November 2008 News Archive (Page 15)

I am at a loss for words. I'm in L.A. and I don't have tickets and I am PISSED.

Here goes the deets,

Britney Spears and ex Justin Timberlake are reuniting.

The two are rumored to perform in L.A.'s Dodger Stadium tonight alongside Madonna on her Sticky & Sweet tour, reports Ryan Seacrest.

"They are going to be onstage performing with Madonna. If Justin and Britney end up on that stage with her ... I don't know if I've ever seen anything quite like that before."

I hope to the Gods above that there's better video of this than some shitty camera phone. I am so excited for everyone who's gonna be watching this amazing show tonight. Have fun!

source

Scarlett Johansson �" in a Dolce & Gabbana dress and Van Cleef & Arpels diamonds �" is ready for an evening of laughs, attending Michael J. Fox's annual "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson's" fundraiser Wednesday at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers.

The event, which also brought out Johansson's husband Ryan Reynolds, raised more than $4.3 million for Parkinson's research.

I dunno why I haven't asked my folks yet if they were crying. Everyone was crying! It was so cute when I called my mom on Tuesday and she picked up the phone and said "YES WE CAN!" I am lovin' this. Barack Obama's transformative win has ignited a movement. This is much bigger than we can imagine.

Diddy cried.

"I was straight up crying. I was with my kids. It was a beautiful thing. I just thank God my prayers were answered."

Meanwhile, Cedric the Entertainer says his son Croix, 8, was full of questions: "'What does the president do and what does it mean? And how old is Barack's little daughter?'" I was like, 'That's what I'm talking about,'" the comedian joked. "'Make that move!'"

And Beyonce got the hell outta Japan so she could be in the U. S. of A when this all went down.

"I said, 'What am I doing? I'm completely making a bad decision. I have to go home, I'm gonna kill myself if I'm not home in America,'" she told the AP. "I knew I needed to be here."

Knowles watched the election results at home with friends and family â€" while wearing a blue suit and tie with matching red, white and blue stilettos.

"I've never been so patriotic! I fell asleep crying and smiling at the same time ... I woke up with mascara running and a smile on my face!"

Should Obama require her services, the singer is game: "Whatever they want â€" if they need me to volunteer, they need me to sing, I'm there and I'm ready."

But what is most important, Knowles said, is that the newly elected president has provided inspriration for African Americans.

"My nephew, who is 4, when we say, 'You can do whatever, you can be whatever,' it's not cliche," she explained.

source

As an African American female, Barack Obama's presidency holds a deeper meaning for me and others in my community. Today is the day that my enslaved ancestors dreamed of for hundreds of years. Today is the day that my father and mother and every member of my family never thought they would see. Today is the day I thought my children or their children might witness, but I never thought I would at such a young age.

For African Americans, although we no longer pick cotton, get raped by our slave masters so we can reproduce more slaves, or abide by Jim Crow laws, there's never a day that passes when we're unaware that racism continues to thrive. It's institutional, it's environmental, it has taken many modern forms and continued to oppress us. Until November 4, 2008, we have felt that our progress has been stunted. We came so far, but we were not to go any further. Until. Today.

This is a moment all Americans should be honored to be a part of. My ex-boyfriend who's also African American told me last night that he cried when Barack Obama became president. I'd be lying if I said I didn't do the same. In fact, I'm bawling right now and it's gross. I need a Kleenex!

Barack Obama's win isn't simply about a black man becoming president. This is about a great man becoming president. Barack Obama secured 96% of the African American vote, the last stat I heard, but we were not voting for him because of the color of his skin. We were voting for him because we feel that he is qualified, intelligent, and capable of uniting this country like it has never been united before.

To simply put Barack Obama into office because of the shade of his skin would be detrimental. Similar to those who may have voted for John McCain because Sarah Palin is a female do not grasp the importance of selecting the right candidate when attempting to make history.

The opportunity to lead is a privilege. The imprint of the chosen one should be positive. If not, the progress one sought to achieve by electing one based upon race, sex or other irrelevant factors ensures that the status quo will return upon his or her departure.

Barack Obama won with the support of every race because he transcends race. He is the American dream, and with his election we are one step closer to electing a female president, one step closer to electing a Latin president, one step closer to electing a homosexual president, one step closer to electing a president with a handicap. We are one step closer to turning dreams into realities.

For all those who are as happy as I am: overjoyed that their parents could vote for a black president, have many family members who voted for the very first time, or simply thrilled with the positive impact this has on the international community - America will never be the same. America has become a better place.

Congratulations to Barack Obama, my sister and everyone else who has worked for the campaign, donated money and voted. The American dream thrives!

I want Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo to break up. I'm not evil, I'm just nauseous. On one hand I think it's great that Jessica puts so much positive energy out there when it comes to her fuckships, on the other hand I think she deserves what's coming if she hasn't learned to shut it.

Here goes some Jess nonsense.

