The Hollywood 5 & 1 10.24.09: Celebrity Treat or Trick Edition
Posted by Steve Gustafson on 10.24.2009
The Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch BUSTED! Letterman has his attackers AND defenders! Why is Bronson Pinchot making waves for Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington? 5 things about Salma Hayek you didn't know! I share some silly and sexy celebrity Halloween costumes and Elvira is our "& 1" Model of the Week!
BEFORE WE BEGIN...
Welcome back to another edition of the Hollywood 5 & 1! I'm Steve Gustafson, and this spot to be to get your fill of celebrity gossip. I gather all the notable news from the past week in one place so you don't have to waste your time at the checkout aisle or, heaven forbid, Perez Hilton. Thanks to the folks who emailed me well wishes! I'm slowly making that recovery from swine flu, sinusitis, and pneumonia. Slowly.
Sad news to start. We lost another legend recently. Soupy Sales, the rubber-faced comedian whose anything-for-a-chuckle career was built on 20,000 pies to the face and 5,000 live TV appearances across a half-century of laughs, died Thursday. You young folks won't have much appreciation for his antics, but he was a gem to watch. My thoughts to his friends and family.
Since Halloween is fast approaching, I've peppered the 5 & 1 with Celebrity Costumes this week. Enjoy!
I can't say for sure that this was a Halloween costume for Coco.
Fact of Fiction turns 200! Ben Piper brings the heat with a super sized edition that includes Andy Critchell, Trevor Snyder, and ME! One of the best things you can read and is sure to cause some discussion. Logical or otherwise. Check it out here.
Let's see, Paranormal Activity is still making waves. You can catch my review here. Perfect movie for the season.
Three weeks in a row! I jumped over to the GAME section again here at 411mania, and participated in their Best Villains edition. If you aren't reading it, you are missing out!
I had the honor of talking with Rob Dyrdek about the many projects he has going on. You can check it out here. Great guy, and even cooler to chat with than you could imagine.
WHO SAID WHAT? "Good luck? Bad luck? I don't know that I believe in luck but we¹ll be happy to have them there...we're happy to have Lamar¹s new family members at the game as well as future games, and we welcome their support."
A team representative from the L.A. Lakers when asked if the Kardashian fam's presence at the season opener is going to curse the team. Khloe Kardashian? Gift or curse for Lamar Odom?
CELEBRITY TWITTER-A-GO-GO!
Twitter news! Twitter news, right here! Each week I scan the headlines, looking for news and tweets, so I can deliver them to you. This week we look at the RIGHT way to use Twitter to market. Paranormal Activity not only is making a dent at the box office, but it's inspiring Hollywood to share THEIR views on it. Check it out!
Is there a Celebrity Twitter Backlash? I've been seeing more and more articles popping up. Miley Cyrus made headlines when she recently quit Twitter. But Nine Inch Nails rocker Trent Reznor led the way in July, stating, "I believe I've done all I care to do here at this point. Flesh and reality and silence are calling." Courtney Love deleted her Twitter accounts after her daughter posted a rant about Ali Lohan. Then there was that Twitter lawsuit after she called her former fashion designer a "nasty, lying hosebag thief." Who will be next on the Anti-Twitter Celebrity watch?
Are you following the REAL 411mania on Twitter? Don't be fooled by the imitators!
Again. This might be for a night out on the town. Hollywood is tricky that way.
5 THINGS ABOUT SALMA HAYEK YOU DIDN'T KNOW!
Why Salma? Why not? Here's some little tidbits that might help you in case you get to meet her. Let's get to know Salma Hayek a little better, shall we?
1. Her first name, Salma, is Arabic for "safe". 2. Hayek is the first Mexican national to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. 3. She has been diagnosed with dyslexia. 4. At the age of 23, Hayek landed the title role in Teresa, a successful Mexican telenovela that made her a star in Mexico. 5. Hayek also advocates breastfeeding, because of its benefits, including building stronger infant immune systems. During a UNICEF fact-finding trip to Sierra Leone, she breastfed a hungry week-old baby whose mother could not produce milk.
And now you know...
Hola!
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
From time to time a video catches my eye and I'll pass it on to you. It might not be new or even that funny. But I'll leave that up to you to decide. This week I turn the cuteness factor to 11!
I will say Heidi Klum ALWAYS knows how to celebrate Halloween.
Alright, let's get to the actual Hollywood 5 & 1. I go through 5 things out of Hollywood this past week that made me scratch my head plus our "& 1" Model of the Week! Let's go!
Lindsay Lohan Involved in an Arrest but as a Victim!
