OPRAH OFFERS DEBT-RIDDEN SARAH FERGUSON HER OWN TV SHOW, by Catherine Lawson

CHICAGO – Debt-ridden Sarah Ferguson may have found a way out of her current financial predicament, and her savior is reported to be none other than the Queen of U.S. TV, Oprah Winfrey. According to ‘The Daily Mail’, Oprah called Fergie to offer her a prime time chat show on the new cable network OWN, which is debuting in January. Oprah and Ferguson have known each other for some time and Ferguson appeared on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ back in May to explain herself after her recent “cash-for-access” scandal.

A source close to Ferguson said: “Oprah has always been impressed by Sarah’s ability to pick herself up and reinvent herself. … She feels Sarah will be someone viewers of her new channel will be able to relate to on many levels — she’s a divorcée, a working mother, someone who has made some very public mistakes and a woman who, like Oprah, constantly battles with her weight.”

Ferguson was caught by a British tabloid offering to sell access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and she was videotaped accepting a $40,000 “down-payment” from a reporter posing as a businessman. (Prince Andrew knew nothing of his ex-wife’s plan.) In a statement released after the video was made public Ferguson said: “It’s true that my financial situation is under stress. However, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment.” She told Oprah that she’d been drunk, and “I was not in the right place. I haven’t faced the devil in the face because I was in the gutter at that moment.”

OWN is a joint venture between Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Networks. Due to launch January 1, 2011, it will replace the current Discovery Health Channel and will concentrate on issues related to health, relationships and personal development and fulfillment. In addition to new makeover shows from Carson Kressley and Cat Cora, OWN has commissioned the pilot of a mediation show, ‘Confrontation: The Conversation’, from executive producer Tom Forman (’Breakthrough With Tony Robbins’).

This article was written by Catherine Lawson of TVSquad.com.

PINK RUSHED TO HOSPITAL AFTER GETTING HURT DURING SHOW, Wired from MSN.com

NUREMBERG, Germany – Singer Pink has been rushed to the hospital after being injured during a show. While performing in Nuremberg, Germany on Thursday, the singer fell out of a harness and into a barricade, Gossip Cop reports. She was quickly escorted off stage and into an ambulance. Shortly after, Pink apologized to fans at the concert, saying, “I am so so so sorry to end the show that way. I am embarassed and very sorry.”

However, she did find one thing “cool” about the experience, also tweeting, “Getting xrays. I hope it at least looked cool!!!” After leaving the hospital, Pink followed up on Twitter again, saying, “Ok all my lovers out there- nothings broken, no fluid in the lungs, just seriously sore.”

For more on this story, please click the play arrow.

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COUNTRY SINGER CARRIE UNDERWOOD HAS FAIRY TALE WEDDING, Wired from PopEater.com

GREENSBORO, Ga – Country crooner Carrie Underwood is officially off the market, following her weekend wedding to Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher. PEOPLE  reports that the ‘American Idol’ winner wed Fisher at the Ritz Carlton in Greensboro, Georgia, on July 10. Fisher and Underwood, who began dating in 2008, tied the knot in front of 250 family members and guests, including Garth Brooks, Faith Hill and ‘Idol’ judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.

The bride, who wore a “huge” Chantilly lace and silk organza gown by designer Monique Lhuillier, changed quickly into a cocktail dress following the ceremony, explaining, “I wanted to get my boogie on.” Underwood was accompanied down the aisle by her rat terrier, Ace, who sported a Swarovski-studded pink tuxedo. “Mike was like, ‘He’s in pink! What are you doing?’” Carrie says, “But he looked so handsome.” According to EOnline.com, the tiara Carrie wore — a gift from the groom — was more than 40 carats of diamonds.

Guests found their table assignments on hockey pucks, and were treated to a four-course dinner, including sushi, risotto lollipops and a wedding cake made entirely of cupcakes. The ballroom was also bathed in pink. “There was pink lighting and pink things hanging from the ceiling, flower balls and ribbon and sparkles,” Carrie describes. In a statement issued by the couple regarding their nuptials, they exclaimed, “We could not feel more blessed to have found each other and to have shared this day with our friends and family that mean so much to us!”

The 27-year-old singer and 30-year-old hockey player got engaged last December.

