Man, hopefully this book will be a bestseller so poor Todd Bridges can get his life back together:

Diff’rent Strokes star Todd Bridges has opened up about his drug addiction, childhood abuse and off-screen romance with late co-star Dana Plato in a candid new book.

The former child actor, who played beloved U.S. TV character Willis on the hit 1970s and ’80s show, has put pen to paper for Killing Willis: From Diff’rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted. In the autobiography, Bridges, who claims he was physically abused at the hands of his father, pinpoints the moment that sent him into a downward spiral.

The actor alleges his former male publicist performed oral sex on him when he was 12 years old, and details his horror when his father accused him of lying about the incident.

He writes, “Bringing all that up was tough in a way, but I resolved the issues. It’s kind of sad to know that a grown man would take advantage of a child. But what made it more tough was that your father took the guy’s side. That kind of broke me at 12 years old. I was really lost after that.”

Bridges also claims Plato – who died from a prescription drug overdose in 1999 – introduced him to drugs, which led to his long battle with cocaine and crystal meth addiction. But the actor – who has been sober for 17 years – insists he has taken responsibility for his actions. He writes in the prologue, “Seriously, I would not change a single thing about my life.”

Explaining why he’s writing the book, he adds, “I really wanted to tell what really happened… They always want to make me blame Hollywood. That’s just not the truth. You know how they say Hollywood throws childhood stars away? That wasn’t true in my case.”

Hmmmm. This sure does sound like a case of Hollyweird to us. Male publicist giving him brains at the age of 12??? Where the hell does that happen outside of Hollyweird?

SMH.

Some throwback pics of little Todd for old times sake:

Source

Rumors are swirling that Paula Abdul is in talks with ABC to host and/or judge an updated version of Star Search, the original singing competition.

The show, which is aiming to debut in summer, would definitely stop her from participating in Simon's US version of The X Factor. It already came back in 2003 for one season with Arsenio Hall, so who knows how long it will last?

Can't wait for Paula to come back in all her insanity glory!!!

[Image via WENN.]

The former Idol star would reportedly host and judge a remake of the classic talent competitionimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/people/headlines/~4/hvx9fWj3DEg" height="1" width="1"/

Alicia Keys hosted the Gotham magazine Gala last night and brought Swizz Beatz as her date. Since Swizzy finally broke his silence about his relationship with A. Keys and confirmed that his divorce is almost final, maybe Alicia will put that bubble machine engagement ring back on.

Pop the Top for More Pics of These Two Birds…

Miley Cyrus’s promotional express keeps on rolling. I know some of you may be tired of this little girl and her inanities, but quite honestly, this might be my favorite Miley promotional tour ever. She’s growing up before our eyes, y’all. And not everything she’s saying is dumb. Of course, she’s conceited and full of sh-t and entitled. But I also think she’s trying to figure some sh-t out, beyond her narrow Disney world.

First interview up - Miley talking about her boyfriend Liam Hemsworth yet again. Only this time, Miley’s added some old-school creepy to the mix by admitting that her mom Tish (she of The Real Housewives of the Trailer Park) found Liam attractive too. Ugh:

No awkwardness here!

When Miley Cyrus first met beau Liam Hemsworth on the set of their film The Last Song, she wasn’t the only family member smitten with her new Australian costar.
“I don’t know who had a bigger crush on him at the beginning, my mom or me,” Cyrus, 17, tells Entertainment Tonight of Hemsworth, 19; her mother Tish Cyrus was an executive producer on the film.

“I was like, ‘No, maybe he’s just too pretty. I don’t want to be with someone who’s better looking than me. That’s, like, awkward,’” the star recounts.

In fact, it was Tish Cyrus who convinced her daughter to go for it.

“My mom was like, ‘No, he is cute–he is!’” Miley says.

It was also a family affair when it came time for Miley and Hemsworth to smooch on screen. “Her mom was watching,” Hemsworth tells ET of the kissing scenes. “Her grandma was also watching, which was really funny. [The grandma] was on set everyday and she’d be right at the monitor with the headphones on… She should have been directing the film. She knew more about it than anyone.”

“Intimacy’s always tough,” Hemsworth says. “I feel like it’s the hardest thing for me as an actor.”

Of admitting their real-life romantic involvement, Cyrus adds, “I was so over denying it. It’s stupid to lie about it. It’s good news!”

[From Us Weekly]

The fact that Tish approves of Liam makes me think less of Liam, actually. But what do you even call this situation between Miley and Tish? The thing between Miley and The mullet is all very Electra Complex, but what is this Tish and Miley thing? Just “gross”?

Anyway, second Miley interview. This one is Miley talking to Movieline about how and why she deleted her Twitter because she was sad she didn’t have any “real” friends, only Internet friends. Miley tells her fans: “I’m telling kids, don’t go on the internet, it’s dangerous, it’s not fun, it wastes your life, and you should be outside playing sports or something.” Which is not the worst advice for kids, you know?

