It’s dangerous to be a boy wizard these days. Several media outlets are reporting that there has been a very credible and serious threat made against the life of “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe. The threat is serious enough that Radcliffe is now being guarded by former Special Air Service army guards. They’re going all-out in his security plan and even having Daniel switch cars multiple times during a trip.

A source told Britain’s The Sun newspaper: “There is a real concern for Daniel’s welfare. No one has said what has been going on. It’s all hush-hush - but security has been massively ramped up. Daniel has the four guards with him at all times.”

The 18-year-old star is filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and although the nature of the threat - which was received via Warner Bros. who are producing the movie - is unclear, bosses aren’t prepared to take any chances.

The actor switched cars three times on Saturday night as we went to and from the film set. His regular driver - used by the star for seven years and considered “part of the family” - has been temporarily replaced. Daniel has now been given a “chase car” which follows the vehicle in which he is travelling in case of emergency. The source said of the SAS guards: “They are all experts in evasive driving, threat assessment and close protection. This isn’t about keeping an eye out for the paparazzi - these guys are looking for something far more sinister.”

[From the Herald Sun]

This is the same kind of protection given to Prince William and Prince Harry. Which means Daniel is either some kind of national treasure, or whatever threat they’re worried about is pretty serious. I don’t want to be a jerk, but I’m not sure starring in a movie is worth risking your life. “Harry Potter” is great and all, but I’m not sure I’d be willing to risk life and limb to be in it. It’s good that no one’s taking any chances with Daniel’s safety, but it sure makes you wonder who on earth would threaten his life, and why? I’m guessing it has something to do with some kind of dark force, some magic, and some freaky trees in the woods. Seriously though, I hope they figure out who’s making this threat and lock them up, no one should have to live like that.

Yesterday the news came out that Patrick Swayze was suffering from pancreatic cancer and had just five weeks to live. His condition sounded dire and more like a hospice care situation than something he could possibly recover from. The National Enquirer reported this news with a supposed insider quote that “he was told he could have two more treatments, but his cancer was not responding. In short - they held out little hope for a cure .”

Then Patrick’s rep confirmed that he had pancreatic cancer to Page Six, and it sounded like it was just a matter of time for the beloved actor. Even People reported the dire prognosis for most cases, as described by the Mayo Clinic, that “Pancreatic cancer spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a major reason why it’s a leading cause of cancer death. Signs and symptoms may not appear until the disease is quite advanced. By that time, the cancer is likely to have spread to other parts of the body and surgical removal is no longer possible.”

Thankfully People and other outlets quickly updated their story with a new statement from Swayze’s doctor that the National Enquirer’s account was overblown, and that his cancer is limited and under control. He is expected to be back at work soon:

“Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far,” Dr. George Fisher says in a statement. “All of the reports stating the time frame of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.”

The actor’s rep adds: “Patrick is continuing his normal schedule during this time, which includes working on upcoming projects. The outpouring of support and concern he has already received from the public is deeply appreciated by Patrick and his family.”

[From People.com]

I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief now, and thank goodness that the original report was wrong. Commentor Mairead noted that Steve Jobs was diagnosed with a form of pancreatic cancer in 2003 that he recovered from. According to Wikipedia, he had “a rare, far less aggressive type known as islet cell neuroendocrine tumor,” which sounds like it’s not the same as the health issue that Swayze is facing. Job’s tumor was removed and he has returned to health.

Please get well Mr. Swayze. Our thoughts are with you.

Patrick Swayze and his wife Lisa Niemi are shown at the premiere of Rocky Balboa on 12/13/06, thanks to PRPhotos.

Does anyone like Heather Mills? She might have been voted one of Britain’s sexiest women, but I’m not sure you have to like someone to be sexually attracted to them. Her father is the latest person to come out and say she’s not exactly the poster child for a good divorce. In fact, the word he uses is “greedy”

Mark Mills claims his 40-year-old daughter should have settled months ago after the former Beatle made his first big money offer. He says, “He’s offered her multi-millions. She should take that and stop what she’s doing. It’s plenty.

“She’s being greedy. How much does she need?”

