named editor in chief of Men’s Fitness.

[From The WSJ]

TMZ had a brief story earlier this week about how Tiger’s team was covering his cheating ass for years. They paid off mistresses and “resolved messy situations with women that ‘could reflect negatively on his squeaky-clean image.’” This only confirms my belief that the National Enquirer does some excellent investigative research to dig up dirt on celebrities. It’s par for the course that they’d bend over backwards to accommodate the world’s number one golfer. Dozens of women did the same. Tiger got away with jetting women around the world and hiring hookers while projecting the image of a happy family man for years. It begs the question: what are other rich and powerful celebrities and sports stars up to?

In Touch’s uncool Bermuda Triangle is much of the same crap they’re been shoveling for the past … what is now?… four years and ten months or so. I suppose the twist is that they’ve joined their normal “last straw” story of “Brad is sick of Angelina, must run back to Jennifer Aniston as fast as his little legs can carry him” with a more current story. This version is about Brad’s motorcycle accident over the weekend - according to IT, he got in the accident because he was in such a rush to meet Aniston. Oh, yes. The gerbils are leaking stories all over the place! Allegedly, Brad texted Jennifer to set up a meeting to talk about her rumored reunion with John Mayer. IT’s source claims Brad thinks Mayer is “nothing but trouble” but Jennifer is “rubbing the relationship in his face”. Ugh. So he asked for a meeting, and then got into an accident, and they didn’t meet, I guess. Whatever.

In Touch also say Angelina’s “retaliation” against “Brad’s independent streak” is to reconnect with her two ex-husbands, Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton. Some source overheard Billy Bob telling friends that he and Angelina speak all the time, and apparently, Angelina may still talk to Jonny. Which doesn’t sound that weird, because she and Jonny seemed to have maintained a genuine friendship for many years after their divorce. IT claims that “Angelina knows Brad gets jealous” of her relationships/friendships with men, and she speaks to men on purpose, knowing it will get him riled up. Whatver.

The National Enquirer also had a story revolving around the Triangle and the motorcycle crash, but it was kind of boring. The gist was that Jennifer Aniston was really scared that Brad could have hurt himself, while Angelina was all “meh”. Meanwhile, Life & Style‘s take on the accident was courtesy of a named eyewitness/resident of the building that Brad went to wait for help. Talia Schwartz claims: “He told the building manager that Angie was going to kill him because she thinks motorcycles are too dangerous.” Uh… but Angelina rides motorcycles too.

My favorite Brangelina tabloid story of the week comes from Star Magazine. It’s just as credible as all the other ones (re: not so much), but it made me laugh, and my mood definitely needs improvement. Star reports that while Brad and Angelina were staying in France, they got “married”. But not really… they just had a fake ceremony with Maddox acting as the justice of the peace. Seriously!

Brad and Angelina held an intimate, romantic marriage ceremony at their French chateau, with all six of their kids by their side.

“They threw themselves a wedding for the sake of the kids,” an insider tells Star. “Maddox has been pressing his parents to get married for a long time. It wasn’t legally binding, but it was important for them to have a special ceremony to let the kids know they’re just like married people.”

The ceremony was conducted by 8-year-old Maddox, who put Shiloh, 3, in charge of the rings. “He was adorable when he mispronounced the word ‘bearer’ and told Shiloh, ‘You’re the ring bear.’ She was thrilled,” the insider says.

Zahara was the flower girl, Pax got to be best man and 15-month-old twins Knox and Vivienne giggled as they watch the ritual unfold in the Grand Hall of the magnificent Chateau Miraval.

“Mad was so honored to marry Mommy and Daddy… He learned all about traditional wedding vows and memorized a lot of it. But he ended up reading off a piece of paper.” Brad and Angie also read their favorite poems and stories aloud.

