Cele|bitchy » 2007

Dec 4
'07

Jessica Simpson wanted for “Grease” remake

Jessica Simpson is wanted for the lead in a remake of Grease that seems doomed to me just because producers thought it was a good idea to have her star in it. As I was looking over pictures of Jessica and comparing them to scenes from Grease featuring Olivia Newton John, I have to admit though that she really looks the part. If only Nick Lachey could play Danny:

Jessica Simpson has been approached to star as goody-goody Sandy Olsson in a remake of Grease - and even Michelle Pfeiffer, who starred in the campy sequel Grease 2, is on board. “It’s a great idea,” she says. “Jessica Simpson would be good.” Michelle also admits that she’s been approached for a role, too. “I would love to play the school principal,” she adds. “She is fun and has some great put-down lines. I think I would like the part now that I have been asked.”

[From In Touch, print edition, December 10, 2007]

Notice that Pfeiffer said Simpson would be good, not great, and it sounds like she’s responding to a question by a interviewer and isn’t coming up with the idea herself. It’s possible this is only based on some notion that someone thought up with during a quick red carpet interview and that there’s no Grease movie in the works. Still, it seems like something Hollywood would come up with. It’s all remakes and sequels lately and with the ongoing writer’s strike it’s not like we’re about to get an influx of fresh material. Add Jessica Simpson to the mix and it sounds stale like an old bag of marshmallows. They’re still sweet but hardly tasty and they certainly don’t fill you up.

In Touch comes up with a bunch of other current celebrities that could play roles in Grease, including Ryan Seacrest as Vince Fontaine, Kim Kardashian as Cha Cha and Britney Spears as Frenchy. If there isn’t a Grease remake being planned, In Touch might be doing the groundwork for one. There have been worse ideas for remakes, it’s all in the execution. Maybe Scarlet Johansson would be a better choice. She can sing too, right? She has that Tom Waits cover album in the works.

Posted in Photos

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Dec 4
'07

Dennis Quaid’s wife had multiple miscarriages before twins with surrogate

Dennis Quaid’s two twins seem to be doing ok after they were given a massive overdose of the blood thinner Heparin in a shocking hospital oversight. At first it seemed to be touch and go for the less than two-week-old newborn boy and girl, Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace, who were given 1,000 times the dosage of Heparin. They were administered medication to counter the effects of the blood thinner after their second dose, and seem to have suffered no immediate ill effects. They will have to be monitored for long term problems including kidney and liver damage, but initial tests indicate that they have recovered. Three premature babies died in an Indiana hospital last year from the same overdose that was given to Dennis Quaid’s babies, so it clearly could have killed them.

The babies were born to a surrogate using Quaid’s sperm and his wife Kimberly’s eggs. Kimberly is just 36 and many of you wondered why she would need to use a surrogate. The National Enquirer is reporting that Kimberly suffered multiple miscarriages before she turned to a surrogate.

Dennis, already a dad with previous wife, actress Meg Ryan, “desperately wanted a child with wife of three years Kimberly Buffington - but she had suffered a number of miscarriages,” revealed a source.

“That’s why they turned to a surrogate and after much searching they found one…”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, December 10, 2007]

Thank goodness those newborns pulled through. When that article went to press the babies were still in the hospital. The latest news has the Quaids optimistic that they’ll be able to take them home for Christmas. That sounds awful to be apart from your newborns for that long. They were actually home with the Quaids when they rushed them to the hospital to be treated for an infection, which is when the overdose happened.

Courteney Cox is also said to have suffered many miscarriages before she was able to conceive Coco. She was eventually diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder antiphospholipid syndrome. (It is worth looking into if you have suffered a pregnancy loss. Often the only symptom is multiple miscarriages. It is easily treated, ironically, with blood thinners and/or low-dose aspirin.)

Dennis and Kimberly are shown at the American Dreamz premiere on 11/4/06, thanks to WENN.