Contact Music

I absolutely agree that she is greedy. Paul McCartney has come to her defense saying that Heather didn’t marry him for money, but she is clearly divorcing him for the cash! While I appreciate that as a single mother she does need to care for her daughter, and given that Paul has two other children she needs to do her best to protect their daughter Beatrice’s inheritance, but it seems to me she is exactly what her father says: greedy. Paul is said to have offered her a rumored £15 million settlement, which she supposedly rejected, with the amount to now be determined by the judge.

The divorce is going to be settled on March 17, and it will be public property. Hopefully the judge does not decide to split Sir Paul’s assets in half, but instead gives Heather and Beatrice a home to live in, and a nominal amount of money that represents the fact that Paul and Heather were only married for four years.

One reason that Heather might not be able to agree to settle is that Sir Paul wants to stop her talking about their relationship. Hopefully the judge agrees with him, and gets her mouth sewn up.

Note by Celebitchy: Heather Mills has accused her father of hitting her in the past, and he spoke out against his daughter in October, 2006 calling her a “liar” and saying that “They were false allegations about me and she’s doing the same thing now to him. The difference is that I can’t defend myself whereas McCartney can. I hope he really goes to town. Heather is mad. She’s doing it for the money.” [From Contact Music]

Heather Mills is shown outside of court on 2/18/08. Paul McCartney is shown outside of court on 2/14/08. Thanks to PRPhotos.

Is Lily Allen being treated for depression? While she hasn’t been hospitalized, the British tabloids are full of the news that Lily is seeing a psychologist, which I hardly think is a shock. The girl had a miscarriage, split with her boyfriend and her TV show isn’t getting a warm reception. It’s good and healthy to see a psychologist when you’re feeling upset. She has reportedly been having treatment in a private residential clinic.

According to today’s (March 5) edition (of The Sun), the singer is receiving treatment following her recent miscarriage and split from boyfriend Ed Simons of The Chemical Brothers.

Despite being admitted to the clinic, Allen is apparently allowed out to film her BBC TV show, ‘Lily Allen And Friends’, and to see friends.

The newspaper quotes an anonymous friend of Allen’s as saying: “She is responding really well to treatment and is pleased that she is being allowed out to film her TV show and to keep in touch with her friends supporting her.”

NME

While The Sun newspaper isn’t always the most reliable source, Lily has also pulled out of the Isle of Wight festival, the official reason for this is because she is behind in the production of her album. The promoter of the festival, Paul Giddings, told BBC radio that this wasn’t an acceptable excuse, but he won’t be suing Lily. He also won’t be replacing her, but will be making the festival more environmentally friendly. He seemed really stroppy about Lily pulling out, and I had the impression that the festival was really soon. It’s not until June, she’s given plenty of notice to withdraw her place in the line up, and I think his attitude is fairly unsympathetic given that he admits to reading the tabloids. Particularly this statement, where he alludes to Amy Winehouse, saying “Unfortunately this country has developed some great new girl singer songwriters, but they seem to be having a few problems don’t they?” Not all of the female musicians in Britain have emotional issues, okay?

Lily recently told Glamour magazine that she was finding it hard to stay clean as her friends all like to party.

She added to Britain’s Glamour magazine: “I’ve been sad and quite lonely recently because if you’re young, living in London and working in this industry, unless you drink and take a lot of drugs, there’s not much to do.

“I’ve been sitting on my own watching TV. It’s boring to go out if everyone else if taking cocaine and shouting at me.”

New Zealand Herald

At first I thought that this was stupid, just get some new friends that aren’t enablers, but it seems that the British party scene and cocaine go hand-in-hand, enough so that the United Nations have released a report on the issue.

The price of cocaine has fallen to a record low as a United Nations report says that celebrity users have made the drug socially acceptable.

Police say privately that cocaine is becoming as acceptable in middle-class Britain as cannabis was a generation ago and that they are losing their battle against the drug.

The UN drug control agency’s annual report, published today, puts the blame at the door of celebrity culture and accuses the police of turning a blind eye to the rich and famous who misuse the drug.

The Times

I must be such an innocent – I had absolutely no idea that cocaine was so easy to come by. The UN describes it as the “cocaine culture” so perhaps it is more the circles you move in.

Note by Celebitchy: Lily Allen is shown on 3/4/08 discovering that her car window was smashed. She wrote about the incident on her myspace afterwards, and said that “it was one of the many paparazzi who were following us who did it,” and that “i want people to know that it was totally their fault and that the whole situation has angered and upset me.”