The bride wore a simple, flowing white dress while the groom was dashing in a suit. “All the kids wore costumes… Shiloh had her sword, Maddox was in a camouflage army top while Pax dressed in an Adidas outfit. Zahara wore a dress and a plastic Disney tiara.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, November 9 2009]

The wedding meal provided to the wedding party was home-baked bread, salad and cheeseburgers. And one cake, which led to a food fight - “Angie couldn’t stop laughing… Shi had cake in her hair!” Star also claims that Brad got emotional, like a little girl. He apparently called his family and told them about the “wedding” and now he and Angelina are thinking about doing it for real. Yeah… I don’t think that it will happen, but the image of Shiloh as “ring bear” and Zahara in her tiara is a good one, isn’t it?

Earlier this week, we covered Star Magazine’s current cover story, “95 lbs! Tori Spelling Collapses!” What was strange about it (in my mind) was that Star didn’t really spend too much time on the “Tori Spelling is too thin, she must have an eating disorder” part of the gossip. Instead, the story was mostly about how Tori is really upset after reading or hearing about Dean McDermott’s ex-wife Mary Jo Eustace’s book. Eustace’s book is full of many, many stories about Tori and Dean, and Star happily excerpted even more. Star’s report made it sound like Tori was really, really stressed out, and that’s why she was hospitalized last week.

Tori took to her Twitter account to rebuke the “LIES” in Star’s report. But all she really corrects is her weight, not the part about Mary Jo’s book. Star claimed Tori weighs “95 lbs!” when Tori claims she actually weighs 107 pounds. Eh. Really? I’d actually put her at something closer to 115 pounds, given her height and those massive, disgusting implants. Saline counts when you’re calculating your weight, Tori!

Here’s the skinny. Tori Spelling is slamming a Star cover story that alleges she collapsed and had to be rushed to the ER for being drastically underweight at 95 pounds.

The Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood star, 36, took to her Twitter account to set the record straight.

“Star Mag…LIES!” she posted Thursday. “Literally not 1 factual thing in entire article. And, come 2 my house & weigh me Star! I’m 107lbs. if you care about FACTS?!?”

The tabloid alleges that a painfully thin Spelling collapsed after an “angry showdown” with husband Dean McDermott, whose ex-wife has written an incriminating tell-all.

The 90210 alum was indeed admitted to the hospital twice within 24 hours on Sept. 29 — but for an undisclosed stomach ailment, her rep confirmed to Usmagazine.com.

Spelling has come under fire in the past for her thin frame, but told Us Weekly in June: “I am healthy…I am a busy working mom!” The actress went on, adding that she’s “always gotten” picked on for her slim body size.

“This is my weight, and I’m not unhealthy,” Spelling insisted. “I’m very healthy. It is hard to be criticized in public, and it’s harder for your family to deal with it than you. You kind of get a thick skin. When you have kids and when you have a husband, it’s upsetting.”

[From Us Weekly]

Well, I guess it’s nice that a celebrity responded directly to a tabloid lie. However, the problem with that is the sin of omission. Since Tori didn’t directly respond to the part of the story about Mary Jo’s book, can we assume it’s true? There in lies the rub, celebrities. I do applaud Tori for “revealing” her weight though - I don’t think many celebrities would do that to correct a tabloid story. Revealing your weight is like revealing how many people you’ve slept with.

Kirstie Alley is featured on the cover of The National Enquirer this week in a story that claims she has only four years to live. Hidden in small font under the headline are the words “expert predicts,” and if you read the article it’s just a calculation of her life expectancy based on her current weight. The Enquirer had a similar “celebrity could be dying” cover story with Oprah in May in which they claimed she had just three years to live. The little words “expert predicts” were written on that cover, too.

Alley is predictably outraged about this, and claims that the cover upset her 85 year-old father. She is urging her followers on Twitter to harass an employee at the National Enquirer, who I won’t name here. Regardless Alley seems to think this woman had a hand in the story despite the fact that she’s not listed as an author at all. Alley’s tweets on the matter are ominous and she practically threatens the woman, calling her “fair game” and saying she’ll expose her photos and secrets. Alley lists the Enquirer employee’s contact information, including her e-mail and phone number, and asks people to contact her. The term “Fair Game” is used by Alley’s cult, Scientology, and refers to the practice of revealing damaging information about detractors and harassing them relentlessly until they back down.

