Happy Birthday

[Courtesy of B96Chicago]
David Archuleta's birthday is being met today with great pleasure and great grief. Not only are thousands of jailbait-ed hearts awaiting the day they, too, will be freed, but thousands of twenty-somethings (and beyond, but we'll pretend they don't exist) Archies and Arch Angels for whom the age barrier defined (by law) the kind of relationship they had to the singer now have to face the truth. And for them, there is the irrational fear of non-legal DArchuleta sprouting wings and flying off into adult and manhood.

Well, whatever the case may be, there was nothing any of us could do to stop it. Not even his father, the infamous Dadchuleta.

DArchuleta is now legal to marry in all 50 states, ladies. And gentlemen.

Welcome to the other side, little David, and may this boy live on:

[Courtesy of YouTube user "Caliiniiqka18"]

Davey Baby's growing up!

The music video for DArchuleta's "A Little Too Not Over You" is up, and of much higher quality than the video for "Crush". This is much more like the Jive I've come to know and love ...


My mom and I laughed for a good five minutes over this face:


He's supposed to be melancholic, not looking like he wants to kill me. Right?

I mean, just look:



[Both photos courtesy of my Print Screen function; a) "A Little Too Not Over You" music video, b) The Bonnie Hunt Show]

Religion makes bank

Came across this fascinating article in the Sunday NY Times today.

This about sums it up:
“It’s a wonderful time, a great evangelistic opportunity for us,” said the Rev. A. R. Bernard, founder and senior pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York’s largest evangelical congregation, where regulars are arriving earlier to get a seat. “When people are shaken to the core, it can open doors.”

So maybe it's not all that fascinating, but a little expected. Churches, career placement centers, fast food restaurants and Wal-Mart may be the only ones doing well in our economy. Explains why FOX News has been running so many religious ads and why I've been seeing random church ads in the subway system and on random cable networks.

Song of the Moment: Silent Night, David Archuleta
* It may be DArchuleta songs until the holidays are through; his renditions of Christmas songs are incredible.

Back from the grave ...

... and prepping for the new year. Which means making some changes. First things first: "a little more personal (raw)", I think I'm going to take the focus off of Hollywood celebrities and turn it to a more general culture blog.

I thought I would start our holiday engines off with a little holiday cheer. Says NY Mag:
[Richard Hayne, CEO of Urban Outfitters] is a notably right-wing Republican who supports senators who vote for legislation against gay marriage. In fact, last May the British Website ThisIsMoney.co.uk wrote, "Hayne must be the only retailer whose expansion plans depend on no one finding out who he really is." Interesting where your money goes, isn't it? When a right-wing Republican is the one concocting your anti-Establishment image, you start to wonder if the entire hipster movement has been duped into becoming puppets of Hayne's billionaire income.

NY Mag got a response from the UO team today and their thoughts?
Glen Senk, the CEO of the parent company, Urban Outfitters, Inc., is an openly gay man who has been in a committed relationship for over 30 years. However, Richard Hayne is still the founder and current chairman and does indeed have a record for supporting right-wing Republicans who are against abortion and gay rights.

Yes. Exactly. I will now reconsider ever making a purchase at Urban Outfitters again. Not that I ever did ... not unless the merchandise was 90% off, anyway.

While we're on the topic of homosexuality, how 'bout that Newsweek cover story, huh? The readback caused so much of stir that the comments were completely disabled. I think Lisa Miller makes some unsubstantiated points, but some readers were so inflamed they ceased to make sense. I wish you could read the comments from "Caroline from MA," who repeatedly compared "choosing" to be gay to being addicted to cigarettes. Once you pop, you can't stop. (I hear this is true of tattoos, too?) And how gay porn should be made illegal, just as cigarette ads should, as they pander to our impressionable innocents.

I'm comin' out, I want the world to know

A number of revelations today, of the non-revelatory sort: Lindsay Lohan finally admitted -- to "Loveline", no less -- that she has been dating Samantha Ronson for a "very long time." That certainly clears up any questions we may have had, but I still don't much trust Lilo's judgment. What exactly constitutes a long time?


[Photo courtesy of NY Daily News]
Also coming out this week ... American Idol's Clay Aiken. Um, yeah. People didn't need to shell out the big (or perhaps little in Mr Spamalot's case) bucks for this story. Again, not exactly a revelation.

Elsewhere, E! seems to have some sources telling them that The Hills' Whitney Port is in fact filming an East Coast spinoff to The Hills, aptly titled The City. I can't say I hate the idea. I'm not sure how fond I am of the idea of Los Angeles turning into New York, but I have to admit that I didn't totally love the idea of it being the last season of the show and wasn't yet ready to say goodbye to Whitney and Audrina Patridge.

Now, the best of both worlds. If Miley Cyrus would just go away.

David Cook has apparently had enough of magic rainbows and is truly to recoup any dignity lost with a new single, "Light On". Perhaps not strangely at all, I liked the general sound of "Time of My Life" better, however, the lyrics of "Light On" are infinitely better. I think it may be a bit of hard sell with pop radio, but he's attractive enough to pull it off.


[Photo courtesy of Amazon.com]
David Archuleta's alleged album cover has been released. Also not a huge fan of the pic. Although it does make him look his age, mysterious and potentially mysterious enough to be sexy without giving up any bit of his Mormon-ness, he ... well, there's no other way to put it: he looks like he's dead.

Other than the lack of color in his face, not too bad. They have the right idea going for them there.

David Cook's album, rumored to be called "Out of My Head", will drop on November 18th. David Archuleta's album will likely be titled "David Archuleta" and will hit stores on November 11th. David Archuleta. Dull, but reliable.

P.S. Must see television recap of the day: Cloris Leachman on Dancing With The Stars. Enjoy!

[Courtesy of YouTube user "rihannamusicfan"]

"Crush" music video leak

[Courtesy of YouTube user "5an1ty"]
Eeeeee! was my first reaction. And then "A Sunday premiere?!" And then "I'm so nervous ... I don't want this video to besmirch my image of David Archuleta. I could do without watching it, forever." And then I watched it.

Reactions: Hmm. I am pretty well-acquainted with Jive Records' teen pop ways, having been a loyal fan of some of their artists for upwards of ten years and all. I was expecting longing gazes off into the distance, wind machines blowing everyone's hair (but particularly his) to create drama, and some sort of romantic closure at the end of the video (e.g. a kiss, or something akin to that in DArchuleta's world).

Well, my initial reaction was "Wow, what shoddy quality." I have since learned that this is a leaked video, so that may have something to do with it. Aside from the technical flaws (skipping in parts), the editing is pretty choppy and nonsensical. The composition of some of the shots is pretty terrible. The angles at which they placed the camera in relation to David's face in the close-ups are little better. Yes, I would even venture to say that I would have done a better job with whatever budget they had. I think the very first shot of the video may have been the best; the sepia one of him playing at the piano at the end of a dock hovering over some swampland (WTF, right?). Oh, Jive and its necessity to embroil nature into everything it does (see: Backstreet Boys).

Anyway, it's not the worst video on the planet (for that you would have to look up "Heidi Montag"), and probably nowhere near it, but this being David's first chance to make a big impression on people who didn't watch him on American Idol, they kind of blew it. I'm being extra-critical because I really want him to do well, but I don't know how much I would've enjoyed it as a neutral bystander either. Sort of like how I really wanted to like all of Colbie Caillat's music videos because I love her songs, but I find them dull as sawdust and feel no desire to rewatch any of the videos ever again. The song "Crush" has a somewhat dark tone to it, and the whole premise of the video was really chirpy and bright. And sort of reminiscent of "Beautiful Soul" by Jesse McCartney.

And to answer to any qualms any of us may have had about our Fun-Sized David, we needn't have worried. Because NOTHING HAPPENS. And nothing will happen if David continues to gaze longingly (albeit not as much as I'd expected) at his love interest. Phew.

ETA: On second watch, why did the director place him in the direct path of the sun? There's no need for David to perpetuate his squinty nicknames ... he has beautiful eyes, to boot. And what is up with the random blurry close-ups? Are we supposed to be made to feel as if we're watching "MTV Diary" interspersed with "Bug Juice"? These people don't know what they're doing!

Mindset List: 1990

Apparently Beloit College put itself on the map by creating an annual list called the "Mindset List," which helps college professors stay in touch with their students. This year's entering class was generally born in the year 1990 (read: Year of the DArchuleta).


