When I first heard that Adam Goldstein, a.k.a. DJ AM had died I was shocked and truly saddened.  I was lucky enough to hear him spin at a few parties in LA and he was extremely talented. I didn’t know him personally, but for some reason this celebrity death hit a chord with me. 

Since first hearing of his passing I have been trying to figure out why that is. I think I may have figured out why: even in Hollywood, we all love to root for the underdog and DJ AM certainly qualified.  He had a tough life, speaking openly about his troubled childhood, his battle with obesity (he had gastric bypass after his weight ballooned over 300 lbs), and was open about his battle with addiction. Goldstein went from being a troubled kid to playing the hottest clubs and dating Hollywood starlets. Then there was the plane crash.  If ever there was a defining moment in a celebrity’s public life, this was his.  He literally walked away from a plane crash that killed four people-there is no question he had overcome a lot in his 36 years.

The thing about DJ AM that I found so personally appealing was that he managed to be a part of the Hollywood scene with out being a ‘scenester’.  He dated Hollywood starlets but didn’t seem like a ‘hanger on’ because he had his own career. Most of all what I liked most about DJ AM is that he wanted to help others. After all he had been through- the weight, the addictions, the plane crash- the thing that he was working on when he died was a series with MTV about helping teenagers suffering from addiction. I don’t know what happened in his home on the day he died and I don’t want to speculate on what caused his death, but clearly he battled a lot of demons. I find it admirable that this was a guy who clearly was successful and instead of sitting back and letting life pass him by, he sought ways to help others try to climb out of the throws of addiction that he had spent so many years fighting.

The 36th annual Daytime Emmy Awards can be described in one word, HOT, as in hot weather. Try nearly 100 degrees. This year the awards were moved from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood to the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. As the sun beat down on me, in my 6-inch heels and my designer dress, I  did what I came to do- interview the stars.  The daytime Emmys honors people I watch every day on television, from 'Regis & Kelly'  to the ladies of  'The View'  to those morning network shows… I LOVE IT ALL.

Every year the red carpet basically boils down to two types of arrivals, the familiar soap stars who show up 2 hours before the show are usually the first on the red carpet and then the more notable daytime TV hosts that show up minutes before the event, talking to one or two major entertainment syndicated shows before running into the theater to take their seats. This time I saw the backs of Rachael Ray, Tyra Banks and TV newcomer Wendy Williams as they were whisked away minutes before show time.

But the red carpet isn't just full of missed opportunities. I actually got a chance to talk to Buzz Aldrin, Erik Estrada, Lori Loughlin, Victoria Rowell,  Alex Trebek and a long list of soap opera actors and actresses. Mr. Aldrin was a blast. He told me he was getting an Emmy on Sunday for being old and grumpy and beamed with pride as he talked about accepting an Emmy on behalf of NASA the night before at the Emmy Engineering awards. Aldrin joked that he didn’t know why it took the Academy 40 years to recognize the momumental landing on the moon mission in 1969! Alex Trebek was a bit more straight laced. He offered some great advice on how to achieve longevity in show business: "You have to be fortunate enough to land on a great show… and luck plays a big part."

The backstage press area, or what I refer to as the "lion's den" is the place where winners like Tyra Banks, Rachael Ray, Montel Williams and even the cast of Sesame Street field questions from journalists without a time limit or a publicist running interference. Tyra talked about what it feels like to win an Emmy for a second time in the best informative talk show category. She also talked about whether she would show us her real hair when the show debuts on September 11th as promised in TV spots? And is the ring on "that" particular finger a wedding ring? She said yes she would show her REAL hair and NO it's not a wedding ring, but rather her high school ring ! And even though it was a night for those on daytime TV to let their hair down and get all dolled up, work was on the mind of Rachael Ray after winning for best entertainment talk show. She said it was the work ethic of her staff that deserved the credit.

Well said Rachael!

Jay-Z announced this morning that he will be holding a benefit concert on September 11th to raise money for the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's benefit fund.

But he took a moment after the press conference to talk to us about the passing of DJ AM. And this is how he remembered Adam Goldstein.

"It’s very tragic, especially when you survive that type of tragedy like a plane crash," he said.

"What I remember about DJ AM - and this was my memory and I’ll take this with me forever - I had met with him maybe a couple of days or maybe even the day before he flew away.  And we were talking about doing this concert together and he was going to DJ for me.  And he was like I’ve just have to make this run and I’ll be right back and the accident happened and you know I’m thinking OK we'll get up next year, whenever he gets back on his feet. But he called, 'like man don’t count me out for the concert.'  I'm like 'what?' And he came and he had a bandage on his head. It was just a small thing, but his passion and love for what he did that’s what is always going to stick with me."

Editor’s Note: This post contains spoilers for the Sunday, Aug. 30, episode of HBO’s “True Blood.”

A mess, hilarious, captivating and confusing.

Sunday night’s “True Blood” episode, “Frenzy,” was all of that.

