Sunday, December 20, 2009

Report: Brittany Murphy Dead at 32


There is terrible news to report out of Hollywood, as, according to a report on TMZ.com, actress Brittany Murphyhas passed away at the age of 32.

The report states that at 8:00am on Sunday morning, emergency services were called to the L.A. home of the 8 Mile actress and her husband Simon Monjack after she went into an apparent cardiac arrest. Despite multiple attempts, Brittany could not be revived.

She was reportedly declared dead on arrival at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Stay tuned as this story develops.

'New Moon' star Kellan Lutz to step into Mark Wahlberg's famous underwear as new Calvin Klein model


Kellan Lutz is stepping into Marky Mark's skivvies.

The "New Moon" stud has signed a modeling contract with Calvin Klein, where he'll be modeling tighty whities in a campaign similar the underwear ads that made Mark Wahlberg a household name, Fox411.com reports.

"He's going to be their new Mark Wahlberg," an insider said. "Kellan has been signed to Calvin Klein for a huge campaign that will feature him in his skivvies all over billboards and in magazines."

The original 1992 campaign shot by the late photography legend Herb Ritts resulted in Wahlberg's ripped physique getting its own billboard in Times Square.

"The executives have a plan to model the ads very similarly after the famous Mark Wahlberg campaign in the 90's," the source explained. "They want to recreate the look of the hugely successful ads, and who is better than Kellan Lutz to fill out those little underwear?"

Lutz, who plays the toothsome vampire Emmett Cullen in the "Twilight" series, joins a slew of celebs besides Wahlberg that have dropped trou for the brand, includingAshton Kutcher and Antonio Sabato, Jr.


James Franco hosts 'Saturday Night Live': Actor pulls an Adam Lambert with man-on-man kiss


Last night wasn't James Franco's first on-screen kiss with a man, though it may be his most controversial.

The actor who recently played Sean Penn's lover in "Milk," hosted "Saturday Night Live" yesterday and topped off his performance with an x-rated man-on-man smooch.

Franco's public display of affection may ruffle feathers as it comes less than a month after Adam Lambert's controversial same-sex kiss on the American Music Awards.

In the SNL sketch, Franco plays a college student who has brought home his new girlfriend to meet his family for the first time. As it turns out, his family is one big PDA, peppering each conversation with numerous kisses.

The audience went wild when Bill Hader, who plays Franco's brother, greeted the "Freaks and Geeks" alum with a face-smashing wet one. But it was the lesser known Will Forte, playing Franco's grandpa, who got real carnal knowledge of the "Spiderman" star. At the end of the 4-minute skit, Franco bestowed an unadulterated "9 1/2 Weeks"-style french kiss on the SNl cast member.

That Franco's kiss was administered on late night TV, no doubt means it will not offend as many as Lambert's prime time smooch did.

In November, Lambert sang his hit song "For Your Entertainment" on ABC's American Music Awards. During his live performance, the "American Idol" runner up planted an "in the moment" kiss on a male keyboardist and grinded his pelvis against a dancer's head.

ABC reportedly received thousands of telephone complaints after the show and ended up cancelling the flamboyant star's scheduled appearances on other ABC programs such as "Good Morning America."

"Female performers have been doing this for years -— pushing the envelope about sexuality —- and the minute a man does it, everybody freaks out," Lambert said toRolling Stone magazine. "We're in 2009 -- it's time to take risks, be a little more brave, time to open people's eyes and if it offends them, then maybe I'm not for them. My goal was not to piss people off, it was to promote freedom of expression and artistic freedom."

CBS subsequently invited Lambert to appear on "The Early Show." But gay rights activists shouted double standard when the network's news channel blurred footage of the kiss but played an unedited version ofthe 2003 Britney-Madonna make-out session at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Franco rose to fame asHarry Osborn in the "Spiderman" trilogy and earned critical acclaim for his performance as Scott Smith in "Milk."

Fans were surprised when it was confirmed in October of this year that Franco would be joining the cast of soap opera "General Hospital."

