Watching New Celebs

Mario Lopez is this year’s most sought after bachelor, according to People Magazine.

Mario Lopez may be PEOPLE’s Hottest Bachelor – but the A Chorus Line star and fitness buff has a shocking admission: He was a chubby baby. “I looked like a sumo wrestler,” Lopez says in a new interview. “My mom had to pull the fat folds apart when she bathed me!” But that’s all in his past.

As fans know, Lopez has mined his love of fitness to create his own book, Mario Lopez’s Knockout Fitness. The exercise guru, who is recently single, says that a full slate of projects has kept him off the dating market but that hasn’t stopped him from thinking about dating completely.

“I like a girl who’s from a modest sort of upbringing, because it’s more relatable,” he says, explaining what he looks for in a potential girlfriend. “I’m a first-generation American. My parents [Elvia and Mario Sr.] emigrated from Mexico and live in the same house I grew up in Chula Vista, Calif. I’d feel weird if the girl was a little too uppity or affluent, because I’m a very down-home kind of guy.”

The list also includes hot men like:

• BRODY & FRANKIE of The Hills
• DAVID COOK the American Idol
• TERRENCE HOWARD from Ironman
• BRYAN SPEARS, Britney and Jamie Lynn’s brother
• GERARD BUTLER of 300
• JAMES BLAKE the tennis star
• BRET MICHAELS of Rock of Love and the band Poison
• ANDY & AKIVA from Saturday Night Live
• HUNTER JOHANSSON the twin brother of Scarlett
• ADAM LEVINE of Maroon5
• THE GOSSIP GUYS

The magazine hits stands June 20th.

People Magazine, Hottest Bachelor 2008, Mario Lopez

Ah, these kids…they look up to too many celebrity idols.

How long does the Teens Choice Awards show go? This year’s list of Teens Choice Awards nominee is quite a long list. I won’t be surprised if the show ends in five hours…or when the teens in the audience turn 30 years old!

The awards show will be held on August 4th and teen queen Miley Cyrus is host.

List of nominees after the jump…I’m zeroing in on just the Celebrities.

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The 62nd Tony Awards was held last Sunday, June 15th with In The Heights emerging as Best Musical and August: Osage County as Best Play. However, South Pacific emerged as the biggest winner with Seven Tony’s.

The complete list of winners after the jump…

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Well, you’re not going to star in it. You’re not going to act, perform or do crazy stunts. What you’re actually going to do — is create your own TV show! And not only that, you will be paid for your TV ideas! Does that sound like a crazy opportunity?

Become the next JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost co-creator)?

Or the next Mark Burnett (Survivor creator)?

Or the next Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI producer, as pictured)?

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Who are the newest powerful celebrities this year?

Forbes Magazine, the other day, unveiled their latest Celebrity Power Rankings and Oprah Winfrey, is once again on Number 1. This despite a drop in her TV program’s viewership as well as subscriptions to her O Magazine.  This is her fifth time in the Top 10 and Oprah is said to have earned $275 million before taxes in the last 12 months.

Following her at the second spot is golf sensation Tiger Woods, with $115 million.

Humanitarian Angelina Jolie comes in as the third most powerful, with measly $14 million in earnings (compared to the other celebrities) and she strings along the father of her children, Brad Pitt, who falls on Top 10.

The complete Top 10 list:

Oprah Winfrey - $275 million
Tiger Woods - $115 million
Angelina Jolie - $14 million
Beyonce Knowles - $80 million
David Beckham - $50 million
Johnny Depp - $72 million
Jay-Z - $82 million
The Police - $115 million
J.K. Rowling - $300 million
Brad Pitt - $20 million

While JK Rowling earned the most last year, with $300 Million, the Power List isn’t just ranked based on earnings but also pull, influence and purchasing power.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna, Tina Fey, Rachel Ray and Heidi Klum are also in the list ranking.  Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale and The Jonas Brothers — the latest teen sensations, all made it to Top 100.

Curiously not on the list are Tom Hanks, Jessica Alba and Jessica Simpson. Tom Hanks was prominent in previous rankings.

Source: Forbes Magazine 

Forbes Magazine, Forbes Magazine Top 100 Powerful Celebrities

I forgot that Celebrity Circus was airing on NBC last night. Although, I already have pre-formed judgments about the show (such as — what were they thinking?!), I can’t help but be curious about it.

