Top 9 “American Idol” contestant David Cook was rushed to the hospital with heart palpitations and dangerously high blood pressure after his performance on the show yesterday.

Cook has been lauded by judges for his risk-taking and strong performances, and performed his own arrangement of Dolly Parton’s “Little Sparrow” last night. Dolly Parton praised his voice and talent during rehearsals.

Cook really nailed the performance and looked at ease on stage. All the judges praised him, with Simon tempering it a little by saying it wasn’t as good as his last performance. Cook was taken to the hospital shortly after the show. He has high blood pressure and the stress sent it skyrocketing. Cook was treated by a private physician, given blood pressure medication and released.

Cook’s brother has cancer and suffered a medical setback recently, and that is said to have contributed to his high level of stress. Hopefully he’s ok now and will be able to find ways to keep his blood pressure down.

Meanwhile dancer Derek Hough, Shannon Elizabeth’s professional partner on “Dancing With The Stars” wrenched his neck during rehearsals yesterday and was taken to the hospital. He recovered, and was back to work.

It’s not an easy job having to preform new material in front of millions of people every week.

Here’s David Cook performing “Little Sparrow” last night. You would never know he was having a problem, and maybe he felt ok until after his performance:

And here’s Derek Hough doing the jive with Shannon Elizabeth on Monday. You can see how he might throw something out with all those moves he’s doing.

The Internet is abuzz today with rumors that Justin Timberlake recently called his ex, Britney Spears, to express his concern over her health and wish her well. So far, I haven’t seen a single credible source to support this phone call. A teen magazine called “Twist” reportedly broke this story, but I couldn’t find it anywhere on the Twist website. Here is one version of the rumor:

After more than three years of not having contact with Britney Spears, the singer Justin Timberlake spoke for the first time with his ex- girlfriend.

Justin was worried about Britney’s health, and called his ex- father-in-law Jamie Spears, Jamie was dining with Britney at the Katsui restaurant.

According to Twist magazine Jamie gave the call to his daughter.

Britney asked her dad, “Are you sure he wants to talk to me?”

“She was very excited and shaking, ” said a witness.

[From Oh No They Didn't]

There are a lot of things wrong with this- most blatantly, Jamie Spears was never Justin’s father in law. Secondly, if Justin truly is concerned about his ex, why would he wait until now to reach out to her? I think this is wishful thinking on those fans who still think Justin and Britney belong together. And finally, if this alleged witness was close enough to hear all of this, why does the story end there? This sounds like an April Fool’s joke.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Britney is shown at Tracey Ross boutique in Sunset Plaza in LA yesterday, where she needed a police escort to help her through all the photographers. Thanks to WENN.

I’ve been dying to see the new movie ‘21,’ which tells the story of some super-smart MIT math nerds who make big bucks counting cards in Las Vegas. I read the book it’s based on, “Bringing Down the House,” and the film stars one of my favorite new actors, Jim Sturgess, who was fantastic in “Across the Universe.” Now, Kate Bosworth, who co-stars in the film as Jim Sturgess’ love interest, reveals how they prepared to do a steamy love scene- they got hammered.

The 25-year-old actress cannot recall shooting her love scene with Jim Sturgess for 21, she told PEOPLE at Wednesday’s Cinema Society and Calvin Klein Jeans-sponsored screening of the film in Manhattan.

“We were both so drunk,” the Superman Returns star said. “Jim and I became such good friends, we decided to have a couple of drinks, loosen up and go for it.”

Sturgess – who plays the lead in the shot-on-location casino flick, based on Ben Mezrich’s book, Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions – has similarly fuzzy recollections.

“We were on Grey Goose, I think,” said the British actor. “It was brilliant for about half and an hour. As we continued to drink … it just became sloppy and messy. I couldn’t stand up at one point.”

[From People]

I always wondered how actors got through these loves scenes- now it makes perfect sense. From what I’ve read, shooting these kinds of scenes are no picnic- there you are, often buck naked with someone you barely know, while an entire film crew is standing around talking and telling you what to do. Then again, Jim Sturgess is adorable, and I know many women who’d happily brave all that discomfort for the chance to smooch him. If you haven’t seen him yet in “Across the Universe,” do yourself a favor and rent it.

Kate Bosworth is shown after having lunch with friends on 3/30/08, thanks to Splash News. I find her outfit kind of fascinating and can’t decide if I like it or not.

The May issue of Elle UK features Madonna on the cover in yet another shot of her with her with her crotch thrust forward. Madonna, 50, talks about her marriage of over seven years to struggling director Guy Ritchie, 39. She calls him a “challenge” and says that she would be bored if he was any other way. Madonna says “you have to work hard to make it work.” As for their sex life, she claims “sex with Guy is incredible” when asked if her song “Incredible” is a tribute to him.

