Author: Castina

Mo’Nique’s fractured relationship with her estranged parents and the brother that molested her for several years during her turbulent childhood is more damaged than ever after The Imes Family appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Monday. Alhough the Oscar winner originally gave Oprah her blessing to interview her brother Gerald, snoops close to the Precious star say Mo’Nique is “not happy” with the direction the interview took, and even charges that her “unsympathetic” brother lied about many of details surrounding the abuse that began when the comedienne was just 7 and Gerald was 13.

Here’s what one tattle told RadarOnline.com: “Oprah and Mo’Nique were never the best of friends… Mo’Nique was less than impressed with how the interview played out as she felt that her brother lied and that it was not sympathetic enough towards her. She was particularly upset that Gerald lied to Oprah that he molested her while she was sleeping because she was wide awake and scared of him.”

The tipster adds: “Also, she is angry that he did not get any help or enter a rehab and she does not trust him around children. Oprah asked her to appear on her show again for another interview but at this point she has declined the invitation. If anything it has made the situation worse between Mo’Nique and her family and she doesn’t know if she will ever speak to them again now.”

Mo’Nique received the supporting actress Academy Award in March for her role in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire. The Baltimore-born mother of three has said that she channeled the rage she felt toward her older brother for her role as monster mom Mary Jones.

David Letterman will drop in for a sit down with Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa on the April 30 edition of Live with Regis and Kelly. This will be the late night comic’s first visit to Live! since Reg returned to the air after heart surgery in April 2007.

DVR-ing Gleeks across the US are none too pleased with American Idol this Wednesday after they were abruptly deprived of the final moments of Tuesday’s long-awaited Madonna tribute on Glee. Billed as the “Can’t Miss Episode” of the new season, the eppy was cut short for DVR users due to Idol running three minutes over schedule.

If you missed the final minutes of last night’s Glee, check out this video of the show’s final song, “Like A Prayer.”

To Tune Into Glee’s “The Power of Madonna” In Its Entirety, Visit Hulu.com….

On Wednesday, the US Department of Tresury and Federal Reserve unveiled the design for a new $100 bill that includes several anti-counterfeiting security measures. The bill, which replaces one designed in 1996, will begin circulating in February, 2011.

A 3D security ribbon on the front of the bill contains images of bells and 100s that move and change as the currency is tilted. The bell in the inkwell changes color from copper to green, which makes it seem to appear and disappear.

-Devo performed their 1980 hit single “Whip It” on Tuesday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live….

–Esquire Magazine has dubbed Kelly Clarkson the “Greatest Pop Voice Ever…..”

-Brad Pitt’s brother Doug has been named a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania…..

-Shakira has been added to this year’s Glastonbury Festival lineup….

-A North Carolina college student has constructed a wedding gown from sandwich wrappers!

-Speaking of wedding dresses, Vera Wang is designing a collection of gowns bridezillas can pick up on the cheap down at their local David’s Bridal….

-Chef Boyar-GROSS! An Ohio mom finds a dead rat in her can of Spaghetti and Meatballs!

-For those who care: Sam Ronson alleged spit on LiLo at last weekend’s Coachella Festival….

-Here’s another reason to love Miami: The city’s new ice bar, So Cool, is the hottest (or should we say coldest?) ticket in town….

MTV has nothing to do with the glut of Jersey Shore spinoffs — ie: Wicked Summah and Brighton Beach — that have been springing up in recent weeks…

-Two more women have stepped forward claiming Steven Seagal is a pedobear — and one of them happens to be the granddaughter of late music legend Ray Charles….

-Jennifer Lopez is still trying to drum up press for her umpteenth rom-com, The Backup Plan…..

-FOX has renewed Cops for a 23rd season! As long as the world is crawling with dumb criminals, Cops cameras will be around to memoralize the foolery….

-Vivica Fox has designed a line of wigs that resemble something my crazy Aunt Kitty would wear to Friday night bingo….

-Ben & Jerry’s has introduced a new flavor in honor of the 2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival….

-Esmee Denters and Justin Timberlake on the set of The Love Dealer…

–Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello gives details on the most talked-about season finales on TV this season….

-Yeah, maybe Green Day on Broadway wasn’t such a great idea after all….

Just in case you didn’t get the memo, The Artist Formerly Known As Courtney Love is “sick” of talking about her dead husband Kurt Cobain.

Love — who now wishes to be called Courtney Michelle — married the Nirvana frontman in 1992 and later gave birth to their daughter Frances Bean, now 17. Depressed and addicted to heroin, Cobain committed suicide just two years later, leaving Frances fatherless and Courtney devastated. Nonetheless, the troubled Hole star has always spoken fondly of their brief marriage, but after 16 years — Courtney says she’s simply tired of answering questions about the Grunge God.

