Scoop On the New Season Of American Idol

“Extra” has your first glimpse at season seven of “American Idol,” with judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul revealing their biggest season secrets. “This will be the strongest twelve we've ever had, and I've never, ever said that before,” Simon revealed.

And for once, they all seem to agree! “We've never had a top twelve like we're going to have this season,” admitted Paula. Added Randy, “I think it's the best we've ever had.”

But will “Idol” produce another Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood this year? “I'm going on record: There's more than one,” Paula said. Added Simon, “Yeah, Kelly, Carrie – all of them. I mean, very, very strong.” With the competition even better, and the stakes higher, one thing remains the same: Paula and Simon’s disdain for each other.

The dynamic between the two is “atrocious as usual,” admitted Simon. “You know, Paula sees right, I see left. I mean, that's what it's like.”

Evel Knievel Dead At 69 Years Old

More Bad News For The Hogans

Hulk Hogan has been exposed as liable for his son NICK BOLLEA's summer car crash and consequent driving ban. Hulk Hogan who is currently going through a divorce with wife Linda - is said to have purchased beer for Nick and his friends before the 17-year-old's summer accident, which led to his arrest on a dangerous driving charge earlier this month.

Included in the damaging police report released this week is a receipt from Albertson's Liquor Store in Clearwater, Florida at 2:14 p.m. on the day of the accident for $78 worth of beer and ice. A clerk, June Hoopingarer, claims Hulk - real name Terry Bollea - was the one who purchased the booze.

The report adds that Nick and his friends spent the day of the accident on a boat with Hulk, where everyone consumed alcohol. The group were later turned away at a local establishment, Shepard's Tiki Bar, because Nick was underage

Mo Money For Reese

from contact
REESE WITHERSPOON is officially the highest-paid actress in the business. The 31-year-old Oscar winner has beaten the likes of Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz and Nicole Kidman to claim the number one spot in the Hollywood Reporter's annual female rich list - receiving a staggering $15-$20 million paycheck per picture.

Tomb Raider star Jolie, 32, comes in second, though her salary for the current Beowulf picture was said to be a "mere" $8 million. Diaz, 35, is placed third, with a $15 million per-movie salary demand, though her take-home earnings from the most recent Shrek installment are pegged at a very healthy $30 million. Last year's number two, Nicole Kidman, 40, fell to fourth place, with an asking price of $10 million

Now Batting Fourth For The Reds, Hannah Montana's Daddy

BILLY RAY CYRUS traded a promising baseball career for one in music, after a voice in his head told him to pick up a guitar. The singer is convinced it was his calling to be a singer, and has no regrets about ditching his plans to be a major league catcher.

He says, "I just felt this voice inside saying buy a guitar and form a band and you'll fulfil your purpose. Trade in your catcher's mitt and buy a guitar. And I did it."

Charity Auction For Aids

A-list stars including MADONNA, BEYONCE KNOWLES, BRITNEY SPEARS, JAY-Z and JACK NICHOLSON have made generous donations for a charity auction to raise money for AIDS. The super-sale dubbed Bid 2 Beat Aids will kick off on action site eBay on World Aids Day, December 1st.

The list of participating celebrities also includes, Matt Damon, Jessica Alba, Jessica Simpson, Owen Wilson and many more. Items on offer include an iPod designed by Yoko Ono; Borat's hat; a CD signed by Vanessa Hudgens and Spiderman doll signed by Tobey Maguire.

Proceeds benefit LIFEbeat, the Music Industry Fights AIDS to support its ongoing AIDS/HIV programs nationwide. The centrepiece of the auction is series of paintings created by celebrities who traced their hands on special paper, adding their personal artistic touch and signature.

Kim Kardashian A Publicity Seeker? What???

from page six

POLICE don't believe Kim Kardashian's claim that a thief stole $50,000 worth of valuables while she was being mobbed by fans at JFK airport. Kardashian supposedly lost her diamonds, a Cartier watch, digital camera and her laptop on Nov. 8, but law enforcement officials suspect it's a publicity stunt.