In a swank Santa Monica hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean this weekend, Miley Cyrus spoke to reporters about her upcoming film, The Last Song — the latest romantic weepie from best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, and the first for which he also wrote the screenplay. Also a first for Sparks: Song was conceived and specifically written for Cyrus, who was looking for a project to help her break out of Hannah Montanadom and graduate to more mature roles.

“It’s interesting to leave my security blanket behind. It was such a huge deal in so many kids’ lives,” Cyrus said about the upcoming Hannah Montana finale. But as for revisiting the character in another film, she made it clear where she stands. “[Hannah’s] wig is,” she whistles, “out. One will be in a museum, and one will be… burned, or something.”

I admitted to having developed a guilty pleasure addiction to her Twitter feed, and went into Miley tweet withdrawal when she abruptly pulled the plug in October with a message reading, “FYI Liam doesn’t have a Twitter and he wants ME to delete mine with good reason.” (Liam, or course, refers to her Song co-star and now boyfriend, handsome Aussie discovery Liam Hemsworth.) So what, exactly, was that reason?

“I was kind of, like, tired of telling everyone what I’m doing,” Cyrus told Movieline. “I hate when I read things and celebrities are complaining like, ‘I have no personal life.’ I’m like, well that’s because you write everything that you’re doing.”

“So I was that person who was like, ‘I’m so sad. I have no real, normal life, everyone knows what I’m doing.’ And I’m like, well that’s my own fault because I’m telling everyone,” Cyrus said. “And then I’d tweet, ‘I’m here,’ and I’d wonder why a thousand fans are outside the restaurant. Well, hello, I just told them. So I’m just, like, kind of thinking doesn’t really make a lot of sense. Everything I’m saying is not really going with what I’m putting on the internet.

Asked if the change has been for the better, Cyrus took a moment to consider, then said, “I’m a lot less on my phone, I’m a little bit more social. I have a lot more real friends as opposed to friends who are on the internet who I’m talking to — which is like not cool, not safe, not fun and most likely not real. I think everything is just better when you’re not so wrapped up in [the internet].”

“I just think it’s kind of lame,” Cyrus continued. “I feel like I hang out with my friends and they’re so busy taking pictures of what they’re doing and putting them on Facebook that they’re not really enjoying what they’re doing. You’re going to look back and have a million pictures, but you’re not going to be in any of them. Because you’re not having fun, you’re too busy clicking away. So I think just enjoy the moment you’re in, and stop telling people about it. Just enjoy it.”

Does she realize she sounds like a mom when she says stuff like that?

“Yes, I do,” she answered, smiling. “I’m telling kids, don’t go on the internet, it’s dangerous, it’s not fun, it wastes your life, and you should be outside playing sports or something.”

[From Movieline]

So, she’s growing up in some ways, and she’s still bratty in other ways. We’ll see how she turns out in the end. I always wonder about these young kids who probably grew up watching the career and personal highs and lows of former teen stars like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. Does Miley see them as a cautionary tale? Or does she think their sh-t is a buffet, you can take what you want from them? Do you know what I’m saying? Like, does Miley think she won’t fall in the same traps as Lindsay and Britney, or is she trying to fashion a career that is completely unlike both of them because she’s scared she’ll end up like them? I really don’t know.

By the way, I had these jeans when I was 8 years old and Reagan was president. They might be the same hideous pair, actually.

Miley in LA on March 15, 2010. Miley & her mom Tish at the Oscars on March 7, Credit: WENN.

So glad she's found something else now that Ugly Betty is cancelled!

We LOVE her!

Now that she has to say goodbye to her character Wilhelmina Slater, the FIERCE Vanessa Williams has found a new job!!

She'll be performing in the Broadway revue Sondheim on Sondheim, a tribute to Stephen Sondheim featuring his music, film footage and interviews.

Sounds GREAT!

We're sure she will be absolutely AMAZING! Best of luck, bb!!

[Image via WENN.]

Not everybody loves the new Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce video for “Telephone” and so BeyBey decided to try and explain how she and Gaga set out to CHANGE THE WORLD. Pop the hood if you’re prepared to be confused.

Beyonce told L.A. radio station Power 106:

“The video in a lot of ways is more about her even than it is about me. It was sort of a pop-art venture for me to bring her into my world in a way, the video is an attempt for her and I to erase pop music as we know it up until this very point. It’s meant to change the perspective of the world on what a pop music video should be and she’s kind of the vehicle for that. In reality, more people around the world are familiar with her aesthetics than they are with mine. It was something for me to kind of change the way that you see her for one video.”

Uh oh… Did Solange write that for you Bey? Cuz we don’t understand the words coming out your mouth!

First of all — nobody is gonna erase pop music as we know it — that’d involve forgetting about Michael Jackson and we know that’s not happening. Second of all, it really seems like Bey Bey is trying to take the credit without taking the blame. Why doesn’t she just say they were trying real hard to be different and Gaga convinced her to let her bang that kitty out for entertainment?