Celebrity Circus brings together stars who are well-known in other fields (and in the circus called Hollywood!). The show, hosted by Joey Fatone (is he not on every other 2nd rate reality TV series now, huh?), stars Antonio Sabato, Jr. - an actor and a Calvin Klein model, Blu Cantrell - singer, Christopher Knight - actor, Janet Evans - Olympian, Jason Acuna - actor, Rachel Hunter - actress/model and Stacey Dash - actress.

These celebrities first went on an intensive training with circus act experts before the show premiered. They learned how to balance, fly the trapeze, work the Chinese poles, dance with fire and do deathly stunts. Every Wednesday nights, they get to perform their acts live on television. And each week, viewers of Celebrity Circus will have to cast their votes for their favorites, American Idol style.

It’s no joke what these celebrities are doing and I’m pretty sure the training has been hard on their bodies… which is why I’d feel a little sorry for whoever goes home early.

While some quarters may think this show brings television to a new low, my grandfather reminds me that in the old, old days, the circus was the highest form of entertainment. But today though, the idea of pitting non-circus performers against each other in the name of it (entertainment)… I guess there lies the difference. Right?

I’ll try to catch one episode of this sometime.

Celebrity Circus, Joey Fatone, Antonio Sabato Jr, Rachel Hunter

I don’t really know who Taylor Swift is and I am guessing, so do most people my age…

But in the world of country music, this teenager is quite a sensation. As a matter of fact, here’s what happened to her when she graced the CMA Music Festival over the weekend.

Starpulse reports the singer, “made country music history at the CMA Country Festival in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday when she sat and signed autographs for 900 fans. The teenager went through three Sharpie marker pens as she staged an eight-hour signing marathon, making it the longest a female star has sat for a signing session at the annual country music extravaganza.”

Wow. She must really be quite a star.

So, I did a little check and got myself acquainted with her…and first went to Youtube to check out her videos. If it’s the first time you’ve heard of her, watch these:

Trained by her grandmother, an opera singer, Taylor, now almost 20 years old, has been quite comfortable on stage since she was little, performing mostly at local gigs. She seriously learned her music as soon as reaching teenhood and with the support of her parents, the whole family moved near Nashville to help jumpstart her singing career. A music executive spotted her at Nashville’s Bluebird Café and has singer her on his label, even while the young singer was still in high school. In summer of 2006, she released her debut single and was immediately followed by an album in the fall of the same year.

“Our Song” one of her early hits made her the fifth teenage female singer to make it to the top of Billboard magazine Hot Country Songs chart.

Taylor Swift is joining Miley Cyrus in a cameo in the Hanna Montana Movie that’s coming out soon.

Taylor Swift, Hanna Montana movie, Miley Cyrus

I wasn’t aware this Heroes cheerleader can sing. Were you?

As part of the latest deal linking its teen clothing line to a young female music act, fashion brand Candie’s will help promote the song “Wake Up Call” from “Heroes” star Hayden Panettiere’s forthcoming album from Hollywood Records.

While financial terms were not released, Hollywood says Candie’s will absorb the “majority of the cost” of the single, which will include a multimillion-dollar ad buy on cable and network TV, a print campaign and a music video.

The ad campaign will begin at the end of July, while the song will be released digitally Aug. 5. “Wake Up Call” will appear on Panettiere’s still-untitled debut album, which is slated for 2009.

Candie’s announced an advertising and marketing pact with Panettiere in February. The brand’s incorporation of her music into the campaign follows in the footsteps of its deal last summer with Interscope and Fergie, whose songs “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Glamorous” were promoted in Candie’s TV commercials.

While best-known to audiences as world-saving cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC’s “Heroes,” Panettiere’s record deal with Hollywood precedes her prime-time success from the past two years, according to Hollywood Records senior VP of marketing Ken Bunt.

“We had to work within her crazy schedule to determine what direction she wants to go with her music,” Bunt says. “Wake Up Call” is a reggae-flavored pop song that was written by Andreas “Quiz” Romdhane and Josef Larossi, who have previously written tracks for Geri Halliwell, Diana Ross, Il Divo and Westlife. |Via Billboard

If you wanna watch and hear her tiny singing voice (because that’s the way it sounds to me), you have YouTube at your disposal:

Hayden Panattiere, Hayden Panattiere album, Hayden Panattiere CD, Hayden Panattiere sings

This recent photo of David Cook from Wireimage, taken from his recent visit on the Today show, caught my attention because of how noticeable his lost of weight is. His celebrity status is taking a toll on his health. And what with all the work and appearances he’s obligated to do, this physical change shouldn’t come as no surprise. Here’s hoping though that he keeps his health in check. Didn’t he suffer from hypertension during the American Idol competition because of stress?