Neither Port Authority cops, the NYPD nor the Queens district attorney has any report of a theft. Kardashian's reps didn't return calls.

Odd Couple

Supermodel Elle Macpherson and international rock star Bryan Adams are secretly dating.
The couple enjoyed a passionate kiss at a private party in Bryan's London home on Tuesday night after the launch of his new photo exhibition.

A source said: "They were all over each other, flirting outrageously and they couldn't keep their hands or eyes off each other."

Really Sorry To Hear This

"My kids don't call me mommy, they don't even call me mom. They call me Nicole, which I hate and tell them off for it." The "Golden Compass" star recently revealed she is unhappy Isabella and Connor are being raised as Scientologists in Los Angeles. '

Catholic Nicole lives in Nashville with her second husband Keith Urban, while her children live with Scientologist Tom and his new wife Katie Holmes. She said, "Yes, they're being raised as Scientologists. I don't want to go there. My daughter and son, their life is molded by the way I live. If I wasn't willing to take on that responsibility, I shouldn't have adopted them. Then it can be argued that I should never have divorced, and that's true, too, but sometimes you don't have a decision in that. People fall out of love, they do."

Posh Bans Becks From The First Spice Girls Show

Posh Spice has banned her hubby David Beckham from the Spice Girls concert...

"One minute Victoria is saying she wants me there, and then it's, 'No, don't come to the first show, as we'll all be too nervous,'" he told London's Daily Mail still, he said he'll show up eventually.''

"I think I'll be at the show a couple of days later in San Jose and have the boys with me," he said. "And I know Victoria will ring me as soon as the first show ends.
"She says the rehearsals have gone amazingly well."

J-Love Is Off The Market

from us magazine

Jennifer Love Hewitt's rep confirms exclusively to Usmagazine.com that Hewitt, 28, and boyfriend, Scottish actor Ross McCall, 32, are engaged to be married.

"They got engaged last week," her rep tells Us. The couple is currently vacationing in Hawaii.
Us has learned that the antique engagement ring has been in Ross' family for over 100 years.
Hewitt's rep had no details about the wedding date.

Not So Happy Birthday

Anna Nicole Smith would have turned 40 today.

Seems Like I Have Heard This One Before

from tmz...OJ Simpson and his two allegedly looting teammates -- Clarence Stewart and Charles Ehrlich -- have plead not guilty to twelve charges stemming from a September memorabilia heist in Las Vegas.

Let the games begin! Defense attorneys were unable to get any of the charges dropped during a preliminary hearing -- especially the kidnapping charge -- which could bring a life sentence with the possibility of parole. The trial is set for April 7, 2008.

Britney Story # 93,097

Britney Spears' recently-appointed chauffeur has quit - because Brit Brit is too much of a "liability" to drive around. The unnamed man was hired to drive Spears, her kids and a court-ordered monitor around after the troubled mother-of-two was banned from driving her sons herself.

But he has reportedly resigned just days after his appointment due to the life-threatening pressures of ferrying the singer around. The chauffeur has endured a number of near-misses with paparazzi and other vehicles while driving the her, and feels unsafe in the job.

Spears was ordered to hire a driver by K-Fed's attorney earlier this month, after her road skills were called into question. The ban came after Spears was caught on tape running a red light with her two children in the back seat.

Ho Ho Ho

Tonight N-B-C marks the arrival of the holidays with its annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special. Al Roker hosts the event, which culminates with the lighting of the world's most famous Christmas tree. On hand to celebrate the season with song will be Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Barry Manilow, Taylor Swift, Ashley Tisdale and Carrie Underwood.

Helio Is The Winner

Message boards ranted, screaming injustice and biased voting, and celebrity gossip site T-M-Z-dot-com reported fraud on the dance floor for Marie Osmond and partner Jonathan Roberts, but the pair were the picture of grace as the first couple eliminated on last night's Dancing With the Stars: The Finale.