THat’s [name redacted] [phone number redacted]. [email address redacted]..show S SOME LOVE..tell her my DADDY sent you..More news on S to follow
about 23 hours ago from web

Please call Ms. [name redacted].Your natural instinct will be to be kind.Pretend your father just called you panicked that you were dying.Bang Bang
about 23 hours ago from web

@mladenstanisic SHe IS famous isn’t she? Now she really IS a public figure. Fair Game for Public photos and speech. Same terms as Me..lol
about 23 hours ago from web in reply to mladenstanisic

S[name redacted] …watch your back honey..two can play at the INFO and picture game and YOU are a public figure now too, girly girl..click click
10:07 AM Aug 16th from web

nasty writers dirty little secrets..and I will be happy to EXPOSE them right here on twitter. Nasty Writers beware of the truth..
10:04 AM Aug 16th from web

It also is never the answer to harm their loved ones when they are not even the target. I am NO DOVE,but I won’t hesitate to EXPOSE these
10:02 AM Aug 16th from web

IIT PROVOKES me to do the same thing to them and their families as I CAN GET THEIR PRIVATE DATA. But my religion teaches ignore and flourish
10:00 AM Aug 16th from web

to buy this sh*t. It wreaks havoc on families and friends,just like any other bullying except it is on a world wide scale.Oo Daddy,look away
9:58 AM Aug 16th from web

I am sharing this with you because it truly is the highest form of insidious evil bullying that exists.What you CAN do about it, is refuse
9:57 AM Aug 16th from web

I don’t care for myself..If it wasn’t weight it’s been some other lies for 28 years..but it breaks my heart when my Dad worries about it..
9:56 AM Aug 16th from web

I DESPISE THE F*CKING NATIONAL ENQUIRER!!!! My 85 year old amazing father just called to ask me if “I AM DYING” Bless his heart..EVIL F*CKS
9:48 AM Aug 16th from web

[From Kirstie Alley's Twitter, names, contact information and swear words redacted]

I get that this cover upsets Alley, it would make anyone mad, but the best way to handle would be to simply dismiss it and/or explain that it’s a ruse to sell tabloids. The news cycle is fast, and if you handle something like this with grace it will go away much quicker. Instead, Alley is attacking someone personally. That says more about her “religion” and personal ethics than any of her assurances to the contrary.

I contacted renowned Scientology expert Dr. Dave Touretzky from Carnegie Mellon University to ask his opinion on Alley’s use of “fair game” and harassing tactics. He thinks that it’s not related to her involvement in the cult and could be an innocent, natural response to a tabloid story that attacks her:

1. “Fair game” is a common English idiom; it’s not unique to Scientology, like certain other terms are.

2. Alley was never on staff in Scientology, much less in the Sea Org.
She has only been a “public” Scientologist, i.e., a parishioner.
Scientology tends to hide the internal ugliness from its public members.
She may not even be aware of the Scientology “fair game” policy.

3. Alley was twittering to a large audience. She has not been one to use Scientology jargon when talking to the general public. Why would she start now?

While Alley’s threat to expose writers’ “dirty little secrets” does have a Scientological ring to it, this is also what the Enquirer does to celebrities, so Alley is really just saying that turnabout is fair play.

Botom line: I think her usage of “fair game” was innocent, and you can quote me on that.

[From Dr. Dave Touretzky, received via e-mail]

What do you think, is Alley engaging in Scientology smear tactics, is she fighting back against a mean tabloid that personally hurt her, or is it a little of both? Would you go after someone if a story came out in the national press that you were dying, or would you laugh it off and say it isn’t true?

