Buzz Briefs: Stephen Colbert, Nick Lachey
Stephen Colbert Voted AP Celeb Of The Year, Bests J.K. Rowling
While most TV characters remain boxed inside the frames of our sets, Stephen Colbert has routinely injected his on-screen persona into everything from the presidential race to ice cream.
In 2007, the mock pundit exceeded the influence of most real pundits, orchestrating an ill-fated (and Doritos-sponsored) run for president and topping the best-seller lists with his book "I Am America (And So Can You!)."
Colbert failed to get onto the primary ballot in his home state of South Carolina, dooming his hopes for the White House. And his show went 0-for-4 at the Emmy Awards, including an especially painful loss to Tony Bennett.
But Colbert did win one honor: He was voted AP Celebrity of the Year by U.S. newspaper editors and broadcast producers who said Colbert had the biggest impact on pop culture in 2007.
He finished just a nudge above J.K. Rowling, who authored the final book in her enormously popular "Harry Potter" series. Finishing third was Al Gore, whose year included an Oscar, an Emmy, a Nobel Peace Prize and the global concert Live Earth.
Nick Lachey's Team Wins Choir Clash
Lachey's choir beat four other choirs led by music celebrities who went to their home areas to find talent. The choirs performed live in four airings from New York City this week. The winner was determined by viewer voting.
Patti LaBelle's Philadelphia choir placed second, while Blake Shelton's Oklahoma City choir was third. Also competing: Michael Bolton's New Haven, Conn., choir and Kelly Rowland's Houston choir. The show surprised these choirs with a $50,000 donation from GE to each of their charities.
Dec. 20, 2007
Terrell Owens Makes Nice With Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson
Just in case anyone thought he was serious Wednesday when he proclaimed his quarterback's latest girlfriend "not a fan favorite," Owens explained he was merely having fun with a subject that's been tossed about by others for days.
T.O. being T.O., however, the story took on a life of its own. He was driving home Wednesday afternoon when friends told him about the ruckus. He wound up on the phone with Romo, who'd already heard from Simpson.
"I guess she was kind of upset about it," Owens said. "(I) just told him I would do whatever I can to rectify the situation. That's about it."
Owens said the call "wasn't necessarily an apology."
"I was just kind of explaining to him what kind of happened during the course of the (interview) session," Owens said. "I kind of told him what was said, and he kind of expressed what Jessica had told him. I was like, 'Look, dude, it wasn't meant like that. Everybody was having fun, and I was saying what I had to say. There it is, it's a big story."'
Owens said he thought things were fine between him and Romo. The quarterback's take on all this is unknown because he hasn't talked to reporters since immediately after a 10-6 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. Questions then focused on his poor performance and injured hand, not his girlfriend.
Cheryl Burke's Abdominal Pain Kept Her Off The Dance Floor
Burke, 23, missed the opening night of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" tour Tuesday in Seattle and another show Thursday in Sacramento, Calif., her publicist, Susan Madore, told The Associated Press.
Burke will return Friday for a performance in San Jose, Calif., Madore said.
"She saw her family doctor (in the San Francisco area) and she does not have appendicitis," Madore said. "They told her to take it easy for a couple days."
Burke won the second season of "Dancing With the Stars" with celebrity partner Drew Lachey and the third season with Emmitt Smith.
L.A. County Sheriff's Employees Mishandled Mel Gibson's Arrest In 2006
Gibson was arrested July 28, 2006, for misdemeanor drunken driving on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. The actor-director's remarks, detailed in a report leaked to celebrity Web site TMZ.com, provoked outrage and he later apologized.
The report also says three Los Angeles County sheriff's employees violated policy in Gibson's arrest.
Sheriff's personnel neglected to take Gibson's palm print upon his release, follow proper procedures before driving him to a tow yard to retrieve his car and sign a certain department form, the report said.
The employees, two sergeants and a jailer, have since been disciplined for the minor procedural violations, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said. One received a one-day suspension; the other two received a written reprimand.
After pleading no contest to the charge on Aug. 17, 2006, Gibson was given three years' probation, ordered to pay $1,400 in fines and attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
The report also concluded that no violations have been found in Paris Hilton's jailing earlier this year for driving on a suspended license while on probation for an alcohol-related reckless-driving case.