Before finalists Mel B and Helio Castroneves faced their final numbers, all of the season's couples returned to perform their favorite dance -- or their only dance, as it was for model Josie Maran, a week-one casualty. And proving once more that their time came too soon -- Sabrina Bryan and professional partner Mark Ballas performed their cha-cha-cha, again bringing down the house.

Recap clip after recap clip, and a dazzling pair of performances from Celine Dion led up to the dance-off involving Mel B and her professional partner Maksim Chmerkovsky repeating their high energy mambo, and Helio and lovely Julianne Hough revising their punctuated quick step. After both pairings received their obligatory perfect scores, all of the numbers from both judges and viewers were combined revealing Helio and Julianne as the season's champions.

This marks win number-two for professional dancer Julianne Hough after taking home last season's mirrorball with Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ono. She joins professional Cheryl Burke, who also had back-to-back wins with Drew Lachey and Emmit Smith.-- Tammy Ragusa

This Is Not Going To Be Pretty

Carson Daly is the first late-night talk show host willing to cross the picket lines of the striking writers. Last Call With Carson Daly, which airs on N-B-C after the still-not-talking Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, begins taping new episodes this week.

Those shows will begin airing next week. Though David Letterman and Craig Ferguson's staff have been promised paychecks through the end of the year, strike or no strike, N-B-C staffers have only been promised their full salaries through the end of the month -- which, of course, is Friday.

ps...Carson Daly was once O-J Simpson's golf caddy, this is not a joke, he really was.

Huh? What?

Larry Birkhead and Kevin Federline, who spent a good deal of 2007 battling for custody of their respective offspring, are "America's new parental role models," according to Details magazine. "The Good Fathers," as the magazine calls them, are on Details' roster of the 50 most influential men under the age of 45, with Britney Spears' ex-husband gracing the issue's cover.

Zac Efron, Shia LaBeouf and "the Disney kids" top the list, which also includes the likes of Ryan Seacrest, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Columbine High School killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, country group Rascal Flatts, Ellen DeGeneres's former dog Iggy, "Harry Potter" and Jay-Z.

What Writer's Strike?

If you are a fan of either "Chuck" or "Life" you are going to be very happy! N-B-C has ordered full seasons of Chuck and Life.

NYE In NYC

So You Think You Can Dance's Cat Deeley will host FOX's New Year's Eve Live, with Spike Feresten chiming in from the ball drop in Times Square.

Usher Is a Daddy!

Congratulations! We hear Usher's wife Tameka Foster gave birth to a son last night. Both the baby and Tameka are doing fine.

Kardashian Loses Her Booty

Kim Kardashian had an expensive amount of jewelry and other items stolen from her bag at JFK airport where she was flying to from Las Vegas.

from tmz

A source close to Kim tells TMZ that when several Delta employees asked for autographs and photos with her, items were somehow lifted from her bags. The items include $50,000 worth of diamond jewelry, a Cartier watch, and Kim's laptop and digital camera -- contents unknown!

Kim's reps are looking into the possibility that she was set up by employees working for the airline.

Wanna be On "America's Got Talent?"

SIMON COWELL is launching the biggest contestant search yet for the new season of "America's Got Talent."

Auditions for all acts and ages will be held in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore, Nashville, Orlando, Atlanta and Dallas. Video submissions are also accepted -- get all the details at NBC.com/AmericasGotTalent or call (877) 255-9008.

This Just In From The Hogans

from tmz

Hulk Hogan has struck an optimistic note regarding his marital breakup, saying he'd like to see a solution to the family matter. In a statement released through his agent, Darren Prince, to TMZ, the Hogan Knows Best star, 54, says: "Please respect my family's privacy at this time with all that we have been through." The semi-retired pro wrestler adds: "I care for my wife and my children are my world and I just hope this all works out."

