Congratulations are in order...

Future Blogger and Sassy Gossip Maven

Born 1/27/08
at 1:05pm
5lbs 10oz 19.88" long

Congrats Melissa :)
We love you!

Britney Locked Up Again

Let's see how long it lasts this time. I give it 24 hours, tops. And that's being generous.

For the second time in a less than a month, police involuntary committed Britney Spears early Thursday morning, hours after blogs and media outlets began reporting that her psychiatrist determined she was a danger to herself and others. At approximately 1 a.m., dozens of Los Angeles Police officers along with an ambulance arrived at Spears' home in the Summit Circle gated community in the hills above Beverly Hills. Less than 20 minutes later, she was transported to UCLA Medical Center. Citing unidentified authorities, The Los Angeles Times said Spears was placed on a "mental evaluation hold." The ambulance was seen pulling out of the side entrance of Spears' gated Summit community at 1:20 a.m. Her mother, Lynne Spears, was seen riding in an SUV as part of the police escort caravan. [us weekly]

Let's hope George Clooney didn't have to use his baseball bat. ;)

So classy

Ethan Hawke, whose cheating ended his marriage to Uma Thurman, apparently hasn't improved his cassanova persona. He's gone and knocked up his kids' nanny:

Ethan Hawke – already the father of two children with his ex-wife Uma Thurman – is about to become a father again, this time with Ryan Shawhughes, described as the former nanny to his children. "I can confirm and they are thrilled," says Hawke's rep Mara Buxbaum. "No further details will be made available." [people]

What you should be watching tonite: ELI STONE

We are pretty sure tonite's premiere of ELI STONE, starring Johnny Lee Miller (and with cameos by George Michael) won't be disappointing. In fact, we think it's going to be the hottest mid-season replacement in recorded history. ;)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Considering the number of hallucinations Eli Stone has, maybe they should have added a "d" to his last name. But no, Stone, a high-powered San Francisco lawyer, owes his unique visions to a freaky brain aneurysm which, of course, is inoperable. With "Eli Stone," Greg Berlanti's Midas touch -- he already has two other shows on ABC, "Brothers & Sisters" and "Dirty Sexy Money" -- is very much in evidence. His new series is more quietly manipulative and less dramatically satisfying than the others, yet Berlanti and co-writer Marc Guggenheim have no trouble creating enough moments to propel the series straight to viewers' hearts....The premise in the pilot introduces Stone, played by amiable Jonny Lee Miller, as a lion in the legal arena but a kitty cat in his personal life. Even so, he's engaged to fetching Taylor Wethersby (Natasha Henstridge), a fellow lawyer in the firm and the daughter of the senior partner, artfully played by Victor Garber. His delusions begin with the sound of organ music and then, later, a rendition of "Faith" by George Michael in a guest role. Shortly thereafter, Stone is visited in real life by a single mother who claims that a preservative in her son's vaccine made him autistic. She wants Stone to sue the pharmaceutical company, which happens to be a client of the firm. [reuters]

It's official...

JLo has been checked into North Shore LIJ in Long Island, NY yesterday (not today) and is awaiting the birth of her twins. (The couple has yet to confirm they are having twins, but they received two sets of everything at their recent shower.) Here's a report from Long Island's Newsday:

As rumors swirled that a pregnant J.Lo had checked into a Manhasset medical center, the hospital yesterday denied that the Bronx-born superstar was there. Jennifer Lopez kept coy when first asked if she was expecting, and that air of mystique continued as the buzz on the Web and on newsday.com was that J.Lo had checked into North Shore University Hospital under a false name. "She is not in the hospital," said hospital spokeswoman Adina Conn. "She is not here under a pseudonym." A hospital source, however, said Lopez, who is expecting twins, was "in the house." Lopez, 38, and her husband, singer Marc Anthony, live in Brookville and announced in November they were expecting. Rumors circulated throughout the hospital yesterday that Lopez, who has not announced her due date, was there. Recent hospital visitors have reported hearing staff talk about "the J.Lo room," and it's a little more lavish than what you find in the average maternity ward.

Rumor has it...

Joan and Melissa just got a hot tip... There's a rumor that JLo was admitted to a North Shore, Long Island hospital today for the birth of her twins. (Recent reports had JLo and Marc celebrating Christmas in Brookville, NY with their family, so it's not outlandish for them to have chosen a Long Island hospital for the birth.) Will have updates throughout the day regarding this tip. Stay tuned!

