Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, Tom Hanks and more...

Robert Redford: Folks at the White House already know that the Sundance Kid has been gunning for the Bush administration for years, so it should not surprise them that he found a way to link Watergate to the President during his AP interview about All the President's Men. At one point in the conversation, the actor says, "You can go right down the list ... of things like Watergate happening almost on a regular basis with this particular administration." Don't be surprised if military experts appear in the Sundance neighborhood soon to search for weapons of mass destruction. The Bible states that the tongue is mightier than the sword. If that's the case, Redford is a warrior.

Jennifer Lopez: When her fans first heard the singer's hit Get Right on the radio, chances are it didn't get air time the right way. During a Primetime special that airs on ABC tonight at 10:30pm, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer confirms that many radio stations accept money and gifts as payola in exchange for promoting records on the air. Artists' mentioned as beneficiaries of the illegal deals include Lopez, Celine Dion and John Mayer. The payola scandals in the early days of rock and roll almost doomed the music genre. It was a bad practice then. It is still the wrong way to operate.

Tom Hanks: The actor won't have to worry about shooting new scenes for Da Vinci Code in order to appease leaders of the Catholic Church. Opus Dei announced that it has asked that references to the Catholic Church that harm the faithful be eliminated in the film, but the organization will not call for a mass boycott of the movie when it opens worldwide in May. An estimated 2,000 priests are members of Opus Dei. Their call for a boycott would not fall on deaf hears. There are more than 85,000 members in the organization who could make trouble for the film. By asking for changes only, the leaders of Opus Dei are getting their word out without taking extreme measures. Everybody is covered and nothing gets changed. Sounds like politics to me.

Tyra Banks: The America's Next Top Model creator still likes to do a little modeling in her free time. Case in point: Fans of the hit CBS daytime game show The Price is Right will notice that Banks shows up during the Friday (February 17) broadcast as a "Barker's Beauty," presenting several games and prizes. After filming the segment, she told reporters, "I've been watching since I was a little girl and now I'm a Barker Beauty and I feel like I'll always be one -- at least after three hours of hair and makeup!" After three hours of hair and makeup, even I could hand out prizes for Barker.

Michael Jackson: A California court ruled yesterday that the gloved wonder no longer has sole custody of the two children birthed by Deborah Rowe. In 2001, she signed an agreement to give up custody to the singer, an agreement that no longer has any legal standing. Jackson will have to face the possibility that Rowe will now try legal means to regain control of her children. Jackson's past controversial actions and Rowe's willingness to part with her kids in the beginning prove that neither parent is ready to raise children on this planet.

Connie Britton: Folks who watched Grey's Anatomy last week saw Kyle Chandler get vaporized by an explosion. I bet that scared Britton, who currently has a recurring role on 24 as Diane Huxley, the kind lady who looked after Jack Bauer while he played dead. She just signed with NBC to reprise her movie role as the wife of the football coach in the television series based on the hit flick, Friday Night Lights. Chandler will play her husband in the pilot.

Simon Cowell: He is cold and cruel at times. So is the weather at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. But Cowell is the heat that turns Fox's American Idol into must-see television each week. The Tuesday night "Idol" broadcast was seen by 27 million viewers. NBC's Olympics coverage during the same time period maxed out at 16.1 million. Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and show host Ryan Seacrest already have their gold medals in the form of hefty paychecks. More folks should be watching the medals contests in Italy. They don't happen every year.

Maria Shiver, Jenna Elfman, Bob Barker and more...

Maria Shiver: The First Lady of California wants to terminate the desire of Americans to chow down on fatty and unhealthy foods. Shriver is one of the 300 hundred major entertainment, political and health leaders who will meet on Wednesday (February 15th) at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills to discuss ways that her state can work with different organizations to educate people on the health problems associated with obesity, including diabetes, which affects an estimated 21 million people in this country. Obesity raises a person's risk of developing diabetes by up to 93 percent. The Health Focus 2006 luncheon was put together by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, and Prevention magazine. Shriver and her powerful allies want to help develop unique ways that the entertainment community can deliver positive health messages in their creative works.