Courtney told UK music magazine NME this week: “I am not his spokesperson on Earth. I don’t know what he’d be like now, he could be into society girls, he could be into fat girls, he could be homosexual. We don’t know, he died at 27.”

The Hills’ Stephanie Pratt isn’t afraid to bare her buns to save bunnies for the cover of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ “Be Nice to Bunnies” Apple iPhone application, but the geniuses at the tech giant have branded the risque image — which features the recently-rehabbed reality starlet stark naked, beaming, and cuddling a bunny — a tad too R-rated to be featured on Apple’s friendly-family iTunes website.

From reality star to bunny protector…..

Instead, PETA will use a clothed image of Pratt for the app’s cover and launch the nude version as a print public service announcement on PETA.org.

Joining stars like Eva Mendes, Khloe Kardashian, and Sophie Monk who’ve gone naked for PETA campaigns, Pratt’s teamed up with the often-outspoken animal rights group to encourage consumers never to buy beauty and household products that have been tested on animals.

“Guinea pigs and rats and bunnies … [are] blinded, poisoned, and burned for such a useless experiment that’s not needed,” says Stephanie, who calls out companies like Clorox and Unilever — which continue to perform safety tests on animals despite more sophisticated methods of measuring product efficiency.

Actress Jodie Sweetin is officially a two-time divorcee. The baby-faced former child star – best remembered for playing the precocious Stephanie Tanner on the ’80s/’90s sitcom Full House — has been ordered to fork over $800 in monthly child support payments to her ex-husband after finalizing the terms of their divorce in court this week.

The former meth addict was previously married to a California police officer.

Sweetin — who penned a 2009 tell-all book about battling drug and alcohol addiction — filed for legal separation from Cody Herpin in November 2008, only seven months after she gave birth to the couple’s only child, daughter Zoie.

The former couple attended a hearing at Orange County Superior Court in California on Tuesday, where a judge made their split official and granted the former couple joint custody of Zoie, according to TMZ.com. In December 2008, Herpin petitioned for full custody of the child after accusing Sweetin, now 28, of driving under the influence with Zoie strapped in the backseat.

Jodie denied the allegations, launching a bitter custody battle between the exes.

Robert Downey Jr., of Iron Man fame, and American Beauty lensman Sam Mendes are being tipped to team up in a box office prequel to MGM’s 1939 cinema classic, The Wizard Oz.

Hollywood producers are preparing to return to the Emerald City on the big screen in a new picture about the wonderful wizard, titled Oz The Great and Powerful. And if film bosses have their way, Downey Jr. will star as the all-knowing wizard, while Sam will step behind the camera to take over directing duties, The Los Angeles Times reports.

Oz will be a prequel to the film that made a star of a then 16-year-old legend-in-the-making Judy Garland, and will tell the story of a young circus magician who ends up the leader of a mystical land after crash-landing there in a hot air balloon.

From the gentlemen at The Times’ 24 Frames Blog: “According to word in the development community, Robert Downey Jr. is talking to producers about starring as the wizard (hard not to lick your lips at that one). Down Meanwhile, two directors are said to be considered top candidates to get behind the camera: American Beauty director Sam Mendes (who may have some time on his hands now that Bond 23 is in trouble) and Hairspray and Bedtime Stories director Adam Shankman…The wizard, who in the Baum books was a charlatan in Kansas before arriving in Oz, is a more dark and complex character in (this) version.”

Return To Oz, another film based on L. Frank Baum timeless fantasy novels, was released by Disney — to almost universal critical contempt — in 1985.

“Courtney Love is dead….”

Well, not really. The veteran rocker isn’t actually dead, but she’s decided to kill off her stage name — at least, the “Love” part — in an effort to shake off her damaged reputation, the byproduct of years of destructive living.

From now on the Hole star will only answer to the name “Courtney Michelle” — a derivative of her real name, which is Courtney Michelle Harrison.

“Courtney Love is dead,” the Grunge Goddess told Britain’s NME Magazine this week. “We’ve all decided we don’t like her anymore. We love her when she goes onstage, but I don’t need her in the rest of my life. Courtney Love is a way to oppress me,” she added.

We’re not sure her record label got the memo. Last week, they announced a new Hole summer tour — led by “Courtney Love.”

A Washington State woman who accused David Copperfield of luring her to his private island in the Bahamas and raping her in July 2007 has dropped her civil suit against the magician.