Star Magazine is focusing this week on the supposed marital trouble between former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd. Judging by the teaser article on their site, they’re relying heavily on quotes from the sister of Sarah’s daughter Bristol’s former boyfriend, Levi Johnston. If you had trouble following that, you’re not the only one. They also quote from a brief interview in which Levi confirmed that there was trouble in the Palins’ marriage. In that original interview, conducted by Radar Online, Levi doesn’t volunteer the information that the Palins are having marital problems, and has to be goaded by the reporter into giving those quotes. When he’s first asked why Sarah resigned her position as governor, Levi says she is “following the money,” presumably from her book deal. Then when he’s asked directly if Sarah’s rumored marriage problems led her to resign, he’s like “Oh, yeah.” It’s a pretty weak reassurance from a guy who has an axe to grind. I’m not saying the Palins aren’t having marriage problems, but they deny that they are and Levi’s quotes aren’t exactly enough to base a story on. The quotes from Levi’s sister, Mercede, are also suspect.

Sarah Palin’s husband Todd smiled happily and stood lovingly by his wife’s side last year during her vice presidential campaign. But behind the scenes, their marriage was in turmoil — and now they’re on the brink of a shocking divorce!

In the Aug. 24 issue of Star, on sale today, we have world exclusive details about Alaska’s former first couple and their disintegrating union: They’re sleeping apart, arguing non-stop and losing control of their party-loving daughters!

“Sarah and Todd are fighting all the time,” Mercede Johnston — sister of Levi Johnston, ex-boyfriend of Sarah’s eldest daughter, Bristol — tells Star in an exclusive interview. “When they do, Todd often ends up sleeping on the couch at their home in Wasilla. Bristol used to tell Levi that her parents would argue and bicker over the littlest things, like who was supposed to take out the trash or wash the dishes.”

Levi, the father of Bristol’s 7-month-old son, Tripp, recently told RadarOnline.com that Sarah and Todd have had marital trouble “from day one,” and that he believed their escalating problems were the reason behind her mysterious decision to resign as governor of Alaska last month with more than a year left in her term.

His sister Mercede predicts: “If they ended their marriage within the next year, I wouldn’t be surprised at all. It really seems to me their marriage is just a sham for the cameras now!”

Another possibility, an Alaskan insider tells Star, is that with Sarah’s multi-million-dollar book deal in place, “she might even come to some financial agreement for him to stay with her and give the impression of a loving husband, at least through her book tour next year. In that respect, they’d be like the Jon and Kate Gosselin of politics!”

And like the TLC reality stars, Todd and Sarah have their brood of children to worry about — and their worries keep growing with a new family scandal. Star has an eyewitness account of their 15-year-old daughter Willow drinking vodka and smoking pot at a wild house party! “Her eyes were getting more and more glazed as the night went on,” says a source.

[From Star Magazine]

How much did Star pay Levi’s sister Mercede to support the story they wanted to run? How does Mercede have any inside information on that family? I buy that it could be second hand from Levi, but it sounds like they just got someone to tell them what they wanted to hear. We’ve seen a few interviews with Levi over the past few months and I’m pretty sure the only time he mentioned that the Palins were having trouble was when Radar asked him specifically about it. In an interview with GQ in May, Levi said that visiting the Palin’s house “makes me pretty darn uncomfortable,” so that seems to mean that he avoids it when possible. How would his sister know then that Todd Palin was sleeping on the couch?

It’s possible the Palins are staying together for the sake of the media and that they’ll wait to announce a breakup until after Sarah’s book comes out. Several bloggers out of Alaska reported this story last week and stood by it after receiving legal threats from Palin’s lawyers. Star Magazine isn’t going to convince me, though, and I doubt they have much more than we’ve already heard.

Also, if Willow is drinking and smoking pot at 15 I feel badly for that family, but I don’t think it’s Star’s place to mention it. It’s like they have this supposedly juicy story about the Palins breaking up and they have to go and throw in all the dirt they find about them. You can always count on Star to ruin good gossip by going overboard.