Jenna Elfman: Courting Alex star Elfman wants to hold court with a lucky fan in the future, someone who would like to share a lunch date with her in Los Angeles. She is one of the many stars participating in the fourth annual Communities in Schools Lunch with a Leader online celebrity auction to raise funds that will benefit Communities in Schools, the nation's largest dropout prevention organization. Other celebrities with time to spare for fans include singers Alicia Keys and Patti LaBelle, NASCAR legend Richard Petty, CBS news anchor Bob Schieffer and USC's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Matt Leinart. The special auction ends February 20. Visit the Lunch with a Leader Web Site for more information on the campaign and the kind stars involved with the project.

Bob Barker: The price is not right as far as the veteran game show host is concerned. He knows that trying to keep elephants housed at the Los Angeles Zoo is not worth the pain seen daily at the pachyderm exhibit. Only one elephant is healthy enough to be on display for visitors. The other two are too sick to perform. Barker appeared at the Friday City Council meeting to ask the leaders to retire all three elephants to a friendly sanctuary so that they can end their lives in peace. He told members, "I came here today to ask, to beg you to vote to release those elephants from that zoo. They have lived in misery." No action was taken on his request. If you live in the city, let the City Council know how you feel about the matter.

Sharon Stone: At 47, the actress no longer has any desire to go out in public wearing clothes that show too much skin. Even though she does nudity in films, Stone thinks that a public appearance is quite different. She especially loathes the low-cut, revealing dresses that younger celebrities wear to major events. The actress told Britain's Esquire magazine, "I find the acres of shoved-up boobies so much more horrifying than walking across the room nude. One is much more honest whereas the other looks like you have your ass on backwards." Stone's fans can expect to see a lot of the actress when her new thriller, Basic Instinct 2, debuts in late March. According to numerous press reports, she chose to shoot her nude scenes without help from a body double.

Friday Reports:

Benjamin Bratt: The star of NBC's E-Ring has been named to host the Volvo for Life Awards Ceremony when it takes place at the Rainbow Room in New York City on April 12. The event will honor hometown heroes in the categories of safety, quality of life and environment who truly deserve the recognition. One winner will be chosen as "America's Greatest Hometown Hero," an award which comes with the use of a free Volvo automobile every three years for life. Music for the gala will be provided by Avril Lavigne. Visit the Volvo for Life Web Site to learn more about the Awards ceremony and to nominate a hero from you area.

Patrick Dempsey: Fans of the actor's ABC series Grey's Anatomy will have a valid reason to visit the race track soon. Dempsey has been named as a co-owner of the Vision Racing team that fields fast machines for IndyCar competition. It's not the star's first brush with auto racing. He currently drives professionally in "Grand American Cup" class sports car racing with Hypersport. Dempsey told reporters, "I am thrilled to be a part of the Vision team and I feel like a kid in a candy store." Don't be surprised if "Grey's" fans drop by the track to sample some of that candy. Let the race begin.

Jane Seymour: The former Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman star has a unique gig in New York City on Tuesday, February 14. She and actor husband James Keach will take a free romantic carriage ride through Central Park. The Valentine's Day event is sponsored by international businessman and philanthropist Henri Zimand in memory of his late wife Anda. He is giving away 1,000 carriage rides and donating $100 to breast cancer prevention for every ride taken. Seymour will also announce the winner of a "love letter" writing contest and read the missive aloud to the audience. Anyone in the area can drop by Columbus Circle at Central Park South from 10:00am to 6:00pm on the 14th to apply for a ride. The offer will be available for one week.

Tom Sizemore: The actor is lucky, or he has enough money to pay for a savvy attorney who knows how to keep him out of the slammer. On Thursday, Sizemore was sentenced to three years probation after admitting that he used methamphetamine in January. He will also have to take part in a three month stay at a drug treatment facility. Of course, he has been ordered to do rehab time before, which seems to be a waste of time so far. If the Saving Private Ryan star didn't have the cash to dash to his lawyer's office, he would be in lockup like most repeat offenders in this country.