Lawyers for waitress Lacey Carroll announced her decision to scrap the claim in a press statement on Tuesday — just days after a federal judge ruled that Copperfield’s attorneys would be allowed to question her under oath.

The FBI and federal prosecutors spent more than two years investigating the sexual assault allegations — and even searched Copperfield’s Las Vegas warehouse — but closed the case without filing criminal charges early this year.

“Carroll’s lawsuit was nothing but a pathetic attempt to extort Mr Copperfield for money with malicious and false allegations,” said Copperfield’s attorney, Angelo Calfo. “There was no settlement. Mr Copperfield would not and did not pay Carroll a dime to drop her lawsuit.”

Carroll filed her civil lawsuit in US District Court in Seattle seeking damages from Copperfield last July, but maintained in Tuesday’s statement that: “It has never been about money.”

Star Trek icon Leonard Nimoy has announced his retirement from acting.

Nimoy began his acting career in the early 1950s and rose to international fame as Mr. Spock in the sci-fi series. Now the almost 80-year-old star — who has also tasted fame as a director, photographer — is stepping away from the camera.

“I’ve been doing this professionally for 60 years. I love the idea of going out on a positive note. I’ve had a great, great time,” says the Fringe actor.

As for his iconic character Spock, Leonard say he’s happy to let Heroes actor Zachary Quinto take over the reigns from now on. Quinto turned in a well-received performance as Spock in last year’s Star Trek prequel.

“He’s a terrific actor, he looks the part, and it’s time to give him some space. And I’m very flattered the character will continue.”

Rihanna was hospitalized for a mystery aliment after playing a concert in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday night.

The “Umbrella” star, 22, was rushed to a local hospital just after midnight early Tuesday — after performing to a sold-out crowd at the Hallenstadion Arena. Rihanna was briskly swept into the ER by her driver, bodyguard and assistant to be treated for an undisclosed condition, hospital officials have confirmed.

“Rihanna arrived at the accident and emergency unit. We’re not going to give any details,” says Alenka Ambroz, a rep for the medical center.

She was treated for approximately two and a half hours and was discharged from the hospital at around 2.55AM.

Rihanna managed to take the stage for was able to take to the stage in Lyon, France last night.

The island-born beauty is preparing for her “Last Girl on Earth” Summer Tour.

Mark your calendars: Soccer ace David Beckham will make his inaugural appearance on ABC’s The View this Monday, April 26! Becks gets in gear for his first stop at the Emmy-winning AM gabfest two months after his wife, singer/fashionista Victoria Beckham, dropped by The View for a guest hosting stint in February.

Hector Penate in a guest appearance on the Starz series Headcase…..

In this week’s edition of In Touch Weekly, Hector Penate, a Miami-born struggling actor and former Little League coach, claims to have had a fling with the CNN star’s estranged wife when he coached the couple’s sons in baseball more than three years ago.

Although former singer Shawn Southwick denies sleeping with her children’s coach, Penate, 31, told the tab that he and Southwick, 50, started having sex two-and-a-half weeks after they met in 2007. At the time, the Hispanic hunk was mentoring The Kings’ young sons, Chance, 11, and Cannon, 9.

Penate claims Southwick showered him with gifts during the nearly two year romance, including purchasing a BMW 7 Series and paying the rent on a Studio City that Larry co-signed for.

“She controlled him. He just sat there and signed it.”

And those aren’t the only tidbits the jilted gentleman spills in chats with In Touch and Entertainment Tonight hitting the Gossip Wire this week:

Hector On Sex With Shawn: “We had sex in Larry’s bed — a lot. I had sex with Shawn while Larry was on TV. Our sex life was real good.”

Hector on Larry’s Alleged Affair With His Sister-In-Law Shannon Engemann: “I still think to this day that Larry is in love with Shawn’s sister…He told me one time, ‘Have you ever seen Shannon?’ After I said that I had never met her, he said, ‘Oh, oh — she’s really gorgeous!’”

On Shawn’s Plans To Become Pregnant With His Child: “She was trying to fertilize her eggs to do that.”

Last week, King and Southwick were heading for divorce after nearly 13 years of marriage, but it’s now on hold. The couple is currently in marriage counseling.

Kooky crooner Katy Perry got a tough lesson in holding her tongue while holding her liquor after she drunkenly requested that Lindsay Lohan be the maid of honor at her upcoming wedding to comedian Russell Brand.

Katy spent last weekend partying at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California — sans Russell, who has been busy completing stand-up shows. Lindsay was also at the event, and the two women quickly became friends, bonding over beer and the sounds of Beyonce dueting with hubby Jay-Z. Disaster ensued when Katy joked that Lindsay should help her plan her wedding — a request the actress apparently took quite seriously.