RANTING, SEXIST ACTOR MEL GIBSON IS NOT “WHAT WOMEN WANT.” By Jill Searjeant MSN

LOS ANGELES — In 1985, Mel Gibson was declared People magazine’s first ever “Sexiest Man Alive”. Ten years ago, women flocked to see him in “What Women Want” playing a chauvinistic executive who finds he can read the female mind. But in the last week, tape recordings apparently with the Oscar-winning actor ranting and cursing his ex-girlfriend in angry tirades that included racial and sexist slurs have shocked and alienated his female fans, media watchers say.

Yet unlike public condemnation from movie industry big-wigs over Gibson’s drunken anti-Semitic outburst in 2006, there has been little official comment about his misogynist tirade — a reflection, some say, of lack of female clout in Hollywood. “It is shocking to hear from this man, who has such charm and seeming intelligence in his film roles, but has emerged as a dastardly anti-hero,” said HollywoodLife.com editor Bonnie Fuller. “Guess what? Mel doesn’t know ‘what women want’.”

Celebrity website RadarOnline.com on Tuesday made public a third expletive-laced phone call said to be between Gibson, 54, and Oksana Grigorieva, 40, the mother of his eight month-old daughter. The pair are locked in a bitter court battle. Gibson’s representatives have declined to comment on the tapes, nor have they denied the widespread reports that it is the “Braveheart” actor talking. Los Angeles sheriffs have launched a domestic violence probe into allegations that Gibson punched Grigorieva in the face in January, breaking her tooth.

In the tapes, the enraged voice said to be Gibson calls Grigorieva a “whore,” a “mentally deprived idiot” and a “pig in heat,” among many of comments that are laced with expletives. He also takes racist jabs at Latinos and African-Americans. Yet the media coverage and any public outrage have focused more on the damage to Gibson’s career, and his racist slurs, than his sexist invective. While some industry watchers have said his career will survive given his financial ability to fund his own projects — as he did with his “The Passion of the Christ” — there seems little doubt that many of the women who once admired Gibson will now leave him behind.

“I’ve had a lot of people who are professionals in the industry say to me that when you alienate women, they never come back,” said Kim Masters, editor-at-large of trade publication The Hollywood Reporter. Joy Behar, one of the hosts of female TV chat show “The View” said on Tuesday that Gibson was not welcome there because he was an anti-Semite and a racist. Fellow “View” host, actress Whoopi Goldberg, defended Gibson against charges of racism.

“Mel Gibson has become a persona non grata throughout Hollywood. But not because of how he treats women,” said Melissa Silverstein, who runs the Women & Hollywood blog. “People should be talking about the anti-women stuff as much as they talk about the racist stuff,” she said. Silverstein noted that while Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal and talent agent Ari Emanuel denounced Gibson for his anti-Semitic rant in 2006, there have been no public statements this time around from major Hollywood players.

“It is indicative of where women are in Hollywood,” Silverstein said. “It’s about power, and the boys have it.”

Copyright 2010 Reuters.

OPRAH WINFREY’S LIFE IS ABOUT TO BE ADAPTED INTO A MOVIE, by The Post Chronicle

CHICAGO – A tell-all book about TV queen Oprah Winfrey’s life is to be adapted into a movie. Filmmaker Larry A. Thompson has acquired the rights to Kitty Kelley’s controversial book Oprah: A Biography and is turning it into a film – and the director admits he faces a challenge in finding the right actress to play Winfrey. Thompson said in a statement: “Oprah Winfrey’s fascinating journey from rural Mississippi to the world stage is packed with simple truths and complicated personalities. Kitty Kelley’s extensively-researched book offers us the factual foundation to frame our cinematic portrait of this powerful and beloved icon.

“Casting someone to play Oprah will be the real challenge. We are planning to audition both known and unknown actresses.” News of the project, to be released next year (11), won’t be welcomed by the talk show titan – she slammed the unauthorised tome earlier this year (09), branding it a “so-called biography”. The book alleges Winfrey used drugs and embellished stories about her poverty-stricken background. In the meantime, Winfrey is searching for her OWN replacement! The media mogul will step down from her hugely popular self-titled talk show next year, when The Oprah Winfrey Show comes to an end after 25 seasons.