GAH! This is the In Touch Weekly cover from hell. What the hell is wrong with Jon Gosselin’s eyes?!? He looks like he’s been on the bender from hell, and In Touch had photoshop the glassiness from his dilated pupils. And what is wrong with “Sad Shiloh”? Anyway, earlier CB gave us all the rundown on all of the girls Jon Gosselin has been bangin’. There’s the daughter of the plastic surgeon, random bar chicas, that psycho maybe-hooker from Star, and now one of his kid’s babysitters. This man is totally disgusting to me, and I really, really hate that he hasn’t kept his word about not conducting his private business in public. Honestly, I barely want to read this “exclusive” interview with Jon, but here goes. Jon is whining, playing the victim, and now he’s “tired of being blamed”. Douchenozzle.

Since Jon & Kate Plus 8 stars Jon and Kate Gosselin announced they were divorcing on June 22, their lives have been turned upside down. Jon’s life has become a circus and he’s been criticized for partying in St. Tropez and in N.Y.’s Hamptons, and for dating two younger women, Hailey Glassman and tabloid reporter Kate Major. “Things have gotten out of control,” Jon tells In Touch in a revealing interview. “Many people think that everything moved too fast, that I was out partying too quickly. But Kate gave up on the marriage last October, and the divorce will be finalized by September 30.” Jon, 32, met with In Touch on August 2 in New York to set the record straight about his marriage, his new girlfriend, how all of the drama is affecting his children and why he’s tired of being blamed.

What is the biggest difference in your life now, compared to a year ago?
Let’s go back to October of last year — that’s when all of this happened. Kate basically came to me out of the blue and said, “I am done. You are going to live your life, and I am going to live my life.” I was like, “What?” I didn’t really know what was going on. When she said that, I was really upset and nervous.
Why did she want to break up?
I think she initiated the split because she wanted a career. Maybe I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and she was going to move on regardless. I said, “Are you sure about this?”
Did you want to work it out?
Yes, I asked, “What do I have to do to mend the relationship? What did I do wrong?” I was beating myself up about it. So I read a lot of books about personalities, like The Five Love Languages. Throughout the marriage, I felt like my personality had changed a lot. In December, I went to therapy. I asked Kate to come, but she didn’t want to. She said, “If you have a problem, go fix it.”
When did you and Kate start living separate lives?
We went to Utah on January 1. On January 12, she flew back with security and I stayed. That’s when I started to just hang out and meet people, and feel free. Not too many girls, just with my guy friends. I couldn’t do that for nine years. When I came back on the 17th, Kate and I weren’t talking. So I just said, “I’m moving out of the house,” and that was it.
What was your first relationship?
Hailey — it started around May. She is the polar opposite of Kate. It’s really different. I feel good about myself and people see my good qualities. I’m not being put down. If I want to go out with my friends, Hailey says, “Oh, go out.” I’m not used to that. I was used to, “No, no, it’s your fault.” Sometimes I ask Hailey permission, like I used to do with Kate, and she says, “You don’t have to ask permission.” I was used to living like that, and now it’s like a breath of fresh air. You can have a balanced relationship but also spend time with your friends.
How did you fall in love with Hailey?
We started talking and got along well. I started getting really attracted to her, like, on the phone. She really listened to me and took in what I was saying. Then she came back to her parents’ house in May and I went up to see her. We hit it off. It was great. She is amazing.
Kate Major said she was dating you.
I felt like, “Okay, I have a cool new person in New York and we can just go out for dinner.” Then it was a conflict of interest with her work. I have always been true to Hailey.
How are the kids handling the split and all of the drama?
Even though they are young, it still hurts them. They can’t figure it out. They’re like, “Why aren’t they together? Why can’t you hug her?” The other day, Alexis said, “I want you and Mommy to be home together.” And it hurts because it’s not going to happen — and how do you explain that? I just let them know we love them no matter what. It’s hard. I feel like I failed them.
When will you introduce Hailey as your girlfriend to the kids?
I think it would have to be after the divorce is finalized. I can’t just show up with Hailey. I think we all need a little routine in our lives. Right now, it’s helter-skelter. Once there is a routine, we’ll start off slowly, like going out to dinner. We are dealing with eight different personalities, and they will each handle it in different ways. They may never be comfortable.