A spywitnesses dished to Britain’s Daily Star Tuesday: “Both the girls were having a right laugh, talking about Katy’s wedding and their plans over summer. At one point Katy joked that Lindsay would be her perfect maid of honor. Katy was in high spirits and obviously just messing around. But before she knew it Lindsay was telling everyone she couldn’t wait to be part of the ceremony and as maid of honour it was her job to sort out the hen night. Katy didn’t know what to say or where to look. It started to get embarrassing for everyone. She obviously didn’t mean it as a serious invitation.”

Earlier this month, pop star Rihanna told media personality Ryan Seacrest that she would be in charge of planning Katy’s bachelorette party.

Katy and Russell will reportedly wed in India or Tokyo in December 2010.

Although outdated, “Talk To The Hand!” is still a pretty effective way of brushing off someone you’d rather have a root canal than converse with — and it’s the exact method Oprah Winfrey’s using to shake off the paternity fallout from Kitty Kelley’s buzzed-about tell-all, Oprah: A Biography. The chatshow queen wants nothing to do with an ailing Navy vet who now claims to be her biological father.

Last week, The National Enquirer published 85-year-old North Robinson’s claims that he is the talk show host’s long lost father. He is from Kosciusko, Mississippi, the sleepy rural town that Winfrey ditched at age six. Robinson, who lives in a Veterans Affairs Hospital Down South, claims he has no interest the billionaire’s vast fortune and wants only to meet his alleged daughter before he dies.

But Oprah — who was raised by her mother Vernita and her presumed father Vernon, has no interest in meeting Robinson or finding out if his claims are true.

“I will not be taking a paternity test, ever!” she furiously told journalists outside her New York City hotel Tuesday. “I’ve never heard of him. I know who is claiming to be my real father.”

When asked what Robinson could possibly gain by lying about her lineage, O barked, “Get out of my face!” before pushing a New York Post reporter aside to jump into an SUV and jet out to lunch.

In news that we’ll have to see to believe, American Idol Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert is the latest contender joining the race to replace Simon Cowell on the judges’ panel of television’s most-watched talent show.

After wowing Idol producers with his quick wit and biting critiques as a mentor on last week’s Elvis-themed special, we hear the controversial glam rocker is being eyed as a possible replacement for the man the media dubbed Mr. Nasty. In fact, show bosses believe the “For Your Entertainment” hitmaker has just the right mix of moxie to be a dynamic asset to the series.

A loose-lipped A.I. insider divulges to nosy National Enquirer Gossip Guy Mike Walker (Consider The Source!): “Producers were totally bowled over by Adam’s on-target critiques and pithy comments. They believe he’ll bring a fearless, youthful freshness to the show. And let’s not forget, Glambert’s got real stage presence.”

Before any Glambert Stans start jumping with glee, we should mention that the outspoken star has stiff competition from other seasoned entertainers also rumored to be up for Simon’s job: they include: Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx, singer Shania Twain, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, an acclaimed producer, and music mogul Tommy Mottola.

Simon will wrap up his nine season run on Idol next month to devote his time to developing an American adaptation of his UK small screen smash The X Factor.

Adam Lambert as an Idol judge: Any thoughts on this?

Coco’s just too sexy for TwitPic.

Glamour model Coco-T (aka Mrs. Ice-T) made a trip to her favorite “Joisey” spa this week in a bid to get rid of the unslightly peach fuzz that can make wearing swimsuits a bit of pickle. But the blonde bombshell’s attempts to take her 72,000 Twitter followers behind the beef curtains for an inside peek at her bikini wax ended with disaster when the well-traffiked site deleted the saucy images of the event!

How rude!

Earlier this year, Coco’s TwitPic account was temporarily suspended when she uploaded a photograph of her “ass cleavage” to the social networking site to the rave cheers of fans.

Heidi Montag has decided not to sue the creator of MTV’s The Hills over an alleged “groping incident” that occured on set last month.

The surgically-altered starlet came under fire this month after she accused Adam DeVillo (photographed in the center) of sexual harassment and charged that her boss had fondled her during a cast photo shoot for the show in March. A bevy of Hills cast members past and present — including Lo Bosworth and Lauren Conrad — immediately jumped to DeVillo’s defense, unabashedly branding Heidi and her acid-tongued hubby Spencer liars. After talking it out with his (Please don’t correct me for using “his” and “her” interchangeably when referring to Heidi. I know what I’m doing here….) lawyers, Heidi’s decided to “let go of” the matter, The New York Post reports.

“Heidi and husband Spencer Pratt have changed their minds and realized they should just move on….”