Author: Castina

Meet your American Idol semifinalists. The nation’s favorite TV talent show unveiled the 24 aspiring crooners who will be singing their hearts out for America next week. However, at least two standouts were among the vocalists left standing on the sidelines. Thaddeus Johnson — the 17-year-old who impressed at Hollywood Week with his “Man In The Mirror” performance — and Chicago native Angela Martin. Angela, a two-time Idol contestant, competed in Hollywood Week this year, despite the fact that her mother has been missing since Christmas. Angela Martin? Really?! They rejected her? This is the woman whose dad was killed before she could take advantage of her Golden Ticket the first year she auditioned, and was in jail for unpaid traffic tickets she couldn’t afford to take care of despite her invitation to Hollywood the second year.

The Top 12 women will compete for the nation next Tuesday, while the male singing stars will perform live on FOX Wednesday, Feb. 24.

The Top 12 women are:

Janelle Wheeler
Lacey Brown
Ashley Rodriguez
Crystal Bowersox
Katie Stevens
Paige Miles
Siobhan Magnus
Michelle Delamor
Haeley Vaughn
Lilly Scott
Katelyn Epperly
Didi Benami

The Top 12 men are:

Tyler Grady
Alex Lambert
Joe Munoz
Jermaine Sellers
John Park
Andrew Garcia
Tim Urban
Michael Lynche, AKA Big Mike
Casey James
Aaron Kelly
Lee Dewyze
Todrick Hall

-Have you heard about JustDontWifeHer.com? It’s a new resource that allows bitter sad sacks to stick it to their “golddigging” exes without ever leaving the sofa. Why waste your time? Kinda gives new meaning to the phrase “Move on, Buddy!”

–Complex: The 10 Hottest Taiwanese Women…..

–This is why low-rise pants should be worn with long tops….

-Speaking of low-rise pants, “Pants On The Ground” singer General Larry Platt will be honored for his work in the fight for civil rights at the Georgia State House on Thursday….

-A grassroots movement has sprung up on Facebook urging rocker John Mellencamp to make a bid for Evan Bayh’s Democratic Indiana senate seat.

-Bobby Brown’s former attorney is in talks to join The Real Housewives of Atlanta. By the way, she’s married to a car thief….

-Sade’s Soldier of Love marched to the top of the Billboard 200. The last time the “Smooth Operator” singer was on top of the charts was back in 1986!

-So people mediate to alleviate stress, Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir uses Pledge….

-For those who care, upstanding citizen Lindsay Lohan claims she wasn’t banned from attending New York Fall Fashion Week….

–American Idol alums Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo will be baring all — literally — in the Broadway revival of Hair….

–Jersey Shore’s Snooki has filed an application to trademark her nickname for a possible book deal….

-Phil Harris’ sons remember final days with Deadliest Catch captain….

-Jon Gosselin has settled his legal case with the TLC, potentially clearing the way for a TV return for The Gosselin Clan…..

-Kristin Cavallari, A Cokehead?

-Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and his estranged wife Candi are looking to work things out with the help of TV’s Dr. Phil….

-A top Italian food writer was “suspended indefinitely” from the Italian version of Ready, Steady, Cook Tuesday for recommending stewed cat to viewers…..

-Kate Moss — who was rocked by a cocaine scandal several years ago — has been named teen’s top role model in a new British poll….

-Victoria Beckham chatted about her efforts to improve the modeling industry as guest host of The View on Wednesday….

-New York neighbors fight over feeding pigeons….

–Lily Allen and Cheryl Cole perform at 2010 Brit Awards…..

Somewhere Lady Gaga’s trying on a hat shaped like a tree and clapping with glee that she had the good sense to dodge the bullet that is “We Are The World 25.” Stereogum.com has taken aim at a recently-released remake of the classic 1985 charity anthem, just days after rap mogul Jay-Z gingerly suggested that the 80 artists who lent their vocals to the track for Haitian earthquake relief would have been better off just forking over a few of their millions. The site has dubbed the video for the song the second “Worst All-Star Charity Music Video Of All Time.”

Ouch, but this what happens when you put teen squeaker Justin Bieber and overrated lyricist Lil Wayne in the same studio together. Whose idea was it to include that ridiculous rap? Michael would not be pleased. Just goes to show that music isn’t what it used be.

Check out the charity all-star video that was ranked the worst HERE…..

Would someone please take away Kim Kardashian’s Blackberry — or at least banish her to riding coach?

