Attention Upper East Siders! Hilary Duff is joining the cast of Gossip Girl!
The actress will join the series for a multi-episode story arc this fall, the CW confirms.
Duff, 21, will play a movie star named Olivia Burke who enrolls at NYU in search of a traditional, out-of-the-spotlight college experience. She will be roommates with Vanessa (played by Jessica Szohr).
Duff will first appear on the hit CW show during next season's fourth episode, scheduled to air Oct. 5.
Jonas Brother Gets Engaged
Kevin Jonas is engaged!
The oldest Jonas Bro, 22, popped the question to girlfriend Danielle Deleasa, 21, on Wednesday, his rep confirms.
He surprised Deleasa, a former hairdresser, with a cushion-cut diamond ring he codesigned with Jacob & Co. by showing up at her New Jersey home.
The couple met in May 2007 while on vacation in the Bahamas with their families.
'Our hearts are filled with joy today and we are happy to share with you that our son Kevin has asked Danielle for her hand in marriage,' parents Denise and Kevin Jonas Sr. said in a statement.
'Her answer was yes, and it is such a blessing that she will be joining our family. Kevin and Danielle have not yet set a date,' they continue. 'Family is very dear to us, and we hope we have raised Kevin to be a wonderful man and husband. Please join us in our family's celebration and in congratulating Kevin and Danielle. Thank you for all of your support.'
Soprano's Star Joins Desperate Housewives
Wisteria Lane is about to get a visit from the mob.
Former Soprano's star Drea de Matteo is joining the cast of Desperate Housewives, ABC has confirmed.
The Emmy-winning actress will be a series regular and will play the matriarch of an Italian family who just moved to the neighborhood.
According to reports, de Matteo is likely coming on board to help the ABC show regain its edge after the departure of Nicolette Sheridan last season.
Casting is reportedly underway for her landscape designer husband and their tightly wound son.
Hundreds Attend Farrah Fawcett's Funeral
Hundreds of mourners paid tribute to Farrah Fawcett as the 'Charlie's Angels' star was laid to rest in a private ceremony in Los Angeles.
The 62-year-old actress and pin-up girl died last Thursday after a three-year battle with anal cancer, news that was quickly overshadowed by the death of King of Pop Michael Jackson later that day.
Fawcett's 24-year-old son Redmond, her child with longtime companion Ryan O'Neal, was granted compassionate leave from a prison cell to attend.
Both Ryan and Redmond O'Neal served as pallbearers for the service, held at Los Angeles Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles on Tuesday.
Fawcett emerged as a pop-culture icon in the 1970s and 1980s after her role in 'Charlie's Angels' and appearance in a famous poster wearing a red swimsuit that would come to be her defining image.
During the 1970s, Fawcett was married to 'Six Million Dollar Man' star Lee Majors, from whom she separated in 1979. In 1982 she began her long romance with actor O'Neal.
After splitting from O'Neal in the 1990s, Fawcett faded from public view, although she appeared in Robert Altman's 2000 comedy 'Dr T and the Women' in a cast that included Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Laura Dern and Kate Hudson.
In recent years Fawcett's health was the subject of intense scrutiny by a voracious tabloid media.
News of her cancer fight broke in October 2006, sparking an outpouring of support from fans and well-wishers.
In 2007 she declared that months of grueling chemotherapy had seen her beat the cancer despite 'excruciating pain and uncertainty.'
'It never occurred to me to stop fighting...not ever,' she said.
However, in April this year it emerged that the cancer had returned and the actress was gravely ill.
Melissa Rycroft Is Engaged
Four months after she was dumped on national television, former Bachelor contestant Melissa Rycroft is engaged!
Rycroft's boyfriend, Tye Strickland proposed to the former Dancing With the Stars finalist in Dallas on Friday night.
The newly engaged couple celebrated with 20 friends at Cretia's restaurant that night, according to reports.
'When they walked in, everybody stood up and clapped,' the staffer says, adding that Rycroft looked 'beaming happy.'
According to the staffer, the 26-year-old Texas native and Strickland toasted with champagne and stayed until the restaurant closed at 2 a.m.
