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The Library of Congress will honor Stevie Wonder with its second Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Librarian of Congress James Billington, who announced the prize Tuesday, noted that the prize honors an artist whose work transcends musical styles to bring diverse listeners together and foster mutual understanding. It recognizes a musician's lifetime of work.
Wonder, 58, will receive the award on Feb. 23, 2009. The first Gershwin Prize was awarded in 2007 to Paul Simon.
Self-taught on piano, harmonica and other instruments, Steveland Morris was just 12 when he first wowed national TV audiences on shows like Dick Clark's "American Bandstand." He was "Little Stevie Wonder" back then, a name he says someone at Motown Records — he can't remember exactly who — came up with.
From his earliest days as a prodigy covering Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" through such songs of his own as "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "My Cherie Amour" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," his music has sought to uplift and inform as well as entertain.
Among his albums: "Talking Book," "Innervisions," "Fulfillingness First Finale" and "Songs in the Key of Life," the last of which included his classic single "Love in Need of Love Today." >>>>
David Duchovny has entered a rehabilitation facility for sex addiction. In a statement released Thursday by his lawyer, Stanton Stein, the actor said he did so voluntarily, adding: "I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family."
The actor's publicist, Flo Grace, confirmed the rehab report, which first appeared on People.com.
She and Stein both declined to elaborate further.
Duchovny, 48, plays a sex-obsessed character on the Showtime series "Californication," which earned Emmy nominations for casting and cinematography. The show's second season begins Sept. 28. Showtime had no comment Thursday.
The actor appeared in the film "The X Files: I Want to Believe" earlier this summer. He has been married to actress Tea Leoni since 1997. They have two children. >>>>
David Duchovny Rehabbing for Sex Addiction
The truth is out there, whether we want it or not.
David Duchovny has checked into rehab to undergo treatment for sex addiction, E! News has confirmed.
"I have voluntarily entered a facility for the treatment of sex addiction," Duchovny said in a statement released Thursday by his attorney, Stanton "Larry" Stein. "I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family."
The 48-year-old X-Files star—who, ironically, won a Golden Globe this year for playing an over-sexed struggling writer on Showtime's Californication—has been married to Téa Leoni since May 1997. They have two children together, daughter Madelaine West, 9, and son Kyd Miller, 6.
"All of us at Showtime wish David and his family the best during this very private time," Richard Licata, the network's executive VP of Corporate Communications, said in a statement to E! News.
The second season of Californication, premiering Sept. 28, finished shooting late last month and 12 episodes are ready to go.
Though it may have been awhile, this isn't the first time Duchovny's sex life has turned into a talking point.
"I'm not a sex addict," he said in an interview with Playgirl in 1997. "I have never been to those meetings. It's hurtful to my family and if I was involved with a woman in a monogamous relationship, it would be hurtful to her.
"There was another story claiming I was a neat freak. If I had to choose one of the two, I think I'd rather be a sex addict. It's not funny and I'll be glad when it goes away."
Uncomfortably enough, Leoni herself quashed a rumor that her hubby was afflicted with a sex addiction back in May of 1998, telling Elle that she found the notion "very exciting."
"David was accused of being a sex addict," Leoni, who had been married for one year at that point, said. "Which I always found very exciting. And then I found out it wasn't true."
"Men are like bulls," she continued. "They gotta get the new cow. Maybe you've got to get the bull after he's had a lot of cows, so you might just be the last new one."
Newly selected American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi may have met
“It’s already a big happy family,” Abdul said Tuesday at the American Idol season 8 auditions held in
In fact, DioGuardi has already had quality bonding time with all three judges, says Simon Cowell. “We had a picnic last night. I wore jammies and the girls wore negligees and we kind of broke the ice,” Cowell joked. “We had cake until two in the morning.”
Joking aside, DioGuardi says the judges have welcomed her with open arms–yes, even Simon. “You were nice to me,” DioGuardi said to Cowell on the red carpet about their initial meeting. “You were actually OK.”
