John Travolta's mercy flight to Haiti![]() testing captions So many stars have done their part for Haiti by raising awareness and funds, but one A-lister is actually taking the controls of a plane and flying into the heart of the disaster area himself - John Travolta. One of Travolta's reps just confirmed to CNN that the star is personally flying one of his jets to Haiti to help out with relief efforts there. In addition to relief supplies, Travolta is bringing along his wife Kelly Preston, several doctors and Church of Scientology ministers. Sundance Monday musingsDaytime at Sundance has a different vibe than the nights, obviously. You never really know who you are going to run into. So here's a rundown of Monday at Sundance: 12:30 p.m.: In the CNN office space, waiting for the cast of "Abel" to arrive. 12:42 p.m.: Diego Luna just walked in for the interview, as the two kid stars of Abel wait in the wings for their interview. The publicist tells me this is the first trip to the States for the kids, who live in central Mexico. He says they are in awe by the snow! 1:10 p.m.: Finally sat down for lunch at Red Banjo Pizza on Main Street, and in walks the "Abel" cast. We all got a big chuckle out running into each other so soon after the CNN interview. FULL POST Reality stars come out for Sundance![]() testing captions For indie film purists, the invasion of Park City by reality stars seems like a travesty to the true spirit of the Sundance Film Festival. I never mind running into a parka-ed Jon Gosselin on the street because getting in a good solid belly laugh is good for my soul, but it does beg the question: What is Gosselin and a slew of other reality stars doing at a festival that celebrates the work of filmmakers? FULL POST 'Idol' scoops up 'Pants' site months before show![]() testing captions (Editor's Note, Tuesday, January 26, 6:10 p.m. ET: FremantleMedia has responded to this blog post. See the company's statement at the bottom of the entry.) It appears that “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell wasn’t the only one who suspected “Pants on the Ground” would become a hit. According to information on GoDaddy.com, the domain name pantsontheground.com was snapped up in November and registered to Patrick Lynn. Lynn is a supervising producer for “American Idol” - and the URL now links to “Memorable Auditions” on “Idol’s” official Web site. FULL POST Hollywood and Haiti: Who's giving what?One of the commenters today on our Haiti telethon blog post made an interesting request: "I would like to see a list of all the Hollywood types who have contributed to this telethon and how much they contributed. Actions speak louder than words (or performances)." Of course, as other posters noted, those performances were aimed at increasing donations, by getting more people to tune in to the telethon. In addition, many celebrities are donating their time to raising funds and awareness for the cause, such as Ben Stiller's fundraising through Save The Children for a school in Haiti. And, as unlikely as it may seem, some celebs may have contributed without putting out press releases. Nevertheless, this sounded like a "Find The Good" challenge, so here's what I've been able to dig up. This list is by no means complete, or in any kind of order, but it should provide an idea of who's giving what. Judge gives Britney Spears 'ok' to auction off VMA dress![]() testing captions Britney Spears literally wants to give the clothes off her back to help victims of the Haitian earthquake. The pop singer received permission from a judge on Friday to donate a dress that she wore during her comeback appearance at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, to be auctioned off for charity. Spears appeared before the judge for a progress review of her father’s handling of her affairs. Jamie Spears was given control of his daughter’s finances two years ago. During the routine visit to the judge Spears also received permission to auction off the dress for Haitian relief. FULL POST Sundance Sunday nightThere are still parties and dinners going on on Sunday night at Sundance. I wasn't able to make more than one, but here's a shakedown of what went on: 9:05 p.m.: After a long day of interviews, just hit the first party of the night. Michael Chiklis, who is in "HIGH School" just walked in. He's heading to his cast party downstairs at the Film Lounge. 9:10 p.m.: Mark Ruffalo, who is the director/writer of Sympathy for Delicious just stepped on the red carpet before heading into the Bing Supper Club dinner for the movie. Just a few seconds later, Orlando Bloom makes his way in, sporting a very colorful scarf. FULL POST Music moves at 'Hope for Haiti Now'
![]() testing captions The “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon moved viewers with powerful performances from some of today’s top musical stars. Pop heart throb Justin Timberlake’s reverent take on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” seemed perfectly suited for the benefit to raise money for earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The singer told MTV that the song is one of his favorites. “What’s being said in the song, it just kind of fit the telethon,” he said. FULL POST Scorpions announce breakup![]() testing captions The Scorpions, the German metal band whose biggest hits include "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and "Wind of Change," will no longer be stinging. The band, which has been together in one combination or another for more than 40 years, announced Sunday it will be breaking up. They're in no rush to go, however: besides a new album, "Sting in the Tail," due out in March, the band is embarking on a three-year world tour. "We want to end the Scorpions' extraordinary career on a high note," the band said in a message on its Web site. "We are extremely grateful for the fact that we still have the same passion for music we’ve always had since the beginning. ... We finish our career with an album we consider to be one of the best we have ever recorded and with a tour that will start in our home country Germany and take us to five different continents over the next few years." 'Hope for Haiti Now' doing well on iTunes![]() testing captions Supporters of the “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon are continuing to show their philanthropy via downloads. As of Monday morning the “Hope for Haiti Now ” album remained number one on the iTunes album chart and three singles from the album were in the top 20 songs. “Hallelujah” by Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris, featuring Charlie Sexton, ranked number 2, “Lean On Me” by Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock and Keith Urban was number 12 and “Breathless” by Taylor Swift was 19. On the live show, Timberlake was accompanied on guitar and vocals by Morris, a former co-star of his on "The Mickey Mouse Club." The star-studded "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon included more than 100 celebrities and has raised a record-breaking $58 million with more donations continuing to pour in from those seeking to help the impoverished nation in the wake of a devastating earthquake. FULL POST |
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Our daily cheat-sheet for breaking celebrity news, Hollywood buzz and your pop-culture obsessions.
Robin Gibb of Bee Gees dies http://t.co/OndiHlJ6 1:09 am UTC, May 21 2012
Transgender Miss Universe candidate: stunt or triumph? http://t.co/Hrl6M3Mg 1:09 am UTC, May 21 2012
Will Smith slaps guy moving in for kiss http://t.co/LnFGSICt 5:57 pm UTC, May 20 2012
'Sons of Anarchy' creator's doc http://t.co/7VRvoYBu 8:06 pm UTC, May 18 2012
Summer died of lung cancer http://t.co/C55HKqUo 8:06 pm UTC, May 18 2012
Marquee's lists to follow:
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