Posted in Babies, Dennis Quaid, Hospitalizations

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Dec 4
'07

Katherine Heigl calls “Knocked Up” sexist and Grey’s plot a ratings ploy

Katherine Heigl has an interview in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair that may be just a little too critical of her employers. She called the film Knocked Up, which was generally lauded by critics and helped her make the transition from television to the big screen, “sexist.” Heigl said she had a hard time with how the women were portrayed in the film, and that the men were more likable.

Emmy-winning actress Katherine Heigl tells Vanity Fair contributing editor Leslie Bennetts that she thinks Knocked Up, the movie that catapulted her onto the A-list, is “a little sexist. It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. It exaggerated the characters, and I had a hard time with it, on some days. I’m playing such a bitch; why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you’re portraying women? Ninety-eight percent of the time it was an amazing experience, but it was hard for me to love the movie.”

[From The Huffington Post]

I thought that Knocked Up was an incredible film. It was sort-of a guy movie, but it also had male characters that were incredibly self indulgent and lazy while the women were hardworking complainers. I didn’t think that film spared the men at all, and it would have never occurred to me to call it sexist. Sure people were exaggerated, but that’s how movies are.

Heigl also spits on her bread and butter, saying that Grey’s producers are making risky plot decisions to draw ratings. She said she doesn’t know who her character Izzy is after she starting carrying on an affair with her married coworker, and that she thinks the plot twist is just a ploy to spice things up on the show:

When Heigl’s Grey’s Anatomy character, Izzie Stevens, began an affair with her married best friend on the show this season, Heigl became concerned about her character’s seemingly uncharacteristic actions. “That was kind of a big change for Izzie, wasn’t it, after she was so up on her moral high ground. They really hurt somebody, and they didn’t seem to be taking a lot of responsibility for it. I have a really hard time with that kind of thing. I’m maybe a little too black-and-white about it. I don’t really know Izzie very well right now. She’s changed a lot. I’m trying to figure her out and keep her real.”

Heigl is well aware of the commercial considerations that often drive such decisions. “It was a ratings ploy,” she tells Bennetts. “It was absolutely something that shocked people; it wasn’t predictable, and people didn’t see it coming. It’s our fourth season; there’s not a lot of spontaneity left. And business is business; I understand that, but I want there to be some cooperation between the business end and the creative end, so there’s some way of keeping it real.”

[From The Huffington Post]

Doesn’t it seem rather risky to be dissing a movie that helped launch your tentative big screen career and a show that made you a star? Heigl makes some other good points in that same interview about how women work too hard to please others and not themselves, and aren’t outspoken enough about what they want, but I think she goes too far. You should talk smack about your employer to your friends and co-workers, not to the press.

Katherine might be being so open for another reason. Vanity Fair is known to give the cover to the celebrity who gives the most revealing interview that month. At least we’re hearing about how she’s annoyed with her job rather than how she dealt with a painful past. Maybe she thinks that her fame will eventually outweigh the negative effects of all the crap she’s talking about her job. Look at Lindsay Lohan. She got two DUIs and she’s still getting work. Being a little bitchy shouldn’t count against her, I guess.

Katherine Heigl and her fiance, Josh Kelly, are shown out getting healthy shakes on 11/30/07, thanks to Splash News.

Posted in Careers, Katherine Heigl, Photos

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Dec 4
'07

Nicole Richie & Joel Madden give 100 moms baby supplies

It appears there’s a chance – a chance – that I might have misjudged Nicole Richie’s ability to be a decent parent. I’m not saying I’m totally wrong, but it appears that, if nothing else, fiancé Joel Madden has been a good influence on her. When the two set up the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation, I assumed it was just to get some good PR, and detract from Nicole’s DUI and spending 84 minutes in jail while pregnant. A lot of celebs seem to talk about how they’re starting a charity, and then you never hear about it again. That’s what I assumed would happen here. Kind of like Paris Hilton’s peacekeeping mission to Africa that we’ve been hearing about for so long. But it appears that the Richie/Madden duo actually are trying to do some good with their charity – they handed out $200,000 worth of baby goods to 100 needy families through the Los Angeles Free Clinic.