[From In Touch Weekly]

So he’s sticking with Hailey. I bet Kate Major feels like a chump right about now. She’ll probably go to Star to get her job back. Just for the record, I find both Kate and Jon to be pretty horrible people, but I do buy some of Jon’s story. While I think he’s an idiot who has been bangin’ everything with two legs and a pulse, I do think he’s right about Kate wanting out of the marriage just as much as him. I think the more public Jon has been these past few weeks, the more Kate looks like a victim, which she isn’t.

Here’s Jon in Reading, PA on Monday. Image thanks to INF Photo.

I guess those Jon Gosselin-Kate Major covers weren’t selling, so Star Magazine is going back to a classic for this week’s cover story. They’re calling it “Brad & Angie - Broken Home” with a sub-headline “Brad’s drinking and flirting; Angie checks into a hotel; Kids in chaos”. To accompany the piece, we have a lovely cover picture of Angelina Jolie holding little Shiloh’s wrist, outside of a Toys ‘R Us last week. You know what’s weird? Angelina took Zahara to the Toy ‘R Us, too, but Empress Z got cut out of the picture. You know what happens when the Empress get cut out of a pic? She cuts you. On the cover inset, there are photos of Brad in Berlin, drinking a beer (gasp) and standing next to Katja von Garnier, who Star claims is an “ex”. The woman looks a little bit like Laura San Giacomo, and I don’t buy that she’s an “ex”.

Five years after hooking up in a passionate affair that rocked Hollywood, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are spending so much time apart that insiders fear their once-sizzling relationship is irreparably broken.

In the Aug. 17 issue of Star we report that while Angelina was in Los Angeles late last month caring for their six children, Brad was drinking and flirting like a bachelor — with a former flame! — at the Inglourious Basterds premiere in Berlin. Adding insult to injury, Angelina — who’s been stressed out about the steady decay of their relationship — planned to join Brad in Germany for the A-list event, but he disinvited her at the last minute.

“Two days before the trip, Brad told her he thought it was best if she didn’t come,” a source tells Star. “They’ve been fighting a lot, but this really ripped her heart out.”

And Brad’s bad-boy behavior at the July 28 Basterds after party didn’t help their already troubled situation — at all.

“Angie lost it because Brad started drinking at a photo call hours before the premiere and kept going until 4 a.m.!” says a source. “She tried calling him a few times, and he didn’t pick up — so she kept trying until he finally answered. She was nagging him so much that Brad finally shut his phone off.” Brad continued to party with brunette German director — and one-time gal pal — Katja von Garnier!

The littlest victims of the couple’s downward spiral are their children: Maddox, 7, Pax, 5, Zahara, 4, Shiloh, 3, and nearly 13-month-old twins Knox and Vivienne. “The kids have been feeling the tension,” says a source.

[From Star]

I’ll buy a couple of pieces from this story. I’ll buy that Angelina checks into hotels every now and then, because she has always done that. She does a lot of her interviews in hotel rooms, and she and Brad could be slipping off for quickies in hotels, for all we know. I’ll also buy that Brad is drinking a lot lately. Granted, if I had six kids at home, I’d imagine that on those rare nights out, I’d get hammered too. But I find most of the cover story to be along the lines of Star’s other Brangelina cover stories - like the one about Brad sexing up the nanny, or the one about Jennifer Aniston’s limo driver telling all about her hotel trysts.

Just a little side note - Brad Pitt is the producer on the upcoming winter release The Time Traveler’s Wife. He and then-wife Jennifer Aniston bought the rights before their split, and Brad got the property in he divorce. Recently, the screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin was lamenting the fact that Jennifer and Brad would have been “perfect” to play the time traveler and his wife, who are now being played by Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. Rubin told OK!, “I just saw them as a perfect version of Henry and Clare. I just found them equally attractive and equally compelling and in terms of the Hollywood arena at that time, they were as good a couple as you could find. I was writing it in my mind for them.” I don’t know… I kind of like that Brad hired his Troy buddy Eric Bana for the role. Eric needs more work - he’s an incredible actor, and shouldn’t be anyone’s second choice.