However, DioGuardi admits it was initially intimidating to join the judges’ panel, especially due to Cowell’s notorious reputation for being Idol’s resident meanie. “I was a little bit,” DioGuardi confessed, “but I’m going to hold my own.”
Only the future will tell if adding a fourth judge will help boost the show’s sagging ratings, but Abdul likes the change in the group dynamic. “We can try to gang up against the guys,” said Abdul. “I know Kara well and she speaks her mind.”
In fact the pop singer knows DioGuardi very well–the two were once roommates in the late ’90s. “She quit her job and moved out to
Da Brat is headed to da slammer.
On Friday, the 34-year-old rapper (born Shawntae Harris) was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to hitting a hostess in the head with a rum bottle, according to the Associated Press.
She was also sentenced to seven years probation, 200 hours of community service and completion of substance abuse treatment, mental evaluation and anger management classes.
The rapper and a half-dozen family members all broke down after hearing the sentence.
"I love y'all," she said to her relatives as a deputy hauled her away, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports.
"We love you too," her family replied in unison.
See unforgettable celebrity mug shots.
Da Brat who was among the select few who attended Mariah Carey's surprise April wedding to Nick Cannon in the Bahamas was at a Halloween bash at an Atlanta club last fall when she got into a fight with then-Atlanta Falcons cheerleader Shayla Stevens, who was working as a hostess.
The rapper then took a nearly full bottle of rum and hit Stevens, who now has a permanent scar on her face as a result.
In 2000, Da Brat was arrested after she struck a woman at a bar. She was sentenced to 12 months of probation. >>>>
Comedian Chris Kattan's marriage to his model wife lasted almost as long as a "Saturday Night Live" skit.
The former "Saturday Night Live" star filed for legal separation from model wife Sunshine Tutt after eight weeks of marriage. The couple were married June 28 in
They spent roughly a month together; Kattan's filings indicate that they separated August 10. The couple have no children together, and Kattan's filing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday indicates that the pair have a prenuptial agreement.
By filing for separation instead of divorce, Kattan is leaving the door open for a reunion with Tutt but is indicating that the pair intend to live separate lives for the time being.
Kattan, 37, appeared on "SNL" from 1996 to 2003. His screen credits include "Corky Romano" and "A Night at the Roxbury."
The couple became engaged Christmas Eve 2006.
An e-mail to Kattan's publicist was not returned. >>>>
You know what's awesome? When you develop an unexpected girl crush on a celebrity you'd completely written off. This is what just happened to managing editor Annette and me after reading Allure's September cover story about Carrie Underwood. In it, the 25 year-old singer/ American Idol winner comes across as vulnerable, likeable, frugal, slightly confused and young. Which is so much more honest than when 20-something celebs try to pretend they actually know something or get all deep and pretentious about their "craft" and "life path." Sure, Underwood still looks freakishly perfect—super, super airbrushed, glossy, coiffed and skinny (she apparently has to maintain a weight of between 110 and 115lbs, so she records every snack she eats). But it's what she says that made us want to hang with her, protect her from the jerks and maybe sit her down and give her some old-fashioned sisterly advice.
Read on for excerpts from the interview (the issue is on newsstands now).
On money:
The Steinway piano she craves? "I have the space. It's just waiting for the piano, but, you know, they're expensive!" The SUV she desires? "They're expensive, too!" She is still driving around in the Mustang she won on American Idol.
"But what if I don't earn any more next year? What if something awful happens? I'm not at the point where I say, 'OK, I've made enough.' I don't know what the limit is."
About Chace Crawford of Gossip Girl:
"We didn't have a fight. No one cheated. It plain didn't work."
On ex-bf Tony Romo:
"We were both small-town people doing very big things, and we relied on each other, dealing with fame," she says. And now? "I don't know. The phone will ring and it'll be him, and I'll maybe not answer."
What she thinks about fame:
"You never really know why somebody wants to be around you, or if they do genuinely like you," she says. "I wish everyone had a label on their forehead so you could automatically tell their intentions. Sometimes you just wish that no one wanted anything from you."
and
"I really have gotten rid of a lot of people in my life that don't need to be there."