Madonna also says she would never “stay home and get fat,” and makes a face, again repeating “I would never get fat.”

And in the bittersweet love song, “Incredible,” the 49-year-old croons, “sex with you is incredible.” Is that also a tribute to her husband-of-seven-years? “Absolutely,” she tells the magazine. “Sex with Guy is incredible … And surprise, surprise, it’s his favorite song on the album. Actually, maybe it’s not his favorite song, but it’s definitely his favorite line.”

As her August birthday approaches, she shows no sign of slowing down. “I’m not going to be defined by my age. Why would any woman?,” she asks. “I’m not going to slow down, get off this ride, stay home and get fat. No way!” Then, making a face, she adds, “I would never get fat.”

[From People.com]

It sounds like being fat is almost as distasteful to Madonna as being ignored. She claims that she’s “not against plastic surgery,” but is “against discussing it,” and says that she achieves her masculine look through “diet and exercise and being constantly careful.”

Every time I read or hear something about Madonna she manages to come up with another way to annoy me. She refused to talk about the plastic surgery she obviously had but was all too willing to say her sex life is incredible.

I don’t know why I’m surprised by how arrogant this woman is. She built her entire career on shameless self promotion and it’s not like she’s going to stop now and enjoy her millions, doing pilates obsessively until the wee hours of the night. She is a good performer though, I’ll give her that. I would gladly watch an occasional Madonna show if only I never had to see her haughty face in a magazine or read another interview with her again.

Madonna is shown walking from the gym she built next door back to her house with her trainer on Sunday and yesterday, thanks to WENN.

Canadian diva Celine Dion is mostly squeaky clean, but every now and then her wackiness shows. She sometimes has a habit of oversharing- about her sex life, about her body, and many other odd topics that surprise me. In a recent interview, Dion admitted that she and some friends tried some pot while in Amsterdam…but nothing happened. Celine, you’re supposed to hold it in!

Celine Dion has admitted she once tried marijuana - but quit smoking before she was caught by camera-wielding paparazzi.

The Canadian singer was visiting Amsterdam and decided to try the drug in a local cafe.

‘The only time I did one puff was in Holland, where it’s legal. And I went to a cafeteria with some girls, with the little boats and the canals and we stopped and I tried.’

But the 39-year-old insists the substance had no effect on her: ‘Nothing. No. But I didn’t choke. I took one puff and I said, ‘Okay, nothing happened!’ It was funny.

‘It was, for us, like cheating. ‘Oooh!’ You know, there might be paparazzi!”

[From Celebrity Stoners via The Daily Goss UK]

Poor Celine, somebody should have showed her how to inhale. But it sounds like she had fun anyway. I have a hard time believing people when they say that they’ve only tried it once, and it had no effect on them. The last time I tried it, I laughed for about 7 hours straight, then ate an entire bag of Funyuns. I’ve never been to Amsterdam, but I hear that there’s a lot more to the city than legal weed and canals. There’s also the Red Light district, where prostitution is legal. It definitely sounds like a great place to go for an “adults-only” vacation. I think I need to start saving my money now.

Celine Dion is shown performing in Brisbane, Australia on Sunday

Ryan Phillippe was on the Jimmy Kimmel show last night to promote his movie Stop Loss and the interview was pretty interesting. The more I see Phillippe the more respect I have for the guy, because he really seems down to earth. The best part of Phillippe’s segment on Kimmel was the spoof night vision sex video at the end, and you can skip to the bottom to see it now, but I wanted to include a little of his interview too

Ryan’s son Deacon was named after baseball player ancestor
Jimmy asked Ryan about his kids and he said they were doing great. He said that Ava, 8, was named after Ava Gardner, the woman who broke Frank Sinatra, because he’s a big Sinatra fan.

As for his son Deacon, 4^1/2, “I had an ancestor who pitched and won the first game of the first world series ever. He beat Cy Young… He was recently voted the best right handed pitcher in Pittsburgh Pirates history.”

Jimmy said: “Name was Deacon Phillippe of the Pittsburgh nationals.”

About soldiers’ response to “Stop Loss”
Ryan said “The film is really about the soliders… and what it’s like for them to come back home… the response we’ve gotten from the military has been incredible. They’ve all said thank you because it truly tells the soliders’ story. The sacrifice they make for us is far beyond anything any of us will ever really have to experience.”

He said the film is less about a political agenda and is more a human, heartfelt story.

That night vision faux sex tape video
And here comes the hysterical part. Kimmel said he had a video of Ryan that’s been on the Internet, and Ryan claimed it wasn’t him. The audience was roaring with laughter when they saw who Ryan was in bed with.

It was Kimmel’s older female security guard, Veatrice. These outrageous couplings are about to jump the shark, but not quite yet.