New York's has a grumpy state of mind: study finds it's nation's most unhappy


ANew York state of mind? Try sad.

A new study declares residents of the Empire State rank dead last in happiness among the 50 states - with warm-weather spots boasting the most satisfied citizens.

The results were - no surprise - greeted unhappily by New Yorkers, who insisted Friday they were upbeat despite a wintry afternoon.

"We're the happiest people in the nation," said Roman Khan, 34, a clothing manufacturer from Brooklyn. "This is the place to be.

"We have all colors and cultures in one state. New York is happiness 2-4/7."

The authors of the study, published Friday in the journal Science, didn't see it that way.

The rankings were based on an annual nationwide survey of 1.3million people by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The participants were asked, among other questions, how satisfied they were with their lives.

A pair of economists then compared the results compiled between 2005 and 2008 with other data covering quality-of-life issues - including taxes, crime, commuting and cost of living.

New York emerged as sadder than the rest, just behindMichigan and its 14.7% unemployment rate. The nation's most populous state, California, rated No. 46.

The top five happiest states, in order: Louisiana, Hawaii,Florida, Tennessee and Arizona. The authors acknowledged Louisiana's ranking probably benefited from unhappy residents leaving after Hurricane Katrina.

Cheyenne Smith, 48, and his wife, Alvalyn, of Queens weren't ready to abandon New York for anyplace else - or to give up their wide holiday smiles.

"Unhappy New Yorkers? You met the two wrong people," said Cheyenne Smith, wearing an elf hat with a snowman pin. "We may not show it, we may not talk about it, but we're happy.

"We have an image to uphold - we're tough," he continued. "But really we're soft on the inside."

His wife - sporting reindeer antlers - echoed her happy husband's comments.

"It's a great city," the 47-year-old accountant said. "I have no idea why they're complaining."

Some New Yorkers did echo the study's gloomy outlook.

"The economy's bad," said Kelvin Johnson, 48, a part-time package handler from Brooklyn. "There are no jobs. The cost of living in New York is like nowhere else."


Michael Imperioli, now in 'The Lovely Bones,' is more hometown NYC than Hollywood


BY MARK ELLWOOD DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Born in Westchester, Michael Imperioli, 43, trained and worked in the city as a teen before nabbing his first major role, in "Goodfellas," at only 23. He went on to star in (and sometimes write) a slew of Spike Lee joints and played doomed junkie Christopher on "The Sopranos." His latest role is in Peter Jackson's film adaptation of the blockbuster novel "The Lovely Bones."

But don't look for him in Hollywood. For Imperioli, who lives in Tribeca with his wife, Victoria, and their two sons,New York is the only place he'd call home. Here's why:

1. He's still tight with his childhood friends from Mount Vernon. "My neighborhood was a very close-knit community, where all the families knew each other. We played sports in the street and walked to school at 5 years old. I still have very close friends from that neighborhood."

2. He trained with New York actors at just 17. "John Ventimiglia, who was on 'The Sopranos,' was in my first acting class, and we have been friends since that time.Alec Baldwin was in my class back then, Sean Young andAndrew McCarthy. To be at acting school, it was kind of the first time you felt the freedom to be as much of yourself as you wanted. People weren't going to judge you."

3. His post-punk band, La Dolce Vita, plays at Don Hill's and the Bowery Electric. "I played guitar in a band from when I was about 20 for three years. Then I sang a little. Then I started getting really busy as an actor and forgot about it. Some of the songs we play were written in the mid-'80s but were never performed before. The goal originally was to write a bunch of material, start playing gigs. The next goal would be to record and open for some cool bands."

4. He's one local icon's biggest fan."I'd like to open for Lou Reed — that would be ideal. He's my hero."

5. He'll never forget the first time he set foot in CBGB. "I was, like, shaking when I walked in there first, when I was 17. It seemed so forbidden, I'd heard so many stories over the years about it. I remember being thrilled just walking into that place. I don't even remember who it was I saw."