Here’s Brad at the “Inglourious Basterds” premiere in Berlin on July 28th. Thanks to Celebitchy for the pics!

I’ll admit, I stopped following the Gosselin drama a couple of weeks ago. I find both Kate and Jon to be abhorrent people, and the whole drama with Jon and his latest girlfriend(s) was just sad and depressing. I just read CB’s summary from earlier today about this Star Magazine reporter, Kate Major, and her claims that she was “dating” Jon. As it turns out, Kate Major’s a liar, and now she’s unemployed. Star has a little one sentence update on their site saying this: “Star Senior reporter Kate Major resigned this morning, Thursday, July 23, citing a conflict of interest between her reporting duties for the magazine and her relationship with Jon Gosselin.” Except that Jon’s friends have run to Radar to claim that he’s “distraught” with the notion that he and Kate Major are dating, and that “she just wanted to put herself in the spotlight.” Dur. What did Jon think, that he just had young girls flinging themselves onto his Ed Hardy jock?

Jon Gosselin says he never had a romantic relationship with Star magazine reporter Kate Major and was tricked by her, sources closes to the situation told RadarOnlne.com exclusively.

Major suddenly resigned from Starmagazine Thursday.

Major, 26, announced to the world Wednesday night that she was romantically involved with the 32-year-old Jon & Kate Plus 8 dad. She was at dinner with him last night with Michael Lohan and two couples and Major and Jon had been to dinner Saturday night in New York City.

Meanwhile sources close to the situation told RadarOnline.com that Jon is distraught over Major’s claims that they were romantically involved.

He told a close pal that despite her public proclamation, he never slept with her and never was romantically involved with her.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe she did this to me,” he told a source. “What do I do? She’s totally (bleeping) me over?”

In a statement released Wednesday night, Major said they were romantically involved. “I didn’t mean it to happen, it just did,” she said. “I went to do a story on Jon and ended up falling for him.”

That statement caused the scandal to explode in national news coverage and, the source said, infuriated Jon. Major was unavailable for comment Thurdsday and her father said, “No comment. I don’t want to be involved in this whatsoever,” when a RadarOnline.com reporter asked him about his daughter’s relationship with Jon.

Jon said he went to dinner with Major on Saturday night because she wanted to get details for a story she was writing. But her announcement last night that they were romantically involved completely caught him off guard, the source told RadarOnline.com.

“She just wanted to put herself in the spotlight,” the source said. Jon has been dating Hailey Glassman, 22, who said she had no knowledge of a romantic relationship between Jon and Major.

Major resigned suddenly on Thursday as the controversy over her alleged relationship with Jon grew. Her access to Jon seemed to put her into position to become the perfect Deep Throat for the magazine, on a story that has taken a reality TV family with mediocre ratings and turned them into one of the hottest subjects in the entertainment news world. Major did not say if she would continue working for Star in a freelance role.

[From Radar]

It’s so shocking to think that a Star reporter would have a fishy relationship with the truth! I’m clutching my pearls and dropping my monocle as I type! What the hell was going through Kate Major’s mind? That she was going to be the new Kate Gosselin? That she was going to be famous, just like Jon Gosselin is famous? Here’s a tip for all future “girlfriends” of Jon Gosselin: he’s only famous in the way huge, industrial, environmentally-catastrophic accidents are famous. Jon Gosselin is like Chernobyl. You don’t want to date Chernobyl.

UPDATE: Argh. I hate these people. Now Radar has another interview up, this time with Michael Lohan. He’s talking about how Jon and Kate Major slept over at his house, but Lohan plays coy about whether they slept in the same room. Then Michael says this: “Let me ask you a question: If she was using him why did she resign from the Star?” After reading the full text of a Michael Lohan interview, I feel like I need to take a damn shower. As for whether Jon and Kate Major are really “dating” or “banging” or whether she’s “delusional”… I seriously have no idea.