The timing is not coincidental, as JLo recently had her baby shower in NYC. Here's the scoop on the shindig:

Jennifer Lopez celebrated her pregnancy with a baby shower Saturday on the rooftop of the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City. The singer and her husband Marc Anthony both attended the afternoon shower, which was hosted by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Lopez's producer on the 2002 film Maid in Manhattan. Lopez, 38, "looked very pretty – and very pregnant," according to an eyewitness, who saw the couple arrive flanked by bodyguards. [people]

{Thanks for the lead, Helena!}

News of the Bizarre

Weird... some wacko has been infiltrating Hollywood claiming to be Heath Ledger's dad. He even got through to Scientology's Number Two man himself....

Tom Cruise "spoke briefly" to a man claiming to be the father of Heath Ledger, a source close to Cruise tells Usmagazine.com. A source close to Cruise tells Us the two spoke by phone once and the actor realized it was a hoax. "They spoke briefly but he realized the caller was an impostor almost immediately and he hung up," the source says. The impostor also arranged for hotel rooms at New York's Carlyle Hotel before Ledger's reps and police were notified. [us weekly]

Confirmation... Sorta

Angie may be pregnant for certain, according to Us Weekly.

Amid rumors that Angelina Jolie, 32, is expecting twins, a close source confirms to Us Weekly that the actress is indeed pregnant. A radiant Jolie had tongues wagging at the Screen Actors Guild Awards January 27 in Los Angeles. One SAG attendee tells Us in its latest issue, on newsstands now, "It was so obvious she was pregnant. You could clearly see the bump's outline." The source reveals Jolie may sell the confirmation, with the money going to charity.

#2 for Gwen

Gwen and Gavin are expecting their second child!

Singer Gwen Stefani is pregnant, Gavin Rossdale's father, Douglas, tells Usmagazine.com. "Yes, they are!" he gushed to Us early Tuesday in a telephone interview. When asked if he's happy, he said, "Of course!" [us weekly]

When Scientologists Reach Out

You know her as the hot-headed, sassy wife on King of Queens... But to Tom Cruise, she's just a fellow Scientologist and close friend. Somehow someone somewhere unearthed an e-mail allegedly from Leah Remini in which she praises the virtues of her controversial religion. It's long, but it's worth it. And if it's true, it's a boon for gossip columnists everywhere. Most of this is unintelligible, but it gives you a good feel for the crazy that is Scientology:

Hi!

This is Leah Remini writing you again. Some of you may know me from the TV show "King of Queens", but what is more important is that I am now OT V and at one point I was a very stalled Clear. A lot of people helped me to get OT, and I decided I was going to turn around and help every Clear make it to OT.

A couple of months ago, you received a letter from me about an event I was holding to help people move who were stalled on the Bridge. Obviously you did not come and for some reason, feel you are not indeed a "stalled Clear". Let me start with the definition of "stalled". Not that you are-but who knows? STALL: To slow down or halt the progress of. (American Heritage Student Dictionary). If you are not aggressively moving on your next step-your next "Gradechart Action", you are stalled. Look at the Gradechart, it says: Clear- Sunshine Rundown-Solo Course Part 1-OT Preparations and so on up the chart. If you are not on your next step as per this chart, and are not on a prerequisite for Solo, you are stalled-plain and simple.

If your C/S has CS ed you for the PTS SP course, or some other needed action to get you rolling up the GRADECHART faster, then do it, and do it fast. I have experience being a Stalled Clear. I was the kind of gal who went on course MAYBE a period a day, only onweekdays, and that was ONLY if I had the time. I felt I deserved a special award for being there and they couldn't possibly ask for more. I remember thinking and saying out loud, "I WILL NEVER be like
those idiots who wait 10 years to go OT!" 10 years later, I hadn't moved. I mean I did everything else but move on to Solo One. I did other courses, I got myself in to trouble, then needed some FPRD and then I would finish that and it would be "my finances"... I would hear people talk to me about other Clears and refer to them as "stalled Clears" and I would be like "Yeah-they are totally stalled. You guys should handle them." Never once did I think "I" was a
stalled Clear, because I was always doing something. Once my mother told me I was stalled and I actually thought she was an idiot. Really, I thought "Wow, she really should handle that." I also thought she just didn't know me. My mom is OT VII and a Class VI. She did know me and she was right. So, it is up to you now to be honest with yourself and look at your own progress up the Bridge.

Do you ever wonder why you are not moving? No? Then that's an outpoint.
You are Clear, you are special, why have you not moved? Whatever the reason, there is an answer and a solution. I don't care what it is: you were not serviced right or fast enough, people don't get you, you have other things going on that we don't get, you are helping others, you are upset, you haven't been acked, your life is actually
going well, your life is not going well, there's no money there's no time, if you were a millionaire you would do it no problem, you are waiting for your 2D to make it, there's no urgency, you are not sure if you have what it takes to be OT, you hated your auditor, you don't like the parking situation...WHATEVER IT IS, IT IS STOPPING YOU AND THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT!