Rycroft and her insurance agent beau began quietly dating shortly after she was proposed to and then unceremoniously dumped six weeks later by Jason Mesnick in March.
'We've been really good friends, but the timing was never right,' she said at the time. 'With all this going on, he's my support system. It's funny how things happen.'
The engagement comes a week after Rycroft started her new job on ABC's Good Morning America. She will appear on the morning show eight to 10 times this summer.
This past spring, when the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader competed on DWTS (she came in third place behind champ Shawn Johnson and runner-up Gilles Marini), Strickland was a fixture in the live audience.
Stars Return To Law & Order SVU
Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni aren't giving up their crime-fighting badges just yet.
After lengthy negotiations, the two stars are returning to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit this fall, an NBC spokesperson has said.
When the two stars; who had been earning approximately $375,000 per episode; sought salary increases earlier this year, NBC had said the show would return with or without its stars. Although NBC won't comment on any other terms of the deal, Hargitay and Meloni will continue on the crime drama's upcoming 11th season.
Additionally, Emmy winner Christine Lahti has signed on to guest star for the first four episodes of the season
as the ADA. Stephanie March will then return to reprise her role as district attorney Alexandra Cabot for ten episodes.
BET Award Show Was Michael Jackson Tribute
Some of the biggest stars on the planet turned back into gushing Michael Jackson fans at the BET Awards, donning single gloves, swapping stories about their idol and singing The King of Pop's standards. One person who perhaps knew him best, though, brought the night into perspective: his sister.
'To you, Michael is an icon,' a somber Janet Jackson told the crowd at the end of Sunday's show. 'To us, Michael is family and he will forever live in all of our hearts.'
It was a stirring emotional climax for a telecast that was completely revamped to recognize the legacy of Jackson, who died Thursday at age 50. For the most part, it was a joyous wake.
Host Jamie Foxx kicked off the show with a re-enactment of the choreography from Jackson's iconic 'Beat It' video in front of the star-studded crowd, on its feet from the start of the show.
Throughout the night, Foxx also regularly turned up in some of Jackson's signature looks, like the wide-collar black leather outfit from 'Billie Jean.' Sean Paul, Estelle and Alicia Keys were among the celebrities who at one point donned single gloves as part of their ensembles.
Jackson's death prompted BET producers to scramble to meet the moment. While Beyonce, Lil Wayne and Ne-Yo each took home awards, giving out trophies was an afterthought: Honoring Jackson became the show's main focus.
TV Pitchman Billy Mays Found Dead
Television viewers knew him as the OxiClean guy: the bearded, boisterous pitchman on commercials airing hundreds of times a week nationwide. 'Hi. Billy Mays here,' he would begin, before showing off his latest cleaning product or gadget.
Family, friends and colleagues mourned Mays, 50, who was found unresponsive in his Tampa home Sunday, and awaited an autopsy to determine the cause of his sudden death. The coroner's office expected to have the autopsy done by Monday afternoon.
Police said Mays told his wife he didn't feel well when he went to bed Saturday night. Earlier in the day, he said he was hit on the head when the US Airways flight he was on had a rough landing at Tampa Bay's airport.
But the airline said no passengers reported any serious injuries, and Mays himself cheerfully recounted the landing for a local TV station. His wife, Deborah, found him unresponsive Sunday morning.
Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said linking Mays' death to the landing would 'purely be speculation.' She said Mays' family members didn't report any health issues with the pitchman, but said he was due to have hip replacement surgery in coming weeks.
'Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days,' Deborah Mays said in a statement. 'Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times.'
King of Pop Dies
Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the 'King of Pop' and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, has died. He was 50.
Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, confirmed his office had been notified of the death and would handle the investigation.
The circumstances of Jackson’s death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m., Capt. Steve Ruda told reporters. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to the hospital, Ruda said.
Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
His 1982 album 'Thriller' — which included the blockbuster hits 'Beat It,' 'Billie Jean' and 'Thriller' — is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.
The public first knew him in the late 1960s, when as a boy he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the music group he formed with his four older brothers. Among their No. 1 hits were 'I Want You Back,' 'ABC' and 'I’ll Be There.'
Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music’s biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie, and Jackson’s death immediately evoked that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977.
Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13. He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.
Attention Upper East Siders! Hilary Duff is joining the cast of Gossip Girl!
The actress will join the series for a multi-episode story arc this fall, the CW confirms.
Duff, 21, will play a movie star named Olivia Burke who enrolls at NYU in search of a traditional, out-of-the-spotlight college experience. She will be roommates with Vanessa (played by Jessica Szohr).
Duff will first appear on the hit CW show during next season's fourth episode, scheduled to air Oct. 5.
Kevin Jonas is engaged!
The oldest Jonas Bro, 22, popped the question to girlfriend Danielle Deleasa, 21, on Wednesday, his rep confirms.
He surprised Deleasa, a former hairdresser, with a cushion-cut diamond ring he codesigned with Jacob & Co. by showing up at her New Jersey home.
The couple met in May 2007 while on vacation in the Bahamas with their families.
'Our hearts are filled with joy today and we are happy to share with you that our son Kevin has asked Danielle for her hand in marriage,' parents Denise and Kevin Jonas Sr. said in a statement.
'Her answer was yes, and it is such a blessing that she will be joining our family. Kevin and Danielle have not yet set a date,' they continue. 'Family is very dear to us, and we hope we have raised Kevin to be a wonderful man and husband. Please join us in our family's celebration and in congratulating Kevin and Danielle. Thank you for all of your support.'
Wisteria Lane is about to get a visit from the mob.
Former Soprano's star Drea de Matteo is joining the cast of Desperate Housewives, ABC has confirmed.
The Emmy-winning actress will be a series regular and will play the matriarch of an Italian family who just moved to the neighborhood.
According to reports, de Matteo is likely coming on board to help the ABC show regain its edge after the departure of Nicolette Sheridan last season.
Casting is reportedly underway for her landscape designer husband and their tightly wound son.
Hundreds of mourners paid tribute to Farrah Fawcett as the 'Charlie's Angels' star was laid to rest in a private ceremony in Los Angeles.
The 62-year-old actress and pin-up girl died last Thursday after a three-year battle with anal cancer, news that was quickly overshadowed by the death of King of Pop Michael Jackson later that day.
Fawcett's 24-year-old son Redmond, her child with longtime companion Ryan O'Neal, was granted compassionate leave from a prison cell to attend.
Both Ryan and Redmond O'Neal served as pallbearers for the service, held at Los Angeles Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles on Tuesday.
Fawcett emerged as a pop-culture icon in the 1970s and 1980s after her role in 'Charlie's Angels' and appearance in a famous poster wearing a red swimsuit that would come to be her defining image.
During the 1970s, Fawcett was married to 'Six Million Dollar Man' star Lee Majors, from whom she separated in 1979. In 1982 she began her long romance with actor O'Neal.
After splitting from O'Neal in the 1990s, Fawcett faded from public view, although she appeared in Robert Altman's 2000 comedy 'Dr T and the Women' in a cast that included Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Laura Dern and Kate Hudson.
In recent years Fawcett's health was the subject of intense scrutiny by a voracious tabloid media.
News of her cancer fight broke in October 2006, sparking an outpouring of support from fans and well-wishers.
In 2007 she declared that months of grueling chemotherapy had seen her beat the cancer despite 'excruciating pain and uncertainty.'
'It never occurred to me to stop fighting...not ever,' she said.
However, in April this year it emerged that the cancer had returned and the actress was gravely ill.
Four months after she was dumped on national television, former Bachelor contestant Melissa Rycroft is engaged!
Rycroft's boyfriend, Tye Strickland proposed to the former Dancing With the Stars finalist in Dallas on Friday night.
The newly engaged couple celebrated with 20 friends at Cretia's restaurant that night, according to reports.
'When they walked in, everybody stood up and clapped,' the staffer says, adding that Rycroft looked 'beaming happy.'
According to the staffer, the 26-year-old Texas native and Strickland toasted with champagne and stayed until the restaurant closed at 2 a.m.