6. He'll take his old musical haunt over the swank John Varvatos boutique that replaced it. "I went in there once. For what he's done, it's a really good job. But there is something very depressing, no matter what, that CBGB is not there, in that space."


7. He watches the classicNYCfilm "Midnight Cowboy" every Christmas with his family."I told that toJon Voightwhen I was working with him, and he said, 'That's very touching, very sick but very touching.' It was something we watched when we were teenagers and was a family favorite, so once I had my own house, we put it on and decided we'd watch it every year, my father, my brother and I."

The 'Jersey Shore' cast reveals beauty secrets to their poofs and blowouts: 'Greatness takes time'


Getting the "Jersey Shore" look means following the three Ts: tanning, toning, and using tons of makeup and mangel.

The self-described guidos and guidettes from MTV's newest guilty pleasure spilled their, er, "style" secrets with People at Spike TV's Video Game Awards on Saturday.

"A guy from [the] Jersey Shore is a guy that is looking good, feeling confident, taking care of himself," explains DJ Pauly D.

For the fellas, that begins with the hair.

"It takes me 25 minutes to get it right," he brags. "Greatness takes time, and this hair right here is greatness. I have it down to a tee, but this is a process right here."

He and chiseled housemate Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino also spend plenty of time in the gym for that requisite six-pack. "The Situation's" moniker apparently comes from what happens when women eye his washboard abs.

"You can hate on me all you want to, but what can you possibly say to somebody who looks like Rambo, pretty much, without his shirt off?" he said famously in the series premiere.

"It's about a lifestyle," adds Jenni, a.k.a. "J-WOWW" (because when she walks into a club, all the guys go, "J-Woww!") "The hair, the makeup, the tans . . . being fit. It's all preparation for the summer."

Tiny firecracker Nicole Polizzo, a.k.a. "Snooki," also took the opportunity to bash the cast from "The Hills" for being total phonies.

"We are better than 'The Hills,'" she tellsUs Magazine, explaining that unlike the scripted California drama, the Seaside Heights crew "is all real."

This, coming from a girl who admits to slathering on makeup before going to the gym.

The eight 20-something cast members are doing something right, however, as ratings for "Jersey Shore" spiked 50 percent in its second week. Last week's show attracted a whopping 2.1 million viewers.

"The Hills," on the other hand, saw their numbers slump to 1.72 million in October, compared to the 2.6 million fans who tuned in the same time last year.

As far as the detractors complaining that the show depicts negative Italian stereotypes, "we're only seven days in," argues "The Situation," "so you have to give us a chance. You can't judge a book by its cover."

Judging from their beauty regimen, however, isn't that exactly what they want?

Apartments Evacuated as Cliff Crumbles Into Ocean

Authorities are monitoring two buildings along a crumbling Northern California coastal bluff, just a stone's throw from an apartment building that was evacuated amid fears it would slide into the Pacific.

Apartment residents were ordered out Thursday as large chunks of cliff plunged into the ocean, leaving the 12-unit building just 10 feet from the edge of the wave-battered 50-foot bluff.

Doug Rider, Pacifica's chief building official, said the evacuation order was issued after part of the cliff, saturated by recent storms, broke off around 5:30 a.m.


An initial evacuation deadline of 5 p.m. was moved up as the cliff continued to crumble. Moving trucks filled the street as about 20 frantic residents packed up what belongings they could.

"It's been insane. I can't even think," said Amanda O'Connell, 24, a swim teacher in this town of 38,000 about 10 miles south of San Francisco.

O'Connell said residents were warned earlier in the week about the deteriorating bluff. She and her boyfriend decided to move some of their larger possessions out early, just in case, she said.

"This whole week has been the most stressful week of my life," she said.

The other two buildings remained stable late Thursday night.

Rider earlier credited their stability to a wave-deflecting barrier of boulders at the bottom of the bluff. The barrier was erected in the spring but did not protect the entire beach. The cliff began crumbling before the barrier could be completed.