The couple hosted a surprise baby shower Monday for 100 expectant and new moms at the Los Angeles Free Clinic in Hollywood, where they handed out more than $200,000 worth of gifts. “The looks on their faces were priceless,” Richie told reporters after the shower. “Some of them didn’t even believe us [when they saw the gifts]. They thought we were joking.”

The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation, Madden said, was an idea the couple had when they found out they were expecting. “We grew up in Los Angeles,” he said, “and we want our child to be a part of the community, and to know that there’s a responsibility to help the community.” And it’s a family affair. “We named it the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation because we each have families and our families are close, and our family is involved,” Richie said. By her side with his arm stroking her back during moments in the conference, Madden quipped, “We’re lucky that we have families that get along and love each other,” adding, “I think it’s great that our child will grow up as a part of that family.”

Amongst the goodies given to families in need were Baby Bjorn products, cribs, mattresses and toys from Fisher-Price. “Everything they got, we got,” Richie says, “so everything that will be in their nursery, will be in our nursery.”

[From People]

People reported that for Nicole’s baby shower, guests were asked to bring gifts to donate to the charity instead of for the couple – though each guest did bring a book for the baby. I don’t want to sound naive, but I’m pretty impressed. There are few people less in need of baby supplies than celebrities. Nicole still got to have the fun of a shower (and I’m assuming the dumb games involving storks and diapers and such) but they actually managed to do something really great and useful for people in need. Hopefully this is a positive indication that Nicole is maturing and able to think about the needs of others.

Picture note by Celebitchy Nicole Richie is shown on 11/26/07 before having lunch with Paris and Nicky Hilton for publicity purposes.

Posted in Good Celebrity, Joel Madden, Nicole Richie

Written by JayBird See post for comments

Dec 4
'07

Reese Witherspoon & Jake Gyllenhaal have quickie in airplane bathroom

Just when you thought the Reese and Jake romance had played its PR course comes another story that makes you scratch your head and wonder if their suspicious relationship is the real thing. Reese and Jake are said to have had a quickie in an airplane bathroom after they were spotted making out in the back row of a first class flight from Frankfurt to LA. They then disappeared into the loo together for a full 11 minutes, and gave themselves away when they each did the walk of shame back to their seats. Their friends on the flight were careful not to look at them or snicker too hard.

“Reese and Jake kissed and cuddled together under a blanket in her recliner seat in the back row,” the eyewitness adds.

Three hours into the 12-hour flight, Reese got up and walked to the forward bathroom. “Two minutes later, Jake got up and casually strolled into the same bathroom! I started timeing them - they were together for a full 11 minutes!” says the eyewitness.

Jake finally came out alone, and Reese followed three minutes later, the eyewitness adds - “and when they each walked by, it seemed like everyone in their entourage took pains to look away!”

For the rest of the flight, “Jake worked on his laptop, and then he and Reese took a nap side by side.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, December 10, 2007]

The article is accompanied by two blurry pictures of Jake and Reese walking on the plane, and there’s a water glass and tray visible so it looks like the “witness” was some nosy person also in first class on that flight.

Reese and Jake had a romantic weekend in Napa valley together at an exclusive resort a couple of weeks ago. This flight was said to take place on October 22, so it would have been about a week after their mini vacation. I am starting to believe there’s really something going on there. Jake doesn’t give off the straightest vibes, and maybe he’s bi and/or not that macho, not that it’s any of our business. I just really want to know if he and Reese are at it, and I’m nearly convinced that they are.

Header image background from Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, Sex

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Dec 4
'07

Brad Pitt making art in New Orleans

It seems like Brad Pitt is really trying to do good work in New Orleans, and I really applaud his intent. But I’m a little confused by it. Brad was interviewed by “Today” reporter Ann Curry in New Orleans yesterday, where he gave a tour of what his Make It Right project has been doing… and according to Brad, they’ve been making art installations. Yeah I’m a little confused too.

The actor was in his newly adopted hometown of New Orleans over the weekend to unveil the latest phase of his eco-friendly architectural-housing program aimed at bringing residents back to the Katrina-wrecked Lower Ninth Ward. Touring the hard-hit neighborhood with local reporters and correspondent Ann Curry of NBC’s Today show for a segment that aired Monday morning, Pitt showed off hundreds of pink, eight-foot-high, fabric-covered blocks that workers had just constructed.