Now the TV titan has announced plans to launch an American Idol-style competition to find a new name to host a show on her cable network. She is launching the talent contest for wannabe TV hosts in a bid to find America’s next small screen star. She has teamed up with reality TV mogul Mark Burnett to launch Your Own Show: Oprah’s Search For The Next TV Star. Burnett tells the Press Association, “The landscape and acceptance of ordinary people on television is widely accepted… Much in the way American Idol finds unknown people (to be music stars) there’s no reason we can’t find someone who deserves their own show.”

The program will air in America in January when OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) launches.

TNT’S POPULAR TV SHOW ‘THE CLOSER’ BEGINS ITS 6TH SEASON, by Kim Potts (tvsquad.com)

LOS ANGELES – There’s change — actually, quite a few major changes — afoot for Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) as ‘The Closer’  kicks off its sixth season on July 12 (9PM ET, TNT): a new, state-of-the-art police headquarters and a new LAPD chief. And we know how Brenda deals with change … let’s just say that as she grows more and more frustrated with trying to navigate her way through the complicated new building, with its many high-tech, though unfamiliar and sometimes unreliable, gadgetry, the one bit of comfort she can find comes from the moving box full of assorted candies she’s brought to the new office.

In fact, the sugar junkie has managed to bring only one box from her old workplace; she has to park far from the new digs and can’t lug all her things from her car, or so she tells hubby Fritz (Jon Tenney) when he complains about tripping over her work boxes at home. But she also doesn’t want to embrace this new and different office, either, which is the real reason the Reese’s cups, Kit Kats and Rolos are the only things that initially make it into her desk drawer. Not that everyone else is embracing the change, either. Lt. Provenza (G.W. Bailey) bought his old desk from a police auction and has had it installed at the new building. “This desk is the longest relationship of my adult life, and I’m not giving it up,” the, ahem, mature ladies man tells boss Will Pope (J.K. Simmons).

And speaking of Pope, the LAPD assistant chief is at the center of the other change that’s going to mess with Brenda’s world this season: Current police chief Edward Thompson (played by ‘The Closer’ consulting producer Gil Garcetti) announces his retirement, and Pope can barely contain himself as he assumes he’s next in line. But the vetting process for filling Thompson’s position will not only turn up another, a surprising, candidate, but it also leads to the return of Mary McDonnell’s Capt. Sharon Raydor, the internal affairs cop (and Brenda nemesis) who pops up in episode two to investigate Will as a candidate and bring up his past with Brenda.

And, as if that weren’t enough drama for the first two season 6 episodes of the number one ad-supported cable TV series of all time (which averaged 7.7 million viewers an episode last season), Brenda and her Major Crimes Division crew have their hands busy with the murder of a contractor who had a habit of getting frisky with his clients’ wives. Well, with other mens’ wives in general … Also on tap for Golden Globe winner (and Emmy nominee) Sedgwick and company in ‘The Closer’s’ sixth season:

- Lt. Provenza’s tomcatting ways once again spill over into the job, when he and pal Lt. Flynn (Tony Denison) go on a double date with a pair of young flight attendants. Cut to the end of the one-nighter, when a dead body turns up in the flight attendant’s bathtub.

- Pope’s ambitions to become the new chief not only bring up his past with Brenda, but spark conflict with the Major Crimes squad when he takes over a high-profile case.

- Det. Sanchez (Raymond Cruz), the lonely gang expert cop who still deals with the death of his wife and the murder of his brother, is going to get fatherly with a young abused boy who factors into one of the squad’s cases. The compelling storyline will create a riff between Sanchez and one of his fellow cops, who doesn’t approve of Sanchez getting personally involved with a witness.

- Her former lover, Pope, isn’t the only man in Brenda’s life who’s up for a promotion. FBI agent husband Fritz is also in line for a career boost, and it’s one that would mean he’d have a lot more time to spend with his new wife … will the workaholic consider that a good thing or something that sends her straight to the candy jar?

- A promotion for Pope would also likely mean a promotion for Brenda, which forces her to evaluate her own career ambitions.

- Among the other cases Brenda and her colleagues tackle: A serial rapist who uses a stun gun on his victims; the disappearance of a nanny who works for the BFF of Los Angeles’ mayor; a series of murders that indicate a new drug cartel has invaded the city; and the murder of a parole board member who’s on a phone call with Sgt. Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) at the time of the murder.