Why am I telling you this and who the hell am I writing you? Do you think that I have nothing better to do with my time than write you letters and put on events? Do you think I make some sort of commission off you? The answer is that I don't have better things to do than to support my group and help when I can. Clears ARE my group. And no- I don't make a dime. Does that make you wonder, "Why the hell does she care?". Or... "Why does the Org care?" Well, when you do your levels you too will care. Sept 11th (9/11) kicked me in the a&#.

I finally realized that all it takes is a few madmen to take us all down. There I was, just running on my treadmill thinking life is okay. I'm going on course every so often, (when I had time) and BAM! Life has changed. I suddenly thought, "Oh my God, what if I'm stuck in this condition again and I have to--what? Do it all over again?
Where would I go? What would I do? Would some secret Scientology police come down and save me? Is there a secret back-up plan? I was sure there was. But there isn't . All it would take is another tragic event to happen again and we are all done. There will be no planet for us to be stalled, or "just doing okay" on. There would be nothing! The only plan is for you to move on up to OT as fast as you can. That is the secret. Really. I am asking you to get it together.

You are in charge and responsible for what you do this lifetime. Not being on course and not doing your next step is getting you where? Play out the scenario-there you are being a Clear, being right about whatever it is that is keeping you from being on course and doing your next step. Years go by, you are making money, you have a nice house and a nice car. You spent time with those friends you wanted to hang out with, you cleaned out the garage, you traveled. You do all the things that were keeping you from taking your next step. Then what? Then you are going to move? I hate to say this but you are lying to yourself. You need to move now, regardless of your situation. Are you just going to keep in place what you have had sitting there for lifetimes to come? Do you think we are just going to be here forever? So I say knock off any critical thought right now that you may have about me, the orgs, your FSM, your auditor, anyone else, and contact us so we can help you. All you need to do is just reach once and we can help. LRH was very clear on what we need to do- obviously in some way you are out of agreement with that. That again, is an outpoint, and we can help you with that.

You're waiting because of money? Or for your wife to do it first or for you to strike it rich? It will not happen without your decision to go up the levels. That is the truth. You owe it to yourself, your family, and to mankind to move and move NOW.

In closing, this is not going to happen often. I am only doing this again because some of you did not show. I hope to see you on September 28th at 11:30am at the AOLA atrium for a second chance. There will be brunch served, free of course! Do this for yourself- just blow through whatever it is that is sitting there, and just come. It's not going to kill you- I promise!

Much love,
Leah Remini

She's totally knocked up...

Check out these candid shots from last night's SAG awards of Brad and Angie. Usually, they're not this into PDA -- but woo... things changed last night.

How about a lil' full frontal?

[Disclaimer: This comes from an email in which a friend describes an erotic dream she had about Bret Michaels, 90s rock God and current reality show whore. Her name has been changed to protect her innocence. Let's just say her name rhymes with Schmeggy. Read and enjoy...]

...lobotomy? Because, seriously, I need one. And here's why:

I HAD A DREAM I WAS ON ROCK OF LOVE. I don't exactly remember all of the details (thank GOD), but here's my hazy recollection of what went down....

So, I'm on the show. I kind of have a feeling that I'm not myself. I think I'm Ambre, which would make sense, since she's, like, Methuselah, or something, on the show, at the ripe ol' age of 32. And as we're all sitting around in some room, watching re-runs of the last season of RoL, Inna (whom I shall henceforth refer to as Inna Tuna, or some variation of the name, in honor of TWoP) and I get into it. Not into the show, I mean...into an altercation. There's all sorts of head-shaking and finger-waving, and the "Fuck you, bitch"es are flying furiously. I think she started it by called me old, or maybe I started it by calling her a skank, but that's really neither here nor there. Then things get physical, and I choke her out, UFC style, which was totally AWESOME...even moreso because at this point I'm myself again and not Ambre, and you know in real life I would not have a chance against Inna Tuna, since she would most likely devour me (literallly). Except the really shameful thing is that we're both in bikinis (with moderate to full back coverage...that's the only saving grace) and she's wearing stilettos, which you know will later give Bret some "heavy movement" when he sees the footage. CREEPY!

Anyways, in the midst of the mixed-martial arts, one of Tuna-girl's stiletto heels catches me on the top of my foot, and I start bleeding profusely. Positively spurting blood, jugular-style. (I'm no M.D., but I don't think that's possible with a foot injury, short of actually having your foot severed--but either way, it hurt like a bitch and I totally made a mess all over the place.) Well, I'm pissed, and apparently really mature, because I wrap my gaping wound in toilet paper and march (well, limp) off down the hall to tattle on Tuna. Yes, ladies. In the grand RoL tradition, I'm gonna tell on someone to further my own game. Embarrassing. And I'm myself and not Ambre, so there's really no excuse.

