|
November 5th, 2009
05:10 PM ET
You can't take the Yankee out of the girlWell, it’s over. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys rocked the house- well, actually they rocked Yankee Stadium, technically, but you know what I mean. The cast of Glee absolutely killed the National Anthem- in the best way possible-I think I’ve watched it on YouTube about 20 times already! Spike Lee, Regis Philbin and Donald Trump have to wait until next season to sit in the stands and watch another game. Kate Hudson will also have to wait till then to cheer on her boyfriend A-Rod, although I am pretty sure that she won’t mind, seeing as she will get him all to herself for the next few months. Where does that leave me? Well, it leaves me with the knowledge that come April, the game I love will be back. I am the ultimate girlie girl. The girl who loved wearing dresses as a child—if it wasn’t pink, purple or frilly, I wasn’t wearing it. I danced, took gymnastics and did musical theater. I was the girl who, at 25, still had the walls of my bedroom painted pink. And, oh yeah, I am the girl who loves baseball. No, I mean, I really love baseball. Specifically, the New York Yankees. My family is from New York—I know a lot of people say that, but mine is really from New York, as in, so many generations back that we lost count. We have a lot of New York pride and a lot of pride in our New York sports teams. One of my fondest memories is from the 1996 World Series. I remember being upset because even though my parents let me stay up past my bedtime that night, they wouldn’t let me stay up to watch the whole game. Well, my dad must have changed his mind because he woke me up a little while later so I could watch them win. He told me that he wanted me to see the Yankees win the first World Series since 1978. I remember how excited my dad was when they won—I will never forget the look on his face when Charlie Hayes caught the final out of the game. My dad grew up watching a Yankee dynasty-Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson and Clete Boyer (the phenomenal fielding third baseman). He and his older brother would sit around the TV in their apartment in Queens in the middle of summer watching the Yankees play. They would sit in the sweltering heat-with no air conditioning- watching the greats play. They got their love of baseball from their father. He was an avid Yankee fan and would often watch the games with them. Not surprisingly, both brothers passed the love of the game onto their own kids- little did they know that there would be another Yankee dynasty for them to grow up with. Starting in 1996, with that game that had such an impact on me, the Yankees absolutely dominated- winning four World Series in five years. Those were the days of David Cone, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte- the latter of which make up “the core four” who still play for the Yanks today. After I caught that Yankee bug, there was no going back. What is so great about this game is that it brings people together. Last night, as we watched the Yankees win their 27th World Series, we were all in different places- my brother is in college in New York, my dad is on a business trip and I am out here in Los Angeles. Even though we were 3,000 miles apart we were constantly texting and calling each other the whole time. It wasn’t just about the game, it was about the fact that the game brought us together. My grandfather passed the love of the Yankees to my dad, he passed it to my brother and I, and you can be 100% sure that when I have kids of my own, I will pass it down to them. Because the truth of the matter is that it isn’t about the game- it’s about loving it.
November 5th, 2009
02:41 PM ET
Hill Harper urges volunteerismCSI:NY star Hill Harper is just one of many celebrities taking part in EIF's iParticipate program. He recently spent time with New York's Central Park Medical Unit- a volunteer ambulance service shooting scenes for this week's episode. Hill talks to CNN exclusively about his work with EIF/iParticipate and why it is important for everyone to volunteer. When United Healthcare heard about the good work that CPMU was doing, they decided to donate $10,000 to the organization. For more on EIF/iParticipate, check out www.iparticipate.org.