Maybe it’s because the show was a setup for the season finale. But, wrapped around the typically creepy, hilarious and just plain fun scenes were some real duds.

Bill’s opening sequence with the queen? It dragged. How many times do we need to see Bill offered a tasty morsel and refuse it before we’re supposed to get the point?

The scene between Tara and her mother? Frustrating. OK, I get it. People need to do stupid things in horror movies/shows so they can get into potentially bloody situations. But she’d leave her family and closest friends to go rescue a guy she’s known for a couple of months? And her mother, despite a well-established lifetime of bad decisions, would help? It was just hard to believe, even by “let’s split up so I can go into the dark basement alone and fix the circuit breaker” standards.

And while we’re on Tara – an egg? Really? No … really? I’ll accept vampires, shape-shifters and immortal servants of a Greek god for you, Alan Ball. But that felt weird just for the sake of being weird.

All that said, there was still fun to be had. Take Lafayette and Sookie’s scenes on the front porch. Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette manages to be hilarious, sympathetic and brave. Consistently great character who the show’s creators, thankfully, didn’t kill off like the Charlaine Harris books did.

Eric’s scene with the “teacup humans” also rocked. Drool over the guy all you want – but don’t forget he’s the sort of creature that finds babies delicious.

Also, we find out how Maryanne got to Bon Temps and why she’s so set on catching Sam, are treated to another fun episode of Jason and Andy doing their Rambo impersonation and enjoy the wonderfully creepy sight of Jane carving up a special hors d’oeuvre for “the god who comes.”

I’m holding out hope that this week’s sloppiness was just a minor slip as the “True Blood” creators load up for an amazing finale.

Don’t forget there’s a two-week wait – no bloodsucking on Labor Day weekend.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have liftoff.

Simply put, I loved the show. We have now returned to the familiar place that "Entourage" keeps us in. From my strange "thing" for Beverly D'Angelo's character (don't ask – but yes, I want more "Babs" please) to Andrew Klein's pajamas, the episode started well and ended phenomenally, just like its supposed to. I even saw Turtle's bong make an appearance after a long hiatus.

The only hiccup I could have held my breath for was the "Vince versus stalker" storyline. Its neither catchy nor compelling. Yes, I know there's a nut on the loose, but the drills weren't laughable, and the security guy isn't funny either.

Other than that? The show grabbed me, shook me, spun me around, patted me on the head and told me to "enjoy the rest of my night" once the credits rolled.

For the record, I keep having to go all the way back to my first blog of the season where I called for an end to Sloan's character, at right, and/or her relationship with E for some ungodly reason. What was I thinking?

Since then, I've been "Sloan'd" several times by her appearances, and last night was no exception. She placed a call to E to check in on him and I found myself not wanting the scene to end. E met her for cocktails (Hi Sloan!), got the call from Ashley (uh-oh), and ultimately decided that he had enough of Sloan's indecisive nature (What? NO!). As Eric drove away, I exhaled and silently mouthed the words "Bye Sloan" to the TV. Please don't be gone Sloan. I didn't mean it. I rebuke that first blog!

Meanwhile, the readers have been pretty diligent about frying anyone who speaks a harsh word about Ari Gold's character on the show. Well, last night's performance is what Emmy noms are made of. Don't be surprised if you see him eagerly waiting to hear his name called for the award as scenes from last night's show portray him in the role. What a fantastic performance.

As his scenes unfolded, Ari guides Klein through the chaotic wilderness of his own creation, only moments before the single-most important meeting of his professional life. Then, in an instant, we get the patented Entourage "mayhem" we've come to know and love as Klein reacts to his "Sorkin notes" going up in flames at the hands of his jilted wife. Klein then gives us a gift by reversing his Cadillac, and driving it through the front of his very own house.

At this point in the show, I'm now standing up in front of the TV. Wow! I remember discussing this "Klein implosion" concept earlier in the season, but wow! Talk about a tree bearing juicy, delicious fruit??

By now, I'm actually hoping Klein can score the Sorkin deal, and what do you know? The uber-schmuck comes through from behind the prison glass, and I'm officially spent.

All in all, I believe we got more of what we were looking for in our beloved show.

By the way, you'll be glad to know I just added my stellar suggestion for "Pajama Mondays" to the employee suggestion box.

Loved, kinda liked, or hated this week's show? Let us know!

"The Bold and the Beautiful" cast, at right, took top honors at Sunday's Daytime Emmy Awards. It was the first time in the show's 22-year history that it won the award for drama series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

It was also a bittersweet victory for Jeff Branson, who tied for supporting actor honors, as his show, "Guiding Light" is going off the air after 72 years. In talk show categories, Rachel Ray, Tyra Banks and hosts of "The View" were big winners.

"Halloween II" lost the big box office weekend battle to the 3-D horror sequel, "The Final Destination." So, as The Los Angeles Times reports, the next "Halloween" will be in 3-D.

This week's reruns of "Fringe" and "Glee" will come with a bonus: fans can follow along on Twitter for trivia about the show, according to Variety.