Well, there's Bret in the kitchen, making himself an omelette. And thank the good Lord that he has a full head of SHORT hair and he is sans bandana. He's almost hot, in a puffy-aging-rocker kind of way. He looks at me like he pretty much doesn't have a clue who I am...which makes more sense when it is revealed that I had actually tried out for the previous season and had not even made it into the house to get rejected, meaning, of course, that I'm completely forgettable. But it probably also means that I didn't bare my breasts or do something equally humiliating. Or maybe I did and got rejected anyway, which is even more humiliating, since it doesn't seem that Bret is really that discriminating. And though I know about the past failure, it still seems like it's news to me, even as I hear the words coming out of my own mouth.

Then, here's the weird thing--okay, not THE weird thing...one of many weird things, obviously: Some random lady kind of materializes next to me (I think maybe she's Bret's mom?) and tells Bret that I have a two-year-old son, and then she...dematerializes, I guess. Think transporter beam from "Star Trek." And it's at that exact moment that he and I make a spiritual connection, because you know he always bonds with chicks who have kids...and this is immediately followed by a PHYSICAL connection, as he throws down his spatula and moves in for a kiss. AND THEN THERE IS PASSIONATE NECKING. I think he gets to first base; I'm trying hard to NOT remember. But as we pull apart, he looks at me and says, real serious-like, "You know there are eliminations tonight." I hang on his words, waiting breathlessly to see where this is going, and as I see him begin to slowly shake his head I realize that...my tour...ends...here. And I'm like, WTF? I just MADE OUT with you, dude. I'm risking my good health, here, not to speak of my reputation, which has now be permanently soiled. What will my parents think, even though I'm 33 and it doesn't actually matter? (Quick aside: It appears that while I have a son, I do not actually have a husband. Or I have no recollection of a husband. Otherwise, I probably would've been slightly more concerned about what HE would think of what has transpired. Or so one would hope.)

It turns out that even though I made out with him at the drop of a hat (or a spatula, as it so happens), I am not slutty enough because I am not a stripper and I don't know how to work the pole. And even though I should be mighty proud, I'm actually discouraged, and I offer a pitiful and half-hearted, "But...I could learn." Yet, he tells me that in another time, another place, maybe it would have worked, but it's just not meant to be in the here and now. And then he says he's gonna go catch a movie with Big John.

Ladies, do you think it's possible to catch an STD from a dream?

The answer is yes, Schmeggy. A most definite yes.

Screen Actors' Guild Awards

Everyone's been relying on the SAG awards for the red carpet glamor we missed out on when the Globes were canceled. And they pulled through. Here's a peek at the designer duds:

Who decided to let these two idiots host the red carpet? Really now.

Christina Appelgate looking fab in silver. Just gawgeous!

Debra Messing looking frightful in a gold Oscar de la Renta. Ick!

Sara Ramirez in a stunning electric plum gown.


Brangelina showed! And Angie's something other than black! Note how flowing and billowy it is around the midsection, lending some credence to those pregnancy rumors. Interesante. Not diggin' the dress though.

Jenna Fischer lookin' great in blue/grey...

Melissa, what is Viggo wearing? Yeesh.

Ellen Pompeo in silver, which seems to be a very popular color this evening.

Marion Cotilliard in a lovely Grecian form.

America Fererra in Monique Luhullier... My fave dress of the night. It doesn't translate well in the photo, but trust me, on camera -- it's delicious!

Brangelina tabelside, yucking it up.
They do seem to be diggin' each other a lot lately.

Kate and Matthew in equally quizzical garb.

Daniel Day Lewis made a very touching speech,
dedicating his award to the late Heath Ledger.

Recalling several of Ledger's most iconic roles, Day-Lewis called the late actor an inspiration and "unique," before dedicating the trophy to Ledger. "Of course, in Brokeback Mountain he was unique," Day-Lewis said. "He was perfect. And that scene in the trailer at the end of the film is as moving as anything I have ever seen." Asked backstage why he'd decided to dedicate the award to Ledger, he said, "I suppose that's all I've been thinking about for the last few days. I never met him. I thought he was beautiful. I just have a very strong feeling that I would have liked him very much as a man. ...I admired him very much." [people]

Here's a list of the winners, divided into Film and TV:

FILM

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Julie Christie, Away From Her

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Ruby Dee, American Gangster

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
No Country for Old Men

TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Kevin Kline, As You Like It

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Queen Latifah, Life Support

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Edie Falco, The Sopranos

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
The Sopranos

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
The Office

Directors' Guild Awards

Tee hee. Sean Young (best known for storming into a Hollywood big-wig's office dressed as catwoman, in hopes to get casted in Tim Burton's Batman) got a wee bit tipsy at the DGAs the other night and got her ass escorted off the premesis. LOL. What a tool.