On Monday it was reported that Hogan's estranged wife Linda is seeking half of the couple's more than $9.5 million in assets, including a stake in their Bellaire, Fla., mansion. In her divorce petition, Linda Bollea deemed her 24-year marriage to Hogan (real name: Terry Bollea) "irretrievably broken." The couple have two children, Brooke, 19, and Nick, 17.

How Many Of Us Are Watching TV Online?

Although the networks touted the results as a great success, Nielsen figures for the month of October indicate that ABC attracted 10.6 million unique visitors to the website where it streams episodes of its shows; NBC, 8.1 million to its site; CBS, 6.1 million; and Fox, 3.4 million.

The results indicate that the total number of viewers recorded by each of the networks for an entire month was about what a single network program averages on any given night.

Talking Is Good

from contact
Rumors spread throughout Hollywood Monday that the first day of renewed talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers produced concrete results and were likely to lead to a quick settlement.

Citing an unnamed insider, L.A. Weekly columnist Nikki Finke reported on her website Monday evening that the AMPTP negotiators arrived at the session with "a very comprehensive proposal." Each side has agreed not to discuss the negotiations with the press; even the site of the talks remains secret. Talks were reportedly set to resume today

We Were Watching DWTS

"Dancing With The Stars" produced the best ratings of any entertainment show of the fall season Monday night as the final competition night nabbed a 15.7 rating and a 23 share in the 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. hour, according to Nielsen research.

Hurley Cuts Off His Hair

Jorge Garcia who plays Hurley on "Lost" has cut his trademark long curly hair. Maybe it will be part of an upcoming Lost episode.

A Charlie Brown Christmas Airs Tonight 8p On Ch. 9

Things You Might Not Know About Charlie Brown

• First animated Peanuts special.
• When they first saw the show, CBS executives were horrified at the idea of an animated Christmas special with such a blatant message. They also strongly objected to the fact that the show had no "canned laughter".
• When viewing the rough cut of the show, both of the producers, Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson, were convinced that they had a flop on their hands. After it premiered, they were happily surprised and shocked at the high ratings and excellent reviews that the show received.
• It's the second longest-running Christmas special on US network television, next to the 1964 special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer which premiered one year earlier and is still broadcast every year.
• The actors, who were all children, learned their lines phonetically, often not knowing what they meant, which led to the now familiar Peanuts delivery-style.
• It won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Children's Program", and a Peabody Award for excellence in programming.
• During his famed speech, Linus, who is well known to be dependent on his "Security Blanket", actually lets go of it when he recites these words: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy" which is from Luke 2:10.
• The show broke many of the rules prevalent for animated holiday specials during the 1960s: it didn't make use of a laugh track; real children were used for the character voices instead of adult actors imitating children's voices; and Biblical references were used to illustrate the true meaning of Christmas.
• Bill Melendez tried to talk Charles Schulz out of using Biblical references, especially Linus's speech. Schulz reportedly won him over by saying, "If we don't do it, who will?"
• Just before her remarks about Christmas being a big commercial racket, Lucy refers to Charlie Brown simply as "Charlie". This is the only time she does this in any of the TV specials; every other time it's "Charlie Brown".

Not Bad Work If You Can Get It

Jennifer Hudson will spend New Year's Eve singing four songs at the Setai in Miami, where the top ticket price to hear Jen sing is $60,000!

New On DVD Today

Hot Rod is new to D-V-D today. Saturday Night Live star Andy Samberg plays an up-and-coming daredevil in the comedy with Isla Fisher, Ian McShane (Deadwood) and Sissy Spacek. The D-V-D has bloopers, extended and deleted scenes, and 10 behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Mister Bean's Holiday is also available. The third film in the comedy franchise finds the bumbling Brit "Bean" on a trip to France, where he unwittingly competes in the Cannes Film Festival. It stars Rowan Atkinson along with Willem Dafoe. Extras on the D-V-D include deleted scenes and three making-of featurettes.