Here’s the whole interview:

Renee Zellweger is promoting “Leatherheads,” and in a recent interview with Parade Magazine she revealed that she majored in journalism in college and originally wanted to be a reporter. According to Wikipedia, Zellweger graduated with a BA in English in 1991 from the University of Texas at Austin and was a good student who often made the Dean’s list. She ended up acting after she took a drama class to fulfill a fine arts credit requirement.

Renee plays a journalist in the football comedy “Leatherheads,” and the interviewer asked her if she could ever write for TMZ. She was really gracious in her response, but you can tell she thinks they’re mean:

You play a reporter who’s trying to uncover the unpleasant past of a pro-star. Did you feel a little like you were working for TMZ?

“I don’t know that I’d want that kind of responsibility of having the power to hurt someone with a public disclosure. But, ironically, I intended to be a reporter before I got into acting. I majored in journalism, so it was kind of fun to explore that. But I could never write a story that would have a big, negative impact on somebody’s life. I don’t think I’d sit well with that.”

[From Parade.com via E-Online's The Buzz]

TMZ recently covered former American Idol contestant Elliott Yamin’s mother’s death at 65 by concluding:

Yamin finished in 3rd place in 2006 on “Idol,” begind Katherine McPhee and Taylor Hicks - who, like Mrs. Yamin, will never be heard from again. (emphasis added)

[From TMZ]

TMZ eventually removed that super offensive last sentence after an enormous outcry from commentors. I’ve said some rude stuff too, you get kind of jaded with this job, but that’s just beyond mean.

The post on TMZ has over 500 comments now, with people saying things like “TMZ’s bizare and cruel response is inexcusable.” [Vivian]

Another commentor, jillkatz, said she met Elliot’s mom and that she was a great person. “I met Eliot’s mom two years ago when he was a contestant on IDOL. She appeared at every performance, and was so very proud of her son. We stood in line outside the IDOL studios after the show, where she introduced herself to me and my sister. Then she pulled us up front so she could introduce us to her son. He was so kind and so dear to his mom. We will miss such a lovely lady.”

When someone dies you’re supposed to say “our thoughts are with their family at this difficult time,” not try to come up with some clever snark. What is the gossip coming to? No wonder people like Renee equate it with knocking people down, it really does. Sorry Teri Hatcher, we suck too!

Renee Zellweger is shown looking fierce at the “Leatherheads” premiere, thanks to PRPhotos.

Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant and officially engaged, all at the tender young age of 17 (as of this Friday). The actress was spotted wearing an engagement ring a little over a week ago, and since then fiancé Casey Aldridge’s cousin (and a few of Jaime Lynn’s friends) have confirmed the impending nuptials. OK! claims to have several exclusives on Jaime Lynn’s wedding plans – though of course we have to wait until it’s on newsstands for all of the specifics.

OK says Jamie Lynn will wait until after the baby is born to marry Casey. Her friends speculate that she’ll want to set the date several months after the birth so that she can get her figure back in order to wear her perfect wedding dress. There’s also a bit of talk about her dream wedding – though something tells me that in Jamie Lynn’s dreams, her wedding was never supposed to happen quite so soon – and probably not with her new baby at the ceremony.

The Zoey 101 star is expecting her first baby in late June with boyfriend Casey Aldridge, and is happily riding out the last months of her pregnancy with Casey by her side. After announcing her pregnancy exclusively to OK! in December, Britney Spears’ little sis has been busy lying low in her hometown of Kentwood, La. As OK! was the first to report, Jamie Lynn and a cousin recently registered for her baby shower at a Babies ‘R’ Us store in the nearby city of Baton Rouge.

And those closest to Jamie Lynn tell OK! the teen plans to stay true to her small-town roots, most likely exchanging vows with Casey in Kentwood at “Serenity,” the estate owned by Britney — who obviously leads the list of possible bridesmaids. “She’ll have the baby there, and soon after, she will also get married there,” says a pal of the teen. “I expect she’ll want to wait at least several months to get her figure back so she can wear a beautiful wedding gown and then have her dream wedding.”

[From OK!]

You can’t help but worry for anyone who gets married at 17. And to be fair, you can’t help but worry for anyone who has a baby at 17. Putting the two together seems like a lot of pressure on such a young couple. They’re certainly better off financially than any other 17-year-old couple I’ve ever heard of, but money doesn’t equal maturity. Hopefully Jamie Lynn’s got a better head on her shoulders than some of her family members… or will at least hire a very, very qualified nanny.

Here’s Jamie Lynn showing off her engagement ring while running errands near her Louisiana home on April 1st. Images thanks to Splash.

It seems that Matthew McConaughey has his life all planned out – the important parts at least. Though he’s made it clear he has no plans to drop the nude bongo drum sessions, he seems to have settled down in preparation of impending fatherhood with his girlfriend, Brazilian model Camila Alves. Not that I’m judging on the bongos, mind you. Matthew gave a pretty interesting and revealing interview to the Daily Mail, in which he talked about his parents’ marriage (they broke up and remarried each other THREE times), how he wants to die, why he’ll be a great dad, and what he’d like to come back as in his next life.