Actress Sean Young apparently had too much to drink, and not enough attention paid to her during the DGA awards Saturday night....the inebriated actress made a spectacle of herself, embarrassing the people at her table. During the DGA Awards...Shortly after [Julian Schnabel] took the podium, Young, seated near the stage, cut him off by shouting out, "Oh come on — get to it!" Hilton's sources say the actress was seated "at the same table as power couples Les Monves & Julie Chen and Steven Soderbergh & Jules Asner, who all tried to ignore her." "When she wasn't yelling, Sean would stand up, put on her white fur coat and walk around her table and then retake her seat (while people were onstage accepting awards)," a shocked eyewitness tells Hilton. Hilton's source continues: "She also licked the neck of her date...screamed in French at ...Marion Cotillard...A shocked Schnabel searched the crowd to ask who was scolding him. When Young repeated "get to it!" Schnabel quickly wrapped up his speech, instructing Young to "have another drink, Honey," and started to leave the stage....Young, stumbling in her white fur coat, was forcibly escorted out of the ballroom by two security guards, and at one point she fell to the floor. [monsters&critics]

Too bad that wasn't televised. Ahh well, here's a glance at some arrivals:

A blonde Anna Paquin? Not a good look.

New Disney Sponsers...

Are you ready? No, I mean are you seriously ready to laugh your friggin' ass off at the same time as getting unavoidable douche chills simply by looking at a picture? Well, if so, get a gander at this:


Disney unveiled the latest in their celebrity endorsed renderings of famous Disney flicks. Yep, that's JLo and her incredible shrinking husband Marc Antony as the love-lorn pair from Aladdin. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Really, I'm so conflicted.

Here's Whoopi as Aladdin hanging on to the end
of their flying carpet. Weird.

That's Giselle Bundchen and Mikael Barisnikov
as Wendy and Peter Pan... Cute.

Jessica Biel as Pocohantas...

And my personal fave... Tine Fey as Tinker Bell.
The look on her face is priceless.
She can't do anything wrong in my book.

Sneak Peek

A glimpse at the first still from the Get Smart remake, starring Steve Carrell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as Agt. 99. Perfect casting. Lookin' Good! Watch the trailer here.

Some seriously funny shit...

George Clooney cracks my ass up. How he didn't know until just recently he lived near Britney Spears is beyond me. But how he found out is quite funny:

George Clooney didn't know he lived near Britney Spears until the area was surrounded by helicopters, police and paparazzi during the "custodial dispute" on January 3 that resulted in her two-night hospital stay.

Huffington Post reports on Clooney's recollection of the night:

"I'd gone upstairs, and I came out and I'm in a robe. All of the sudden I see all this s--t going on.

"I have a guest house where my assistant sometimes is, and I think, someone has broken out of prison and like escaped, because it's a chase scene. It's something out of Die Hard.

"I get my baseball bat, which is what you always get in every film – I actually think Clive Owen said, 'Get a baseball bat' – and I called up my assistant, who I thought was in the guest house, and I said, 'Are you OK?'

"And she's like, 'Yes.'

"And I said, 'Look, if there's someone in the place, say the word stonehenge.'

"And she's like, 'What the f--k are you talking about? I'm in my apartment.'

"I go, 'You're not in the guesthouse?'

"'No.'

"So I'm, like, 'Well, then, what the f--k is going on?' And I go out and I'm running around with a baseball bat in my robe.

"And it turns out it's Britney Spears' house is like, 300 yards from mine. So now I have to move."

If you have a weak stomach...

Don't look. Especially those of you who were rabid for Jared Leto at one point in your lives and/or were a fan of My So-Called Life... This will ruin it for you (as she ruins everything).

Paris and Jared sucking face at the Sundance Film Festival.

Hey, Did I miss the 5 o'clock crack giveaway?

Cause ya gotta be on crack to wear this shit.

Bona Fide Biological Brangelina Baby, Parts 2 and 3?

Star mag is claiming that Brad knocked up Angelina, and she's having twins. Eh, ya never know. But, I think we'll wait till we have an actual confirmation on this. Twins would make them and even 8-person family. "We're gonna need a bigger boat."