October 28th, 2009
04:26 PM ET
Why the World Series is better than 'Glee'The cast of Glee performing live? Jay-Z and Alicia Keys singing “Empire State of Mind?” Kate Hudson hanging out with Rudy Giuliani and Billy Crystal? A woman selling sex for tickets just to get a peek of all of the action? You must be thinking to yourself, “Is she making this stuff up?” Nope, I am just describing the World Series, starting tonight, between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. Folks, the World Series is better than anything on primetime TV these days. It’s better than any scripted show out there. You’ve got your lead characters- the McDreamys and McSteamys if you will. For example, on the Yankees we have Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter- old friends who depending on the day, either love each other or hate each other. Their love lives are the stuff that nighttime dramas are made of- the kind of storylines that fans thrive on. After A-Rod’s divorce he was linked to none other than Madonna, and now he is dating Kate Hudson. Hudson is now a regular fixture at the games, and usually rocking some killer style in the stands. I am even convinced that she got her hair and makeup done before the last game—she was definitely ready for the close-ups that she knew the cameras were taking of her every time her man was up at the plate. It’s rumored that she has even become his good luck charm. Jeter’s longtime love, Friday Night Light’s Minka Kelly, plays it a little more low-key, sitting in his private box away from the other wives and girlfriends of the players. Not to worry though FNL fans, you won’t miss your Minka Kelly fix because the cameras know where to find her! In addition to Kelly, you can also expect to see loyal Yankee fans like Billy Crystal, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, current Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Regis Philbin, Donald Trump, and maybe even Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. On the Phillies side, you should be on the lookout for Kevin Bacon, Rob McElhenney, Fabian, Tim McGraw and Bill Cosby and even our very own Vice President Joe Biden! There will be better celebrity sightings at these games than the red carpet at the Golden Globes! On top of all of the stars, we are treated to musical performances- the soundtrack to the World Series if you will. The uber-talented cast of Glee may have been snubbed by the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but you can get your fix by watching them on the World Series. These are the guys who reinvigorated the Journey classic “Don’t Stop Believin’” last spring, and I can’t wait to see what they are going to do with the National Anthem! We also are going to get to hear Jay-Z and Alicia Keys sing their ode to New York, “Empire State of Mind.” It’s like getting a free concert with some of today’s hottest stars- and you know Beyonce will be in the stands. So how hot are tickets to this show? Well, there is a woman in Philly, Susan Finkelstein, who allegedly offered sex for tickets to a game. For those who are looking for a far less illegal way of attending, tickets are still available, but they are going for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. You could do what you normally do on a weeknight however, and watch the game in the comfort of your own home. Just think, all of those celebrities, the music and on top of that, a great baseball game, all right there in your living room- what could be better than that? The fact of the matter is that we watch TV to inspire us. We watch it for hope, for fun and for entertainment. Well that’s what baseball is about—hope, fun and entertainment. Imagine all of that in one place and you have the World Series—sounds like Must See TV to me.
October 21st, 2009
05:05 PM ET
Oprah vs. Palin: Must see TVSo by now all of you know that I am a TV junkie. I mean a total TV addict- as in, I have two DVR’s and I still seem to always be missing something that I wanted to watch. The highlight of my TV day though- the one “I can’t live without it” program; the “get home from work and run for the couch and clicker” show that I must watch every single day is Oprah. A few weeks ago my DVR decided (yes, I firmly believe that the little machine has a mind of its own and arbitrarily makes decisions based on how it feels towards me on any given day) not to tape Journey’s appearance on Oprah. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” is my ringtone; I got home and almost had a panic attack. My point is that I, like many other people my age, and many who aren’t, are part of the Oprah “club”. We watch the show, read the magazine (I admit, I subscribe), and follow the advice of her experts. So what better place for ex-Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin, to launch her comeback tour? Palin has not had an easy go of things since the election- and it is no secret that Oprah was firmly in President Obama’s camp throughout the election itself. So it is an interesting message that Oprah is sending by having Mrs. Palin on for her first interview for her upcoming book, Going Rogue: An American Life. Now, let’s not pretend that this isn’t a huge “get” for Oprah- she’ll get enormous ratings for the interview and the press she will receive will be better than any ad campaign that her team could ever put together on their own. But as much as this appears to be a big win for Oprah, I wonder if Team Palin is going to come out on top. This interview is coming mere weeks after Levi Johnston, the father of her grandson, gave an interview to Vanity Fair magazine where he alleged- among other things- that Palin was completely taken in by the fame that came with being nominated for Vice President, that her marriage is teetering on the brink of divorce and that Palin wanted to raise Levi’s child as her own. Levi is also set to appear in a spread on Playgirl.com. If Palin is expecting to run for office in 2012, which many are expecting her to do, this can’t possibly be helping her image. Oprah’s couch is a couch of healing. It practically has a sign on it that says “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses”. The amount of people who have come to that couch to pour out their hearts and souls and seek solace- not to mention the forgiveness and/or approval of the American public is immeasurable. What better place for Sarah Palin to relaunch her career than on that healing couch? And if she can get Oprah’s stamp of “approval”? Well, I would imagine that they would consider that to be icing on the cake. Not to worry folks- you know where I will be on November 16th– on my couch, right in front of that TV, watching with all of you.