"I'd always fall for guys I wanted to save. For the first time, I fell in love with someone who saved me. I think any person who I'm gonna date for longer than six months, I definitely am investing in something long-term. If I get married again, then it will be the last time."

From 2002 to 2005, Simpson was married to Nick Lachey, who, she says, "will always be a part of my life, but next time, I'm marrying the right one."

Is Tony Romo "the right one?" I'd love to see her try to make that last forever. I have a strong feeling that infidelity or divorce awaits Jess if she stays with Tony; but I honestly hope it all finally works out for the future Jennifer Aniston.

Jessica Alba: "Incredible." "I was surprised that McCain brought race into his speech. I guess he was trying to bring people together."

Oprah:

"There are not even words to talk about what this night means. It's one of the greatest moments I could ever imagine. That's how great it is. It feels like hope won. It feels like there's a shift in consciousness. It feels like something really big and bold has happened here, like nothing ever in our lifetimes did we expect this to happen."

Kanye West: "HI MOM, OBAMA WON!" (His mom passed away about a year ago.)

Usher: "This will go down in history, in black history, for all of the sacrifices that the great Joseph Lowery and Martin Luther King made, this actually pays off for their sacrifice. ... I'm speechless. I don't even know what to say."

Colin Powell: "We're very, very proud to have a new American President who also happens to be African-American ... As I watched [the news anchors call the election] â€" pretty moving moment. Everybody cried ... I am overjoyed."

Pete Wentz: "My parents met working for [Obama's running mate on one of his early campaigns]. If it weren't for Joe Biden, I would not exist as a human being. ... I am proud to be a part of history in the making."

Madonna: "I'm so fâ€"ing happy right now"

Lindsay Lohan: "YES WE CAN."

Samantha Ronson: "YES WE DID!!"

Fergie: "It was excellent." "It was amazing."

Ethan Hawke: "I got up at 7:20 this morning, and I voted for Barack. I haven't had this much optimism in a long time. Tonight is historic!"

b&s, source

A measure to once again ban gay marriage in California led Tuesday, throwing into doubt the unions of an estimated 18,000 same-sex couples who wed during the last 4 1/2 months.

"We caused Californians to rethink this issue," Proposition 8 strategist Jeff Flint said.

"I think the voters were thinking, well, if it makes them happy, why shouldn't we let gay couples get married. And I think we made them realize that there are broader implications to society and particularly the children when you make that fundamental change that's at the core of how society is organized, which is marriage," he said.

Elsewhere in the country, two other gay marriage bans, in Florida and Arizona, were well ahead. In both states, laws already defined marriage as a heterosexual institution. But backers pushed to amend the state constitutions, saying that doing so would protect the institution from legal challenges.

Proposition 8 was the most expensive proposition on any ballot in the nation this year, with more than $74 million spent by both sides.

If gay people want to marry and get divorced like straight people do, they should be able to. Heterosexuals haven't left much to "protect" in regard to marriage. Marriage is a casual joke to many of us.

It's also tragic that $74 million was spent arguing both sides of Prop 8. I strongly believe that restrictions should be placed on proposition campaign budgets. Cap that shit off at like $20 million. Such a waste, however, I do think gays will be able to marry in my lifetime; I don't see the battle ending any time soon, though.

LA Times

No matter what happens with Nikki's airport beatdown trial that sent America's Next Top Model contestant Bianca Golden's mother to intensive care at the hospital, Nikki's Hollywood career is pretty much over, me thinks.

She needs to lose a ton, grow about seven inches taller, and start securing film roles. Does she fit the profile of a hot bitch in a romantic comedy? The lead in a horror flick? The baby faced woman whose life is unravelling in a drama? We'll see what kinds of gigs she gets. Ugly Betty does love rejects.

Nikki Blonsky, in need of a little image rehab since she and her dad tangled with an America's Next Top Model contestant at a Turks and Caicos airport, was busy filming an upcoming guest spot on the ABC comedy Tuesday in New York.

This will be the first prime-time TV appearance for the Hairspray star, who turns 20 on Sunday.

Blonsky reportedly plays an assistant over at Mode rival Elle magazine who befriends Betty but seems to have ulterior motives.

On Dec. 1 she's due in court to answer to charges of common assault and actual bodily harm for allegedly roughing up ANTM also-ran Bianca Golden July 29 at Turks and Caicos' Providenciales International Airport.

source

Michael Crichton, the prolific best-selling author of Jurassic Park, The Lost World and Sphere and creator of TV's ER, has died at age 66.

The writer, who sold more than 150 million books and had many of his titles made into blockbuster movies, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles after waging a private battle with cancer.

His family issued the following statement:

"[Michael Crichton was] a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes. He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget.

"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand. He will be profoundly missed by those whose lives he touched, but he leaves behind the greatest gifts of a thirst for knowledge, the desire to understand, and the wisdom to use our minds to better our world."

Michael has had a major impact on literature, television and films. He will be missed. So sad.

source

Good stuff. Someone give Sherri a hug.