Celebrity Mound

U.S. Senator John Kerry’s elder daughter, Alexandra, who made a red-carpet splash at the Cannes film festival five years ago in a see-through dress, was arrested in Hollywood on Thursday on suspicion of drunken driving.

The 36-year-old aspiring filmmaker was stopped by police, jailed briefly on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence and released on $5,000 bail, Los Angeles police said.

A statement issued on behalf of the Massachusetts senator and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, said Kerry’s daughter was pulled over for an expired automobile registration “and was released after the results of a breathalyzer test at the police station were under the legal limit.”

“Senator Kerry supports his daughter and will have no further comment on a private matter,” the statement said.

Celebrity news website TMZ.com reported that Kerry was stopped for a traffic violation and placed under arrest after failing a field sobriety test. According to TMZ, she refused to take a preliminary alcohol screening test at the scene, before a formal blood-alcohol test conducted later at the police station showed her to be just under the legal limit.

Police can still arrest a person on suspicion of drunken driving if officers believe the motorist is impaired.

“It depends on the expertise and opinions of the officers at the time,” said police spokesman Gus Villanueva..

The case was later turned over to prosecutors who will decide whether to formally charge Kerry or dismiss the matter. A spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office said the case was under review.

Kerry raised eyebrows during her father’s unsuccessful White House campaign with an appearance in a see-through gown at the Cannes film festival, where her short film, “The Last Full Measure,” premiered that year.

According to the Internet Movie Database, she is in pre-production as co-writer and director of a film based on Jessica Shattuck’s novel “The Hazards of Good Breeding.”

Kerry had minor roles as an actor in the David Mamet films “State and Main” and “Spartan.” She also appeared in several episodes of the short-lived TV political drama “Mr. Sterling,” which starred Josh Brolin.

An Illinois insurance executive accused of secretly making nude videos of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews is expected to make his first court appearance Friday.

Michael Barrett was due in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to face one count of interstate stalking. He is free on $4,500 bond and scheduled to be arraigned in the same courtroom on Monday.

The 47-year-old Barrett is charged with making videos of Andrews through the peephole in her hotel room door, and federal prosecutors say he uploaded to the Internet nude videos of other women also made through peepholes.

Prosecutors add Barrett tried to sell the Andrews videos to celebrity gossip site TMZ.

Interstate stalking carries a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

The woman who bore twin girls for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick said Thursday that she was living in a West Virginia motel around the time a police chief is accused of breaking into her eastern Ohio home.

Michelle Ross, 26, testified that ultrasound photos, surrogacy files and tax information were gone when she returned, that someone had riffled through photos; and that a plaster cast of her abdomen from when she was pregnant with her own son was misplaced.

Ross’ testimony came in the trial in Belmont County Common Pleas Court of suspended Police Chief Barry Carpenter of Martins Ferry, where Ross lived. He is accused of breaking into her home in May and then trying to sell items related to the pregnancy to paparazzi, with the help of Police Chief Chad Dojack of neighboring Bridgeport.

Ross said the surrogacy agency moved her to the motel in May, when she was eight to nine months pregnant and uncomfortable. She said she had been a surrogate once before and had moved to Ohio from Florida.

Ross said she was not living in the home when a celebrity photographer contacted her to tell her the chiefs and others were trying to sell her personal items.

When asked by a defense attorney why she wrote about her surrogacy on MySpace.com, Ross said she was allowed to discuss it but couldn’t say for whom she was carrying.

Ross said the surrogacy agency moved her to a series of cabins after it became known that she was Parker’s surrogate. She said she lived in a hotel in Wheeling, W.Va., with her dog, cats and a python just before giving birth, while her son stayed with relatives.

She said she later delivered the twins in an emergency cesarean section.

Earlier Thursday, prosecutors played audio tapes of an investigator’s interview with Carpenter in which the chief said he entered the woman’s home because he saw the basement door wide open.

A police officer later testified that Carpenter, 32, told him, “I didn’t take anything out of that house.”

The tapes show Carpenter laughed when a state agent told him about the criminal investigation and later began crying during questioning.

Carpenter said on the tapes that he saw some “off the wall” items inside, including the plaster abdominal cast, when he entered Ross’ home, and that he secured it and left.

Carpenter said Dojack called him and said paparazzi wanted information about the surrogate and would pay $20,000 for items. He said that he talked to the Belmont County prosecutor about it and that he didn’t want anything to do with the photographers.

“They did hound me, and they were really wanting this stuff,” Carpenter said.

The prosecutor, Chris Berhalter, testified that Carpenter called him to talk about a photo taken at Ross’ home.

On the tapes, Carpenter told the investigator that he met with the photographers to tell them Ross did not live in the city anymore and that he refused to sell them anything.

When the investigator told Carpenter: “We have taped conversations of you offering to sell those items to paparazzi,” the chief said he was joking.

A celebrity photographer testified Tuesday that Carpenter told him he had access to items belonging to Ross and that he never thought the chief was joking.