The romantic comedy Waitress stars Keri Russell as a pregnant small-town waitress who falls for the new local doctor. Nathan Fillion (Serenity), Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Jeremy Sisto (Six Feet Under) and Andy Griffith co-star. The D-V-D has commentary, featurettes on the cast and a making-of documentary.

The thriller I Know Who Killed Me stars Lindsay Lohan as a girl who escapes a serial killer only to have her identity confused with another girl who is still in peril. Julia Ormond, Neal McDonough and Garcelle Beauvais co-star. A blooper reel and alternate scenes are on the D-V-D.

High school girls from vastly different cliques join forces in Bratz: The Movie, the live-action adaptation of the toy line (which was also turned into an animated film in 2004). Starring are Skyler Shaye, Malese Jow, Kim Morgan Greene, Daniel Booko, Jon Voight and Paula Abdul. The D-V-D has deleted scenes, two music videos and 12 behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Last Night On DWTS

It was "judge's choice" and "freestyle" on last night's Dancing With the Stars, and never was the glaring absence of bright and brighter stars Jennie Garth and Sabrina Bryan more noticeable as the top three finalists delivered lethargic and awkward performances riddled with missteps.

The exception proved to be a brilliant freestyle number from Helio Castroneves and professional partner Julianne Hough. The pair's jumbled jive brought in a mere 25, but their near flawless freestyle was exactly what the judges were looking for -- high energy, fancy footwork and breathtaking lifts -- and earned the couple a 29. But Mel B and partner Maksim Chmerkovsky garnered the highest overall score of 55 despite a snooze of a cha-cha-cha and a completely disconnected freestyle dance.

Marie Osmond and pro Jonathan Roberts were asked to re-perform the famous faint-inducing samba, but this time it was the judges who nearly passed out from the sheer boredom after the couple's freestyle number. Playing to her legions of doll fans, Marie took the stage in Shirley Temple-esque dress and pigtails, while her partner dragged her through an uneventful routine to the Rolling Stones "Start Me Up." The ever-effervescent Marie remained on the high road though, pleased with their overall 46 and the accomplishments of a nearly 50-year-old woman.

Tonight one couple will be eliminated at the start of the show while the remaining two will perform once more for the judge's scores before a winner is announced. The evening also features a performance from Celine Dion and welcomes back the entire season's stars to the dance floor one last time. -- Tammy Ragusa

Celebrity Rehab

Laura and I told you months ago about a rumor of a new reality show called "Celebrity Rehab." Well it is happening and coming to Vh1 in January.

There are clips on You Tube that feature Jeff Conway from Taxi snorting coke and the lead singer from CrazyTown smoking crack!

Other celebrity rehab playas will include Jessica Sierra, Daniel Baldwin, Mary Carey, Brigitte Nielsen and Chyna.

Are You Serious?

Larry Birkhead is poking fun at the past hoopla over who fathered Dannielynn, Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter.

Birkhead — whose DNA tests results in April proved that he, not Howard K. Stern, was the child’s dad — dressed his 14-month-old in a T-shirt that read “Who’s Your Daddy?” during a shopping spree on Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills Sunday.

Sad News From Las Vegas

from tmz

Las Vegas Metro Police have confirmed to TMZ that 52-year-old Kevin Dubrow, lead singer for 80's metal band Quiet Riot, was found dead in his Las Vegas home.We're told one of Dubrow's neighbors found the singer Sunday around 5:20 PM.

The Clark County Coroner confirms to TMZ that they are currently examining Dubrow's body to try to determine the cause of death.Fellow band member Frankie Banali posted this message on his website: "I can't even find words to say. Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend, Kevin DuBrow."Quiet Riot was the first metal band to top the Billboard charts and are perhaps best known for their cover of "Cum on Feel the Noize"

Biggest Wastes Of Space

They are famous simply for being famous ... Time magazine took a look at who are the biggest wastes of space of 2007, and picked ...

Paris Hilton: "All she seems to do is keep very small dogs, dance her way around the world's nightclubs and get arrested for driving offenses. She spends the rest of her time dating multimillionaire shipping magnates or having public fights with other celeb-nobodies, What a gal!"