According to the 43-year-old star, the structures are part of an art installation that aims to serve a dual purpose. According to Pitt, they’re meant to remind visitors about the devastating storm and the subsequent flood that uprooted low-income sections of the city and to draw attention to the slow rebuilding process going on there.

“Right now there are scattered blocks, like they were scattered by fate’s hand, symbolic of the aftermath of the storm,” Pitt told the New Orleans Times-Picayune as crews put the finishing touches on the metal and tarp blocks. “But we will be flipping the homes, essentially righting the wrong.”

[From E! News]

I mean that’s great, and I’m glad for… what Brad’s doing. I guess I’m just a little unclear as to how art installations help build homes. The point of the Make It Right project is to build 150 eco-friendly homes in the lower ninth ward. But instead, they’re constructing hundreds of eight-foot-tall pink blocks. I’m really not trying to attack or belittle, I’m just really confused and feeling like I’m missing something here. Wouldn’t the time, manpower, resources, and money be better spent directly on the houses?

Additionally, the actor told the Times-Picayune he expects the blocks to make a new cultural contribution to the Crescent City by providing a light show for a nightly driving tour. To that end, workers are installing 1,000 small, solar-powered bulbs, which will represent the more than 1,000 people who lost their lives during Katrina. The light fixtures will be positioned in a way as to mirror the constellations on the night the hurricane made landfall, Aug. 29, 2005.

[From E! News]

Again, it’s a lovely thought… it just seems to me that it would make more sense to mirror the constellations with large pink art blocks once the 150 houses have built. It seems like planting the lawn before the foundation has been laid. Here’s a clip of Brad’s interview… maybe someone can make sense of his plan.

Pitt Unveils New Project

Posted in Brad Pitt

Written by JayBird See post for comments

Dec 4
'07

Crazy celebrity demands

I always enjoy stories about the ridiculous demands of celebrities. It makes me feel a lot more grounded - by comparison - when I insist that no sweet food can touch salty food on my plate. I’m always amazed that celebs have the gall to bother people with their weird issues. I’m an overly-considerate person. I will walk over to the next aisle and double back so as not to ask you to move. Even if I were famous, I doubt I’d have the self-confidence to actually insist that none of my sweets touch my salties. It’s just too embarrassing, and I couldn’t be THAT kind of person. But apparently celebs don’t care what anyone else thinks. They’re going to insist upon their crazy demands without the slightest hint of shame.

A few examples, if I may:

Mariah Carey
Cristal champagne. One box of bendy straws. One special attendant to dispose of used chewing gum. Tea service for eight. A Honey Bear pack of honey. Two air purifiers. Puppy. Kittens.

Rolling Stones
HP sauce. Shepherd’s pie. Paintbrushes. Snooker table. TV (capable of showing cricket matches). Toilet (on wheels).

Marilyn Manson
Air-conditioning always on full. Haribo gummi bears. Doritos. Microwave popcorn. Bottle of Absinthe. A bald hooker with no teeth.

Prince
A physician. All food to be covered in clear plastic wrap.

Motley Crue
Mayonnaise. Grey Poupon Dijon mustard. Creamy peanut butter. A 12ft-long boa constrictor. A sub-machine gun. Local Alcoholics’ Anonymous meeting schedules.

David Hasselhoff
Life-size cut-out of David Hasselhoff.

Janet Jackson
Chaise longue. Ten black roses. Marmite. Male catering staff.

Beyonce
Pepsi products only. Honey Nut Cheerios. Ginger root. A two-man love seat. 78F in dressing room. Toilet scrubbed with disinfectant. No sweets, chocolate or crisps in dressing room.

Barbra Streisand
Rose petals in toilet.

Jennifer Lopez
White flowers. White tablecloths. White curtains. White candles. White couches. Lowwatt lightbulbs. Coffee to be stirred counter-clockwise. Skittles.