Carpenter faces several felony charges, including burglary, receiving stolen property and theft in office. He could face 21 1/2 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Dojack faces counts of complicity to burglary and complicity to receiving stolen property. His trial is set for January.

Parker, star of TV’s “Sex and the City,” and film actor Broderick are raising the twin girls, named Tabitha and Marion. They are not expected to testify.

Heidi Klum and her post-baby body led the parade at the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show, which returned to New York with some fresh faces after four years on the road.

The lingerie retailer inducted five more women into its “Angel” ranks – a designation reserved for top models – in front of a packed house Thursday night at the Lexington Avenue Armory. They are Emanuela de Paula, Chanel Iman, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Lindsay Ellingson and Candice Swanepoel.

But Klum, who gave birth to a daughter five weeks ago, was the audience favorite in her purple corset covered with a half gown with poufs of tulle. She emerged from the huge, castlelike set to applause.

Musical guest The Black Eyed Peas – especially Fergie, its only female member, who wore a black, jeweled bodysuit – was another crowd-pleaser. Fergie came out later in a green corset gown.

Of course, fashion really is secondary here. Victoria’s Secret always puts on an elaborate production (this time with a choir, acrobatic dancers and a giant polka-dot dog balloon) and fuels hype about its models. An online model search started earlier this month and is now down to two contestants, one of whom will be chosen by the public to appear in the televised version of the fashion show that CBS will air Dec. 1.

“I could watch this online, but it’s a fun scene,” said Russell Simmons from his front row seat. “This show is always fun and a great production.”

“It’s always a spectacular,” agreed costume designer Patricia Field. “Victoria’s Secret does that extra thing I like.”

Klum, who normally wears the most elaborate outfits, only appeared once, so it was former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover girl Marissa Miller who had the honor of wearing a $3 million, diamond-encrusted bra.

Splashy jewels, it seemed, were one of the themes of the show with many models dripping in diamonds, crystals and other bling. Others wore faux fur stoles over their bras and panties. Thigh-high boots were the other must-have accessory.

Outfits fell into one of four themes: Star Trooper with breast plates and body armor; Pink Planet, which had a hippie vibe; the ethereal Enchanted Forest; and Romantic Journey that featured a lot of lace.

Compared to previous years, the overall collection didn’t seem as skimpy, although Miranda Kerr wore an itsy-bitsy black thong get-up that might have to be edited out of the TV show.

Wearing a floor-length pastel striped evening gown, Sandra Bullock walked the red carpet in New Orleans Thursday for a special premiere of her latest film, “The Blind Side.”

Besides promoting the sports drama, which opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, the event also served as a fundraiser for a New Orleans high school flooded by Hurricane Katrina.

Since the 2005 storm, Bullock has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Warren Easton High School, one of the city’s oldest public schools, which took on 10 feet of water when the levee protection system broke during Katrina.

The donations have been used for renovations, scholarships, new band uniforms and a new health clinic.

“We’re investing in a lot of things that we think need preserving,” said Bullock, who recently bought a mansion in New Orleans’ historic Garden District. “I’m a great supporter of New Orleans and its architecture.”

Bullock signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans before taking her walk down the red carpet outside the Prytania Theater, one of Louisiana’s only single-screen movie theaters and one of New Orleans’ oldest. It opened in 1915.

Bullock hosted the invitation-only event with Warner Bros., the studio distributing the film. She said New Orleans was the perfect place to premiere “The Blind Side,” which is based on a book written by city native Michael Lewis.

The book and film chronicle the real-life story of Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher, who, as a homeless and rudderless teen in Memphis, Tenn., was taken in by the wealthy Tuohy family and enrolled in private school. He went on to become an All-American at Ole Miss and a first-round selection of the Ravens in the 2009 draft.

“It’s about people giving because they know it’s the right thing to do,” said Bullock, who plays Leigh Anne Tuohy, a mother who “took in someone who was cold, a child who was cold … gave him shelter and food and showed him love.”

The real Leigh Anne Tuohy and other members of her family attended the premiere, along with Lewis, the film’s writer-director John Lee Hancock, producer Gil Netter and actor Quinton Aaron, who debuts in the film as Oher.

Aaron said he felt a strong connection to the character.

“We were both the biggest kids in school but we were gentle souls. We just had big feet,” said Aaron. “I wanted this project so bad. I still have butterflies.”

Several members of the New Orleans Saints also showed up.

“It’s a film about football and perseverance. I’m excited to be here,” said quarterback Drew Brees, who was with his wife, Brittany.

Brees said he appreciates what Bullock has done to bring attention to the city and its ongoing recovery. “She has really adopted this town,” he said.

“The Blind Side” also stars country star Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, Lily Collins and Jae Head.

When Demi Moore appeared on the December cover of W magazine, she drew admiring glances for her slender figure and flawless skin.

But while most readers are used to a little airbrushing and touch-up on the covers, it appears the 47-year-old has fallen foul of an over-enthusiastic Photoshopper.