Gwyneth Paltrow: The Oscar-winning actress might find it hard to move back to America if she ever gets tired of the damp weather in England. In a recent interview published by Britain's Star Magazine, she said, "Brits are far more intelligent and civilized than Americans." If nothing else, that little dig at her homeland will probably land Paltrow on the terrorist watch list. It probably won't bother her or her Coldplay husband Chris Martin or their kids. Life in London seems to suit them much better than earthquake central in California.

Britney Spears, Randy Jackson, Dave Chappelle and more...

Britney Spears: Oops, she's defending the decision to allow her infant son to ride on her lap again. During an interview with Access Hollywood that will air today, the pop star says, "Being put in the situation that I was in, it was kind of bad with the paparazzi. Last week, my mom and I went out and they were on us really bad. So you do instinctively what you need to do." What she needs to instinctively do is protect her child better when he is a passenger in her car. As of today, no law enforcement official in L.A. has used photos and film of the incident as evidence to charge Spears with a traffic violation. Expect that to change soon.

Randy Jackson: The American Idol judge was one of three stars from the Fox series who competed with an "Idol" episode last night by appearing on the CBS Grammy Awards. Jackson played bass for the band that fronted the Sly and the Family Stone tribute, which included a vocal segment with "Idol" winner Fantasia. First "Idol" champion Kelly Clarkson performed her hit single "Since U Been Gone" before she won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album and another one for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. During her acceptances speeches, the former waitress forget to mention the series that launched her career. Visit the official Grammy Web Site for a complete report on all the winners.

Dave Chappelle: Give the Comedy Central laugh king credit for making an appearance on the Grammy Awards even though he was obviously nervous. It's going to take him some time to reload his joke machine. On Sunday (February 12), Chappelle is on the Bravo hot seat with Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton in charge of the interrogation. When asked why he split the scene for Africa, the comedian told Lipton, "I knew that in Africa I'd have a place to sleep, before adding, "they would call me crack head and all these things in the country where I'm from. In Africa, they didn't know anything." He's back folks, but it might take time for him to get his act together. I'll wait.

Oprah Winfrey: Are you ready for Oprah Radio? The folks in charge of XM Satellite Radio think so. They announced today that she will appear on and oversee a new XM radio channel titled, Oprah & Friends, which will debut in September and feature a weekly reality radio show with Winfrey and Gayle King. There will also be segments featuring many of the people who appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The host with the most told reporters, "Together with my friends, we look forward to creating programming that will entertain, inform and inspire our listening audience on XM." Maybe I can inspire Winfrey to let me bank one week's worth of interest earned by her bank account. Her new XM deal will earn her company $55 million over a three year period.

Tom Cavanagh: CBS doesn't have much faith in the former Ed star's new series, Love Money. The promising series about a record executive and his friends will leave the schedule in March to make room for the new drama thriller The Unit, which stars 24 fatality Dennis Haysbert and Scott Foley. Cavanagh's new series has rock and roll and an attractive cast. What it also has is competition in the Tuesday 10pm time slot from NBC's annual ratings winner Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and ABC's legal comedy drama Boston Legal. Instead of taking the "Monkey" off Cavanagh's back, CBS executives should find it another spot on the schedule. Give the star a banana and a break.

Tom Selleck: When I interviewed (Web Site) the actor about his new Jesse Stone tele-movie franchise he produces for CBS, his laughter got the best of me. Selleck is a happy man who has known for a long time that laughter is always the best medicine, which might explain why he guest stars on the funniest show on television, ABC's Boston Legal, on Tuesday, February 21. He appears as Shirley Schmidt's (Candice Bergen) ex-husband, Ivan Tiggs, on a mission to get Shirley to be the "best man" at his upcoming wedding. You read that right ... "best man." Denny Crane (William Shatner) will have some competition that night.