[Not sure where I found this photo. If it's yours, I'll give you credit. Just another excuse to post an archudorable photo of DArchuleta, not gonna lie.]
Here is their list, in full. I have taken the liberty of bolding those I cannot say is true of me.

1. Harry Potter could be a classmate, playing on their Quidditch team.
2. Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying people at parties.
3. They have always been looking for Carmen Sandiego. [Well in theory, yes, but I stopped when I turned 8.]
4. GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available. [I didn't know what a GPS was until I was like 15 ...]
5. Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.
6. Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle.
7. Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.
8. Their parents may have dropped them in shock when they heard George Bush announce "tax revenue increases." [This is possibly the stupidest one on the list.]
9. Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option. [I'm guessing this wasn't true when I was five, I dunno.]
10. Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene.
11. All have had a relative — or known about a friend's relative — who died comfortably at home with hospice.
12. As a precursor to "whatever," they have recognized that some people "just don't get it." [WTF!?]
13. Universal Studios has always offered an alternative to Mickey in Orlando.
14. Grandma has always had wheels on her walker.
15. Martha Stewart Living has always been setting the style.
16. Haagen-Dazs ice cream has always come in quarts.
17. Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole family.
18. WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.
19. Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.
20. The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents.
21. Students have always been "Rocking the Vote." [I think I just don't know what this means.]
22. Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.
23. Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.
24. We have always known that "All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." [Well since I could read, yes.]
25. There have always been gay rabbis.
26. Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.
27. College grads have always been able to Teach for America.
28. IBM has never made typewriters.
29. Roseanne Barr has never been invited to sing the National Anthem again.
30. McDonald's and Burger King have always used vegetable oil for cooking french fries.
31. They have never been able to color a tree using a raw umber Crayola. [I think.]
32. There has always been Pearl Jam.
33. The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.
34. Pee-Wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.
35. They never tasted Benefit Cereal with psyllium. [I don't think many 18 year olds have eaten Benefit, ever.]
36. They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with in the crib.
37. Authorities have always been building a wall across the Mexican border.
38. Lenin's name has never been on a major city in Russia.
39. Employers have always been able to do credit checks on employees.
40. Balsamic vinegar has always been available in the U.S.
41. Macaulay Culkin has always been "Home Alone."
42. Their parents may have watched "The American Gladiators" on TV the day they were born.
43. Personal privacy has always been threatened.
44. Caller ID has always been available on phones.
45. Living wills have always been asked for at hospital check-ins.
46. The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting quarterback.
47. They never heard an attendant ask "Want me to check under the hood?"
48. Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles.
49. Soft drink refills have always been free.
50. They have never known life without Seinfeld references from a show about "nothing."
51. The Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.
52. Moscow residents have always been able to buy Big Macs.
53. The Royal New Zealand Navy has never been permitted a daily ration of rum.
54. The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the heavens.
55. 98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear. [May be because I'm Asian.]
56. Michael Milken has always been a philanthropist promoting prostate cancer research.
57. Offshore oil drilling in the United States has always been prohibited.
58. Radio stations have never been required to present both sides of public issues.
59. There have always been charter schools.
60. Students always had Goosebumps.

... my point is why the hell are they referencing things that happened in 1990!? No 0 year old baby is going to remember anything. Clearly, I was four-going-on-five at the turn of that decade and I barely remember any of these things. And how many 0 year olds are going to give a crap about New Zealand or Russia!? I didn't know what half of the things on this list were until I was thirteen or older.

Lastly, the one that annoys me the most: the Pearl Jam reference. Why do "old people" think Pearl Jam is still a viable pop culture reference with young people?? What percentage of teenagers listen to Pearl Jam on a regular basis?! I remember when Julia Roberts' character said that to Jena Malone's character in Stepmom (in 1997, no less!) and even then I scoffed, because really, who the hell listens to Pearl Jam anymore!?

Frankie Says, "Date me, Lauren!"

I watched The Hills last night, immediately after it went online, and I watched it again this evening to make sure I hadn’t missed anything the first time around. I had. And I’m sure I still have.

But general observations: this is going to be one dull season. I think, at this point, maybe Heidi and Spencer are the only ones who want this show to go on. I only saw Stephanie Pratt’s face for three seconds in the season preview, but I’m already sick of her. Why does she look like a toasted marshmallow? (And where the hell did she go when she accompanied her brother on that escapade to win Heidi back in Vegas?! Last we saw her, she was sitting in the car outside the hotel lobby, possibly flirting with the bell boy.)

I’m so sick of Lauren getting so mopey about not being out on the dating scene and then calling out the guy she’s seeing on all the things that make him a guy. Which, apparently, is going to happen to her next victim, Doug Reinhardt as well. Hope she’s not playing the same games on Kyle “Bobby” Howard ...

The only interesting storyline is the one between Audrina and Lo. As bitchy as Lo has always seemed, she does bring a different perspective to the table. And another side out of Audrina. But honestly, how would you respond if someone walked into your lair and started demanding that you reciprocate things that you haven’t necessarily felt she’s done? Lo’s really great at talking, and terrible at listening. And Audrina’s not the most tactful person. Two wrongs don’t make a right ... since we know through living life that the three of them are still, in fact, living under the same roof (so to speak), I’m curious to see how this all adds up. And how the show wraps up. Maybe we’ll get a big “gotcha!” a la Ghostwriter.

It’s 8:13pm and Jason Castro’s Date Night vlog is nowhere to be seen. He promised. He even has the day off!

David Archuleta was not so lucky. He spent his “day off” filming his music video for “Crush” in Atlanta. Can’t wait to see what skinny, tall model they pair him with, seeing as he’s 5’7’’ and all.


[Photo courtesy of Jive? FanBlast? David Archuleta? It’s actually not a courtesy at all, it’s offensive! Looks like they couldn’t afford Photoshop so they went ahead with Paint.]

Another season of wondering why Speidi goes on

[Photo courtesy of Blizzard Galleries]
Not only is Lindsay Lohan back to red, but she and Samantha Ronson shared a seriously “aww” moment in Los Angeles.

Not so “aww”? Lauren Conrad and sometime-boy Kyle Howard out this past Friday. I have a feeling this one’s not going too far ...

[Photo courtesy of PopSugar]
Tonight, Season Four of The Hills premieres on MTV. I will have reactions as soon I get to watching it on my laptop. Because I’ve gots no cable.

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt announced that they plan to get married live on television. When asked whether she had any plans to leave The Hills, she rightly responded: “No, where would I go?” Even Spencer’s all for it: “Sometimes the narrator has to throw their hate up on the wall and pass the mic. It’s my favorite show. I love it. The Hills season 10 is what I’m going for.” Too bad it’s not your show.

Speidi also apparently called into Ryan Seacrest this morning, to whom they divulged several secrets: she is going to record a Christian record because she wants to fill the world with the spirit of the Lord. They’re also no longer engaged, which means only one thing: they’re doing this for pay. I’m still waiting for the paparazzi photos of Heidi leaving some mystery guy’s house at 4 in the am.

But it gets worse. I now truly and truly believe she is delusional. I credited Heidi Montag with some sort of warped Paris Hilton brand of media savvy, but now I just think she’s brainwashed or something. Because she tried to sell the fact that she’s a virgin and saving herself for marriage!? Did she forget that she thought for two minutes that she had been impregnated by a squirmy Spencer? Or was that a fake storyline too?

... now the only question left is: how will this affect McCain’s chances?


[Courtesy of Us Weekly]
One more reminder that some things are still right in the world ...


[Photo courtesy of Blizzard Galleries]

DArchuleta redeems himself

Of course, the minute I finish blogging, David Archuleta puts up a blog. Not sure why it's taken so long to appear on his MySpace, as I did make sure to check it before I made that post about forty minutes ago. His MySpace is saying the blog was posted a little after 10 in the morning today:

Hi all. Today we're in North Carolina, and I'm about to go outside since we have free time right now. So just wants to give an update on done stuff. Friday we had a day off, so I went to New York for a photoshoot for the album! It was a lot of fun even though I was dead tired from the lack of sleep haha. But I'm caught up on that now. The photographer was great! He also had really good taste in music, which he played during the shoot. I can't wait to see the final shots. This upcoming week my family will be coming out to see the show, and it'll be awesome to see them. We'll also be shooting the music video for 'Crush'! Which I'm nervous but excited about haha. Anyway I better get outside to say hey to who's out there. That's all for now!

The first two sentences reflect his lack of sleep, but as we so often do around here, we forgive him.