October 16th, 2009
03:29 PM ET
Jon Gosselin responds to lawsuit!BREAKING NEWS! Showbiz Tonight just received this statement from Jon Gosselin’s attorney, Mark Jay Heller, Esq. regarding the lawsuit that TLC filed against Jon. “Apparently, TLC has elected to initially litigate this case In the Court of Public Opinion, rather than the Circuit Court for Montgomery County Maryland because neither Jon nor I have been served with legal pleadings or informed by TLC of the instant litigation. Remarkably, instead, I read the alleged Complaint on the internet, since it would appear that Discovery and TLC chose to pander and publicize their weak feeble and baseless claim to the media rather than providing the Defendant with appropriate notice through the traditional judicial process. Jon will vigorously defend against this baseless action, assuming Discovery and TLC choose to go forward with their claim by legally serving him with notice, and we are confident that through the course, of litigation it will clearly be evident that Discovery and TLC exploited, manipulated and abused the Gosselins’ vulnerability and financial hardship. We believe that the contract will be unenforceable in light of the fact that Discovery and TLC initially had Jon execute a complicated, complex and sophisticated agreement at a time when he had no legal representative. In any event, when TLC and Discovery ended the program “Jon & Kate plus eight” they also effectively terminated the purported contract and accordingly, any rights or obligations they perceived existed concerning Jon’s conduct or actions, rights or privileges from that point forward were also terminated. The contract was against Public Policy because we believe Discovery and TLC violated Pennsylvania Child Labor Laws, failed to seek appropriate State and Municipal Permits, failed to pay the Gosselins fair consideration, and intentionally circumvented their responsibility to specifically designate legal and lawful compensation to the eight infant children, which Is now the subject of an investigation by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and could result In summary Criminal Proceedings. The purported Contract was also grossly overreaching and restrictive attempting to abridge the most basic Constitutional Right that all American citizens have of Freedom of Speech. Discovery and TLC has treated Jon Gosselin like a dog by attempting to keep him on a leash and muzzle him and deny the father of eight the opportunity to earn a livelihood to support his family. All of the aforesaid, clearly, in our opinion, renders the alleged contract as null and void, unenforceable and unconscionable. Clearly, this litigation has heralded in the battle of “David” against “Goliath” and Jon Gosselin fully intends to stand firm, protect his family and defend against TLC and Discovery who have been rumored to have enjoyed over $106 million dollars in revenue for one quarter, purportedly attributed to the success of the program “Jon & Kate plus eight’ This litigation is clearly a tactic that Discovery and TLC have initiated in furtherance of their hunger to jump back on the gravy train, but Jon Gosselin has decided to put the breaks on the Discovery and TLC trainwreck.” Be sure to tune in to Showbiz Tonight for all of the latest developments in this breaking story-11pm ET/PT- don’t miss it!
October 16th, 2009
11:12 AM ET
TLC sues Jon Gosselin!This just in to the Showbiz Tonight newsroom- we just received this release from TLC regarding their lawsuit against Jon Gosselin: TLC announced today it has filed a lawsuit against Jon Gosselin for breaching the contract he signed for the production of “Jon & Kate Plus Eight.” The network has been trying privately and patiently for months to get Jon to honor the contract he signed and to comply with his obligations relating to public appearances and statements. Those efforts have been unsuccessful. The Washington, DC law firm of Williams & Connolly LLP has been retained to represent the network in the litigation. For more on this breaking story, tune in to Showbiz Tonight at 11pm ET/PT on HLN- don’t miss it! |
  About this blog
Our daily cheat-sheet for breaking celebrity news, Hollywood buzz and your pop-culture obsessions.  |
