Buzz Briefs: Rihanna, Seinfeld
Rihanna To The Rescue For Leukemia Patient
A leukemia patient in dire need of a bone marrow transplant reportedly has found a donor after Grammy-winning singer Rihanna publicized her case.
"The English language does not have words that are adequate to thank someone for working to save your life," Lisa Gershowitz Flynn of New York wrote in an e-mail to supporters Thursday, People.com reported.
Flynn, a 41-year-old lawyer and mother of two small children, was diagnosed in November 2007 with acute myelogenous leukemia, a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. People.com said last month that doctors had told Flynn she needed to find a marrow donor within four to six weeks.
Rihanna had done previous work with DKMS, an international donor network based in Tubingen, Germany. "When I heard about Lisa's plight, my heart broke," the 20-year-old singer told the magazine last month.
Rihanna's campaign to help Flynn sparked more than 5,000 calls and e-mails to DKMS, and about 2,000 new donors have registered.
Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, and Jay-Z won a Grammy last month in the rap/sung collaboration category, for her hit "Umbrella." She was recently named an honorary cultural ambassador for her native Barbados.
Seinfeld Denies New NBC Sitcom Rumor
NBC and Jerry Seinfeld shot down a New York Post report Friday that the comic was in talks with the network about a new sitcom. The report, citing no sources, said Seinfeld would play himself in a New York series similar to "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
"There's nothing to it," said NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks.
Seinfeld's spokeswoman, Elizabeth Clark Zoia, also said the story was completely false.
"We appreciate the enthusiasm, however," she said.
The King's Daughter Is Pregnant
This will be the third child for the 40-year-old and the first child for her husband, guitarist and music producer Michael Lockwood, 46. The couple was married in Japan in January 2006, People Magazine reported.
Presley, who was once married to the "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, has two other children, Riley, 18 and Benjamin, 15, with her ex-husband Danny Keough.
Photos: Lisa Marie Presley
China To Crack Down On Foreign Performers After Bjork's Outburst
A statement by China's Culture Ministry said Bjork's outburst "broke Chinese law and hurt Chinese people's feelings."
Bjork shouted "Tibet!" after a passionate performance of her song "Declare Independence" on Sunday. The outburst drew rare public attention inside China to Beijing's often harsh rule over the Himalayan region.
The statement, posted on the Culture Ministry's Web site, also said "there is no country that admits that Tibet is an 'independent country."'
China's 58-year rule over Tibet has drawn frequent condemnation from foreign governments and activists, often inciting a prickly nationalism among the Chinese government and ordinary people. Many Tibetans consider the exiled Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama as their rightful leader.
Photos: Celebrity Circuit
Boy Band Mogul Lou Pearlman Cuts The Act Under Oath
Pearlman pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges of conspiracy, money laundering and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding. The plea was the result of a lengthy federal probe alleging he bilked investors and banks out of more than $300 million.
Pearlman's Transcontinental Airlines Inc. didn't have 41 airplanes, as he represented to investors. He had two, he said in court.
Photos: Stars Behind Bars
And he didn't have a German investment partner with a $50 million line of bailout capital, he acknowledged. In fact, that guy was also trying to get money out of him.
Pearlman also acknowledged setting up a fake accounting firm to create business documents and tax returns for himself and his companies. He also admitted using the signature of a deceased former associate, Harry Milner, to push off anyone seeking repayment. Milner hadn't worked with Pearlman since 1989, the mogul acknowledged, and died in 2003.
He will be sentenced May 21, and faces up to 25 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
March 6, 2008
Kelly Rowland Fesses Up About Having Plastic Surgery
Kelly Rowland has gotten a little more bustylicious.
Rowland, who sang "Bootylicious" with Beyonce in the group Destiny's Child, tells People magazine in its March 17 issue that she had plastic surgery last October to bring her "from an A-cup to a B-cup."
As for the one-cup upgrade, Rowland says: "I didn't want to have double Ds and be a little bitty size 2 - that would look nuts!"
The 27-year-old singer went under the knife after a long decision-making process.
"I was sick of not fitting into my tops," she says. "There was this one really hot House of Dereon top - I just wanted to fill that out! It is a decision I made for myself. I like it, and that's all that counts. For young people: think about it before you just jump off and do something (you may regret later)."
Celebs Pull The Wool Over Paparazzi's Eyes
Paris Hilton's recent outing with the "Shaman Spiritual Advisor" is a hoax after all.
It turns out that the heiress is in on a practical joke on the paparazzi in a TV show called "Pop Fiction," where celebrities are orchestrating photo-ops that generate false tabloid stories.
The idea is to prove the point that the paparazzi and celebrity news outlets often makes a big deal about nothing.
"Pop Fiction" premieres Sunday, March 9 on E!. It's produced by Katalyst Television, a production house founded by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg.
"If you want to see what really happened, tune in to E! this Sunday at 10:30 - where they are proving you can't believe everything that you read or see!" Hilton said.
Even the writers of Eonline.com's blog, The Hum fell for the Paris and the guru story. But they're taking a fool-me-once approach, saying "Note to the programming department: Fine, we fell for it. But watch your backs. We'll be lurking in the hallways and using the bathroom on your floor from now on. Better lock your offices..."
Paris Hilton's Bro May Be Wearing Stripes Like His Sis
Another hard partying Hilton may be cruising closer to jail.
Paris Hilton's 18-year-old brother was charged Thursday with four misdemeanor counts stemming from his Feb. 12 arrest on suspicion of drunken driving. Barron Nicholas Hilton's charges include driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and being an unlicensed driver.
Hilton was stopped Feb. 12 after a witness reported seeing a black Mercedes-Benz weaving on Pacific Coast Highway, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. He was allegedly carrying a fake driver's license.
Hilton was booked at the Malibu station and registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.14 percent .08 is the rate at which a driver is legally intoxicated in California.
Hilton was freed on $20,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned April 14 at the Malibu courthouse.
Last year the 26-year-old reality star and hotel heiress pleaded no contest to alcohol-related reckless driving and was sentenced to 45 days in jail. She served a little more than two weeks.