Word on the street is the casting call for the "Crush" video didn't go so well. The casting agency was in Atlanta looking for a love interest and friends for David, and a reported 100 or so people showed up. He may be excited, but I'm thinking he should be nervous about this. Does he know the premise of his video yet?

Fingers crossed it doesn't involve too many wind machines and longing stares off into the distance ...

Blush and bubbly

Jason Castro finally got around to uploading his belated video blog on Thursday, and it appeared Friday:

[Courtesy of Jason Castro]
However, he is forgiven because this is the zaniest, most random, most JASON video blog ever. AND, despite his saying that he’s supposed to be out of the hotel room in a minute’s time, he appears to be lounging in a fluffy, white robe. Oh, Jason and his robes. He stayed up all night to finish The Kite Runner. I think Jason fans should keep those books coming.

Now it’s David Archuleta’s turn to catch up: he hasn’t video blogged in nearly twenty days, and he hasn’t even done a “lame, written” blog in eight days – when he diplomatically complained about the presents and letters his fans were giving him. Oh little Davy, have we lost you?


[Photo courtesy of Just Jared]
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi tied the knot this weekend! The blushing brides wore a similarly blushing shade of pink, it appears.

Lindsay Lohan has been transmitting messages to Michael Phelps over the past four years through Billy Bush of Access Hollywood. Well, Michael started it when saying that the celebrity he most wanted to meet was Lindsay because he deemed her hot. At the beginning of this week, she sent him a message via Access Hollywood, a simple “good luck”. Now that he has broken pretty much every world record in the world, she had this to say to Billy-Michael: “Tell him he’s (expletive) amazing and I want to meet him.”

Hmm ...

There are rumors circulating that Lindsay once had a thing for Courtenay Semel and apparently they got together, secretly, for a while. I’m loathe to believe this, as I think even Lindsay wouldn’t touch Semel.


[Photo courtesy of News of the World]

Namedropper, maneater, burgeoning cheater

I think Lindsay Lohan pretty much outed her and Samantha Ronson in her latest MySpace blog post:
... so, here's the visual...
me and my friend Patrick walking into a store, and two paparazzi come up out of nowhere (like usual) and start throwing questions at me...
one of them being, "Hey Lindsay, what do you have to say about people commenting on your sisters implants?" 
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 my response simply was, "Did you really just ask me that? She is a 14 year old girl, and you are a pedophile!"
i was caught out of nowhere so i didn't really come up with the proper response at the time ... in a more positive light...
i got some great clothes from alexander wang and i miss samantha cuz she's out of town :(
have a wonderful day everyone~
til next time..
xx LL

Remember when she used to check in like three times a week and namedrop celebs like Usher and Chris Trousdale!? Yeah, I don’t miss those days. I’m surprised she hasn’t deleted it all out of embarrassment yet.

Our future husband, by default, Jason Castro still hasn’t posted a vlog, but checked in on Tuesday night, apparently, to make excuses. I don’t like where this relationship is going. Is he cheating? Anyway, he claims that he’ll have one up by the end of the night today. We’ll see. To hold us over, snippets of a Jason interview, interrupted by a crawling/hiding David Archuleta. That boy is QUICK.

[Courtesy of YouTube user “frogcooke”]
In an interview today, DArchuleta updated journalists and fans on the progress of his album: “There isn’t time to really focus on what will really represent me – that takes time. So I’m just experimenting a lot. I won’t limit myself.” He mentioned that his mom and dad will probably swap when the tour hits Florida. The tour is on its last leg already so what’s the point? Of Jason: “I’m stuck with that guy ... I do get along with him – as weird as he is!” He visited the Washington Monument earlier today, called Brooke White the most “motherly” of the bunch, but added that Carly Smithson is “like my mom in that she’s bossy ... but in a good way!”

Wow, mean-ish words coming out of David Archuleta’s mouth? I think Michael Johns is succeeding in getting him “out on the rooooooad”.

Audrina Patridge is getting work in non-reality television. This leads me to think that an insider’s “mistake” of calling Audrina an “intern” at Sony/Epic may have been accurate after all. According to Audrina, she’ll be filming a guest spot on Do Not Disturb next week. What do you think of her acting chops here?

[Photo courtesy of ... AudrinaXO ...?]

Montage catastrophe! (pronounced cat-ee-stuhroff)

Looks like Australian (and Transformers 2) actress Isabel Lucas and Adrian Grenier have called it splits. According to People, her involvement in Shia LaBeouf car crash had something to do with it: “Adrian saw her with Shia and that was kind of it – the crash, their hanging out. He obviously didn’t appreciate it.” NO. Get your paws off of my man#32!

I know you’ve been holding your breath, so here it all is:


[Courtesy of Aaron Carter, I suppose]
Hey, if you cover the bottom half of his face, he almost looks like he never did drugs! I remember when boy bands and random pop stars would gather once or twice a year to play charity basketball events. It’s just sad that Aaron Carter is still doing it, as he is neither, and nearly 21.


[Photo courtesy of People.com]
No, Cynthia Nixon didn’t go back to red: that’s Clay Aiken and his (un)love child, Parker Foster Aiken.

Yes, my mother had the same reaction.


[Photo courtesy of Getty Images]
Yes sir (and I do mean “sir”), that’s Jena Malone on the left. And quite possibly her girlfriend (or just co-star Laura Ramsey) on the right? Is it wrong for me to wish for that?


[Photo courtesy of The YBF]
Okay, I never told you, but I dreamt (or should I say “nightmared”) of Raven Symone once. I was a journalist covering the High School Musical 3, American Idol and Raven Symone Project Number 917 rehearsals. Let me just tell you, she was sweaty as ... no other in my dream, decked in mismatched sweats, but still looked better than this. That can, in no way, be good.


[Photo courtesy WENN]
Not sure where Ed Westwick got his snappy ‘tude, but it sure doesn’t fit his character Chuck well. Chuck would never be caught dead eating a $1.25 croissant (pronounced kwa-sonn) from a NYC street vendor. Hellssss naw.

Jason Castro has failed us. Teardrops and tear stains on my guitar tonight ... and forever.

[Photo courtesy of Just Jared]

Peaches and Clotted Cream

[Photo courtesy of Heat World]
Nineteen-year-old Peaches Geldof, socialite daughter of Bob Geldof, upped and got married – in Vegas no less! She scored herself a pretty big fish, though: twenty-three year oldMax Drummey Harvard anthropology grad (hey, I might’ve met him at the Oh Canada party a few years back ...), a signed musician (a drummer, perhaps?). So why the Little White Chapel wedding?

Samantha Ronson, on the record to Harper’s Bazaar about Lindsay Lohan: “She’s great. She’s also 22 years old. I think people forget that” – or maybe she’s too busy acting too old for her own good. Well, until she met you, that is. “With the Internet the way it is, one second we’re enemies, one second we’re best friends, one second we’re lovers, and then we’re broken up ...” Obviously, Harper’s is too stuffy to spell internet with a lowercased “i”? And mmm, no, I don’t think the internet thinks you’ve broken up yet. “Even the airport security guy in Canada asked me, ‘So is it true?’ It’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m telling you.’”

SamRo’s mother (Ann Dexter-Jones) says she was a “renaissance child” (no doubt pronounced re-nay-sonce) who “had a tremendous curiosity and intensity”.

It is Tuesday, but alas, it is not a Special one because it’s 20:15 EST and Mr. Jason Castro has not yet vlogged. The reason for the teardrops on my guitar tonight. Well, at least David Archuleta’s “Crush” is at last on sale at iTunes. By some miracle (or act of fanaticism), “Crush” has taken the top spot on the iTunes and Amazon singles charts.

Wow, there is an overload of tremendously good photos and media today. But there is also a bevy of fascinating news, so I will save the montage catastrophe! for tomorrow. And if Jason’s still good husband material, a vlog will follow.

"You went down a really bad path."

People magazine basically confirmed that Lauren Conrad and My Boys’ Kyle Howard are a couple. Apparently the two were hanging out at Teddy’s over the weekend, and she was seen draping herself over him, “sharing pecks on the lips and looking ‘so happy’”. Wow, Teddy’s is really, really three years ago. I love Kyle as Bobby, but even I know that there’s no getting him into Coco de Ville or whichever hotspot is at the peak of its fifteen minutes right now.

Hayden Panettiere’s father got himself in trouble for abusing his wife. This does not in the least bit surprise me; as bubbly and wholesome as Hayden (etc) comes across, there’s still some stigma attached to her by the mere virtue of her having come from Rockland County-Westchester, New York.