Lindsay Lohan: "Sometime actress and full-time Hollywood party girl, Lindsay catapulted to fame ... After three car crashes in a year and admitting to alcohol and drug addiction, Lindsay checked herself into rehab. With a third album on the way and a threat to "tour like Madonna," the Lindsay epidemic won't be going away soon. Sadly."

Britney Spears: "She has managed to dilute her brand and her fan base with one fell swoop into crazy-town. But even with a string of poor performances and personal humiliations, Britney's latest single, "Gimme More," continues to climb the charts and her net worth is still estimated at around $150 million from past albums, tours, an epic advertising deal with Pepsi ,and the sales of four different perfumes branded by Brit. She may be a train wreck, but this pop tart isn't leaving the spotlight any time soon.

Kim Kardashian: She was "close" friends with fellow celebutante Paris Hilton, but that alone wasn't enough to make Kim famous. Thanks to a sex tape that was leaked onto the Internet with a former boyfriend, singer Ray-J, and the reality show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians -- AND Kim posing in the December issue of Playboy, it's obvious Kim is here to stay for the time being.

AND THE WINNER IS...

Heidi Montag: The girl everyone loves to hate on The Hills. Heidi and her stupid fiance, Spencer Pratt, stay in the media spotlight by courting paparazzi to follow them just about everywhere. Heidi and Spencer are desperately trying to launch Heidi as a pop star, but her debut single, "Body Language," tanked in August.

Just Thought You Should Know :-)

Hulk Hogan used to play bass in Florida rock bands.

I Wonder If He Wore A Cape?

"Superman" got married on Saturday. Brandon Routh, the most recent "Man of Steel," married his longtime girlfriend, actress Courtney Ford, in Santa Barbara, California.

The 28-year-old Routh met the 29-year-old Ford four years ago, at the Hollywood bowling alley where she was a bartender.

Entertainer Of The Year

The world's greatest entertainer doesn't sing, dance, tell jokes or star in major motion pictures. But she's a wizard of a writer. Entertainment Weekly has named Harry Potter author J-K Rowling "Entertainer of the Year."

Among the more than two dozen others cited for entertaining our pants off in 2007 -- Matt Damon, Johnny Depp, Carrie Underwood, George Clooney, Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Miley Cyrus and "The Simpsons."

He Has A Point

Not only does he have a new movie out "The Mist" - Stephen King has weighed in on his choice for Time magazine's "Persons of the Year" -- Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

The master of horror tells the news weekly that while waterboarding, the war in Iraq and other issues are given short shrift by news organizations, "You get this coverage of who's gonna get custody of Britney's kids, whether or not Lindsay drank at her 21st birthday party. If you go to those sites that tell you what the most blogged-about things on the Internet are -- it's Britney, it's Lindsay.

So I think it would be terrific [to have them as Time 'Persons of the Year']. There would be such a scream from the American reading public, sure. But at the same time, it's time for somebody to discuss the difference between real news and fake news."

Paris Is No Real Friend

Has Paris Hilton gone over to the other side -- and become a member of the paparazzi? Her pal Nicole Richie had signed an exclusive deal with In Style magazine for photo rights to her baby shower last week, but sneaky pics taken by a guest were being shopped around to tabloids last week and, according to New York's Daily News, "Paris Hilton might have had something to do with it."

A so-called insider tells the paper, "All the photos that were offered had Paris right in the center of them, as the star. They look set up." Hilton's rep denies that Paris, who was the hostess of the shindig, had anything to do with trying to sell the snapshots.

Weekend Box Office

Enchanted charmed the money right out of the pockets of holiday weekend movie goers. The modern-day fantasy flick banked 50-million since it's release Wednesday -- 35-million coming since Black Friday.