Angelina Jolie is pregnant again --and she is expecting lover Brad Pitt's twins, Star has confirmed. Angie only discovered that she is eating for three over the past week, a source very close to the Lara Croft star reveals. The two extra kids will bring the Jolie-Pitt family up to six children, all aged under seven. They have three adopted children and Shiloh, their daughter, who was born in May 2006. Rumors of pregnancy for Angie, 32, have swirled since she appeared at the Critics' Choice awards on January 7 looking considerably healthier than the almost skeletal figure she had become. While Brad drank beer, and others at their table downed champagne, she stuck to water. [star]

The Olsen-Ledger Connection

Many of you are wondering how Mary Kate and Heath came to befriend one another and/or begin dating, if that's what it can be called. People gives us the scoop:

Certainly friends, definitely party pals and maybe more, Heath Ledger and Mary-Kate Olsen first met over the summer of 2006, at the time he was living at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, PEOPLE has learned. More recently, "Mary-Kate and Heath were casually dating for three months before Heath's death," a source has told PEOPLE. "They were hooking up, but neither were particularly interested in making it exclusive." As for what drew the two together, says the source, "They had a bond that was based on partying, and they had the same tastes in partying ... like, in terms of where they liked to hang out in New York, what time they would want to go out. They just had the same sensibility." At the time of their first becoming acquainted – the summer after Ledger's Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain – Ledger and Olsen were spotted together having lunch at the Chateau with a group of friends, and Ledger was described as being charmed by Olsen, who made him laugh as he would scarf down a big meal. "Mary-Kate made him laugh a lot," an eyewitness recalled. [people]

Okay, what?

In a truly bizarre turn of events... Mary Kate Olsen is actually involved in the Heath Ledger incident, proving all roads lead to Olsen:

The masseuse who discovered Heath Ledger's body spoke to the actor's friend Mary-Kate Olsen twice on the phone before dialing 911, police sources confirm. Masseuse Diana Wolozin arrived at Ledger's Manhattan apartment to give him a massage at about 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday. When he didn't come out of his bedroom, she called his cell phone and got no answer, according to the sources. She then went inside his bedroom, saw him lying in bed, set up the massage table near his bed, and shook him. When the 28-year-old actor did not respond, the masseuse – who knew that Ledger was friends with Olsen – used the speed dial on Ledger's cell phone to call Olsen in California asking for help, the sources say. Olsen, 21, initially told the masseuse she would call security people in New York for help. The masseuse then called Olsen back to say she would call 911 herself, the sources say. According to reports in the New York Post and New York's Daily News, Ledger and the Olsen twin were dating. Wolozin called 911 at 3:26 p.m. (45 minutes after her first call to Olsen.) She told authorities Ledger was not breathing and she tried to perform CPR while on the phone, but he was unresponsive. Emergency aid workers arrived at the apartment at almost the exact same time as Olsen's security people – seven minutes later. The source confirmed information first reported by the New York Times. It also clarifies Olsen's link to the case. Earlier rumors erroneously said that Ledger had died in Olsen's apartment. [people]

Lots of questions:

1. Who knew they even knew each other, much less that they were dating?
2. Is this masseuse completely unaware that 911 exists? Whose first impulse is to call Mary-Kate Olsen?
3. Why the fuck didn't she call 911, then try to do CPR -- instead of waiting until after calling the Olsen broad?
4. Who the fuck has their own 'security team' to call in? Is Mary-Kate part of some secret FBI-esque group???

Obviously, it doesn't take much for an investigation to get good and f'd up. What a shame. Who knows if the real story will ever come to light.

Cause of Death Undetermined, for now.

More info coming in on Heath's death. Just watched the press conference with PC Ray Kelly. Here's the scoop:

Police provided new details Wednesday about the investigation into the death of Heath Ledger, saying a rolled-up $20 bill was discovered near the body and that no illegal drugs were found in his apartment.


NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly released the information at a news conference in Manhattan, but did not elaborate on whether police think the bill may have been used to ingest drugs.


Kelly said the $20 bill would be taken to a lab for testing; no visible residue of drugs was found on the bill, police said.


Anti-anxiety and sleeping pills were found in Ledger's bedroom and bathroom, but authorities have not released a cause of death other than saying that it may have been a drug overdose.


Authorities said the autopsy on Ledger was inconclusive and that it would take about 10 days to determine a definitive cause of death. [am ny]

Will Oscar Air?

With the Writers' Strike still looming large over Hollywood, the big debate is whether the Academy Awards will go the way of The Golden Globes (and nearly every other major awards show this season). If the strike doesn't reach a resolution before the ceremony, you can be sure industry professionals -- actors included -- will not be crossing the picket line. Case in point:

"If there's a strike I will not go," [Viggo Mortensen] told the Associated Press on Tuesday, shortly after this year's nominations were announced, "but I have a feeling they'll solve it. I hope they do. I'm sure my mom would like to see me on TV." ...


"I would never cross a picket line, ever," said Tony Gilroy, Best Director nominee for Michael Clayton. "I couldn't. I'm a 20-year member of the Writers Guild. I think whatever they work out is going to be one way or the other but, no, I could never cross a picket line. I think there's a lot of people who feel that way."