Famous for his six-pack, the actor now has a paunch

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She brags about her Beverly Hills pad

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The two take a stroll around their gated community in Florida

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The two take a stroll around their gated community in Florida

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The man who stalked and videotaped ESPN anchor Erin Andrews has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison and ordered to pay a total of $12,366 in restitution. Andrews, 31, was victimized by 48 year-old insurance executive Michael Barrett, who booked hotel rooms next to her in three or more states, often filming her covertly from peepholes. His video of the sportscaster nude was initially pitched to adult websites and became an Internet sensation. In a statement to the court, Andrews said that the video will probably always be available online and that she is still “being victimized every day.” She said that she has nightmares and anxiety and has had to hire security for protection.

A Chicago-area man who posted a nude video of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews on the Internet – after filming her through her hotel door – was sentenced to federal prison Monday.

Michael David Barrett, 49, of Westmont, Illinois, received a 2 1/2-year term and was ordered to pay $7,366 in restitution to Andrews, who is also a contestant this season on Dancing With the Stars.

Barrett admitted that he stalked Andrews for 18 months, tracking her to at least three different hotel rooms in three states in 2008. He made the video after removing the peephole from her door in one of the hotel rooms and used his mobile phone to capture video of Andrews while she was naked.

At the hearing, Andrews told U.S. District Judge Manuel L. Real of the fear, anxiety and public humiliation that she suffers as a result of having been stalked.

“I’m being victimized every day … and I did nothing to deserve it,” she said, adding the videos will likely always be on the Internet. Real noted that Andrews will suffer for the rest of her life.

Prosecutors told the court that Barrett posted on the Internet another 32 videos that showed another 16 as-yet-unidentified victims.

[From People]

Radar Online has more of Andrews’s statement along with Barrett’s statement to the court. They also have a video of her press conference after the hearing. She said she’s pleased with the judge’s ruling given the parameters he was working with but that she would have liked a longer sentence. Andrews also emphasized that Barrett had many other victims. She said she received “A ton of letters from victims of stalking and video voyeurism that said ‘please fight this.” She also emphasized that she’s still dealing with the trauma from being violated. “Google my name, see what happens… I didn’t deserve this… The 16 other women [Barrett victimized]… didn’t deserve this.‘”

Can you imagine finding nude videos of yourself online and having no idea at first who recorded them? I really hope that Andrews’s civil lawsuit is successful, although it’s likely that the guy is completely broke now and won’t be able to pay much her more than the $7,366 dollars he was ordered to, if that.

After all that Andrews has gone through, she has something positive to look forward to. She’ll be a contestant on the upcoming season of Dancing with The Stars, which starts airing next Monday, March 22.

She vacations with her two children the same day she announces her separation from Sam Mendes

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Corey Haim passed away last Wednesday from what his mother said was pulmonary congestion, or fluid in the lungs. He also had an enlarged heart and a reported addiction to prescription pain medication, some of which could have been illegally obtained. Toxicology results from the coroner have not yet been released.

Corey’s reality show co-star and his close friend, fellow former child star Corey Feldman, won’t be at his funeral next week in Haim’s hometown of Toronto. Feldman released a statement confirming that he had not been invited to the family’s private funeral but said that he was in close contact with Feldman’s mom. The Haim family was unable to pay for the funeral, and the bill was footed by a memorabilia dealer who is auctioning off Corey’s things. Feldman is planning his own memorial for Haim to take place in Los Angeles in about two week.

The funeral planned by Corey Haim’s family in his hometown will be short Corey Feldman.

“In the days following my best friend Corey Haim’s death, I have spent much time with his mother Judy, who has always been like a mother to me,” the actor explains in a statement. “I would love nothing more than to be by her side at Corey’s funeral, however, due to their strong religious beliefs and need for privacy, the family has decided to make Corey’s funeral on Tuesday a small private affair.

“Understanding the recent media attention and to be respectful of the family’s wishes, I have decided not to attend.”

The living Corey makes no comment—and the family obviously has no religious qualms—about the Haims’ unconventional ways to afford the funeral. However, he does explain what he’ll be doing in the meantime.

“Instead, I will remain in Los Angeles quietly mourning and planning his memorial,” he continues. “As a sign of respect, I am asking the media to honor Corey Haim by making the same choice. I am working with a few people who were close to Corey to put a memorial together within the next month. At that time, the media will be invited to honor and celebrate the legacy he has left behind, along with friends, fans and the rest of the Hollywood community.”

The folks footing a majority of the bill for the Toronto funeral, celebrity memorabilia site Startifacts.com, tell E! News they were invited to experience the sad ceremony with the family, but declined because they didn’t feel it would be appropriate.

Meanwhile, Haim’s rep says the Los Angeles memorial event will take place around April 2.

[From E! Online]

It sounds like Haim’s family has some sort of beef with Feldman, who could be pitching a reality show or some sort of “documentary” of his life in wake of Haim’s death. This is pure conjecture on my part, but given that Feldman is holding his own memorial, and that he’s starred in several reality shows, it’s not that much of a stretch. He went on Larry King Live right after Haim’s death and his estranged wife gave several interviews to Radar discussing Haim’s drug problem. Even if Feldman isn’t planning to film Haim’s memorial, the family may hold a legitimate grudge against him for doing so much press in the wake of Corey’s death.