One week till Season Four of The Hills. I’m actually not that excited about it, as I think the Lauren-Heidi storyline has been maxed out, I don’t think Speidi could get much worse, I’m tired of watching Lauren “date” guys, and I’m already sick of Stephanie Pratt’s face. Not particularly interested in Audrina move beyond Justin Bobby, but I’m surprisingly curious about what Whitney’s love life has in store for her.

In an ideal world, Audrina would grow some balls and do something really wild that doesn’t involve her taking off her shirt. Lauren would trip over her Louboutins, requiring reconstructive surgery and a huge blow to her ego so she can finally get over herself. Speidi would marry and would turn into a Stepford couple, albeit a relatively normal one, and Whitney would become the star of the show and show them twenty-something girls how to balance it all and look great while doing so!

Alas, all we have is this:

[Courtesy of YouTube user “B0NZENMiKE”]
The music isn't even worthy. C'mon, MTV.

Rant: SLOW (and depressing) weekend

It's been a slow and depressing weekend: Bernie Mac and Issac Hayes, both linked to the film Soul Men, passed away this weekend. RIP.

In other news, the Church of Scientology's Celebrity Centre had a gala, and Leah Remini, Kelly Preston, Elisabeth Moss, Marisol Nichols and Erika Christensen showed. Is there anything about this that sounds right? Are churches supposed to have fundraising galas? Are they supposed to be predominantly female? I suppose this isn't unusual for an organized religion, to fundraise ... it's just a little more overt (and careless, perhaps) in its fundraising activities than others.


[Photo courtesy of Contact Music]
So Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt were joined by Heidi's mother and sister during their usual outings this weekend -- and Joe Francis, of all people. What I would like to know is what in the name of Lauren Conrad's sex tape is going on here!? Why is Mrs. Montag holding Joe Incarcerated's hand? Eight days till Season Four of The Hills falls upon us again.

Really, really slow weekend, and David Archuleta's latest blog is little more than him asking fans to tone down the gifting because he is running out of sleeping space (I kid you not). So I will let him and his stuffed toys be and leave you with Selena Gomez's newest video blog, which I haven't fully watched myself:

[Courtesy of Selena Gomez]
Both she and the Jonas Brothers' Nick Jonas inadvertently (and indirectly) let slip that they are indeed seeing each other. So new Tween It Couple. Hark back to the days of Hilary and Aaron. The JoBros have been invading my existence; they are EVERYWHERE these days.

Well, at least the US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte has been easy on the eyes ... reminds me a little of Michael Cassidy, who we will be seeing for -- oh, probably 3 weeks before his new show Privileged gets canceled. It's a pity Michael's been around this privileged high school block for so long and still can't get a ride.

Our Nation's Problem ... Paris Hilton

Lindsay Lohan is mad. Apparently a Los Angeles police chief said the paparazzi problem in Los Angeles had improved since “Britney started behaving, Paris is out of town and Lindsay has gone gay.” Lindsay, the leader of appropriate, said that “Police chiefs shouldn’t get involved in everyone else’s personal life – it’s inappropriate.”

The weirdest story of the day – and for the past while – is this Clay Aiken daddy story. I know that he donated his sperm to his good friend Jaymes Foster and all, that I’m okay with. What I’m not understanding is now that the baby is alive and kicking, the child has taken Clay’s last name? And is going to help her raise the child. I guess she really took to heart that Atlantic article on settling!

John Edwards admitted to having cheated on his wife Elizabeth. Gawker puts it in a way no one else could: John Edwards has admitted to having an affair with his former campaign staffer Rielle Hunter ... Edwards also claims he's not the father of Hunter's baby. And he didn't love her. So it's not cheating! Edwards claims his wife Elizabeth's cancer was in remission when he began the affair, so it's TOTALLY not cheating, at all.

Yup. Yup.

And this will get old ... just not yet:

[Courtesy of Paris Hilton]
Where's my Intuition "Paris for President" shirt from 2004? Never know when that one might come in handy ...

Just like a tattoo, I'll always have you

Happy HooHa 31st birthday to Samantha Ronson! To celebrate, Lindsay Lohan has taken to combat boots – that’s one step closer to coming out of the closet! Few people are focusing on the boots, though – they are taking the matching black heart tattoos much more seriously.

Apparently Lindsay had her tattoo outlined in black to match Sam’s.

Anyway, thanks to D-Listed, I provide you a scan of SamRo’s senior page, with plenty of choice photographs to light the way down memory lane. Click to expand.

[Photo courtesy of D-Listed]
I wish I could devote the entire post to Rondsay, but they simply have not been racy enough to keep up with the Joneses. Or do I mean Jonases (har har): in a new Seventeen magazine article, Miley Cyrus finally comes clean with her (apparently) two-year long relationship with the band’s youngest member, Nick Jonas: "We became boyfriend and girlfriend the day we met ... He was on a quest to meet me, and he was like, 'I think you're beautiful and I really like you.' And I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, I like you so much.'"

She adds that at just – I’m throwing out a ballpark figure here – twelve through fourteen-and-a-half, she fell in love: "Nick and I loved each other ... We still do, but we were in love with each other. For two years he was basically my 24/7. But it was really hard to keep it from people. We were arguing a lot, and it really wasn't fun."

Then she adds some stuff about how Nick wanted her to do this and Nick wanted her to do that, so she did. And then she was like WTF! after they broke up and decided to turn into a hard-core goth, because that was the complete opposite of what Nick would’ve wanted. "Since [the breakup], I've realized that I've met so many great guys, but I like being the girl nobody can have ... No one can touch me, no one's mine. I'm myself. I think it's sexy to do your own thing."

Well, unless Nick Jonas comes knocking on her door again: "Maybe he'll be my best friend for the rest of my life or maybe I'll end up marrying Nick Jonas!"

She’s untouchable, folks. But if you’re David Archuleta, start running now. And don’t look back.

American Idol Weekly

I'm going to try to keep my mass-Idol posts to a minimum of one per week for the rest of the tour, unless there is breaking news about any individual artist from Season Seven, as they have taken up so much of this blog over the past 4 or 5 months. Then again, so have Rondsay/Rohan (seems like most people think Rohan is the proper celebrity couple name, but I will continue to label them Rondsay, though it doesn't make much logical sense).

Yesterday was Tuesday, meaning Jason Castro Date Night! Best video blog to date, to be sure. It featured a lounging Jason Castro, who, about halfway through the video, fully laid down in his tremendously laid back ways. Always sexy.

[Courtesy of Jason Castro]
I'm not gonna lie -- I wish I had run into him in Central Park, girlfriend or no.

David Archuleta also blogged yesterday from the bus:
Heeey everyone! Just wanted to say thanks to all of you for voting on Teen Choice Awards for both Cook and me! It was a lot of fun even though we were both pretty tired haha, but that's my first award for an award show! And it's all thanks to you guys! So now I guess I'm getting my first surfboard huh? lol crazy. Anyway I just wanted to thank you guys for an exciting time at the TCA's! You guys have been awesome fans, and you definitely showed it to everyone else that night! After traveling back and forth, coast to coast with a delayed flight haha, we're back in New York and have another show in Long Island tonight. That's all for now though. Talk to you guys later.

I swear it's the lack of sleep that keeps him so stunted. He has a habit of sleeping at 2:30am or later and rising relatively early. Poor, poor kid.

And since we're on the subject of American Idol, I may as well give you an overview of how I thought the concert went:
Chikezie Eze: fantastic job. Chikezie was actually one of my favorites on the show, and I've always thought he was prematurely voted off. He does have an incredibly smooth voice and a great ability to rev a crowd up.

Ramiele Malubay: I'd heard not great things about her set. I stayed for her first number, "I Want You Back" (Jackson 5) and proceeded to spend the rest of her set standing in line for the toilet, as I'd made it into the seats only minutes before Chikezie's set. Someone had to be the martyr, and that was the relatively weak Ramiele, unfortunately. It's not that she's not good -- it's that her voice is soft and pretty, but not rich and full enough to fill such a large arena (which wasn't nearly as large as I remember it being back in 2001!). She lacked energy in her dancing as well, but that can be fixed.

Michael Johns: great. I wasn't really a fan of the "We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You" mash-up, but I loved his rendition of "It's So Wrong, But It's So Right". I'd like to hear more of him doing blues numbers. When he made chatter, he sounded a little worn out, as so many of them did.