The Keeping Up The Kardashians starlet caught heat on Twitter Tuesday after she outed an US Air Marshal on a flight from NYC to Los Angeles. After spending a week in the Big Apple for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, the star was en route back home to Los Angeles when she met a man, who claimed to be an undercover Air Marshal.

“I’m on the airplane…love wifi! I am sitting next to an Air Marshall! Jim the air marshall makes me feel safe!” Kim Tweeted.

Air Marshals are intended to remain anonymous in order to ensure the safety of passengers. A fact Kim’s 3 million followers wasted no time telling her.

“RELAX I just told u guys the Air Marshall is sitting next to me, highly doubt anyone is twittering like me on this flight! Shhh…Air Marshall’s are supposed to keep their identity concealed. He did! I am just a private eye & assumed, so I asked him & he was honest… OK I hope I don’t get in trouble…logging off now!”

Lisa Rinna isn’t the only Hollywood fortysomething sounding off on Heidi Montag’s face transplant. Comedienne Kathy Griffin sounded off on the new but not so improved Hills starlet with daytime chatterbox Wendy Williams this week.

The Brooklyn, NY subway station where Michael Jackson filmed his popular 1987 “Bad” music video is getting a makeover in honor of the King of Pop.

Following Jackson’s death in June, City Councilwoman Letitia James proposed legislation to rename the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Station after Jackson. Her efforts were shut down after MTA officials cited its policy of not naming stations after people.

The Village Voice is now reporting that the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership has found a way to pay tribute to MJ in spite of that restriction. A memorial mural is now set for the H-S station entrance and will be displayed on private property adjacent to what the MTA owns. Benenson Capital, who owns the wall where the mural will be painted, will select the artist.

Great news! Biker bad boy Jesse James has found his missing pooch, Cinnabun, who disappeared from his bike shop in Long Beach nearly a month ago.

The hubby of Oscar-nominated star Sandra Bullock called in the dog-finding experts who Jessica Simpson turned to when her pooch went missing last year to help him track down his beloved Cinnabun. FindToto.com left automated messages at homes near James’ Long Beach, California compound – where Cinnabun went missing on Monday, Jan. 25 – in the hope of locating the tough guy’s dog.

In a plea for information, Jesse — who runs Cali’s West Coast Choppers — took the search for Cinnabun online, offering a $2,000 for the pit bull’s safe return. “We’ve had a few leads, but all dead ends so far, but the search is still definitely on. She’s a great little dog, and we want to find her as soon as possible,” he wrote on the company’s website last month. “Please keep your eyes out for our little gal, she’s a light brown and white pit bull, 9 months old, cropped ears, full tail, hazel eyes. Last seen wearing a large pink collar near West Coast Choppers and Cisco Burger on Anaheim St./710 Freeway in Long Beach.”

The trail turned up no trace of Cinnabun, until this week. According to PEOPLE.com, Jesse received a call from someone who had spotted Cinnabun’s picture on a flier and promptly brought the pooch in to be reunited with her family at West Coast Choppers.

“Some lady just called n said she has Cinnabun, Didnt no she was missing. Said she will bring her in 20 min. This better be real …….,” he Tweeted on Wednesday morning, before Tweeting an hour later, “Woooooo Hooooo!!!! It’s Her….A BIG thanks to Rosaura in Los Angeles who found her and brought her back,” Jesse concluded. “West Coast thanks you all, and a special thanks from Mr. T who is happy to have his little buddy back. Let the barking, wrastlin’, and bone chasing begin!””

Cinnie’s a bit thinner, but was obviously elated to be back at home.

“So Happy! Thnx Everyone for all the help! She looks like she hz had quite the Adventure!” Jesse blogged on the West Coast Choppers site this afternoon. “Maybe a few pounds thinner than when she left,” he noted. “We’re taking her to the vet to get her all checked out and chipped, and GPS’d, and live-tracked by Google Earth…the works. We don’t want to lose this little gal again!!!”

Akon can retire a few decades earlier, thanks to his gutsy decision to sign fashion risk taker/pop sensation Lady Gaga. Akon signed the quirky hitmaker to his KonLive label at Interscope Records in 2007 after the 23-year-old was dropped by at least five other imprints. It’s a move that has set Akon up for life. Gaga’s Grammy-winning dance anthems — like “LoveGame,” “Bad Romance,” and “Poker Face” –have gone on to dominate music charts across the globe.