Al Michaels: The legendary sports announcer is no longer a player on Monday Night Football. After ESPN took over the program from ABC, Michaels was not part of the team announced to call the action for the sports network. ESPN's loss could be NBC's gain. The network has been courting him for years, He would be a natural lead man for NBC's new Sunday Night football shows. Even non sports fans followed his coverage of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake that interrupted World Series play between the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics. Lives were lost. Buildings and roads were destroyed. The World Series was delayed for ten days. Michaels was nominated for a News Emmy for his coverage of that tragic event. UPDATE: NBC announced that Michaels will team again with John Madden for Sunday Night NFL Football this fall.

Jack Black, American Idol, Lucy Lawless and more...

Celebrity News Date: Tuesday, February 7

Jack Black: The School of Rock star is excited by his new gig for
Nickelodeon. He has been chosen to host the 19th Annual Kids' Choice
Awards on Saturday, April 1 from UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. Movies nominated
for the top award include Are We There Yet?, Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Herbie:
Fully Loaded. Television series in the hunt for top honors include

American Idol, Drake & Josh, Fear Factor and That's So
Raven. Black told reporters, "I'm super excited to be hosting
Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards because when you're doing a show for the
kids, you can get extra crazy and loony." Of course, the acting
comedian hasn't needed a reason before to act crazy, so his observation
will translate to a fun time for viewers.

Lucy Lawless: The former Xena studette's guest starring
appearance on Battlestar Galactica must have made her feel safe in
space. Sci Fi Channel executives confirmed yesterday that Lawless will
reprise the role of D'Anna Biers in a ten-episode arc during the third
season of 'Galactica.' Her character was introduced to viewers as an investigate reporter
who turned out to be a deadly human-looking Cylon agent on a mission to
learn more about her human enemies. Production on the third season will
begin in April. Lawless turns up again in the Friday, February 24, episode
titled "Downloaded" that educates viewers on Cylon society.

Miss Piggy: The PBS beauty queen is in a funk today after reading the
new budget proposed by President Bush, which cuts funding for the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting by more than $150 million by 2008.
Conservatives have long held that the PBS stations favor liberals, which
might be true. They also complain that there is not enough family-friendly
programming on television. I guess Miss Piggy's family is not friendly enough
for the folks who run the country. Her bacon is cooked.

B.B. King: The master bluesman has sadness in his heart this month.
His 2-year-old white female Maltese, Lucille, has been missing for more than
one week after she disappeared while being cared for by King's co-manager.
Neighborhood alert posters and calls to animal shelters in the West Hollywood area have
produced no results. The L.A. Times reports that the legendary performer
is now offering an autographed copy of a signature "Lucille" guitar to the
person who returns his missing friend or provides information that
pinpoints Lucille's location.

Tony Danza: The host of The Tony Danza Show deserves a special
Emmy for his efforts to bring his show to viewers on Monday. Over the
weekend, an electrical malfunction on his set caused the studio to
overheat, which set off the sprinkler system. The resulting water damage made it
impossible for Danza's folks to safely seat an audience for the show, but
it didn't stop Surface star Lake Bell from guesting with class. Of
course, she's seen so much water on her hit NBC science fiction series
that a wet studio probably seemed like a desert to her.

Jodie Foster: Being an Oscar-winning actress doesn't keep
The Silence of the Lambs star from doing ordinary housekeeping and
maintenance chores like most of her fans. On Sunday (February 12),
Foster will join entertainment industry volunteers when they
work to improve the living quarters of a senior citizen in
Reseda, California. The home maintenance
program, which is designed to help low-income folks and the elderly, is
run by Rebuilding 'Together (Web Site).
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences provides funding and
personnel support for the rebuilding effort.

---SUGGESTED READING----

Madonna Jokes Pop Stars are Similar to Terrorists

Spears Defends Holding Baby on Lap while Driving

Police Want to Question Busta Rhymes about Murder


Letterman Rids Steeler's Roethlisberger of Beard

Did You Hear the One about 'Brokeback Mountain'?