My father died right after making love to his wife, and I can’t think of a better way to go. My dad always said to me, “Boy, when I get out of here, I betcha I’ll be making love to your mother.” I hope my own death is way down the line, but when it happens, that’s my preferred exit strategy. But let’s not rush it, eh?

My parents married each other twice and divorced three times. I’ve no plans to repeat the experiment – in relationships, I prefer the long, slow train ride to the rollercoaster. I don’t think my folks wanted the rollercoaster either: they were simply the classic example of, “Can’t live with you, can’t live without you”. They hated the breaking up, but they really loved the getting back together, as they could enjoy the courtship all over again. I love that courtship period as much as anyone. I never want it to end. I never want to feel like the girl has me in the palm of her hand.

I’ve been preparing for fatherhood since the age of ten. Bringing a baby into the world is something I’ve always wanted and now I’m completely ready for my life to start revolving around another human being. I carefully maintain relationships and friendships. I’m committed to my acting career. But to be the architect of a little creature’s life is my next big adventure and I can’t wait for it to begin.

[From the Daily Mail]

And if you were sitting around, aching to know what animal Matthew plans to come back as in his next life – it’s a panther. He says they’re “the coolest animals in the world.” He noted that they’re very poised, and mentioned, “I’d sure love to be that well designed.” I don’t want to argue with someone so freakishly hot, but I’d bet that a lot of people would argue that he’s about as well designed as a human physically can be. It’s very cute that Matthew says he’s been training to be a dad since he was ten. He has a cute way of speaking. Never have I thought of a father as being the “architect of a little creature’s life,” but it’s absolutely true. Though he’s known for being incredibly laid back – he mentioned in the interview that he’d played the bongos naked at least five hundred times before he was caught, and had no plans to tone it down – he seems like he’ll be a really good dad. He doesn’t seem the type to set up arbitrary rules just to assert his power, but also appears to be the kind of guy that’ll step in when he needs to.

Here’s Matthew and Camila at the “Fools Gold” world premiere on January 30th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

I’ve come up with a new rule: never write (or probably read) a story about Amy Winehouse while trying to eat lunch. The only thing worse than that is researching a story on Winehouse, because you’re bound to be accosted with a plethora of unsightly, stomach-churning images. Now I know the girl’s got issues, and I truly do feel badly for her, in a way I don’t for a lot of celebs. But that doesn’t mean I can look at the crusts on her face and still want to eat the crust on my sandwich. Amy’s still having her skin issues – and it was reported last week that she was using her some concoction involving her own urine to try to clear her skin. Interestingly, the other thing that works really well is washing your face. Also, showering more than once a fortnight can do wonders for the entire body. Since the invention of plumbing, people have been really big fans of it. Now Amy’s decided to add a little more crazy to her plate (I’m sticking with the lunchtime metaphors here). According to The Sun, Amy believes she’s being “tormented” by demons, and is going to move house for the third time in four months.

She is said to be tormented by “demons” in her new pad in Camden, North London. Though this hasn’t stopped her from letting in some late night guests… Wino wants to quit her home just a few weeks after moving in because she feels her surroundings have contributed to her disturbed state of mind.

A pal said of her latest pad: “She feels it is full of bad vibes and demons bringing her down.” The star quit Camden for Bow, East London, late last year to escape bad memories. Amy then collected more bad memories in Bow, where The Sun’s shock video of her smoking crack cocaine was filmed in January. She then went back to Camden, but believes the demons followed her.

Her face complaint [skin infection] has made her lock herself away, writing her darkest ever material. Maybe she should stay put in her current house and kick out the demons instead of moving – by stopping pumping them into her body.

[From the Sun]

Rarely do I find myself wholeheartedly shouting, “I agree with those logical people over at The Sun!” But today is that day, because holy crap are they right. Dear Amy Winehouse, the demons aren’t following you from house to house. You’re transporting them. The little hitchhikers are latched onto you so tightly you don’t even see them anymore. I really couldn’t help but wonder how a logical person could think it’s demons that are mucking everything up – and then I remembered that we’re dealing with an addict who likely is neither sober nor logical. So I guess Amy might really think there are actual demons following her – in which case, it’s time to head back to rehab. Actually it’s time to head back to rehab no matter what – and for a good long while this time. I know they say that for rehab to really work, the addict has to hit rock bottom and really WANT to be there. The problem is that Amy Winehouse’s rock bottom is a pretty terrifying place to be.

Here’s Amy coming out of her London home to go and visit her husband in prison today. She’s been wearing the leather gloves for the past few days, causing a lot of speculation about just what she may be hiding under there. Images thanks to Splash.