Scandal-scarred golfer Tiger Woods will emerge from his lair this week. This Friday, Feb. 19 at 11 AM ET, Woods will speak to the media for the first time since a sex scandal linking him to more than a dozen mistresses snatched headlines late last year.

Woods — who recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from sex rehab — hasn’t spoken publicly since crashing his SUV outside his suburban Orlando home Nov. 27.

According to a statement issued by his agent, Mark Steinberg, and his spokesman, Glenn Greenspan Wednesday afternoon: “Tiger Woods will be speaking to a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates at [11 a.m. ET Friday] at the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Tiger plans to discuss his past and his future and he plans to apologize for his behavior.”

The news conference will occur during the middle of the Accenture Match Play Championship, one of the sponsors that severed ties with the PGA champ during his sex scandal.

The national Italian-American group that once rallied to have HBO’s Emmy-winning series The Sopranos yanked from the airwaves is considering legal action against MTV over the network’s politically-incorrect reality smash Jersey Shore.

After months of protesting, Jersey-based UNICO (“The Largest Italian-American Organization In The US”) is sick enough to sue over the popular program’s perceived portrayal of young Italian-Americans as beer guzzling barflies in wife beaters. On Wednesday, President Andre Dimino announced that the group has consulted an attorney to see what they can do to put the brakes on the eagerly-anticipated second season of The Shore.

“We have consulted attorneys and are prepared to take legal action because we are so angry about the situation,” Dimino complained to RadarOnline.com this afternoon. “I cannot say too much right now about the actual legal steps we are going to take but we feel what MTV are doing with Jersey Shore is outrageous. The use of words like ‘Guidos’ and ‘Guidettes’ is racial stereotyping in the worst possible sense and they are portraying young Italian Americans in the worst possible light,” he continued.

“There are a lot of young American Italians who serve in the community and the armed services who are ashamed of Jersey Shore and we need to stand-up for them.”

Oddly enough, Jersey Shore star J-WOWW recently confessed that neither she, nor popular personality Snooki Polizzi, is Italian. Neither is their Shore co-star Ronnie Magro. Farley herself is “Spanish and Irish,” while castmate and self-proclaimed “guidette princess” Snooki is actually Chilean.

So small, so angry: Pint-sized former child star Gary Coleman proved that he’s still a big ball of fury during a recent appearance on tawdry TV newsmagazine The Insider. During an interview airing Wednesday, the ex-Diff’rent Strokes actor lost his composure with guest panelist Lisa Bloom after the attorney needled him about his recent arrest and rumors that he assaulted his young wife of two years, Shannon Price.

After refusing to respond to the abuse allegations, Coleman blew his top and lit into Bloom like a Georgia thunderstorm. The actor yelled at the blonde to go “BLEEP” Herself and dropped several F-Bombs before finally storming off the set.

Ben Nemtin, from MTV’s The Buried Life, dropped by On-Air with Ryan Seacrest on Wednesday, where he offered a non-denial confirmation to reports that he is dating Whitney Port, of MTV hits The Hills and The City.

“I mean, we just met,” said Ben when asked if he’s dating Whitney. “When I’m in New York we’ve been hanging out but other than that, we just kind of met.”

(Click Here To Listen To The Audio…..)

The new music video for “Alice,” the Avril Lavigne-crooned theme song off of Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland soundtrack, leaked to the web on Wednesday. We’d love to hear your thoughts on it! The single, which premiered last month, precedes Avril’s forthcoming, which is expected to debut this summer.

Disney’s Alice In Wonderland hits theaters in 3D on Friday, March 5.

“I like kissing boys on screen. As a straight guy, it’s quite an interesting proposition. Anything on a film set that takes you by surprise like that, that gets your blood up, is good….”

-Ewan McGregor, star of I Love You, Phillip Morris, Out Magazine March 2010

Director Kevin Smith declared a Twitter war on Southwest Airlines over the weekend after the Silent Bob star was tossed off a flight from Oakland to Los Angeles for being “Too Fat To Fly.” Smith has been Tweeting incessantly about the incident since he was booted from the friendly skies last Saturday. Southwest quickly issued a public apology to Smith — and even gave the star a $100 voucher after putting him on another flight en route to L.A. Nonetheless, the cheapie carrier has not been able to please the disgruntled Smith. Hust when it appeared Kev was ready to bury the hatchet with the airline the rotund lensman is back with a new challenge for the people of Southwest:

“Hey SouthwestAir: you bring that same row of seats to the ‘Daily Show’ and I’ll sit in ‘em for all to see on TV….If I don’t fit, I’ll donate $10K to charity of your choice. But when I do (& buckle the belt as well)? 1) You admit you lied. 2) Change your policy, or at least re-train your staff to be a lot more human and a lot less corporate.”