R. Kelly Off The Hook For Tardiness, But His Bond May Be Revoked
R. Kelly avoided arrest Thursday by showing up in court, but the judge presiding over his child pornography case said he'll consider revoking the singer's bond despite his excuse: that police made him late.
Judge Vincent Gaughan said he was "very disappointed" that Kelly, in the midst of a concert tour, failed to show up for a scheduled Wednesday appearance.
Kelly attorney Ed Genson explained his client was tardy because police who pulled over his bus in Utah discovered the log book didn't document enough rest for the driver and ordered it stopped for eight hours.
Gaughan admonished the R&B superstar in court anyway, saying he'll decide Friday whether he should revoke Kelly's bond. The Cook County judge also was to set a trial date Friday.
Kelly is in the midst of a prolonged legal fight after prosecutors say he allegedly videotaped sex acts with a teenage girl. He has pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this week, Kelly canceled a scheduled Thursday night show in Minneapolis. He's next scheduled to perform Friday in Chicago, according to the singer's Web site.
Nickelodeon Considers Teen Pregnancy Special
Nickelodeon is considering a special for its young audience about sex and love following the news that 16-year-old "Zoey 101" star Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant.
The television network has made no announcement about the future of "Zoey 101," its popular program aimed primarily at youngsters aged 9-14. Filming for the show's fourth and final season has finished, and episodes are scheduled to begin airing in February.
For the special, Nickelodeon said it's talking with Linda Ellerbee, the veteran newswoman who has stepped in frequently in the past with shows on talking to children about difficult issues in the news. She's done shows about same-sex parents, AIDS, the Columbine shooting and President Clinton's impeachment scandal.
NBC' s "The Biggest Loser" Twin Brothers Bring Home Cash And Good Looks
Twin brothers are pound-by-pound the biggest winners on NBC's "The Biggest Loser."
Bill Germanakos, a 41-year-old medical salesman from Lynbrook, N.Y., lost 164 pounds, slimming down from 334 pounds to 170 pounds over an eight-month period to win the televised weight-loss competition. He took home the $250,000 grand prize.
His brother, Jim, a police officer from Massapequa, N.Y., won the weigh-in among previously eliminated contestants, dropping 186 pounds. He went from 361 pounds to 175 pounds. He earned a $100,000 prize.
The season finale was held Tuesday night. The brothers, in an appearance Wednesday on the "Today" show, said their overweight father died at age 57.
"The Biggest Loser: Couples" will premiere Jan. 1, with teams of two competing rather than individuals, NBC said.
TV "Bachelor" Can Add Ty Warner Hotels & Resorts To His Resume
"The Bachelor's" Andrew Firestone, the Central Coast wine family scion who's about to end his single life, is going to work for Beanie Babies tycoon Ty Warner.
The 32-year-old Firestone has been hired as director of memberships for Ty Warner Hotels & Resorts. He will roll out an exclusive membership program at Warner's Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club and Montecito Country Club.
A news release says Firestone will seek to build a "membership community" that goes beyond the traditional focus on the two Santa Barbara properties to include other Warner holdings.
Warner's holdings include the Four Seasons Resort, The Biltmore, San Ysidro Ranch, Sandpiper Golf Club, Rancho San Marcos Golf Course, Four Seasons Hotel in New York City and the Las Ventanas Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Firestone, who announced plans to marry Serbian model and actress Ivana Bozilovic in spring 2008, has been working at the Firestone Vineyards in Paso Robles.
Firestone's 2003 proposal to Jen Schefft on the ABC-TV reality show "The Bachelor" was watched by millions and led to months of tabloid chatter afterward until the couple's breakup.
Phil Spector Sues Shapiro Again
Phil Spector is still trying to get a $1 million fee refund from his first attorney, nearly five years after the music producer was arrested in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. It marks the second time that Spector has sued Robert Shapiro. Spector claims the famed attorney cheated him and used their personal relationship to enrich himself unjustly.
Spector alleges that Shapiro's work on the case was inadequate and may have led prosecutors to file formal charges against Spector.
A year after his arrest, Spector fired Shapiro and hired another legal team, which was subsequently replaced by the team that defended him in his murder trial this year. That trial ended with a jury deadlock. Spector has recently hired yet another lawyer to defend him in a retrial next year.