Police Investigate Joe Pesci Assault Allegations

In case you've been busy answering all the spam e-mails
that creep into your computer to drive you nuts,
click News Archives
to catch up with the celebrity world.

TVNow is a fan of the DVD sets produced by Treeline Films, so much so that
we now sell most of them. They are the first products we have endorsed in ten years.
Click any of the following links for information:
Classic Mystery (50 movies),
Classic Westerns (50 movies),

Classic Musicals (50 movies)
and Family Classics (50 Titles).
$28 per set is an amazing price. We guarantee satisfaction.

Sean Combs, Lindsay Lohan, Naomi Watts and more...

Sean "Diddy" Combs: When the man smells money in the air, hegets moving. Case in point: Tonight, Combs will launch his firstfragrance, Unforgivable, at New York's members-only Core Club. That's the same product that was featured in a print ad that was canned after retailers complained that it was too "hot" and "raunchy." Some of the celebrities expected to attend the Wednesday sniff party include Lindsay Lohan, Naomi Watts, Pam Anderson, John Legend, Slayer number two, Eliza Dushku, Jay-Z and other notables. Sean John's Unforgivable will land in department stores on February 15 with a $55 price tag for 2.5 ounces. Like I said in the beginning -- Combs smells money.

Julia Roberts: When the Oscar-winning actress steps on the stage at
the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre to star in Richard Greenberg's Three
Days Of Rain in late March, it will have already rained money on the
show's producers. The show had one day ticket sales totaling more than $7
million. Roberts, Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper star as three people
who come together to split the assets left behind by their fathers, who
owned a profitable architecture firm. "Three Days" will run from March 28 to June 18.

George Clooney: One would think that the actor and filmmaker is flush
with cash this year after working on and in Good Night, and Good Luck
and Syriana. Not so according to the former ER doctor himself.
Clooney told E! News that his first assignment after hearing that he
was nominated for three Oscars was to shoot a coffee commercial, "to
pay for the last couple of years." If the handsome actor continues to
pick his roles so wisely, he won't need commercials in the future.

Anthony Stewart Head: Another former "Buffy" star is heading to tube
land. The Slayer's favorite witch, Willow (Alyson Hannigan), stars in
the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother. David Boreanaz split for

Angel and now excels in the hit Fox drama Bones. Charisma
Carpenter left for Angel, and now has a hot recurring role on
Veronica Mars. James Marsters ditched Spike's white locks and now
has evil intentions on Smallville. ABC announced that Head, the actor
who played the stuffy librarian watcher who looked after Buffy Summers,
will headline the comedy pilot Him & Us. The new series, which was
inspired by Elton John, follows the exploits of a gay rock star who relies
on his manager and friends to help him deal with the fact that he is so
yesterday. When will Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nicholas Brendon

land on the tube again?

Elton John: Speaking of Sir John, this important item deserves a
mention. The English rocker and David Furnish will host the 14th Annual
Academy Award viewing dinner and after-party on Sunday, March 5,
at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. The worthwhile charity
event is used to raise funds for the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF),
which has raised over $80 million to support HIV/AIDS prevention and
service programs all over the globe since its inception in 1992. Guests
that evening will have a posh dinner, watch the Oscars and then party
with the celebrities. This year's event co-chairs include Tom Hanks and
Rita Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Sharon Stone, Sheryl Crow, Donatella
Versace and Dame Elizabeth Taylor.

Matthew Modine: When I interviewed Modine and asked about his
terrific turn in the AIDS-related television movie And the Band Played
On, he spoke about the need for AIDS education in the 1980s because it
would have helped people understand some of the dangers of being sexually
promiscuous. Maybe he can educate folks with his new series, The
Bedford Diaries, which will debut on The WB Wednesday, March 22, at 9pm.
Modine stars in "Bedford" as the professor in charge of a "Sex and the
Human Condition" seminar at a liberal-arts college in New York. Former
Gilmore Girls hunk Milo Ventimiglia and Audra McDonald (Mister Sterling) co-star.