IS IT TRUE? IS LADY GAGA MORE POPULAR THAN OBAMA? Wired from CNN.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Performer Lady Gaga has passed President Obama to become the first person with 10 million Facebook friends. For more on this story, please click the play arrow.

ACTRESS LINDSAY LOHAN WAS SENTENCED TO SERVE 90 DAYS IN JAIL, Wired from PopEater.com

BEVERLY HILLS – Lindsay Lohan was just sentenced to 90 days in jail followed by a 90-day in-patient rehab program for violating probation on a previous DUI case, TMZ  is reporting. Lohan broke down in tears as Judge Marsha Revel revealed her decision. Lohan must surrender to the court on July 20 at 8:30am to begin serving her time. Dina Lohan tells PopEater exclusively, “This is so not fair to do this to my child.” Lohan was given an opportunity to address the court before sentencing was set. She spoke for several minutes, tearfully apologizing and claiming she thought she was fulfilling her probation.

“I wasn’t expecting any special treatment aside from the understanding that I have to provide for myself, I have to work. My schedule is, unfortunately, very different,” Lohan told the court. “Having said that, I did do everything I was told to do and did the best I could to balance jobs and showing up.” — “I’m not taking this as a joke. It’s my life, it’s my career,” she continued. “I’ve learned from my experiences, I take responsibility for my actions, I’ve tried to do the best I can.”

Ultimately, the judge didn’t buy Lohan’s defense, pointing out a pattern of violations dating back to 2007 when she was first placed on probation in 2007. “Because the program let her have some leeway, she thought it was OK. The court just doesn’t buy it,” the judge said. Sheriff’s spokesperson Steve Whitmore said many female inmates in Lohan’s situation only serve about 25% of their sentence–which means about 23 days for Lohan. Judge Revel heard testimony today from employees of Right On, the alcohol education program monitoring Lohan, who admitted the actress hadn’t complied with the judge’s orders to attend classes each week.

Lohan missed a total of 7 meetings over the last 27 weeks. Though the judge asked Lohan to surrender immediately to begin her sentence, Lohan’s lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, requested a two-week delay so the actress could have time to prepare. The judge gave permission but required Lohan to keep her SCRAM device in place for the duration of the two week period. Lohan was calm and collected in the Beverly Hills courtroom earlier this morning; she arrived early to the hearing with her lawyers and appeared in good spirits.

The actress may not have been fully aware of how badly her day could end. She took to Twitter in the early morning to voice her excitement about a sale on Louis Vuitton bags. During the court proceedings, the judge ruled that she would not allow the prosecutor to present evidence that Lohan was drinking after the MTV Movie Awards on June 7. The 24-year-old actress got on Judge Revel’s bad side in May after failing to appear at a mandatory progress hearing over the terms of her probation, claiming she’d had her passport stolen while attending the Cannes Film Festival in France.

A livid Revel issued a warrant, but Lohan avoided arrest by posting $100,000 bail while still overseas. Upon her return to the States, Lohan appeared in court, where Revel scolded the actress by ordering her to lay off the Red Bull and vodkas, submit to random drug testing and wear an alcohol-monitoring device, called a SCRAM, around her ankle.

MUSIC STAR PRINCE SAYS “THE INTERNET’S COMPLETELY OVER.” Wired from MSN.com

(MSN.com) – Music superstar Prince is adamant he will never sell his songs on the Internet, insisting Web-based outlets will soon disappear because they are no longer “hip.” The “Purple Rain” hitmaker has long battled to keep his music offline  — in 2007 he sued YouTube.com and eBay.com claiming they “are clearly able (to) filter porn and pedophile material but appear to choose not to filter out the unauthorized music and film content, which is core to their business success.”

Prince has also moved to ban fansites using images and anything linked to his likeness, while a home video of a child dancing to one of his songs on YouTube was pulled down in 2007 after the star’s Universal Music Publishing claimed the recording infringed copyright. The artist is still refusing to allow Web sites to sell his music and he’s adamant fans will soon move on from the Internet. He says, “The Internet’s completely over. I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won’t pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can’t get it.

“The Internet’s like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you.

To see Prince live in action, please click the play arrow.