Rycroft and her insurance agent beau began quietly dating shortly after she was proposed to and then unceremoniously dumped six weeks later by Jason Mesnick in March.
'We've been really good friends, but the timing was never right,' she said at the time. 'With all this going on, he's my support system. It's funny how things happen.'
The engagement comes a week after Rycroft started her new job on ABC's Good Morning America. She will appear on the morning show eight to 10 times this summer.
This past spring, when the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader competed on DWTS (she came in third place behind champ Shawn Johnson and runner-up Gilles Marini), Strickland was a fixture in the live audience.
Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni aren't giving up their crime-fighting badges just yet.
After lengthy negotiations, the two stars are returning to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit this fall, an NBC spokesperson has said.
When the two stars; who had been earning approximately $375,000 per episode; sought salary increases earlier this year, NBC had said the show would return with or without its stars. Although NBC won't comment on any other terms of the deal, Hargitay and Meloni will continue on the crime drama's upcoming 11th season.
Additionally, Emmy winner Christine Lahti has signed on to guest star for the first four episodes of the season
as the ADA. Stephanie March will then return to reprise her role as district attorney Alexandra Cabot for ten episodes.
Some of the biggest stars on the planet turned back into gushing Michael Jackson fans at the BET Awards, donning single gloves, swapping stories about their idol and singing The King of Pop's standards. One person who perhaps knew him best, though, brought the night into perspective: his sister.
'To you, Michael is an icon,' a somber Janet Jackson told the crowd at the end of Sunday's show. 'To us, Michael is family and he will forever live in all of our hearts.'
It was a stirring emotional climax for a telecast that was completely revamped to recognize the legacy of Jackson, who died Thursday at age 50. For the most part, it was a joyous wake.
Host Jamie Foxx kicked off the show with a re-enactment of the choreography from Jackson's iconic 'Beat It' video in front of the star-studded crowd, on its feet from the start of the show.
Throughout the night, Foxx also regularly turned up in some of Jackson's signature looks, like the wide-collar black leather outfit from 'Billie Jean.' Sean Paul, Estelle and Alicia Keys were among the celebrities who at one point donned single gloves as part of their ensembles.
Jackson's death prompted BET producers to scramble to meet the moment. While Beyonce, Lil Wayne and Ne-Yo each took home awards, giving out trophies was an afterthought: Honoring Jackson became the show's main focus.
Television viewers knew him as the OxiClean guy: the bearded, boisterous pitchman on commercials airing hundreds of times a week nationwide. 'Hi. Billy Mays here,' he would begin, before showing off his latest cleaning product or gadget.
Family, friends and colleagues mourned Mays, 50, who was found unresponsive in his Tampa home Sunday, and awaited an autopsy to determine the cause of his sudden death. The coroner's office expected to have the autopsy done by Monday afternoon.
Police said Mays told his wife he didn't feel well when he went to bed Saturday night. Earlier in the day, he said he was hit on the head when the US Airways flight he was on had a rough landing at Tampa Bay's airport.
But the airline said no passengers reported any serious injuries, and Mays himself cheerfully recounted the landing for a local TV station. His wife, Deborah, found him unresponsive Sunday morning.
Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said linking Mays' death to the landing would 'purely be speculation.' She said Mays' family members didn't report any health issues with the pitchman, but said he was due to have hip replacement surgery in coming weeks.
'Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days,' Deborah Mays said in a statement. 'Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times.'
Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the 'King of Pop' and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, has died. He was 50.
Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, confirmed his office had been notified of the death and would handle the investigation.
The circumstances of Jackson’s death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m., Capt. Steve Ruda told reporters. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to the hospital, Ruda said.
Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
His 1982 album 'Thriller' — which included the blockbuster hits 'Beat It,' 'Billie Jean' and 'Thriller' — is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.
The public first knew him in the late 1960s, when as a boy he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the music group he formed with his four older brothers. Among their No. 1 hits were 'I Want You Back,' 'ABC' and 'I’ll Be There.'
Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music’s biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie, and Jackson’s death immediately evoked that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977.
Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13. He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.