A judge has ruled that Jamie Spears’ conservatorship over his daughter, Britney, will be in effect for another four months, until July 31. The conservatorship can potentially be lifted before that time if Britney shows more progress. By most accounts she is doing well under her father’s guardianship. She has had multiple visits with her two toddler sons, something that may not have been possible if her father hadn’t stepped in to help.

Britney is also teaching dance classes to children at Millenium Dance Studio. Yesterday People had a cute story from one of her little students. A five-year-old girl in her class said “I like Britney. Today, first we were dancing slow, and then faster and faster … Then we did the fish-move and lots of other fun things.” The girl’s mom told People that Britney has inspired her daughter and that she was “amazing… with the kids.” What’s more is that Britney even gave a gift to the girl, a picture of Tinkerbell.

Nefarious character Sam Lutfi has vowed to fight the restraining order against him when it runs out on March 17 and vows to put Britney on the witness stand to attest how he was “helping” her. There are countless witnesses who can testify how he manipulated, controlled and verbally abused Britney. He may even be partially accountable for the way that she lost visitation rights with her boys. Yesterday we reported a story from In Touch in which Britney’s former assistant talked about how Sam tried to get to Britney through her, asking her to meet him at a Starbucks under the guise of having “incriminating evidence” against the star, which he was never able to produce. Sam had yet to meet Britney at that time. Britney’s one-time assistant was later shocked to see a picture of Sam with Britney, calling him a “creep” and “stalkerish.”

According to a source quoted in People, Britney is currently happy under her father’s care. She’s certainly doing better now, and she must appreciate being able to spend so much time with her boys.

Here is Britney out shopping yesterday, thanks to Splash and WENN. She does look pregnant from some angles, but that could just be a little weight gain. The National Enquirer is set to report that she aborted Adnan’s baby. We’ll have to see if they have any insider information or other evidence or if they’re just widely speculating.

Sex and The City star Cynthia Nixon has two children from her relationship with a male English professor, which lasted from 1988 to 2003. They have a daughter Samantha, 11, and a son Charles, 5. In September, 2004, the news came out that she had a same sex partner, an education activist named Christine Marinoni, and that the two were raising Nixon’s children together in Brooklyn. At first Nixon understandably wasn’t too open with the press about her relationship, and you can’t blame her based on the sensational way the story was reported.

In a Nightline interview in February, 2006, she talked about her relationship without getting into specifics. She said “I think people have been pretty good… they understand and they’re pretty respectful.” She also said of the media coverage that “It was a little crazy being on the front page of the paper, and I had photographers outside my house for a day or two, but, it wasn’t so bad.”

In June, 2006 Nixon again spoke in general terms about her personal life, saying “My private life is private. But I have nothing to hide. So what I will say is that I am very happy.”

Then in September of 2006 she did discuss her partner and described the way she fell for her in matter-of-fact terms. She said in an interview with New York Magazine that “I never felt like there was an unconscious part of me around that woke up or that came out of the closet; there wasn’t a struggle, there wasn’t an attempt to suppress. I met this woman, I fell in love with her, and I’m a public figure.”

And recently Nixon, 41, talked about her partner glowingly and about how much she loves her. She mentioned how they both work together in their household and called their relationship “fantastic”:

The SATC star told reporters, “I’m in a fantastic relationship,” she continued, “We shop and cook and raise children…We both pitch in.” Much like in SATC, Cynthia and her partner raise her two kids Samantha, 11, and Charles, 6, in Brooklyn. (Note by Celebitchy: Charles is 5 according to Wikipedia.)

“I’m in love with her because she’s her. If she were a man, would I be in love with her? I don’t know.”

[From OK! Magazine]

I like how she describes their relationship. It’s like something that was once sensationalized as some big scandal is really just two people raising children together like many families do. In her NY Magazine interview, Nixon said of the media coverage that “if someone is chasing you, stop running. And then they’ll stop chasing you.”

Nixon handled the press extremely well in that she spoke in general terms that covered the major points while making it clear that she considered her relationship a non-issue. She didn’t get into too many details. And now it’s time to say what she’s wanted to all along, that she loves her partner and that it’s the little things that make their relationship special.