This has to be a first. In an on-going story; In a one-day sweep, Los Angeles Police Department detectives have arrested at least four women in connection with the burglaries of Lindsay Lohan and Audrina Patridge's homes, a source close to the case told People. One of the women, 19-year-old suspect Rachel J. Lee, is also under investigation for possibly being involved in the $2 million jewelry heist at Paris Hilton's home last year, and is suspected of being the ringleader of these crimes, the source adds. According to prosecutors, Patridge's home was broken into on Feb. 23, and more than $43,000 in jewelry and designer clothes were taken. Lohan's home was burglarized on Aug. 23 and an estimated $128,000 in jewelry, designer clothes and accessories were taken. Thursday's crackdown follows the arrest last month of Nicholas Prugo, 18, who has already been formally accused of the Lohan and Patridge burglaries. A map on a computer used by Prugo gave the cops plenty to go on. Orlando Bloom's home was burglarized on July 15 and hundreds of thousands of dollars in watches were stolen. Law enforcement sources tell us they believe the Burglar Bunch hit Bloom's home, in addition to a string of other celebs in the Hollywood Hills. Prugo and the other suspects used the computer to store photos and videos, showing off jewelry and possibly plotting various burglaries. The computer in question had been stolen from a Los Angeles businessman and cops believe it was stolen by the Burglar Bunch. The LAPD seized the computer, but it appeared to have been completely scrubbed so it was returned to the owner. The owner, however, hired a computer expert who was able to recover a treasure trove of possible evidence linking the Burglar Bunch to various star victims. Only in Hollywood.
TMZ learned that cops suspect 19-year-old Rachel Lee is the "master mind" of the Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch. Lee was arrested in Las Vegas, and law enforcement sources tell us she is suspected of organizing a plan to steal cash, jewelry, clothing, luggage, purses and other personal items from the Hollywood celebrities. When Lee was busted, cops impounded a variety of items from her father's Las Vegas home, including two laptops, photographs of a partially nude woman, photographs of Lee's friends, more than two hundred $100 bills, a Korean passport and a vial of marijuana. Sources also tell us cops found a series of items that may have been taken from various celebrity homes. The items include a hat linked to Lohan, jeans linked to Rachel Bilson and partially nude photographs linked to Paris. Shocker.
No rest for the rich and famous!
Battle of the Halloween Costumes!
I have to say no one does Halloween costumes like Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa on Live with Regis and Kelly. So, in honor of the season, let's look at a few of their get-ups and you let me know which is YOUR favorite?
I can't pick just one! Ok, Regis as Kid Rock is incredible!
Letterman Defense!
What a tangled web we weave. The executive producer of the Late Show with David Letterman defended the company's treatment of women in response to a letter from the president of the National Organization for Women, who said the star's actions created a "toxic environment." As you know, David Letterman admitted an affair with a staff member on his October 1 show. "Since we started as a company in 1993, we have taken very seriously the issues you raise regarding respect for women in the workplace," Rob Burnett wrote in a letter dated October 15. Burnett also is president and CEO of the production company, Worldwide Pants. "And, as an employee of David Letterman's since 1985, I have personally found the work environment on his shows to be fair, professional and entirely merit-based at all times." Burnett said that, for the past nine years, three of the shows four executive producers have been women, and all of them have worked for Letterman for more than 25 years. Burnett was responding to a letter dated October 9 from Terry O'Neill, NOW president, who asked to meet "to discuss respect for women in the workplace and your company's obligation to strive for gender parity in decision-making at all levels within your organizations." Referring to Letterman's revelation on his program October 1 that he had had sexual relationships with several women on his staff, O'Neill said that such behavior "infects the work culture with uncertainty, gossip, and in some cases, hostility. The resulting toxic environment is unfair to everyone." In response, Burnett pointed out that Letterman's admissions "did not stem from a complaint from anyone on our staff, but rather from an alleged attempt to commit a crime, extortion, against Dave, who decided to take the matter to law enforcement. Is Dave toxic? Is NOW using this for their own gains? Scary stuff.
Dave!
Don't Be Ridiculous!
File this under: WHAT THE? Bronson Pinchot is trying to explain his way out of the mini-Internet feud that came to light between himself, Tom Cruise, and Denzel Washington after the actor, best known as Balki from the 1980s TV series Perfect Strangers, told the Onion's A.V. Club that Cruise made "constant unrelated homophobic comments" while the two were on the set of Risky Business. He also is quoted saying Washington is "one of the most unpleasant human beings I've ever met." Pinchot responded to e-mailed questions from the Wall Street Journal. Not the first publication I would have thought of in relation to this story. Some highlights: Pinchot says he wasn't joking about his comments regarding Cruise, rather he was responding to the question, "What was Cruise like at the time?" Pinchot says he was surprised by Cruise's homophobic language because of Pinchot's own theater background where no one talked like that. "In hindsight, for a 20-year-old with no background in theater, such language is actually unremarkable. Which I did not know at 23." In regards, to Washington, Pinchot amends his statement to say, "I found his willingness to be ungenerous, unkind, knowingly hurtful both mentally and physically to myself and the crew to be the saddest misuse of stardom I have ever experienced or hope to experience." What say you? Grasping for attention or legitimate insight?