About the inequalities in the music industry, especially country music:
"I know [the record companies] figure out their target audience is thirtysomething females. So they get these guy singers in there, thinking that will appeal to them. But there's nobody left for these thirtysomething women to relate to! The guys, they're just there to be eye candy!" She stares furiously down at her black flip-flops sprinkled with silver glitter. "We work harder than the guys do, because we have to! They think, She's doing great 'for a woman.' They don't come out and say it that blatantly. But they think it.†Moreover, she continues, "There's a lot of women who should have been nominated for Entertainer of the Year. Martina McBride! Faith Hill! You know what I mean?"
Meanwhile, Underwood has plans. Maybe these plans will even include Faith Hill. Underwood says she intends them to include Kellie Pickler, another Idol graduate tilling the same musical soil. "I want to have a girls-only tour and get some awesome chicks together, and have us all go out and," Underwood beams a happy smile out toward this future, "kick butt."
On fashion and her critics:
"Whenever you wear a simple, solid color dress, they'll be like, 'Oh, she's playing it too safe.' But then you do something fun and you hear, 'Oh, she should have stuck with something simple.' Nobody is ever happy. Style is all about what you feel great in."
Ricky Martin has become a father.
The Latin heartthrob welcomed twin boys via a surrogate, his rep confirmed to Access Hollywood.
"The children, delivered via gestational surrogacy, are healthy and already under Ricky's full-time care," a statement from Martin's rep read.
8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards: Arrivals - Play it Now
Martin is thrilled about the births and is stepping back from his duties as a bon-bon shaking celebrity to be a dad.
"Ricky is elated to begin this new chapter in his life as a parent and will be spending the remainder of the year out of the public spotlight in order to spend time with his children," the statement also noted.
Martin is not expected to return to the studio until sometime next year, his rep told Access.
All Access: Births - Ricky Martin - TV One - Pop
Puerto Rican Martin, 36, was once a member of Menudo. He rose to fame as an actor on ABC's "
Ricky Martin a father of twin boys, publicist says
There won't be much "livin' la vida loca" for Ricky Martin these days — he's now the father of twin boys. The Latin superstar had the children via a surrogate mother, and the babies were born a few weeks ago, according to a statement from his representatives.
"The children, delivered via gestational surrogacy, are healthy and already under Ricky's full-time care," said the statement. "Ricky is elated to begin this new chapter in his life as a parent and will be spending the remainder of the year out of the public spotlight in order to spend time with his children."
A representative said there was no further information on the details of the children's birth.
Martin, 36, is a multiplatinum singer who is best known for English-language hits like "She Bangs!" and "Livin' la Vida Loca." In recent years, the Puerto Rican star has been active in charitable efforts, including the prevention of sexual exploitation of children. >>>>
Singer Ricky Martin Welcomes Twin Boys
Ricky Martin's a dad!
The Latin superstar, 36, welcomed twin boys via a surrogate mother a few weeks ago, his rep tells the Associated Press.
"The children, delivered via gestational surrogacy, are healthy and already under Ricky's full-time care," the statement read.
"Ricky is elated to begin this new chapter in his life as a parent and will be spending the remainder of the year out of the public spotlight in order to spend time with his children."
See photos of other stars with twins.
No further details were released.
Play Us' Guess the Celeb Twin game.
Over the years, Martin has refused to confirm or deny rumors that he's gay.
"I think that sexuality is something that each individual should deal with in their own way," he told Barbara Walters in 2005. "And that's all I have to say about that." >>>>
Jennifer Garner has finally acknowledged her pregnancy.
At an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of Baby Einstein products in
Garner then pointed to her baby bump and said with a smile, This.
She wouldnt reveal her due date, USA Today reports.
"We're so excited, obviously," she told Access Hollywood.
She also joked about her swollen belly. "Oh, I'm not pregnant. I just had a lot of carbs for breakfast. It's just what do they call it a breakfast pouch?"
See who else is pregnant this summer.