The building's owners have received an emergency permit from the California Coastal Commission to put a barrier in place, Rider said. Work was scheduled to begin Friday with a crane lifting boulders over the building down to the beach, he said

The erosion of the bluff's sandy soils is a natural occurrence exacerbated by the region's wet winters. Officials had been monitoring the buildings since recent heavy rains. If the barrier halts the erosion, residents could return to the building eventually, Rider said.

Rick Jenkins, 62, lives in the building next to the evacuated apartments. He said the sound of the cliff breaking apart Thursday morning was like thunder or an earthquake.

Much of the cliff in front of his own home had fallen away about 18 months ago before the boulders were brought in, he said. Gesturing toward the wide blue expanse of ocean that greets him every morning, he said the risk was worth it.

"You either move or you don't," he said. "I guess when they say it's time to go, you go."

Gwyneth Paltrow: Will the FTC Call About Her 'Ridiculously Lavish' Vacation?


Could Gwyneth Paltrow be the first celebrity to run afoul of the Federal Trade Commission's stringent new guidelines for paid endorsements? In this week's edition of Goop, Paltrow's lifestyle newsletter, she lavishly praises the newly-reopened La Mamounia Hotel in Marrakech, Morocco. "The Jacques Garcia designed interiors are splendid to say the least, and the hotel's gardens are out of this world, almost from a fairy tale," she writes. "The food and drinks here are elegant and delicious and with all the choices, it's easy to stay in the hotel for an entire weekend of relaxation." Paltrow apparently acquired her familiarity with La Mamounia over Thanksgiving weekend, when she was one of several celebrity VIPs in attendance at the hotel's grand reopening festivities. (Jennifer Aniston, Salma Hayek, and Orlando Bloom were also there.) Do Celebrities Pay? A hotel representative declined to comment on the arrangements it made for the celebrity guests, and Paltrow's spokesman did not respond to requests for comment. But celebrity wranglers and publicists who work with A-list Hollywood talent say it's inconceivable that stars of Paltrow and Aniston's magnitude would have paid their own way on such an excursion. "Not a chance in hell," says one booker, who asked not to be identified. "I'm sure they were comped the entire thing. If you're going to go on a holiday over Thanksgiving, you don't go somewhere you know there are going to be photographers if you're paying." In fact, the booker adds, the real question is whether Paltrow and her friends were paid in cash, or merely received free luxury accommodations, travel, and services, such as the daily hammam treatment Paltrow enjoyed: "5 minutes in a steam room, a full-body lather in Black Soap, an exfoliating rub down, a Ghassoul (Moroccan clay) body masque, and then a warm shower...Ridiculously lavish!" Rooms at La Mamounia reportedly start at $800 per night. It's a safe bet Paltrow's room didn't overlook the parking lot. Potential Violations Here's the problem. Under the guidelines published last month by the FTC, a celebrity who endorses a product or service has to disclose any "material connection" to the provider -- a designation that covers not only cash compensation but also free merchandise or services. The new rules specifically target new media like e-newsletters and websites, the two formats in whichGoop is published. The guidelines read: "Although disclosure of compensation may not be required when a celebrity or expert appears in a conventional television advertisement, endorsements by these individuals in other media might warrant such disclosure." Under the strictest reading of the new rules, bloggers or celebrities who make endorsements without disclosing material compensation are subject to fines of up to $11,000. FTC officials, however, have made it clear that such fines would be targeted mainly at advertisers and would be levied only in serious cases. Still, I contacted an FTC spokeswoman to ask how it would determine whether Paltrow violated the guidelines -- and what, if any, steps it would take in the event that she had. I'll update as soon as I hear back.