So, what has American Idol David Cook been up to, nearly a month after winning the Idol crown?

• His single, Time of My Life, is receiving well and has been topping the Billboard charts. The CD is already out.
• He is set to release his first album as the winner this fall and is currently working on the materials with Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic and Jesse McCartney.
• He will be singing at the NBA Finals Game 3 in Los Angeles’ Staple Center this Tuesday Night. You can watch this on ABC. This will mark his first public appearance/singing since winning American Idol
• His personal life is also up and up, getting cozy with former American Idol contestant, Kimberly Caldwell. They’ve been going out on dates a lot it seems.
• David and Little David are also making the talk show rounds. They will both be on The View this June 24th. If you missed out on David Cook’s past interviews though, here are two videos fromTV Guide - Part 1 and Part 2, one from Nightline, a video from the Early Show and finally, the guest appearance on the Today Show.
• And an ice cream flavor has been named after him!

David Cook, American Idol

Could she be nineteen year old Catherine Banner, author of the first in the fantasy trilogy, The Eyes Of A King?

Like the Harry Potter books, The Eyes Of A King depicts young people and their adventures in a world of magic. Its central character is Leo North, a teenager living in Malonia, a country on the brink of revolution. As the novel begins, Leo is feeling angry and disillusioned, having been forced to complete military training. Then he stumbles on a mysterious black book in the snow. From the first moment he touches the book, he senses its strange power. Words start appearing on the pages. They reveal family secrets, tell the history of Malonia and uncover the story of Ryan and Anna, two teenagers from England - a country that is only a fairy tale in Malonia. Initially the book provides an escape for Leo, but when he has to face sudden tragedy, he realises that the story is inextricably linked to his own life, and may change Malonia for ever.

Or is it the Phoenix based Mormon housewife, Stephenie Meyer, fantasy writer of the young adult Twilight series?

The heroine of Twilight is a girl named Bella who moves from Phoenix to a small town in Washington State (a part of the country Meyer had never visited when she wrote Twilight). Bella feels like an outsider at her new high school, but she is immediately drawn to a strange, otherworldly, ridiculously good-looking group of siblings called the Cullens, particularly to 17-year-old Edward.

Her story reminds one a little of J.K. Rowling’s–Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as an unemployed single mom while her baby daughter slept–and Meyer is quick to point out that her success is a direct result of the way Rowling changed the book industry: children are now willing to read 500-page novels, and adults are now willing to read books written for children. But as artists, they couldn’t be more different. Rowling pieces her books together meticulously, detail by detail. Meyer floods the page like a severed artery.

Two separate people, two separate tags as the “next JK Rowling”, on two separate dates.

Should there really be a “next” Rowling?

Stephenie Meyer, Catherine Banner, JK Rowling

Her career hasn’t actually taken off and was only a one-movie sensation last year… but twenty year old Hairspray star Nikki Blonsky is being sued by her former managers who claim they have yet to receive royalties from her for their representation.

The partners, Margaret Karaszek and Michael Ostrowski, of Morgit Management is accusing the actress, including her mother, for breach of contract and for failure to give 20% of her earnings from the said movie.

The duo alleged that Blonsy, then an “unknown”, landed the role because the firm was responsible for it. The firm sent reels of the actress to casting agents and even booked auditions for her.

Her contract expired with Morgit Management while filming Hairspray but the duo insisted Blonky gave them a verbal agreement she was renewing their contract for two years.

Nikki Blonsy, Hairspray

One of the most celebrated people of last year, Diablo Cody, is making her mark on television. The cable network, Showtime, has just greenlighted a comedy series she wrote. The series is entitled The United States of Tara and the network has made a 12 episode order for it.

The show will star Toni Collete who will play a wife and mother afflicted with dissociative identity, a kind of multiple personality disorder. Playing opposite her is John Corbett (Aidan, from Sex and the City). The half-hour comedy will tackle their domestic front, or how their family is able to cope with the mother’s different personalities.

Diablo Cody pretty much became an instant celebrity following the success of her feature film, Juno, last year. The movie has earned for her an Oscar trophy for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

She will be writing the pilot episode of Tara and aside from serving as writer for the rest of the series, she is also the show’s exectutive producer. Dreamworks Television, Steven Spielberg’s production outfit, is also behind the series.