Garner and husband Ben Affleck parents of daughter Violet, 2 recently snapped up a $16 million house in the
In 2007, she told the
"We definitely wonder what it would be like to have another hopefully, knock on wood, someday," she said.
In June, Affleck told Access Hollywood, "We're very happy. Things couldn't be better. We're kind of taking it easy and just kind of enjoying a little downtime at home." >>>>
Access Exclusive: Jennifer Garner Confirms Pregnancy
After months of speculation, Jennifer Garner has officially confirmed she is expecting a second child with her husband, Ben Affleck, in a new interview with Access Hollywood's Tony Potts.
"Thank you," Jennifer told Tony at the Baby Einstein's 10th anniversary celebration on Wednesday, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. "We're so excited, obviously."
Jennifer was coy with the news at first, joking with Tony as he wished her well.
Jennifer Garner Steps Out For The Premiere Of Juno - Play it Now
"Congratulations. Can I say that?" Tony asked.
"For what?" Jennifer smiled.
"For baby number two," Tony responded.
All Access: Jennifer Garner - Pregnancies
"Oh I'm not pregnant," she giggled. "I just had a lot of carbs for breakfast. It's just -- what do they call it? A breakfast pouch? Bunch?"
Jennifer's confirmation comes after weeks of speculation as her tummy size swelled to the visible baby bump she is currently sporting.
The child, whose sex Jennifer did not reveal, will be her second with Affleck.
Jennifer, 36, married Ben, also 36, in June 2005. They have one daughter - Violet, who was born in December 2005.
Jennifer's pregnancy coincides with that of Luciana Damon, the wife of Ben's pal Matt Damon. In March it was revealed that Matt and Luciana were expecting their second baby together, another daughter. Matt is also stepfather to Luciana's 9-year-old, Alexia.
In June, Jennifer and Ben celebrated their third wedding anniversary. That same month, Ben told Access Hollywood's Billy Bush, for "The Billy Bush Show," family life was going well. "Things are pretty great," Ben said. "We're very happy. Things couldn't be better. We're kind of taking it easy and just kind of enjoying a little downtime at home."
Jennifer told Tony the speculation over her baby in recent weeks has made her giggle.
"It always makes me laugh when people say 'Is she?' 'Isn't she?' It's like eventually you will know, so just chill out for a minute," she said.
And the expectant actress said she is prepared thanks to her daughter, Violet.
"Yeah, been through it," Jennifer said. "It's all good, it's great. I'm really excited."
To see our entire interview with a glowing Jennifer, tune into Access Hollywood on Thursday August 21. >>>>
Pastor Joel Osteen's wife Victoria was found not guilty of assaulting a flight attendant by a civil jury in
Brown claimed Victoria pushed her against a bathroom door and elbowed her left breast after getting angry about a stain on her seat on a 2005 flight from Houston, Texas to Vail, Colorado.
Victoria, Joel and other first-class passengers testified that the incident did not occur.
Brown was seeking an apology and 10 percent of
Jol is a best-selling author whose sermons to an audience of 42,000 people of the
See photos of celebrities getting religious
A
Sharon Brown, a Continental Airlines Inc flight attendant, filed a lawsuit accusing Victoria Osteen of shoving her against an airplane bathroom door and elbowing her in the breast after she failed to clean up a spill on Osteen's first-class seat.
"No matter what happened, I knew the truth was in me, and that was the most important thing," Victoria Osteen told reporters after the verdict was read.
The plaintiff left the courtroom smiling but without comment. Her lawyer said she was glad her case was heard.
The verdict, reached after five days of trial and less than three hours of deliberation, was unanimous.
Brown said the verbal and physical attack by Osteen -- the impeccably dressed charismatic blonde who plays a major role in her husband's
The flight attendant sought an apology from Osteen and initially sought 10 percent of her net worth as damages. She later testified she would leave it up to the jury to determine what was fair.