Just call America “Home of The Hottie!”

The United States harbors the highest concentration of attractive people on the planet, according to a British poll released by OnePoll.com on Tuesday. America beat Brazil — birth place of model Gisele Bündchen — into a submissive second place and pushed Spain — the homeland of Oscar winner Penelope Cruz — into third. Catwalk stunner Miranda Kerr and actress Sophie Monk help the Aussie steal fourth place. Italy rounded out the Top 5.

“America has got a lot on offer and boasts some of the sexiest people on the planet,” a spokesperson for OnePoll said this week. “The likes of Jessica Alba, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt all help America’s image as a hot bed of good looking people. But with a population of more than 300 million, they do have an unfair advantage….If you’re looking for some fun in the sun, you now know where to head on holiday.”

According to the poll, the World’s Top 20 Most Beautiful Countries are:

1. U.S.
2. Brazil
3. Spain
4. Australia
5. Italy
6. Sweden
7. England
8. India
9. France
10. Canada
11. Mexico
12. Portugal
13. Wales
14. Russia
15. Japan
16. Ireland
17. Argentina
18. Netherlands
19. Scotland
20. Germany

Linkin Park is lending their support to survivors of last month’s natural disaster in Haiti with their new video “Not Alone.” The song was written and recorded specifically for the “Download to Donate For Haiti” campaign, which was launched by the band’s non-profit organization Music for Relief.

LINKIN PARK – “Not Alone” Visit MusicForRelief.org for more info

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen hanged himself in a closet his home in central London after leaving a note at the scene, an inquest into his death heard on Wednesday revealed. This morning, a British medical examiner confirmed to Westminister Coroner Court that the designer died of asphyxiation and hanging due to suicide.

The fashion designer — a five-time winner of Britain’s coveted “Designer of the Year” Prize — killed himself on the eve of the funeral of his mother, Joyce.

“At about 10.30am last Thursday, February 11, a man was found hanging in his wardrobe at Flat 1, Green Street, London, W1. On Monday February 15, he was identified as Lee Alexander McQueen, aged 40, born 17/3/69 in Lewisham, south east London. He was a single man, a fashion designer. He resided at Flat 1, 7 Green Street W1K,” Coroner’s officer Lynda Martindill said during a five-minute hearing early Wednesday.

A letter was passed to reporters asking them to respect the McQueen family’s privacy: “This notice on behalf of the McQueen family for your recognition that it has suffered a grievous double loss in a very short space of time and that any insensitive and/or intrusive photographs and/or footage will only compound to the family’s distress.”

Gossip Girl star Matthew Settle and his wife Naama Nativ have called it quits, PEOPLE reports.

While divorce papers have yet to be filed, the couple has reportedly been separated “for a while now,” snoops say. Settle, 40, and Nativ, 26, have been married since July 2006.

“It’s true and we are working on that,” Settle, who plays Rufus Humphrey on The CW drama told the mag at Tuesday’s G-Star Raw fashion show in New York City.

The former couple share an 11-month-old daughter, Aven, who Settle says remains their primary focus.

“Things happen in life and you just have to roll with it. I wish things could have been better but our focus is on our daughter,” he continued.

Settle set to make his Broadway debut as lawyer Billy Flynn in the stage production of Chicago. He will star in the role from March 29 – June 6.

What is it with celebs and their deliciously cute kids? Oh that’s right — most of the parents are already super-hot in the first place. The magic of good genes. Jessica Alba hit the Twitterverse this week to share some adorable pics of her 20-month-old daughter, Honor. In the pics, Mom and Daughter are featured beaming as they paled around in their Los Angeles home over the weekend.

Little Honor even has a celebrity wardrobe – posing in a t-shirt that read “My heart belongs to [Ellen Degeneres],” which Jessica reveals came from the famous talk show hostess herself. The accompanying tweet read, “Cutest Valentine’s Day Photo… thanks to The Ellen Show 4 providing the wardrobe. Hahaha.” Born in June 2008, Honor Marie is the only child of the actress and her film producer husband Cash Warren.