Showtime is very eager to have Diablo Cody on their network. As its president, Robert Greenblatt says, “What a pleasure to watch Diablo Cody and Toni Collette work together, a combination of inspired writing and acting that raises this show from just a curiosity to a compelling examination of a modern family.”

The combination of Diablo Cody and Toni Collette (who is so good at many things she does)? Looks like it will be a very viable one.

The series will begin shooting this summer.

Diablo Cody, Toni Collete, United States of Tara

On July 19, 2008 some 200 critics and journalists will be awarding the winners of the 2007 TCA Awards. Below are their nominees.

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

• “John Adams” (HBO)
• “Lost” (ABC)
• “Mad Men” (AMC)
• “Ken Burns’ The War” (PBS)
• “The Wire” (HBO)

ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY

• “30 Rock” (NBC)
• “The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)
• “The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)
• “Flight of the Conchords” (HBO)
• “The Office” (NBC)

ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA

• “Damages” (FX)
• “Friday Night Lights” (NBC)
• “Lost” (ABC)
• “Mad Men” (AMC)
• “The Wire” (HBO)

ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINISERIES AND SPECIALS

• “John Adams” (HBO)
• “Masterpiece: Cranford” (PBS)
• “Masterpiece: Jane Austen Collection” (PBS)
• “Ken Burns’ The War” (PBS)
• “A Raisin in the Sun” (ABC)

NEW PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

• “Breaking Bad” (AMC)
• “Damages” (FX)
• “Flight of the Conchords” (HBO)
• “Mad Men” (AMC)
• “Pushing Daisies” (ABC)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY

• Christina Applegate (”Samantha, Who?”)
• Alec Baldwin (”30 Rock”)
• Stephen Colbert (”The Colbert Report”)
• Tina Fey (”30 Rock”)
• Ray Wise (”Reaper”)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA

• Connie Britton (”Friday Night Lights”)
• Glenn Close (”Damages”)
• Paul Giamatti (”John Adams”)
• Jon Hamm (”Mad Men”)
• David Simon (”The Wire”)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING

• “Curious George” (PBS)
• “High School Musical 2″ (The Disney Channel)
• “Hannah Montana” (Disney Channel)
• “Word Girl” (PBS)
• “Yo Gabba Gabba” (Nickelodeon)

ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION

• “Alive Day Memories” (HBO)
• “This American Life” (Showtime)
• “Frontline” (PBS)
• “Nimrod Nation” (Sundance Channel)
• “Ken Burns’ The War” (PBS)

HERITAGE AWARD

• “M*A*S*H” (CBS)
• “Roots” (ABC)
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
• “Sesame Street” (PBS)
• “The Wire” (HBO)

TCA Awards 2007, Television Critics Association Awards Nominees, The Wire, Mad Men

I first heard of his song while watching the Season Finale of Grey’s Anatomy (video is at the end of this post). I thought the song had that Amy Winehouse vibe to it, and was rather surprised, it was a man singing!

Who is he? He’s none other than rising music star, Bryn Christopher, whose song The Quest will be released through Polydor Records on June 9th.

Incidentally, he did tour with Amy Winehouse early in his career, when he was still trying to make a name for himself.

A Birmingham (UK) native, the 22 year old soul singer has also been compared to Stevie Wonder and the legendary Otis Redding, whose singing style and delivery always seem to be soulful and heartfelt…like any minute, a vein would pop open because of all the emotion thrown into the song.

The Quest showcases Bryn’s effective voice with the Hammond organ playing in the background. The song, they say, is all about his brother’s experience as a soldier. Interestingly, Bryn had written the lyrics only on his mobile phone.

Bryn’s debut album called My World is scheduled to be released in August.

He is currently testing the waters in the United States, with the powerful William Moris Talent Agency taking care of him. Mary J Blige has reportedly asked to go on tour with him.

For more of Bryn, check out his MySpace.

Below is the video of The Quest and the one following that is how they used the song on Grey’s Anatomy:

Bryn Christopher, Amy Winehouse, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Mary J Blige, William Morris Talent Agency

MTV Movie Awards, the goofiest awards event in the business, was held last night and was hosted by Mike Myers, who does this job for MTV for the first time. It took place at Universal City’s Gibson Amphitheatre in California. This would have to be its 17th year.

The winners are:

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