The Federal Aviation Administration fined Osteen $3,000 for the incident, which occurred prior to takeoff of a December 2005 flight from
Joel Osteen's televised sermons are broadcast in nearly 200 million
Anna Driver and Bruce Nichols; Bill Trott >>>>
Jury Sides With God, Pastor's Wife Cleared
Megachurch preacher's wife Victoria Osteen did not assault a flight attendant over a stain on her first class seat, a civil jury in
The jurors rejected Sharon Brown's claims that pastor Joel Osteen's wife caused her mental and physical harm -- even giving her hemorrhoids-- by going off on her on a 2005 flight from Houston to Vail, Colo.
Brown had said Miss Victoria went berserk when a spill on the armrest of her seat wasn't cleaned up quickly enough. Brown said the preacher's wife slammed her against the lavatory door, and elbowed her in the breast as she rushed the cockpit. A jury unanimously decided Brown's story was full of holy baloney and awarded her zilch.
Brown had sued for 10% of Osteen's net worth. >>>>
It seems like the ongoing saga over former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) and his extramarital affair with a campaign staffer has taken yet another turn -- toward the humorous.
Sarah Miller of The Los Angeles Times jokingly blames herself for Edwards's affair, saying an odd commonality between her and Edwards's mistress, Rielle Hunter, could have led to the now-infamous relationship.
One notable highlight from Miller's story: At a party a few years ago, Hunter purportedly told Miller, "I am going to be famous. Rich and famous. I am going to meet a rich, powerful man."
The Post's Ruth Marcus also has a bit of fun with it, ridiculing the one-time presidential candidate's use of the phrase "99 percent honest."
In an interview with ABC News, Edwards said he consistenly denied tabloid stories about his affair because they weren't completely true: "Being 99 percent honest is no longer enough."
"He was once derided as the Breck girl," Marcus writes. "Now it turns out we're talking
The Nation's Katha Pollit writes that while she supported Edwards (he "talked seriously about inequality," she says), she "never liked him."
"So now we know," Pollit writes. "John Edwards did have sex with that woman, Rielle Hunter, just as the National Enquirer said. So much for all those jokes about Bat Boy and Hillary's alien baby."
Even the rather staid Chronicle for Higher Education is having fun at Edwards's expense. The title of its blog item about the former senator's visit to an
As most of you know, John Edwards is a lawyer. But that fact alone probably wouldn’t give us subject-matter jurisdiction over the bizarro story involving him and video producer Rielle Hunter (pictured, left). Fortunately, however, Fred Baron (pictured, below right) gives us the in we need.
The dealio: In the midst of the weekend’s news that Edwards had had an affair with Hunter, news also broke that someone had paid not only for Hunter to move from Chapel Hill, N.C., to Santa Barbara, Calif., but for the man who claims to be the father of her child, Andrew Young, to move as well. Who would be so good, so noble, so, well, rich to pull a stunt like that off? None other than Fred Baron, as it turns out, the founder of the Baron & Budd law firm.
“I made a decision on my own, without talking to Edwards or anybody, to try to help them move to a community to try to get away from those folks,” Baron told the Dallas Morning News over the weekend. Baron was the Edwards campaign’s finance chair in 2004 and 2008 and said he paid for Hunter’s move out of his own pocket, not with Edwards’s money.
Added Baron: “John Edwards is an extraordinary human being who made an egregious error. . . . I feel sad because I know John Edwards so well. In life we all make mistakes. . . . It breaks my heart if this is going to disqualify him from being a public servant, because he would be a great one.”
Baron, the former president of the American Trial Lawyers’ Association, made his name as a plaintiffs’ lawyer, largely representing victims of asbestos exposure and other alleged toxins. He left Baron & Budd in 2002. Budd took a ton of heat for a memorandum that in 1997 was mistakenly handed over to opposing counsel. According to this story from 2001 in the Dallas Observer, “the 20-page memo instructed these mostly elderly workers never to testify that they saw warning labels on asbestos packages or knew it was dangerous and gave firm directions on how to testify about their exposure to asbestos products in ways to make their cases better.” Budd claimed the memo was the handiwork of a rogue paralegal.
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