Balki up to his old tricks again!
Polanski Running Scared!
U.S. Embassy officials in Bern, Switzerland, formally submitted an extradition request for Roman Polanski to the Swiss government on Thursday night, but a lawyer for the film director said his client will continue to resist deportation. "Mr. Polanski has not changed his course. He will not accept the U.S. demand for extradition," Polanski attorney Herve Temime told the Agence France-Presse. That comment comes just days after another Polanski lawyer hinted that the Hollywood director might stop fighting extradition and allow himself to be brought to California to "explain himself." Explain himself. Interesting. If only everyone who has been found guilty had a second chance to "explain themselves". Polanski is wanted in the U.S. after skipping bail in 1978 for the 1977 rape of a then 13-year-old girl. Authorities at Switzerland's Federal Office of Justice, who received the extradition request, will forward the request to the Canton of Zurich, where Polanski is being held, so an extradition hearing can be scheduled. Under Swiss law, any decision involving Polanski's extradition can be appealed, which could delay any final decision for some six months. Expect this to be around a while.
WARNING! Don't let your kids trick or treat with this man!
BEER PONG!
I found this to be a little funny. The always popular George Wendt visited Today and entertained us all!
Welcome back to the & 1 Model of the Week! From time to time, I'll invite a model to stop by for a quick interview but will share a delicious photo or two EVERY week. All I ask is you keep it respectable in the comment section. These ladies WILL be checking to see the interview and I wouldn't want to scare them from telling a friend.
Week 9 of the & 1 Model of the Week brings us ELVIRA! The lovely Cassandra Peterson always sent a shiver up the spine of folks ever since coming on the scene with a Los Angeles-area TV show and in the 1988 film Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present...Elvira!
You can always check her out at www.elvira.com!
Stop back next week for another & 1 Model of the Week!
Before I say GOODBYE!
I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of the other OUTSTANDING articles on www.411mania.com. You would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't peep around the site. I always get my daily habit of reading. Here's a small sample!
Finally, if you have some down time and are looking for a great place for great fun, check out Tiger Flash Games!
Now THIS is scary!
Time to check out!
Do you have something to say? A celebrity story? Juicy gossip? Shoot me an email at stevethegoose@gmail.com. Thanks again and be safe out there. And just chill...till the next episode...
When not writing for www.411mania.com, Steve Gustafson is in NY.
All pictures courtesy of www.people.com, TMZ.com, www.cnn.com, and www.imdb.com.
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on October 24, 2009 at 12:04 AM
Was I supposed to find it cute or sad that the girl didn't know shit about one of the worst wars this world has seen?
Posted By: X-0816 (Guest) on October 24, 2009 at 06:25 AM
Pinchot isn't Dustin Diamond... he's pretty low profile most of the time. I can completely see how a young, sexually confused Tom Cruise would make homophobic statements... although he could have just been calling things "gay" in the sense of "that's gay" meaning "that sucks" (which offends the politically correct brain dead drones out there but which is something virtually everyone under 40 has probably said at some point)... as far as Denzel goes, is anyone really surprised? He's a pretty big star and star often = douche bag (though granted not always)
Posted By: Guest#3208 (Guest) on October 24, 2009 at 07:05 AM
wow Kelly Ripa looks hotter as Pamela Anderson than Pamela Anderson does. Thats hot lol
Posted By: Guest#3004 (Guest) on October 24, 2009 at 10:32 AM
Salma Hayek & Elvira make me a happy panda.
Posted By: Spaghett (Guest) on October 24, 2009 at 11:39 AM
I wish I was a hungry one year old with Salma Hayek around. Oh and yeah Elvira was ^$#(&ing hot back in the day.
Posted By: PHOENIXZERO (Guest) on October 24, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Regis as Kid Rock is pretty cool, but Ripa looks more fuckable than usual as Pamela Anderson.
And Elvira is ALWAYS sexy.
Posted By: Zingy (Guest) on October 24, 2009 at 12:26 PM
Why would Pinchot lie about this stuff, especially now? He was asked a straight up (no pun intended) question, and he answered honestly. Balki >>>> Maverick
Elvira is the best thing about halloween
Posted By: dogpound7382 (Guest) on October 24, 2009 at 04:19 PM
just right now i went to elvira's website and gotta say DAAAMMMN! shes still fuckin gorgeous! for a 58 yr old jesus!
Posted By: perry (the blacko rican) (Guest) on October 25, 2009 at 12:45 PM