Kristy Lee Cook: not bad. She got her set off to a great start with a fun, upbeat number. And then she killed her momentum by singing "God Bless the USA," at least in my opinion. Apparently I'm not the only New Yorker who thought so. It's a kind of touchy subject in the area, but oh well. She did much better than she did on American Idol, but unfortunately, her set did little to make a fan out of me.

Carly Smithson: fantastic. She is so beautiful in person, let's get that out of the way. She really is. Her husband stood in my area throughout the show and was bombarded by fans throughout. I thought she got to show her range far better than she did on the show, from the soft and tender to the screamy. I'm not typically a fan of Evanescence, but she did a phenomenal job on all songs and I left an even bigger fan of hers. Her speaking voice, too, was sandy. I hope they're all taking care of their voices!

Brooke White: funny! Brooke was a lot more personable and funny than I thought she'd be! Her mic stand misbehaved during "1,2,3,4" so she had to stand in a very unnatural position (and stop playing the guitar) to sing into it, but smiled throughout. Afterwards, she made a funny comment about the stand and its issues. I wasn't a fan of her album version of "Yellow", but in person -- with the help of those fuzzy projected stars -- it was touching. Her husband, too, roamed around the sound "booth" section.

Jason Castro: reliable :). He sounded as expected, very laid back. His personality really came through in the chatter. He said that, "People say there are good audiences and bad audiences, but hey, everyone's here for a good time, so there are no bad audiences." (Or some such.) He then introduced "Daydream" with, "Everyone should daydream, because daydreaming is good." I couldn't help but smile.

Syesha Mercado: flawless. Her voice is absolutely flawless. She was indubitably the best voice of the season, but her personality was her downfall. She wasn't particularly personable in concert, but showed off her performance skills like no other. I didn't feel very good about the ice-skating costume of a dress and shoes, but if we're going to stick to talking about her voice, phenomenal.

David Archuleta: soaring. His stage skills could use a little help -- especially with the scripted chatter, but I have nothing bad to say about his actual performances. He was extra cute bouncing extra hard (I think he even bounced himself off his piano bench at one point) on "Angels" and unconsciously made some near-sexy faces while he concentrated on playing the piano. His voice was clear as a bell and beautiful on "When You Say You Love Me." Nothing unexpected.

David Cook: made for the stage. Cook, more than anyone else, had the chance to show off his ability to sell it to a crowd, and he really, really did. His chatter was natural, his performances fun and engaging. Not usually a fan of "My Hero"-type music, but the way he broke the song down made it much more bearable and dare I say fun for the audience. He is definitely a gentleman, pointing out that everyone present was missing out on the Teen Choice Awards, and acknowledged DArchuleta's fans for winning little David the Most Fanatic Fans surfboard. He also looked really good, guyliner and all. One complaint: the mic made his speaking voice unnaturally high (higher than it was on the show and in person when I met him). Distracting, but his singing was still great -- neither Davids' voices were compromised by their day trip to Los Angeles, thank goodness.

I have one thing and one thing only to say about the finale number: get DArchuleta out of that Mormon missionary outfit!

Livin' la vida Lohan

Everyone is talking about Anderson Cooper’s “hit” at the Lohan family this morning on Regis and Kelly. I was watching and didn’t think it was that bad – though Kelly Ripa was quite obviously trying to make amends for Anderson, but then again, I didn’t think saying Michael Johns’ hair looked greasy and that he seemed a little grouchy was all that bad either. (To my defense, he probably was not in the best of the moods, as I heard later on that he was feeling under the weather that day.)

Anyway, back to the livin’ Lohans: apparently Anderson Cooper watches trash television just like the rest of us, and apparently he thinks it is just as trashy as the rest of us.

[Courtesy of, I think, Kelly Ripa. She’s so industrious.]
He makes a number of valid points: the rest of the Lohans are “atrocious” namedroppers, and I don’t think anyone can say – with a straight face – that Ali looks a day younger than 33.

On that other, invisible Lohan: my mother asked me today, “I heard Lindsay’s getting ... married!?”
“Yup, so they say.”
“To who?”
“Samantha Ronson, her girlfriend.”
“Really? Is she a lesbian?”
[Me, who avoids labels when it comes to these sorts of things:] “I don’t know ...”
“I think she’s a bisexual.”

Okay, mom.

I was present at last night’s American Idol tour stop in Long Island, New York, but will save that for a slower news day.

TCA, continued

So while I was perusing the photo agency sites for Teen Choice Awards photos, it came to my attention that the show is ten years old. That means that I was there for the very first awards show, a freshly-minted teen. That means that it should be kind of strange that I am still familiar with more than half of the TCA attendees. Did I watch last year? I can’t remember. The last TCA I remember clearly is the 2003 show, though I’m more than positive that I’ve watched since.

So I’m old. Moving on.

One Tree Hill’s Chad Michael Murray attended last night’s teen shin-dig with his fiancé, Kenzie Dalton. It’s good to see that he hasn’t cheated on her yet, or at the very least hasn’t been caught doing it. At least he’s learned a lesson or two since Sophia Bush. But with her current hairstyle, it has become blaringly apparent that she is a practical clone of Kate Bosworth, am I right or am I right?

Protruding bones aside, Kate Bosworth wins.

Shia LaBeouf, broken hand and all, was either a no-show or avoided photogs and cameras completely.

Lauren Conrad seemed utterly out of place at the awards show, not only in age but in dress. She wore a long, seemingly batik-inspired strapless gown that she herself designed. And she asks why her line didn’t sell? The dress isn’t bad, it’s just ill-fitting for this sort of young and hip event. Well, whatever.

She’s rumored to be seeing My Boys (anything for a My Boys shoutout!) cast member Kyle Howard, who is not only 8 years her senior, but probably not nearly tall enough for her. You might remember him from Disney Channel’s The Paper Brigade -- I know I do. As much as I think Lauren looks like a man, I think she could do better, looks-wise. Good luck with that.

[Photos courtesy of Just Jared and Yahoo!]

Hormones and rainbows rampant at TCAs

I've been too busy indulging in my own vices that I haven't been paying much attention to Young Hollywood. As far as I'm aware, the real world has been thus: a crazy man beheaded a sleeping, innocent bystander on a Greyhound bus in Canada, a very dead, very unidentifiable creature was found on the shore of Montauk in Long Island, and the collective New York mentality is to joke about it and move on, because no one is curious enough to figure out what the hell it is. And would rather accept that it is some Hollywood-type of movie promotion hoax. Christina Applegate has been diagnosed with breast cancer, there are rumors that Samantha Ronson and Lindsay Lohan may be tying the knot later this year (guffaw), and the Teen Choice Awards are being taped tonight in Universal City, CA as we speak.

Thusly:

[Photo courtesy of WireImage]
Are they beaming because they are attracted to one another, or is it because they know full and well that they are fulfilling every fangirl's fantasy? (Next to falling head-over-heels over said girl.) Who knows, but it's nice to see that Zac Efron can afford a smile every once in a while, even if not for Vanessa Hudgens.

While we're on the topic of ZEfron, it's been a long while since I have poked fun at how similar I think/thought he and David Archuleta looked. I still think they do, and am surprised the time-space continuum has not imploded, though I realize that since High School Musical was partially filmed at Murray High School, David's high school, this would have already happened. Or perhaps they missed one another by a few months.

DArchuleta posted a new blog yesterday, enthusiastically thanking his fans for their generally positive response to "Crush". Very endearing.
Hey everyone!! So you might know that "Crush" premiered for the first time on Z100 yesterday! I was SOOOO excited/nervous/anxious for everyone to hear it, and I just can't believe that it was on the radio! It was such an unbelievable moment, and it was like... watching a dream pop out of my mind into reality lol. It's just shocking when I step back and just realize what's really happening, and the possibilities that could be coming. It was so good to hear the comments from the few phone calls that came in right after the song played too, and to know that it wasn't just the teens who were able to relate to it haha. I've been looking at comments and listening to some of the messages people leave and I just wanna thank everyone A TON for leaving your comments and knowing that you like the song. It means so incredibly much to me I don't think you have any idea. Thank you thank you thank you thank you! lol. I was nervous about how it might be a song that would only relate to everyone around my age, but I realized EVERYONE has crushes or have had them. haha. But ah! I'm so excited to know you guys like it :).

I'm just here on the bus on our way to the Atlantic City show in New Jersey. So that's what we have for today. Then tomorrow Cook and I are headed to the Teen Choice Awards and will be presenting an award. It'll be pretty crazy doing all the travelling and getting up early and getting back late, but it'll also be a lot of fun! haha. Anyway that's it for now. Thanks so much everyone again for everything!