Photos are from 7/18/09. Credit: INFPhoto.com

OK! Magazine is running a photo on their cover this week that features a close up of Michael Jackson’s face as he lay already dead or dying on a stretcher in the ambulance. The top of the cover reads “The last photos” and there’s large font across the front that says “Michael’s tragic death - why he didn’t have to die.”

He is intubated in this photo, which means there’s a tube placed in his throat to assist breathing, although on OK!’scover they have an inset over that part of the picture so you can only see the brace around his neck.

Many outlets have already run this photo, including Entertainment Tonight, which first posted it on its website and in a broadcast, and CNN, which showed it on Larry King Live. We mentioned this photo in an earlier story about Entertainment Tonight publishing it and asked “Would you want a photo of your deceased loved one being released to the public?”

Courtney Hazlett at MSNBC’s The Scoop agrees that it’s tasteless to publish that photo of Jackson, and she has some harsh words for OK!, which reportedly paid $500,000 for the rights to that photo:

And then there is OK! magazine and the reprehensible decision to pay a reported $500,000 for the “last” picture of Jackson, which shows him lying on a stretcher, possibly already dead.

OK!’s spokesperson Brian Strong says, “The cover represents an event in the history of an extremely entertaining and controversial figure and is sure to provoke some emotion and questions from readers and fans about the circumstances. The news often does.”

Provoke emotion and questions, indeed. I am angry that a) this photo exists and b) this magazine had the audacity to run it. As for questions, here’s one: How can this shameless bid for publicity (which is obviously working) be in any way justifiable?

As for the argument that the cover represents “an event in history,” yes, it does, but that’s not good enough. Every day, news organizations around the world make decisions about decency, respect and the best way to tell a story. It’s a responsibility that bears incredible weight, regardless of the perceived “weightiness” of the subject matter. Just because you have a photo — or have the dollars to throw at acquiring it — doesn’t mean it’s appropriate to run it.

The challenges in covering Jackson’s life and death become more textured by the day. But in my opinion, the question of running this photo at all, to say nothing of on the cover, was among the easiest. You just don’t do it.

The magazine answered the question as to why they ran the photo, but I have one more query before I put the subject to rest and stop giving OK! publicity for this: If the man on the stretcher was your son, brother, father or friend, would you have done the same thing?

[From MSNBC]

The thing that bothers me about this is that it’s on the magazine’s cover, not just inside, and that it will confront people at the checkout counter whether they want to see the picture or not. It’s not fair to Jackson’s family or friends that this photo is being released. There’s also the issue of the photo of a dead or dying guy being published on the front of a magazine where kids can see it. I know my son is at the age when he’s asking about death, and reader CandyKay mentioned that she finds violent and death-related imagery more damaging to her child than an occasional nude photo. It’s just a poor decision by OK! all around.

OK! recently went through a major staff overhaul and laid off a bunch of people, including their editor, in May. They’ve been putting younger celebrities on the cover and are trying to be more lifestyle-focused. They had consultants take over in May and if you read some of the asinine e-mails they sent to employees, you can tell that they’re being run by salespeople, not journalists and editors. The new spokesperson Brian Strong talks like an arrogant marketing guy with little basis in reality, as evident in this statement he gave about the change to Cover Awards:

“The aim is to add individuals to the OK! team that strengthen Hollywood access and add a new perspective to the expanded offerings, emphasizing OK!’s enhanced sensibility and style. Here and in editions across the world, Northern & Shell is committed to producing premium magazines, 22 globally, that celebrate exclusive celebrity access and lifestyle content at the root of the OK! brand,” explains Strong.

[From Cover Awards]

Way to celebrate celebrity lifestyle, OK! - by publishing a photo on your cover of a dead guy.

Michael Jackson is shown in 1993 with his sister, Janet, and with Elizabeth Taylor and with Eddie Murphy in 1989. Credit: PRPhotos.com