Nixon’s partner is a bigger woman and many people were like “oh, she’s not hot.” I think in her statements she’s making it clear why she loves her, and that it’s much deeper than looks and yet is as average as any relationship.

Nixon next stars in the Sex and The City movie, which opens in the US on May 30, 2008.

Thanks to Wikipedia for some details.

Cynthia Nixon, Christine Marinoni, and Cynthia’s children Charles and Samantha are shown at a fundraiser at Central Park Zoo on 6/12/06, thanks to WENN.

Another week, another “Beyonce and Jay-Z are engaged or about to be married” story. Back in January, there was a rumor that they were secretly married at Georgio Armani’s house in Paris over the Christmas holidays. Both Jay-Z and Beyonce were sporting new matching ring-finger tattoos of the numeral IV, so people thought it must be symbolic of some kind of commitment, marriage being the logical assumption. Beyonce was rumored to be pregnant at that time, too, and that didn’t pan out. It seems like a lot of stories are spread about these two based on conjecture.

The singer and media mogul have been together for five years and despite all the rumors they haven’t split up, gotten engaged, or secretly married as far as we can tell.

Now there’s a story that Beyonce was seen out with a giant sparkling diamond ring on her left ring finger, but that she quickly stashed it in her purse when witnesses noticed it:

Beyonce, 26, and her longtime beau, Jay-Z, 38, had tongues wagging at Butter nightclub in NYC on Feb. 18. “She was wearing a huge diamong ring on her ring finger,” says an eyewitness. “When she noticed that I and some others noticed the rock, she quickly hid her hand behind her left elbow. Then she reached behind her to where her bag was, and after placing her hand in her bag, the ring disappeared!”

[From Life and Style, print edition, March 10, 2008]

Maybe she does have a big old diamond ring, but who knows if Jay-Z bought it for her or if it means that they’re engaged. JayBird noted in her post about their supposed “secret wedding” over the holidays that they’ve been in a stable relationship for a while and it seems to work well for them. If they want to get married or not that’s their decision.

Jay-Z was rumored to have had a fling with Rihanna back when she first hit the scene, but he was also mentoring her music career and those type of rumors are only natural given their working relationship. Rihanna supposedly got pissed at Jay-Z at a party after the Grammys this year and had words with him. But Jay-Z mocked Rihanna’s accent when he was presenting at the Grammys, and it seems likely that she was mad at him over that and it wasn’t a lover’s spat or anything like that. She was at the party with Chris Brown. Rihanna recently addressed the rumors that she was having an affair with Jay-Z, saying that it made her uncomfortable that people thought that, and that Jay-Z told her just to ignore the stories.

Jay-Z is about to embark on a 25-city tour with Mary J. Blige starting March 22. They will play five separate dates in NY alone. Tickets for the first four performances sold out within hours.

Beyonce is shown at the Grammy Awards and at the Sony Grammy After Party on 2/10/08, thanks to PRPhotos.

Nicole Richie’s fiance, Joel Madden, who turns 29 next week, could be wearing sunglasses at night because he’s a celebrity rock star, but he is said to have a real medical reason for protecting his eyes. According to Star Magazine, Joel has cataracts:

“Joel suffers from cataracts,” a source tells Star. “He has a problem with bright lights. That’s why Joel wears his shades absolutely everywhere - even indoors.” Joel’s eyes swell up when exposed to bright lights, he told a pal.

[From Star Magazine, print edition, March 10, 2008]

Cataracts are when part of the lens of the eye becomes clouded. It initially can cause blurred vision, near-sightedness and a loss of the perception of shades of blue, and can lead to blindness if not treated properly.

I thought that cataracts primarily affected older people. According to Wikipedia, genetics and a family history of cataracts can make someone vulnerable to developing them at a younger age. Exposure to radiation, such as microwave and infrared radiation, can also cause cataracts, and they have been found in higher rates among professions where people are exposed to radiation such as in pilots and glassblowers. (Pilots are thought to be exposed to radiation from outer space, according to Wikipedia.) It’s possible that as a musician Madden is exposed to electromagnetic radiation from the sound equipment, but this is pure speculation and while I can read up on it I can’t claim to understand much of it. Medical conditions and certain medications can also cause a predisposition to cataracts.