I punctuate this entry with this unfortunate "magic rainbow":

[Photo courtesy of WireImage]

David Archuleta, "Crush"

[Photo courtesy of Z100.com]
So David Archuleta was just in-studio at New York City's Z100, where he premiered his first single, "Crush". Apparently the studio technicians were mixing it till late last night and David had never heard the new version himself.

The non-final mix is up at Elvis Duran's site at Z100.com.

Initial reaction: it's definitely not what I expected, given its bubblegummy name. Despite being a huge fan of DArchuleta, I was fully expecting a really upbeat, poppy song, but this has R&B inflections and the lyrics aren't nearly as immature as I thought they could've been. I like it a lot, especially the first verse, as the lyrics get a little redundant later on in the song. My only real quip with the song is its pop song formula of ABCBD(or in this case A+)BB which, though I knew it would be a pop song, doesn't quite resonate with my impressions of him. Meaning: I'm not sure ending the song with the chorus twice in concert would be very engaging, but since DArchuleta is known to switch things up, I'm not too worried.

Here are the lyrics, which had misspellings on the Z100 website that I corrected:

Crush

I hung up the phone tonight, something happened for the first time
Deep inside it was a rush, what a rush
Cause the possibility that you would ever feel the same way
About me, it's just too much, just too much
Why do I keep running from the truth, all I ever think about is you
You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized, and I just got to know

Chorus
Do you ever think, when you're all alone
All that we can be, where this thing can go
Am I crazy or falling in love, is it real or just another crush
Do you catch your breath when I look at you
Are you holding back like the way I do
Cause I'm tryin', tryin' to walk away
But I know this crush ain't goin' away, goin' away

Has it ever crossed your mind when we're hangin'
Spending time girl, are we just friends
Is there more, is there more
See it's a chance we've gotta take cause I believe that we can make this into
Something that will last, last forever, forever

Bridge
Why do I keep running from the truth (why do I keep running), all I ever think about is you (all I ever think about)
You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized, and I just got to know

Chorus 2Xs

Lastly, I've been listening to Z100 since I was twelve and that was probably the least circumspect and calculated interview I've ever heard on the station. He called his Spanish "broken" and said that he'd been "jittery" since after last night's concert in Newark over the premiere. He was surrounded, apparently, by a gospel choir at the San Diego American Idol auditions last summer. His favorite song to play on Guitar Hero was "YYZ", and he played, of course, on Expert level. Of note, when asked "How long did you stand on line" when auditioning for American Idol, he asked, "How long did I stand in line?" Ah, the regional nuances at play.

He will join the rest of the Idols at the Nasdaq MarketSite's closing bell today at 4pm, which you can watch online.

Encounter: American Idols 2008

Note: Hi everyone who has stumbled across this page looking for juicy stuff on the Idols from the July 30th stop. Like I say in this, my personal encounters with the four Idols were nothing to write home about. I was not prepared to talk to three of four of the Idols that I met, and really, I was there for David Archuleta, Jason Castro, Chikezie and Carly -- three of whom didn't end up coming out. That said, you should understand when reading this that this is a celebrity gossip blog and it's meant to be a little tongue-in-cheek. And yes, I am a fangirl -- as evidenced by my frequent posts on all my favorite pop culture icons. So with that preface, I hope that you can take my half-satirical summary as it is and just enjoy the photos!

Today, I went where I hardly ever go -- and that is on a mission to seek out celebrities. My story is not particularly interesting as I didn't really have any full-on conversations with any of them, but I thought I'd share anyway.

I'll skip all the gory details about finding the line and waiting two hours in the beating near-August sun. The buses seemed to have been kept overnight at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ (I heard the Idols are staying in New York City for the week), and left to pick up the Idols. The buses arrived back with the Idols in tow at 1:30pm -- approximately an hour later than scheduled, and the Idols began trickling out at 2pm.

First to show were Kristy Lee Cook and David Archuleta. I practically missed Kristy Lee as she blended in with the fan demographic quite well (despite my being perched next to an exuberant group of Cook Cougars -- the Original Word Nerds). My initial expectations for her were not high -- that she'd pretty much come across as she did on the show: somewhat calculated, smart and not particularly friendly. But then I read about how sweet, nice and gorgeous she was in person. Well, after meeting her, I'd say maybe it'd be fair to give her the benefit of the doubt. She wasn't really snobbish or anything, but she didn't particularly seem to want to be there. She signed an autograph for me when I asked (I didn't bother taking a photo, though I realized I probably should've afterwards and got her backside) and added a star to her initials. She looks exactly as I imagined she'd look: tall and athletic. At one point I heard her say that she hadn't slept well the night before and that it was hot, though she was grateful it wasn't raining. She complained about how her hair wasn't behaving and took it out of her bun, flipped it and retied it. I think this would have been much more appreciated if there were guys there.

David Archuleta started at the end of the line and sped, sped through. There must've been at least 200 people there, and while the other Idols took a good 40 minutes to make their way down the line, little DArchuleta completed the obstacle in 18. I think maybe he had some press obligations to take care of -- having watched most of the bus videos from the other tour stops, I'd argue that he was the most rushed he's ever been.

Having decided only yesterday afternoon to make the journey out to New Jersey to participate in this less-than-savory activity, I made his "present" in the wee hours of the night, only after not being able to fall asleep. It was a CD mix. Lucky thing I decided to make it for him, otherwise he would've scribbled his name in my book and walked off without saying a thing or giving me a glance. Instead, I got a very croaky (something seemed up with his voice today) "This is for me?" incredulous gaze. (Okay gaze may be overdoing it. Stare?) I responded with an equally high-school "Yeah!" In that moment, it seemed almost ridiculous to me that he would be questioning the present, though cute. In that moment, he seemed very much seventeen to my twenty-three. On another note, some fervent DArchuleta fans have noted his interesting eye color, which is clinically hazel but can be a light, light shade of gray-green at times. Well, today it was definitely hazel. An eerie hazel. I can vouch for that.

He moved swiftly onwards and I didn't have the chance to grab a photo with him, but I snapped plenty of photos of my present practically falling out of one of the gift bags he'd stuffed it in, followed by him rearranging things and deciding to hold my present in his hand for the rest of his 18-T minutes. He spotted a sign down the way that caught his eye and asked a security guard if he could take a photo of it for him. He dug his iPhone out of his pocket, asked the guard if he knew how to use it, and proceeded to show him how to use it. So adorable.

When he reached the end of the line, he asked someone what time it was (2:30) and decided that he had a few minutes to spare. He said, "Well, I guess I can just stand here ... and you can take pictures or something" and laughed. Classic David, but no one seemed to revel in his humor. The largely teeny crowd screamed and immediately got off to clicking. And then he disappeared -- but not before several girls grabbed at him and got hugs out of the kid.

Next was Michael Johns. I had nothing to say to him, really, and he seemed a little grouchy. [ETA: He wasn't grouchy per se -- just lacked the sense of humor one typically expects from him. And I'm not basing this off of my interactions with him, as those were virtually non-existent.] I got a photo of him signing my book instead of attempting to converse with him. His hair looks a little greasy, but I like the length.

And then it was David Cook, who I got plenty of great photos of. Everyone took their time to get through the fans, unlike DArchuleta, so I was able to capture some pretty great photos. The Word Nerds beside me really captured his attention -- one of them gave him a mix CD of some sort that he really and I mean REALLY appreciated. He squeezed her for a good thirty seconds. And then asked her where she was sitting so he'd look for her. I documented his reaction to the album, as well as to the bouquet of flowers another fan gave him -- with which he pretended he was a pageant queen.



I had nothing much to say to David Cook -- I thought about mentioning the fact that he went to the same college as my mom, but I thought that'd be uber lame, so I just thanked him after he'd signed my book. "Thank you so much!" was his response.

While we waited for Brooke White and Ramiele Malubay to make their rounds, they were whisked away by security for press of some sort. Ramiele was ... short and had a ton of eye makeup on (especially for this weather). Brooke had really, really bright blue eyes and really looked like a ray of sunshine.

I was told no one else would come out and left. A little disappointing, as after DArchuleta, I was fully prepared to meet Jason Castro, Chikezie and Carly Smithson, but at least I got a "gaze" out of DArchuleta.

I usually go a little hog-wild over celebrity encounters (eg: Annie Leibovitz), but for some reason, the Idols did very little for me. Probably because I had nothing to say to them on the whole and wasn't at all engaged in real interaction with three of four. They behaved and looked exactly as I expected them to, except for DArchuleta's especial frogginess.