Some nominees, however, followed tradition and stuck to expressing their delight at being considered for Hollywood's highest honor. [people]

More on Heath Ledger

The story continues to develop:

An autopsy on Heath Ledger will be “completed sometime in the the early afternoon” Wednesday, Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the Chief Medical Examiner's office, tells Usmagazine.com. Ledger’s body was brought out of the New York apartment in a black body bag and loaded into the Medical Examiner’s truck at 6:30 p.m. tonight. “We’re conducting an investigation,” she said...signs pointed to a suicide and that Ledger was found “naked and unconscious on a bed, with sleeping pills — both prescription medication and nonprescription — on a night table.” [us weekly]

News of Heath Ledger's death has shaken friends of the actor.

"This is terrible and I'm in shock," a close friend of Ledger's tells Usmagazine.com. "But to tell you the truth... we saw it coming."

"Heath has gone though a rough road of trying to get sober," the source tells Us.

"Things were very dark," the source says. "His one joy was Matilda." Matilda is his 2-year-old daughter with Michelle Williams. They split in September.

"Everything else was misery for him," adds the source. "Unfortunately he was too late in getting help." [us weekly]

MICHELLE Williams' father Larry has told The Daily Telegraph online from his Sydney base today that Heath Ledger's death has left his family broken hearted.

He described the 28-year-old as a "great talent" who was devoted to his two-year-old daughter Matilda.

"I think Tennyson got it right in the poem when he described someone as having died at a young age but burning the candles at both ends, and oh what a beautiful flame he made, that was Heath, what a beautiful flame he made and a great talent."

"My heart goes out to everyone in his family and my family."

The worst aspect of Ledger's untimely death was that Matilda will grow up without knowing her father, Williams said.

"The saddest thing is his daughter whom he just loved dearly."

He declined to comment about Ledger's state of mind in the lead up to his death. [daily telegraph/au]

RIP Heath

In very sad news, we report that Heath Ledger was found dead in a NYC apartment earlier today. He was 28. The weirdest part? The New York Times is reporting that the apartment he was found dead in belongs to Mary Kate Olsen... and now TMZ is reporting that it's not MKO's apartment. I guess we'll have to wait and see. OK, the NYPD has confimed to TMZ that it was NOT MKO's apartment.

The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment in Manhattan inhabited by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen, according to the New York City police. Signs pointed to a suicide or an accidental overdose, police sources said. Mr. Ledger was 28.

At 3:31 p.m., a masseuse arrived at Apartment 5A in the building, at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, for an appointment with Mr. Ledger, the police said. The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of the bedroom Mr. Ledger was in. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger naked and unconscious on a bed, with pills scattered around his body. They shook him, but he did not respond. They immediately called the authorities.

The police said they did not suspect foul play. Officials said they believed Ms. Olsen, 21, was in California and said it was not clear how long or why Mr. Ledger had been in her apartment. Ms. Olsen attended the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, for the premiere of “The Wackness,” a film in which she stars with the actor Ben Kingsley. It was not clear where she went after the film screening. [NY Times]

OSCAR! OSCAR! OSCAR!

The nominations are in, folks! Here's how it looks:

Best Picture

Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men (Joan's Pick!)
There Will Be Blood

Best Actor

George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood (Joan's Pick!)
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose (Joan's Pick!)
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno

Best Supporting Actor

Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men (Joan's Pick!)
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There (Joan's Pick!)
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best Director

Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jason Reitman, Juno
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men (Joan's Pick!)
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Best Original Screenplay

Diablo Cody, Juno (Joan's Pick!)
Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages

Best Adapted Screenplay

Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Sarah Polley, Away from Her
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men (Joan's Pick!)
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Foreign Language Film

Beaufort, Israel
The Counterfeiters, Austria
Katyn, Poland
Mongol, Kazakhstan
12, Russia

Take notes... there will be a quiz

MTV has comprised a list of all the acronyms TC spews as he maniacally talks about Scientology. It'll make your head spin. It's literally like a medical textbook.--Melissa

Tellin' ya, that 9-minute Scientology promotional video is just a bevy of juicy, gossipy goodness. Here's the scoop, if you don't happen to have a Scientology to English dictionary handy. --Joan

Apparently, non-Scientologists are just "spectators." It's a far nicer thing to call us — kind of like "Muggles in "Harry Potter" — than the term they usually use, "wog," which is more equivalent to the derogatory "Mudbloods" in the "Potter" books. Here's a breakdown of some of the other Scientologese words, acronyms and turns of phrase — culled from a variety of sources, including books, Web sites, and current and former church members — that might get lost in translation:

LRH: L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology and author of sci-fi books such as "Battlefield Earth" and "Mission Earth."

"I take this as a half-ack": What was that sound? A furball? Actually, a "half-ack" — a half-acknowledgement — means you were encouraged. In LRH's communication theory, you have to give signals to pre-clears (people who have not yet "cleared" themselves of unwanted emotions) — like "good," "OK," "I got that." Get that?