EDITOR’S COMMENTARY

MICHAEL JACKSON’S LIFE SHOULD HAVE VALUABLE MEANING TO ALL OF US by Wayne Hodges

LOS ANGELES – Wow! It’s still difficult to fathom the shocking death of one of our nation’s all-time greats in the music industry, pop star Michael Jackson. The moon-walking legend, who reportedly died of complications associated with cardiac arrest, passed away at the early age of 50 years old; despite emergency efforts (CPR) to help bring him back to life. We all know about Jackson’s lofty accomplishments. His lifetime estimate of record sales is believed to be around $750 million. Jackson has collected an immortal 13 Grammy Awards; which automatically elevates him among the entertainment elite.

And, of course, there’s the music. Jackson spent so much time atop the music charts in the 1980’s; the Billboard started charging him rent. Legendary hits “Billie Jean, Beat It and Bad” were instant radio classics and all remain popular today. Jackson’s “Thriller” album, released November 30, 1982, remains the best-selling album of all-time. The record sold a mind-boggling 21 million copies in the U.S. in addition to another 27 million worldwide. The classic album also featured an unheard of seven top-10 singles. Unbelievable. But, hey, what can I say? The boy was bad. And I’m not just talking about his music. Everything from Jackson’s shiny penny-loafers to his apple red, zipper-filled “Beat It” jacket became ‘must have’ items for just about every fan around the globe.

Michael Jackson was both creative and unique

Speaking of fans, I, like many of you, have always been, and will continue to be, a big MJ supporter. As a pup, I emulated all of Jackson’s silky smooth dance moves. I even stayed up late on school nights to catch his video performances on BET. Here’s something you may find funny. After multiple attempts, I somehow convinced my mother to allow me get a wet, greasy, jerry curl. Why? I wanted to be like Mike. Really. The “King of Pop” had that type of influence; even though I was only 10 or 11 years old at the time.

As impressive as it all was, Jackson’s hair style, flashy clothes and fat bank account are not what’s important here. What’s significant is the impact Jackson had on my life, and yours, during the course of his long, illustrious music career. For instance, as the seventh child of the Jackson family, Michael overcame tremendous odds, severe poverty and a militant father, to obtain unprecedented fame and success at the tender age of 11-years-old.

In addition to his early childhood accomplishments, Jackson became the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. By implementing a rare combination of unique choreography and theatrics into his productions, Jackson has been largely credited with transforming music videos from a promotional tool into an art form. The “Thriller” video is a perfect example. Jackson also donated and raised millions of dollars for a variety of beneficial causes and charitable events. Does the project “We are the world” ring a bell?

Michael Jackson’s “Moon Walker” was a worldwide phenom

While watching the news on June 25 (2009), as television anchors reported MJ’s death, I began wondering if we’d ever see another phenom like Jackson. In a day and age when artists are quick to sample other people’s music, rather than create their own material from scratch through soulful art and improvisation, I doubt we ever will. This alone explains Jackson’s brilliance. His videos were creative. His choreography was crisp. His dance moves, which included the robot and moonwalk, were simply unreal. And Jackson had his own, distinct, vocal sound which is ultimately the stamp of any great artist.

The aforementioned talent and achievements, in my opinion, should reflect Jackson’s true legacy. Sure, the critics are getting their rocks off by raising questions about Jackson’s character in relation to alleged accusations of child molestation. We have heard the rumors claiming the “King of Pop” was addicted to pain relievers and other prescription drugs. We were repeatedly told of Jackson’s dwindling finances. We’ve heard over and over again how Jackson stretched himself thin by scheduling a would-be body numbing 50 concerts in London; in spite of being reportedly physically ill in recent years. Blah, blah, blah. But, these items shouldn’t take away from the love and respect Jackson has earned through decades of repetitive hard work and creativity.

Jackson’s death, though tragic, should serve as a helpful reminder of the fruitful benefits of perseverance. And, his life should have some kind of valuable meaning to all of us. “I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news,” said longtime friend and “Thriller” producer, Quincy Jones. “For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words. … I’ve lost my little brother, and part of my soul has gone with him.” Mr. Jones, I have similar feelings. And so does the rest of the world. However, let’s take satisfaction in the fact Michael Joseph Jackson (1958-2009) will always be remembered as a true world legend.

*** To view this article on the Examiner, please click here ***

Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.” He is also a candidate for Johnson County PCT Committeeman, an adjunct professor, and  legislative intern with the Kansas Senate. Wayne welcomes your comments at whodges@massappealnews.com

To see Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” video, click the play arrow.