A chunk of her thigh appears to have been digitally removed from the cover between her hip bone and a casually draped sarong.
There is a good chunk missing from what was her left thigh (smaller photo). Underneath the sarong, the thigh continues but appears to be bulging out an inch more than the photoshopped area.

The mistake was pointed out by eagle-eye commentators and has been the subject of hot discussion on the internet.

According to Jezebel.com, W magazine claimed any retouching was done in-house by the staff of photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

And a spokesperson added the photographers ‘did not do anything unusual or out of the ordinary on Demi Moore for the photo on the cover of W.

‘Demi is an extraordinary beautiful woman and we feel our cover reflects that.’

The actress, who is wearing a Balmain metal mesh and leather dress, was labelled a Demi Goddess in the accompanying article.

And, as many internet bloggers and commentators have pointed out, Demi looks so slender on the red carpet that there has been speculation that she had gone under the knife.

So why the designers cut out a section of her hip remains a mystery.

(source)

Khloe Kardashian and designer Rachel Pally

It seems breast implants have pretty much become synonymous with Hollywood, and despite being the ultimate “it” girl that’s one place Paris Hilton hasn’t ventured into – although her mom Kathy Hilton said her daughter almost gave into the Tinseltown temptation.

“At one point she was like ‘I wanna do this and that, I’m so flat!’ but then all of a sudden she was like ‘I love it. I don’t care. I love it’,” Kathy told Tarts at the launch of Paris’s new all-in-one hair tool the “Celebrity Styler” at the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills on Tuesday night. “I’m proud of that; I think that’s really nice.”

But according to Ms. Hilton, the thought never really crossed her mind.

“I’m way too scared, I hate needles and I hate blood. I’m a really big fan of the show ‘Nip/Tuck’ so I see how it happens,” she said. “I’m just too scared. I’m happy with the way I am.”

And despite her reputation as the ultimate perennial party princess, Hilton insisted that a typical day in her life begins in the early hours.

“Every day is different; I usually get up at 7 a.m. and start doing my calls – talking to people in London or Japan. And then I have a meeting with my whole team and we talk about everything that’s going on with all the brands,” she said. “Then I could either have a photo shoot or I’m in the studio working on the album or I’m shooting something for one of my shows. It’s always jam-packed with a lot in my schedule.”

However this seemingly glamorous existence in the spotlight is a far cry from what mom Kathy thought her 28-year-old daughter would be leading …

“She was really into animals and I thought she would end up being a veterinarian. She was a tomboy, she used to love to hunt for lizards and snails and go on hikes and go fishing with her dad,” Kathy added. “She is a really sweet girl and has feelings too and she can be shy. People go ‘what?’ but she really can be, she’s caring of other people.”

But despite Paris’s PDA with boyfriend Doug Reinhardt at the event (daddy Rick Hilton told us he was “such a respectful guy” and he even gushed that marriage could be on the cards and that they were very “serious”) but did thing turns sour a few hours later?

According to TMZ, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a drunken argument between the two on the driveway of Hilton’s Hollywood Hills home in the wee hours of Wednesday in which Hilton was reportedly screaming at Reinhardt not to leave and they started shoving one another.

But the hotel heiress has since come forward and claimed it was a case of mistaken identity. A rep for Hilton said that they had nothing to do with the altercation and it was in fact Doug’s house guests that had the heated fight.

A&M Records is putting a lot of effort — and a ton of money — into the promotion of Janet Jackson’s new greatest hits album, and with good reason. A source tells us the label quietly signed the pop star to a new recording contract last month.

“A&M wants this CD to remind people how great Janet is,” says a snitch. “They’re hoping it’ll whet the public’s appetite for Janet and pave the way for her new music.”

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Jackson — and perhaps an attempt to reclaim her glory days: She began her career at A&M at 16 and had her biggest U.S. hit under their management: “Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814″ moved a whopping 8.5 million units in 1989.

Unfortunately, Miz Jackson didn’t have quite the same luck at Virgin Records. She moved to the label in 1991 and started off with a handful of successful CDs, but 2004’s “Damita Jo” and 2006’s “20 Y.O.” tanked. A move to Def Jam last year didn’t help — her “Discipline” album proved to be one of
the biggest flops of her career, barely mining gold.

Just last night, she did an ABC interview in which she admitted that she tried to stage an intervention with Michael in 2007 and again earlier this year. She’s also spoken to Rolling Stone and Harper’s Bazaar since the King of Pop’s death.

At least A&M exec Jimmy Iovine isn’t deterred. Our source says he tapped music producer Rodney Jerkins — who has worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Beyoncé — to oversee production on Janet’s upcoming album. The CD, which is in the early stages of recording, is expected to drop in the second quarter of 2010.

“Jimmy has given the mandate to make this Janet record a success,” says the insider. “He believes that he has the right team in place to finally take Janet back to the top of the music charts. It’s a top priority for the label.”

(source)