KSW: Keeping Scientology Working. Refers to a policy LRH published in 1965 that requires all Scientologists to follow his words and rules exactly.

"It is something that you have to earn": Cruise is referring to taking Scientology courses. According to the church, to get to the higher levels of Scientology — he's an OT VII, the highest level is OT VIII — you must complete a number of courses and auditing sessions, a sort of Scientological take on the Catholic confession. And it all costs; depending on your level, the tab for wisdom can be hundreds if not thousands of dollars. To finally learn what the basis of Scientology's precepts are (about how we got remnants of space aliens known as thetans trapped in our system), you must attain the level of OT III. The secrets of Xenu aren't free!

"Am I going to look at that guy or am I too afraid?": Cruise's relentless stare is actually a technique from "Success Through Communication" training routine (TR) drills. According to former and current members, pre-clears have to learn to look someone straight in the eye for hours. It's supposed to generate self-confidence and intimidate the other party. No blinking!

"... Because I have my own out-ethics": The church says ethics are moral choices but belong to a distinct moral system, based on LRH's book "Introduction to Scientology Ethics." If you misbehave, you have "out-ethics." If you're behaving, you have your ethics "in." To put your ethics "in" someone else, as Cruise later says, is to make someone else conform.

"The ability to create new and better realities and improve conditions": "Conditions" refer to LRH principles, which are charted on a scale. It's a Scientologist's goal to "improve conditions," which means improving your relationship with yourself and to those within your group. The "conditions" (in order) are: confusion, treason, enemy, doubt, liability, nonexistence, danger, emergency, normal, affluence, power change and power, according to numerous accounts of church practices. These are the practical applications of "ethics."

Tech: Otherwise known as "ethics tech." The methods and principles learned in Scientology courses.

"Orgs are there to help": Not Orcs from "Lord of the Rings" — orgs, as in Scientology churches and other organizations, such as Narconon, Criminon and Second Chance, all of which can be found online.

Criminon: Scientology group that recruits through prisons, promising alcohol and drug rehabilitation.

SP: "Suppressive Person." An SP is someone who commits suppressive acts, like murder, criticizing Scientology or altering LRH's teachings, according to former and current members. Journalists are automatically considered SPs because they traffic in bad news and so are barred from entering Scientology. Psychiatrists would also be SPs, so Cruise says, "Crush these guys! I've had it! No mercy! None! Go to guns!" as a call to arms. Since all's fair in war, LRH once issued a policy called "Fair Game" that decreed that anyone who opposed Scientology could be "tricked, sued or lied to and destroyed." The church says it no longer officially practices this, however, it is still a fairly contentious organization.

PTS: "Potential Trouble Sources," as in Scientologists who are losing the faith or are being influenced by an SP.

PTS/SP: A course in how to "handle" and/or "disconnect" PTS and SPs, which usually costs about $1,600, according to estimates from church members.

"Ways to Happiness": Actually, "A Way to Happiness," a booklet of the Scientology version of the 10 Commandments, except theirs has 21 Commandments. The number-one precept is "Take Care of Yourself." Also on the list: "Don't Be Promiscuous," "Set a Good Example," "Do Not Murder," "Do Not Harm a Person of Good Will" and "Flourish and Prosper." [MTV]

Would you trust this crazy bastard?

Just as we suspected

Who in their right mind thought Mad Money would do well??? Shame on Diane Keaton for even allowing her agent to bring this script to her attention, never mind the fact that she accepted the role and then invested months into making this horrid flick. The reviews are coming out and they ain't pretty... "Ouch" is putting it mildly. If I were Katie, I'd pray to the bust of L. Ron that another filmmaker gives me another chance after this mess.

Katie Holmes is getting harsh reactions from critics in her first return to the big screen since wedding Tom Cruise and welcoming daughter Suri.

"And the cinematic comeback of the year award goes to...somebody other than Katie Holmes," says a New York Post critic, who calls her new heist comedy Mad Money, co-starring Queen Latifah and Diane Keaton, "the most cringe-making return since Love Boat: The Next Wave."

"Holmes, with Alice Cooper hair and crazy Jim Carrey eyes, looks terrible and acts worse, unless this movie is unintentionally a lobotomy documentary," the reviewer writes. "Whatever could have happened to her in the last couple of years to zap the talent out of her like this?"

The New York Times says Holmes is "the movie's weakest link."

Variety adds that throughout the film "Holmes is awkwardly upsetting the balance" between Latifah and Keaton.

"Their heist is only the pretext for jinks that range from medium high (as played out by Queen Latifah and Diane Keaton) to painfully low (as perpetrated by Katie Holmes, who pops her eyes, scrunches her nose and shakes her booty in lieu of acting)," writes the Wall Street Journal. [Us Weekly]