Plus-Size Winter Fashions

Baby, it's cold outside -- but the latest plus-size winter fashions will keep you toasty warm all season long! We've been spotting plus-size winter trends for weeks now and are so pleased with what's on tap for 2010. Strapless, pattern and bright, bold colors? That's right; plus-size winter fashion is breaking all the rules. Let's take a peek at a few of our favorite looks, shall we?:

Plus-Size Winter Fashions

Plus-Size Sateen DressBack in Black
Sure, we knew black was slimming, but has it ever looked quite as glamorous before? Channel your inner glamour girl with these sleek, dramatic dresses in the most classic shades of black:
Plus-Size Sateen Dress, from $35, Old Navy
For decades now, the little black dress has symbolized effortless elegance. Carry on the tradition with this flattering budget-friendly update.
Plus-Size Baby Phat Belted Batwing Dress, from $33 DrJays.com
A gold belt with camo trim sets off this fun spin on the classic little black dress.
Plus-Size Black Travel Dress, from $110, TravelSmith
Want a more sophisticated look? Check out this new generation of the indispensable black travel dress - more slimming, more striking and more stylish. Better yet? It's virtually wrinkle-free.


Pattern Power
Gabriella Rocha DressWho says a big girl can't wear her share of pattern? With these fun, flirty pieces in slimming silhouettes, you're sure to stand out in a crowd --- for all the right reasons!:
Gabriella Rocha Dollan Dress, from $84, Zappos.com
An artistic top features a flattering fit and a deep purple and blue palette -- perfect for channeling your inner hippie!
Pleat Bust Dress, from $20, Fashion Bug
This draping knit print dress boasts an intriguing pleated bust gathered with a center tab for a shapely fit.
Apple Bottoms Women Printed Bindhi Dress, from $29. DrJays.com
The Printed Bindhi Dress by Apple Bottoms features a strapless tunic or mini-dress option, colorful sheer chiffon fabric and a faux button placket with ruffled trim. A lovely addition to any wardrobe in need of a healthy dose of pattern.

Plus-Size Pea CoatOver It
It's a winter wonderland out there; time to cover up those curves! We love a good silhouette, and with these slim-fitting coats, you'll be locked and loaded for a night on the town:
Plus-Size Pea Coat, from $60, Fashion Bug
Get the classic look of a pea coat with modern side button tab styling.
Plus-Size Hooded Berber, from $80, Woman Within
This hooded berber coat is plush, cozy, lightweight and totally wearable.
Plus-Size Coogie Womens Military Coat, from $142, DrJays.com
This casual overcoat features embellished buttons with crest design and allover flannel -- perfect for showing that winter chill who's boss!



Shimmer Dot Emma DressBold and Beautiful
For those nights when you just want to have fun, plus-size winter fashions are full of bright, bold colors to spice up your life. Forget the little black dress -- you're here to party!:
Shimmer Dot Emma Dress, from $38, Fashion Bug
A flowing shimmer dot chiffon layer falls gracefully over a tonal knit lining on this social dress.
Strap Jersey Knit Dress, from $60, Lane Bryant
This casual jersey knit dress features fun braided straps, a deep v-neck and flattering cinching at bodice.



Cowl Neck Sweater DressSweet and Sweater
Keep the chill at bay with a cozy warm sweater dress, right on trend for plus-size winter fashions this season. Our favorites?:
Cowl Neck Sweater Dress, from $40, Fashion Bug
The draping cowl neckline on this Emma style sweater dress adds a retro touch to this luxurious look.
Cowl Neck Sweater Dress, from $80, Lane Bryant
The classic styling of this flattering knit is updated with a soft cowl neckline, elbow-length sleeves and self tie belt.
Belted Sweater Dress, from $24 Lane Bryant
A bold sweater dress features dramatic butterfly sleeves and gentle gathers at the round neckline.


Belted Plaid DressBelted Over
A staple in plus-size fashion is the strategically-placed belt, and this season, they're all the rage!:
Belted Plaid Dress, from $20, Fashion Bug
A stretch woven plaid dress with a pleated neckline and belted waist is the perfect mix of work and play.
Belted Knit Print Dress, from $20, Fashion Bug
A flurry of fashion comes to life in this print knit dress with belted waist.