P Diddy
204 towels. 20 bars of soap. Two bottles of Hennessy cognac. Two bottles of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio. Two bottles of Veuve Clicquot. A bottle of Dom Perignon. Grey Goose vodka. Boom box. Bouquet of white flowers. Cheddar cheese and sour-cream chips. Sweet Tarts. A $300,000 bullet-proof Maybach.

[From the Daily Mail]

I believe that these are several of the very same celebs that brag about “keeping it real.” Don’t forget, despite the all-white decor and counter-clockwise coffee, J-Lo is still Jenny from the block. My biggest question (even bigger than the bald toothless hooker) is about Barbara Streisand’s rose petal-filled toilet. Do you think she requires the toilet to be refilled after she uses it? What if she does some business, flushes, then does some different business? Does an attendant need to come in on petal duty? God I want to be rich.

Posted in Photos

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Dec 4
'07

Joan Van Ark looks like a scarecrow

There’s a lot to be said for aging gracefully. Not so much in Hollywood, but as a general principle. In the entertainment industry, it seems to be a matter of extremes – people either age horrendously, or not at all. Joan Van Ark, of “Knots Landing” fame, seems to be the former. If she looked old and ragged because she’d resisted the pressures of Hollywood and hadn’t gotten any work done, I’d congratulate her. Instead she looks old, ragged, pulled, snipped, clipped, and tightened because it seems she gave in to every single pressure… and every single knife, scalpel, syringe, and toxin. Hooooooollllllleeeeee crap. How do you go out looking like that? I can’t imagine that the heavy white makeup makes it look any better. How could she possibly look worse?

If actress Joan Van Ark of Knots Landing fame could turn back time – it’s safe to say the actress might think twice before ruining her once stunning looks with cosmetic surgery Van Ark, 64, was seen at a benefit in Hollywood wearing a sober suit, and mask-like make-up which failed to hide the fact that she has appeared to have been under the surgeon’s knife. Several times.

The actress’ shocking appearance was not aided by her painted on eyebrows and heavy eye make-up which failed to conceal her blotchy skin. And bizarrely she appeared to have forgotten to add lipstick to her highly-plumped lips – which had the effect of making her look cadaverous.

Ironically, Van Ark, who clearly is not the poster girl for cosmetic surgery, has recently filmed a guest appearance on the plastic surgery based drama Nip/Tuck. According to an insider both actresses required hours of hair and makeup preparation, and rail-thin Joan was said to have only consumed several glasses of water with honey and one banana – all day. It also reportedly took four hours to set up the onset lighting to perfectionist Van Ark’s complete satisfaction.

[From the Daily Mail]

Um, if Joan Van Ark is a perfectionist, how in the world did she let herself walk out of her house looking like that? I wish you could hear my hysterical tone in which that’s meant to be said. I know Hollywood is a brutal place and lighting can be unkind, but there’s a limit. At some point, you’ve just messed your face up and there’s really no excusing it. I can’t help but wonder if she has body dysmorphic disorder. That could explain what appears to be a complete inability to stop with the surgery. I’ve always heard one of the keys to successful cosmetic surgery is to get things done one at a time, and before they become big problems. That way it’s less noticeable, and you can evaluate your progress. Maybe Van Ark went under the knife for several things all at once, and came out with tragic consequences. I’m just babbling here, in a desperate attempt to try and understand how anyone could make themselves look this way.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Joan Van Ark is shown on 12/1/07 at a Reading of A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters” in Honor of AIDS Day at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, thanks to PRPhotos.

Posted in Joan Van Ark, Plastic Surgery

Written by JayBird See post for comments

Dec 4
'07

Sweeney Todd is set to tear up the screen

Advance reviews are out for Sweeney Todd and the critics are raving about incredible performances by Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. Depp might even win his first Oscar for this one. The only reservations that people seem to have about the film have to do with the blood and gore shown throughout. It looks like it’s going to be a huge commercial as well as a critical success:

Both sharp and fleet, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” proves a satisfying screen version of Stephen Sondheim’s landmark 1979 theatrical musical. Where much could have gone wrong, things have turned out uniformly right thanks to highly focused direction by Tim Burton, expert screw-tightening by scenarist John Logan, and haunted and musically adept lead performances from Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Assembled artistic combo assures the film will reap by far the biggest audience to see a pure Sondheim musical, although just how big depends on the upscale crowd’s tolerance for buckets of blood, and the degree to which the masses stay away due to the whiff of the highbrow.