Pinched noses and paper roses

David Archuleta is quickly catching up to Jason Castro in terms of frequency of blogs. In fact, he may have surpassed him, though he is nowhere near as consistent as Mr. Future Fantastic Husband.

DArchuleta blogged twice in a three-day span: first on July 26th, from Toronto, Canada. (Yes, apparently American Idol has fans in Canada, too. It’s a pity Canadian Idol doesn’t have enough of a fan following to have a concert stop in the U.S.!) Filmed shortly after waking, David is adorable as can be and a little slow with the words, though he claims that “I guess I wouldn't make too much more sense if I was awake either.” He then said he’d “try to make another one as soon as possible” – on the next day off.

[Courtesy of David Archuleta]
He may not be as consistent when it comes to the calendar, but he kept his promise and uploaded another video blog in the wee hours of this morning (Jason Castro’s Date Night!) from Pittsburgh (Picksburgh!), Pennsylvania. A terribly insubstantial blog, but cute because he seems to find what he is saying interesting. He and Jason went jogging by the river and kayaking. One wonders why they can’t spend their time together making goofy video blogs.

Well, to be fair, David mentioned that he was disappointed that neither he nor Jason had remembered to bring their video cameras along, because it would have made for a wondiferous vlog. My words, not his. Anyway, on with the show:

[Courtesy of David Archuleta]
... which brings us to the ever reliable Jason Castro. He arranged what was, arguably, the best Date Night since the one he showed up to in his trusty, crusty bathrobe: he had a tableclothed table, flowers, candles and a menu set up and everything! And an actual photo-representation of his date! If that’s not consistency and dedication, I don’t know what is.

[Courtesy of Jason Castro]
Oh Jason, how I’ll miss our Date Nights after the tour ends ...

And since I feel I’ve been neglecting my favorite lovebirds, here is my favorite offensive photo(s) of the day: Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson pinching their noses as a homeless man passes them by on the streets of New York City.

[Photo courtesy of WireImage]
Today, the couple returned to Los Angeles and Sam revealed a new hairstyle. Gone is the bleach blond hair!

Fall "It Girl" Predictions

If you know me, you know I love making lists. It's midday and I'm a little bored by the gossip mill, so here goes nothing. It's pretty standard (aka pointless) as far as lists go:


[Photo courtesy of BuddyTV]
Five "It" Girls to Watch Out For
* You know I only really pay attention to Young Hollywood, so get out of your head any ideas of a balanced list

90210
I have a confession to make. I never watched Beverly Hills 90210 when I was younger. I was five when the show began and never cared to engage in the bitch-slapping that the commercials always featured. I caught maybe one episode (but only because Kids Incorporated star Haylie Johnson guest-starred) and that was that. So I am coming to this fall's 90210 with a blank slate, and let me tell you -- if the dialogue is bitchy, I can put them on mute. The cast is hot enough to watch based on that criterion alone. This is precisely how I feel about One Tree Hill and look, that's still on the air!

Jessica Stroup
I'm keeping my eye on Jessica Stroup. For some reason or another, I keep thinking she's Canadian -- probably because she reminds me slightly of Canadian supermodel Heather Marks. In any case, the girl seems to have shed some pounds before relocating to 90210 and is smokin' now.

Shenae Grimes
Okay, if it weren't for my internship at The N some summers ago, I'd honestly have no idea who this girl was. So it's a good thing that she's "made it" in Primetime America. Because she's possibly one of the most gorgeous faces on television today. That's just my opinion. If people haven't noticed her yet, I think they will this fall ...

Disney

Selena Gomez
Really, she should have really made it big by now. But with Miley Cyrus constantly digging herself into a deeper and deeper hole, Disney will probably try to push Selena to the forefront. At the risk of sounding slightly perverted, Selena really has the entire package: she's got a very appealing face, an incredible sense of fashion for someone her age (guess she has the money), her metabolism is still speeding along, and she can pretty much rival (or surpass) Miley in carrying a tune.

Gossip Girl
So these girls have been on the show for one season already, but I think their celebrity status will only rise as they are given juicier story lines and fame goes to their head:

Taylor Momsen
A lot of people seem to hate her. Or her character Jenny. I think this coming season will gain her a new fan or two, with new plotlines and -- hopefully -- her stepping away from Blair Waldorf's limelight. I'm looking forward to Taylor's escapades as a fifteen-year-old girl in the Big City, too.

Jessica Szohr
I think as the starlight wanes from Blake Lively, the focus will turn a little towards Jessica Szohr. Because, face it, she is drop-dead gorgeous. I'm not sure why people haven't given her the time of day yet. Maybe it has to do with the fact that her character Vanessa is nothing short of annoying. Vanessa's hook-up with Nate (that's what it looks like, right?) will likely polarize audiences, but my hope is it'll give her some much-needed screen time.

Hit-or-Miss

Kristen Stewart
In theory, this should be Kristen Stewart's year: she's starring in the much-awaited Twilight, due out in mid-December. The fame is hers for the taking, but I'm not sure it's what she wants. She may manage to allude the spotlight in the way Natalie Portman, etc. have.

Kat Dennings
In a slew of Michael Cera-led (or -esque) "indie" teen films to hit the big screen this year, Kat Dennings is co-starring with Cera in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. This movie should be a hit with the kids, but I'm not sure what it means for Kat Dennings. She's probably best-known for her role on that awful WB show, "Raising Dad". She's a very beautiful girl -- a white-collar man's Megan Fox, if you will -- and probably has decent acting chops, but sometimes the star machine malfunctions.

Emma Stone
I'm not sure The House Bunny and last year's Superbad are enough to propel her into IT girl territory, but I do have a good feeling about this one. One to keep in the incubator for a little while longer.

Chelsea Straub
If it weren't for the constant speculation on who Joe Jonas has been dating, I would never have heard of this girl. But since, apparently, the Jonas Brothers will have a television show (set to premiere in September), this girl is bound to shoot to at least semi-stardom. That's all I really know about her, really. She's blonde and not hideous, and that's enough these days if you're in the Jonas Brothers' social circle.

Big Deals
I think the film Towelhead/Nothing is Private will score rave reviews this coming fall, but will not produce any brand-spanking new stars. Summer Bishil stars as Jasira, but I fear she will fall into Keisha Castle-Hughes territory -- minus the baby at 16. This is a film based on a novel by Alicia Erian, a former visiting-professor at my college. I interviewed her for the newspaper in 2005 and she seemed keen on Toni Collette as an actress. It's great to see that they nabbed Toni for this film.

Missed the Boat
Some will never achieve the fame to which they aspire. At least not through non-scandalous means:

High School Musical
Zac Efron has taken full advantage of the ride and will likely go on to do bigger and better things before he falls flat at twenty-five and decides to pursue a degree. Glasses-girl Oleysa Rulin might be able to nab herself a role or two before spinning downwards into alcoholism and 24/7 partying. Lucas Grabeel was always destined for more serious roles. And for the rest of the folk, this is the end of the road.

Ashley Tisdale
I see that she was an executive producer on her latest straight-to-DVD film, Picture This. I also see her guest-starring on some decent television shows before hanging her coat up and throwing her efforts towards a Kohl's and/or Kitson fashion line and "producing" some second-rate films.

Vanessa Hudgens
This is really the end of the road for her, much more so than for Ashley Tisdale. Vanessa seems to have spent most of her time on the wild HSM ride securing herself a hot boyfriend (whose handsome looks, by the way, are quickly fading) and not building up her resume. Once ZEfron drops her like a hot potato, she'll have nothing. A couple of Disney appearances, at best. Maybe she'll be smart enough to go back to school.

Demi Lovato
I'm really on the fence about this one. It seems if her star hasn't supernovaed yet, it's not going to. She'll probably hit the tour circuit for another season or two, go back to school, and reemerge a stunning beaut and gain some fame in the indie flick world. It's okay, she's only fifteen. She can always blame her reckless (and embarrassing) behavior for being "only fifteen" later on.

Downgrades

[Photo courtesy of TMZ[
Wow, it’s come to my attention that I have not expressed my love for Shia LaBeouf here. Too bad it has to come on the heels of his second arrest, for a DUI at 2:45am this morning in Hollywood. Even worse, he made an illegal left turn and collided with another car, resulting in an overturned vehicle (his) and a hand injury that requires surgery. The driver of the other car suffered minor injuries as well.

Poor baby. Sadly, I’m thinking “It could’ve been worse.”