Former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager is joining NBC's "Today" as a part-time education correspondent, according to People.

New music out today: "I Look to You" by Whitney Houston, "The Chronic: Re-Lit" by Dr. Dre, "The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again" by John Fogerty, "Killer" by Alice Cooper, "Here Comes Science" by They Might Be Giants, "Bang! Pow! Boom!" by Insane Clown Posse, and "Terra Incognita" by Juliette Lewis, among others.

Celebrity disc jockey Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein was found dead Friday in his apartment in New York, we've just confirmed.

Drug paraphernalia reportedly was found at the scene. The New York Police Department tells CNN, "There is no criminality suspected at this time."

The NYPD says the coroner will determine the cause of death.

Goldstein was a DJ to the stars, who became a celebrity himself and dated the likes of Nicole Ritchie and Mandy Moore.  He was set to star in a reality series for MTV this fall called "Gone Too Far", in which he was part of interventions staged to help young people with drug problems.

He and Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker were the only survivors of a plane crash in South Carolina last year that killed four other people.

Please tell me the producers forced Lisa to take NeNe with her to visit the family on the West Coast.

Otherwise I am at a loss as to why the boisterous NeNe at all needed to come along to celebrate Lisa’s grandma’s birthday. I suspect that even with grandma being in her 90s, she's still never met the likes of NeNe.

Thursday night’s episode didn’t quite suck me in, though I felt some sympathy for Lisa as she struggled with visiting her brother’s grave.

I was slightly annoyed that her family felt so driven to push her to do it when she was clearly not comfortable with the situation. The fact that her dad refused to allow her a few minutes alone at the site as per her request was just the icing on the cake.

But back to grandma. She looked fabulous for her age! If, as she asserted, Vaseline played a role in her looking so young then sign me up.

Back home in the ATL, Kim spent time with new cast member Khandi who is going to try and help Kim with her music career (good luck with that). As Kim goes on and on about how much alike the two of them are, I had a moment of deja vu.

Didn’t she say the same thing about Sheree last season? And we all know how that turned out.

For more on the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" visit Essence.com.

DreamWorks Studios has picked up the rights to the late Michael Crichton's final novel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Pirate Latitudes" will be written by David Koepp, who also scripted "Jurassic Park." It's unknown as of yet whether or not Steven Spielberg, a producer of the film, will direct.

Acclaimed actress Laura Linney, at right, will star in the upcoming Showtime series, "The C Word," Variety reports. The series is a dark comedy about a woman with cancer.

ABC's much-anticipated remake of "V" has been shut down for two weeks, according to EW.com. This is not expected to affect the show's premiere date of November 3.

Last season Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was paired with "Dollhouse." This season, "Terminator" is canceled but one of its stars, Summer Glau, is joining "Dollhouse," according to EW.com. Glau's first major role was on the short-lived cult series "Firefly," from "Dollhouse" creator Joss Whedon.

At the box office today: Rob Zombie's sequel-to-a-remake, "Halloween 2," Ang Lee's latest "Taking Woodstock," and "The Final Destination," which is actually the fourth film in this series. iReporter Kevin R. Farren has a review of the latter.

A week into their new digs and “Project Runway” is starting to deliver. Despite last week’s somewhat rough landing onto Lifetime’s network, this week’s episode was a perfect fit for me.

The challenge kicked off with a then-pregnant Rebecca Romijn. I liked that they were laying down the “difficult body type” gauntlet nice and early, so we could separate the real designers from the whiners.

Even though her dress isn’t really worth a mention, Irina got hearted when she was one of the few to say that maternity wear shouldn’t be this astronomical leap from designing any other form of ready-to-wear. If you know how to cut and drape fabric, handling a pregnant belly shouldn’t be beyond your abilities.

Louise, Christopher, Althea, Qristyl (I know, I was surprised too) and Shirin – who gets props for designing not just a dress but a lined and completely wearable jacket - gamely stepped up to the plate. Logan, on the other hand, complained about how difficult this would be since he’d “never really had a lot of pregnant women in his life.” Seriously dude? Why would that matter?

And then there was Malvin with the awesome hair who will always have something to say and a different way to say it each time. Okay, I admit it, I liked him.  Even though he was an oddball, I appreciated his attempt to create an innovative, conceptual design with a story behind it – isn’t that what “Runway” is all about?

Yet I also understood the criticism that was flung his way - his “Mother Hen” idea was far from boring but it got completely lost in translation; Nina even said she was disturbed. Malvin, honey, you can create all day, but if a woman can’t wear it then what’s the point?

But when compared to the likes of Ra’Mon – who insists on recreating prom dresses from the early 21^st century – Malvin was on the better track.  Mitchell also came up short and Nina let him know his “city chic” was less than so. If I would’ve had to face her “WTH” face, I think I would have just thrown in the towel then and there.

Heidi was also in rare form last night, almost making me forget that Mr. Kors was absent, when she told Mitchell, “just because we sit down here doesn’t mean we can’t see.”