This Christmas, a holiday drama focusing on an African-American family and starring R-and-B star Chris Brown, rolled up 18-point-six-million on the weekend -- 27-million since opening Wednesday. This Christmas was also the top per-showing earner, taking in than 10-grand each time the movie rolled.

Beowulf, the retelling of the legendary dragon-slaying myth, dropped from first to third place in its second week, earning 16-million bucks during the weekend. Beowulf, which was made on a 150-million budget, has now earned back 56-million.

The action flick Hitman opened in fourth place, earning 13-million over the weekend and 21-million since opening Wednesday.

Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie landed in fifth place with 12-million dollars, pushing its total take to 112-million dollars during its four-week run.

Elsewhere among top earning flicks, American Gangster slipped from third to eighth while pushing its four-week total to 115-million; just behind American Gangster was the horror flick The Mist, which earned just nine-million; and the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men was rolled onto an additional 700 screens (putting it on more than 850) and finished 10th, topping eight-million dollars at the ticket window. -- Glen Wisemen

Womack Freaked Out More Than Just The Two Girls

ABC's The Bachelor came to a stunning conclusion when entrepreneur Brad Womack ended up dumping both DeAnna Pappas and Jenni Croft. However, it wasn't only the top two bachelorettes and the viewers who were in for the big surprise.“It was a shock to the whole staff,” The Bachelor creator and producer Mike Fleiss told Entertainment Weekly, claiming that he only find out about Womack's decision on the day the finale was filmed.

“When we knew how he wanted to play it, it was like a morgue around here. Usually at the finale there's a happy couple afterwards and they're all drinking champagne. This time when it happened the staff just freaked out. Everyone shlumped back to their cars. It was really dark.”

No Spice Added To Sex And The City

VICTORIA BECKHAM has been forced to turn down her dream acting role in the upcoming SEX AND THE CITY movie, because she is too busy with the SPICE GIRLS reunion. Beckham, who recently made a cameo appearance in Ugly Betty, regrets having to decline an invite from Sex And The City producers.

She says, "I got asked to be in the Sex And The City film, which I would love to have done, but because I am in full-on Spice Girls rehearsals, unfortunately I can't do it. "But it would have been great fun."

Nothing Says I Love You Like...

JOHNNY DEPP has given his long-time partner VANESSA PARADIS a vineyard as congratulations for her months of hard work recording a new album.

The 44-year-old purchased the vineyard near the villa in Plan de la Tour, France, which he shares with the singer and their two children Lily-Rose, eight, and Jack, five.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star also owns a 45-acre island in the Bahamas, where he frequently vacations.

No Naughtiness :-)

"People don't wanna see us running around in the sheets." JULIA ROBERTS was glad there were no sex scenes between her and TOM HANKS in their new movie CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR.

Writer's Strike Hits Hawaii

The impact of the strike of the Writers Guild of America is being felt even in Hawaii, where filming of Lost is expected to shut down by the end of next week, according to the Honolulu Advertiser.

The newspaper said that following the filming of episode eight, the series will run out of scripts at mid-way point in its 2007-2008 shooting schedule.

It also noted that a party on Lanai to launch sales of Lost: The Third Season on DVD and another DVD launch for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, each of them scheduled for next week, have been canceled.

Robin Plays A Mean Harmonica

ROBIN WILLIAMS shows off his musical skills in new movie AUGUST RUSH - it's actually him playing VAN MORRISON's MOONDANCE on the harmonica in the film.

The Day After For The Hulk

from tmz

Wrestling star Hulk Hogan didn't learn of his impending divorce from his soon-to-be ex wife Linda -- but rather from a reporter in Florida. Whoa, brother!As TMZ first reported, Linda filed the papers on Tuesday. But when called for comment by a St. Petersburg Times reporter, Hulk simply said, "Thank you for the great information," and hung up.

The Hulkster called the paper back five minutes later and said, "I'm kind of shocked ... You caught me off-guard. Holy smokes. Wow, you just knocked the bottom out of me."The couple went through problems on their VH1 reality show, but eventually reconciled.