Los Angeles needs a better public transportation system so these stars can get as trashed as they want and not have to worry about driving. Imagine the underground system being the place to see and be seen!

Yeah, it’s never happening.

So apparently Miley Cyrus has a crush on Jesse McCartney. Last week (and in months past), we heard that she had a thing for David Archuleta. So she doesn’t seem to have a type, other than PY Disneyesque thangs. Things she can deflower, maybe? Upon hearing the “news”, JMac said, “She needs to be able to drive first before we talk about that” but if Miley were to ask him out, “I’d say, ‘sure, let’s do this.’”

Yikes. I’m not sure if this is a downgrade from Danity Kane’s Aubrey O’Day or not. But both are a significant downgrade from Katie Cassidy. But JMac himself has downgraded, so all this is expected.

And Samantha Ronson half-confirmed her relationship with Lindsay Lohan today on her blog, whilst listening to Lindsay’s song “Rumors”:
ok- so i don't make reference to most of the crap said but every now and then my patience wears a little bit thin----

from page 6 today

ALI Lohan is trying to make it big with her new single, "All the Way Around," but she's not getting any help from her big sister's girlfriend. Samantha Ronson, who's been dating Lindsay Lohan for several months, refuses to play the single during her DJ gigs. When Ronson played the Sephora party at the Angel Orensanz Foundation last week, a spy said, "[Mom] Dina showed up with a copy of the song for Sam to play - but she refused. The song is really bad."

She lists her quips with the blurb, never denying that she and Lindsay are a couple. She justifies her comment, again, but saying: i wouldn't be responding to this one- but i'm afraid that people might actually believe that and that's not fair to Ali. She's 14 years old- high school is bad enough- do tabloids really need to torture teenagers as well?

well then- with that out of the way- I hope you are all well and check out the single on itunes- it's a great f***ing pop song!

Let’s look at it this way: the only reason anyone who isn’t blood would defend the youngest bitch, Ali, is if she’s dating Ali’s older sister!

Belly Farts and Magic Rainbows

[Photo courtesy of Love B. Scott]
Things are swell in Rondsayland! It turns out that Lindsay Lohan was indeed present at Shrine in Ledyard, Connecticut last night – by Samantha Ronson’s side at her DJ gig. According to New York’s Daily News, Lindsay stayed quiet for most of the night, despite stealing a photog’s camera and snapping photos of random clubgoers (she took an especially large batch of photos of the group next to the booth – a potential threat to her relationship, perhaps? – reason being “they look the sketchiest”). She also managed to squeeze a couple of small, but insignificant words in before the night was over. When the party wound down and the crowd chanted SamRo’s name, Lindsay grabbed the mic and yelled, “She’s taken!” She proceeded to leave in a bit of a huff. Seems like Lilo might be back to her jealous ways now that everyone’s onto her lady love.

Lindsay’s friends spoke to People magazine, telling it that they hadn’t “seen Lindsay this truly happy in years” and that Sam and Lindsay would “spend every second of every day together if time allowed ... There are no red flags, no ‘issues.’ They just want to enjoy their life together.” According to another friend, it seems that they aren’t afraid of showing it, either: “They say ’I love you’ all the time – they’ll scream it across a public room ... For Lindsay, it’s not about being gay – it’s about being in love with Samantha. They couldn’t care less what anyone thinks of them as long as they have each other.”

Isn’t that what love always should be?

Terrible Twos

It’s being reported that Sean “P. Diddy” Combs is engaged to his protégé Cassie!? Cassie, a former Delia*s model and two-hit wonder, is a mere twenty-one years of age (twenty-two in a month) to thirty-eight year-old Diddy. This rumor comes just two weeks after she confirmed that she and Diddy were no longer. I didn’t even realize they were dating, but skeptic that I am, I’m thinking this must be a publicity stunt towards the first single from her new album, scheduled to be released on August 1st.

USA Today has video up of the American Idol tour, behind the scenes a few days ago in Rosemont, Illinois. It’s kind of uncanny, as it is narrated by a booming voice that is obviously neither interested his subjects nor interesting to listen to. He manages to make the Idol tour sound like behind-the-scenes with Brian Williams or something. But it affords several choice moments, including one where Kristy Lee Cook and Brooke White sing Selena’s “Dreaming of You”, with David Archuleta joining in, albeit very briefly. (He’s trying to preserve his heterosexuality, don’t you know? The LDS Church is watching with hawk eyes and marking his every move.) Carly Smithson drives like a maniac, leaving me to wonder whether the little gray spot in the corner is not, in fact, a crumpled Michael Johns suffering in pain after having fallen off the golf cart. But the booming, monotonous voice assures us that life goes on.


[Photo courtesy of Samantha Ronson’s MySpace]
So it seems that Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson are doing a little tour of their own this summer. Just a day after rumors circulated about a possible breakup (so petty I will not rehash the details), it appears that Lindsay will be joining Samantha on a number of DJ gigs on the East Coast and beyond. A fine trade-off, seeing as Sam offered love and support practically every day Lindsay was on the Labor Pains set. Last night, the pair was in Boston, but Lindsay was nowhere to be found at The Estate.

Tonight, they/Sam appears at Shrine in Ledyard, Connecticut. Lindsay is, of course, hovering somewhere nearby.

Sipping on champagne and downing "buckets of green tea".

My mama told me to look away

Loads of videos and sleaze to share, but videos first.

The trailer for The Hills, season four is out now:

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

[Courtesy of MTV]
There are new boys in the mix, including Laguna Beach Casey Reinhardt’s older brother, Doug. The season doesn’t look very promising to me, other than Audrina Patridge finally getting her bitch on and Heidi Montag’s sister making a cameo or two.

As with Season 3 and 3/4s, I’m Team Whitney and Audrina here.

Another extremely random video – this time of an eleven-year-old Angelina Jolie humiliating herself at video karaoke with her pals:

[Courtesy of YouTube user “therealangelah”]
Horrifically embarrassing, and I don’t blush.

Also embarrassing, though in an entertaining way: the new photos of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens vacationing last week in the Turks and Caicos. At times it looks like ZEfron might actually give a damn about Vanessa.

At others, he lets her do her thing. And doesn’t seem to enjoy it very much.


[Photos courtesy of Zac-Pictures.com]

Consistency is good

[Photo courtesy of Jason Castro]
The American Idol Top Ten are making news faster than I can keep up. Yesterday, as expected, was Date Night with Jason Castro. He wore a boutonniere and everything:

[Courtesy of the always reliable Jason Castro]
... speaking of Jason Castro, he seems to have attempted to do a sexy dance of his own at a Meet and Greet recently. Michael Johns also debuted a new sexy dance. Mmm.

[Courtesy of MySpace user Remembering Amber]
We’ve all been waiting at the edge of our seats for Jason and David Archuleta to do a video blog together, especially after both Jason and David reportedly told fans – separately – that they were both up for it and wanted to. But DArchuleta, in his especially chatty blog entry yesterday, admitted he actually wasn’t too “fond” of it, but wanted to do them anyway because he feels “lame” just doing written blogs:

Hey all! We're here at the Indianapolis venue and I just finished signing stuff for everyone who's outside before the show. They were really laid back and organized so it was really nice to sign stuff for them and not hectic haha. Actually the last few cities we've gone to have been like that, so thanks guys for keeping things nice and smooth for us to get to everyone outside! Well at least before the show because I never get to everyone after the show, it's always CRAZY after the show haha. Anyway yesterday we had a big marquis/net jet meet and greet signing yesterday in Columbus Ohio. I've never signed so many pictures in my life haha. We all shortened our names to like 3 letters at certain points because they were just coming so fast. When we got to Indianapolis Brooke, Carly, Kristy, Jason and I had dinner. I got a salad which was really good haha. Then Carly, Kristy, Jason, Michael Johns, Chikezie, some other people from tour and I went to see The Dark Knight. So that Batman movie was pretty much AMAZING. I can't believe how good it was and so well done. It's a movie I would go see again, which is weird for me because I rarely see movies again, but that's one heck of a movie. I can't get over how good it was. Oh and there was a big thunderstorm too, so Kristy and Jason ran through the rain back while the rest of us went through the mall here that is like connected to the hotel. But it was a blast. So I'll try to get another video blog up sometime, but I'm not too fond of them since it took me forever to figure out how to do it last time haha. They also don't load up until like a day late so it's not really up to date when it comes out. But I still like doing them haha. Anyway I'll let you guys know what else is up again. Hasta luego.