[From Variety via The Huffington Post]

This film looks incredible and although I usually avoid both scary films and musicals I’ll go see it. There’s just too much advance buzz for me to ignore.

Johnny Depp looked dashing with a hint of mischievousness at the premiere of the film in NY last night. He wore studious round tortoiseshell glasses and a dapper pinstriped suit with a black shirt and silk tie. He paired the tailored outfit with incredibly muddy old beat-up workboots perhaps as a tribute to his character’s neurosis or maybe just to mix it up a little. This guy somehow exudes extreme charisma without a hint of arrogance. I know he had some issues in his youth with trashing hotel rooms but he’s at the top of his game now and he seems to definitely deserve the accolades. Hopefully he’ll have an Oscar to put on his mantle next year.

Sweeney Todd is out in US Theaters on December 21. Here are the release dates for the rest of the world.

Thanks to WENN for these photos.

Posted in Johnny Depp, Movies, Photos, Premieres

Written by Celebitchy See post for comments

Dec 4
'07

Amy Winehouse’s rep says she’s sleepy, not druggie

amywinehousebig_468×621.jpg

I have to give Amy Winehouse credit for one thing: she hired herself a PR rep. Maybe she’s always been around and just hasn’t been saying much, but an official person is now speaking on Amy’s behalf. Considering all the talking she, her family, and in-laws have done, it seems like a good idea to call in a pro.

Now just because someone hires a PR rep doesn’t mean that person will say anything the rest of us find remotely believable. But at least the person lies to us, which sort of amounts to some admission that Amy is doing things bad/weird/dangerous enough that they can’t be admitted to. On Sunday morning Amy was photographed outside in just her jeans and a red bra, wandering around and looking disheveled. No makeup, no beehive… I mean who the hell goes out without their beehive on? I don’t care that she forgot her shirt, but at least put on your 13 inches of hair. My God, the depravity. Well apparently, Amy wasn’t on a bender, coked out of her mind, or suffering some sort of complete mental breakdown. She was just sleepy and confused. If I had a nickel for each time I wandered around without a shirt because I was tired, I could retire. Maybe Amy should consider that.

“She was not on an all-night bender,” her U.K. rep tells PEOPLE of Winehouse’s appearance outside her flat at 5:45 a.m. Sunday morning. Winehouse, 24, was sound asleep when she heard a noise outside. Having had friends over earlier in the evening, she wondered if one returned, according to the rep, who said: “She heard all these noises, and she went outside to look and there were all these photographers.”

The rep added, “She’d been sound asleep, and then there were all these photographers – of course she looked startled.” British newspapers reported the singer – captured in photographs sans makeup and her trademark beehive – was “muttering incomprehensibly.”

Says her rep: “In light of recent reports, it’s easy to make assumptions, but she’s trying to get better and she needs the space to do that.”

[From People]

Um…. alright. Amy Winehouse was surprised to see photographers? I was under the impression that they follow her pretty much 24/7, considering all the odd things we’ve seen her do. It seemed like she pretty much couldn’t escape them, so she just decided to go about her drug-fueled existence pretending they weren’t there. And I know that everyone has their own sleeping patterns, and perhaps a deep sleeper wouldn’t be totally awake and rational, but I can’t imagine they wouldn’t remember to put their shirt on. And even if they did, one step out into London’s cold December air would likely wake them up pretty quickly. At which point a normal person would look down, see their ta-tas, gasp, clutch their hands over their chest, and skittle away. Unless they were on drugs. Then they’d probably keep wandering around, looking for that magic caterpillar that brought them the nice lunch yesterday.

Posted in Addictions, Amy Winehouse, Crazy, Drugs

Written by JayBird See post for comments