We don’t know what kind of cataracts Madden has or how severe his condition is. The typical treatment is surgery in which the lens of the eye is replaced with a plastic lens, but it is usually reserved until it is necessary, and prevention such as wearing sunglasses is recommended in the interim. Surgery is successful in 9 out of 10 cases.

We’ll have to see if this story is true, though. I looked through photos of Joel, and even recently he’s shown on the red carpet without sunglasses. His eyes also look fine. Maybe he has a mild case or this account is b.s.

He’s seen on 2/8/08 at PRIVE Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood, where he was DJing that night, thanks to PRPhotos.

Britney’s pregnant 16-year-old little sister is slated to guest star on a new ABC comedy, “Miss Guided.” The show is executive produced by Ashton Kutcher and is centered on a young guidance counselor at a high school.

Jamie Lynn Spears is coming to primetime.

The pregnant Zoey 101 star will appear in an episode of the ABC comedy, Miss Guided, premiering March 20 (8 p.m. ET). Judy Greer stars in the sitcom, playing a formerly awkward high school student who returns to her alma mater all grown up — and as a guidance counselor. Spears will appear in the premiere episode, called “Hot Sub,” as Mandy Ferner, a troubled student who gets some exciting news from college, according to ABC.

The show will also feature another big guest star: Ashton Kutcher, who executive-produced the sitcom, will play the titular hot sub — a Spanish teacher and a possible romantic interest for Greer’s character.

As a midseason addition to the schedule, Miss Guided was filmed in October after Spears wrapped Zoey 101 — but before the young actress announced her pregnancy.

[From People]

Sure, it was before Jamie Lynn announced the pregnancy- but she was definitely knocked up by then.

Since filming her spot on the show, Jamie Lynn has basically gone into seclusion, sources say at the order of her mother. She did pass her GED exam earlier this year and is said to be looking into college. It certainly appears that the teen is determined to keep her future viable even with a baby to raise. Of course, it could be due to those rumors that mom Lynne is the one who will actually be doing the baby-raising. I sure hope not.

Picture note by JayBird: Here are the most recent pictures of Jamie Lynn Spears, with her mother Lynne talking with friends in Kentwood, LA on Feb. 29th. The pregnant star of Zoey 101 was seen driving around and shopping. Images thanks to Splash.

Apparently, Hollywood has run out of original ideas and has taken it upon themselves to remake every classic movie- thereby ruining them for generations of fans. “Psycho,” “The Omen,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” are some examples of recent victims. Also rumored to be on the remake block are “Grease,” which may star Jessica Simpson (gag), and now “Rosemary’s Baby.” The classic camp horror film that launched the careers of Roman Polanski and Mia Farrow is said to be getting the makeover treatment by “Transformers” and “Armageddon” auteur Michael Bay. Why, Hollywood, WHY?

I’m really trying to hold back with the rage while sharing this news. The above image describes it pretty well. Mia Farrow, I imagine, fells similarly. Here we go. Checking the thesaurus for pleasant adjectives.

Michael Bay, genius American auteur responsible for classics ranging from the delicate fairy tale Armageddon to the sublimely moving Pearl Harbor, is spearheading the production of yet another classic horror remake. After adding millions of dollars of terrific production design and Jessica Biel’s ample acting talents to Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre, IWatchStuff.com is reporting that Bay’s next task as horror-remake-producer could be Rosemary’s Baby, Roman Polanski’s suspense classic about a pixieish young woman impregnated with Satan’s spawn. Based on Ira Levin’s chilling, darkly funny novel about cultural paranoia and religious fanaticism, this great American classic has been screaming for a remake produced by the director of Bad Boys, Con Air, Bad Boys 2, and Transformers. Satan will finally receive his wish.

[From Getty Images Movie Blog]

I’m really trying to understand two key things here:
1) Why can’t Hollywood come up with decent new stories to tell on film anymore? Why violate beloved classic movies that people enjoy in their original form?
2) Who the hell thought Michael Bay would be a good choice for this particular remake? Instead of creepy suspense, is the new version of ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ going to have explosions, CGI robots and fight scenes?

I’ll be skipping this one and watching my original at home on DVD, thank you very much.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Michael Bay (along with Josh Duhamel) at the Transformers Movie Tokyo Premiere on July 24th. Images thanks to PR Photos.