Buzz Briefs: Vanessa Williams, Brad Pitt
Ex-Husbands Are Handy To Have
Ugly Betty's Vanessa Williams explained the benefits of having two ex-husbands in a Dec. 3 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
I've got four kids and two ex-husbands. Between all, four (kids). And we've got one of those great relationships. We were all together for Thanksgiving. Ex-husband #1 cooked; ex-husband #2 cleaned up. You know. It's a joy to have all the kids there with all their parents. And no drama," she told DeGeneres. "I mean, the drama is great for 'Ugly Betty.' I love serving it up every week. But I don't want any drama in my house."
Williams let loose and belted out a tune during the "Sing That Song" segment.
Brad Pitt Doing Home Work In N.O.
The actor and activist expects the foundations to be built for at least 150 eco-friendly homes in New Orleans' damaged Lower 9th Ward by the end of next summer.
"I'm hoping we can expand here and expand over into the rest of New Orleans," Pitt, 43, said Monday morning on NBC's "Today."
The initiative, called Make It Right, is Pitt's latest effort to help the area recover from Hurricane Katrina. He teamed up with 13 architects to build environmentally sustainable homes on stilts to protect against future floods.
Pitt has pledged $5 million of his own money toward the project and - calling himself "not much of a salesman" - was campaigning for more donations for the cause.
"I mean, this is really an adopt-a-house campaign," he said. "I'm asking for foundations, for high net-worth individuals, for church groups, for corporations to come in and adopt a house - basically, $150,000 will get a family back in their home."
Jennifer Love Hewitt Defends Her Curves
The photographs of Hewitt in a bikini, supposedly showing signs of cellulite, were taken while she was on a Hawaii beach with her fiancé, Scottish actor Ross McCall. TMZ lashed out of Hewitt's appearance, writing, "We know what you ate this summer, Love everything!"
"A size 2 is not fat! Nor will it ever be," the star of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" responded last Thursday. "And being a size 0 doesn't make you beautiful."
Spice Girls Kick Off Comeback Tour
The Spice Girls kicked off their "Return of the Spice Girls" comeback tour in Vancouver Sunday in front of 15,000 fans. The group opened with their signature song "Spice Up Your Life," followed by "Stop" and "Say You'll Be There" in their first performance since 1999. The concert had the feel of a massive dance party as spectators leaped around waving glow sticks.
David Beckham presented each member a special bracelet to commemorate their return. The soccer star arrived in Vancouver with wife Victoria Beckham, a.k.a. Posh Spice, earlier that afternoon.
The Spice Girls' next concert will take place Tuesday in San Jose, Calif. before two gigs in Los Angeles Dec. 5 & 7. The group then moves on to Las Vegas for three shows before heading to Europe. They will next return to the U.S. for two shows in Boston in late January to resume the North American leg of their tour.
The "Konvict" Heads To Court
Audience members say a spectator at the concert chucked something at Akon during the show and the singer asked the crowd to point out who did it. A security guard grabbed a teenage boy and sent him up to the stage. There, Akon, whose most recent album is titled "Konvicted," allegedly lifted the boy onto his shoulders and flung him back into the crowd below.
The boy landed on Abby Rosa, who tells a local newspaper she suffered a concussion. She has hired a lawyer and has reported the incident to police in the town of Fishkill. Akon is due in court to be arraigned on a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment.
A statement released by Akon's lawyer a few days after the June 3 concert said there was no basis for criminal charges.
Happy Birthday Britney!Photos: Celebrity Mug Shots
Embattled pop-star Britney Spears turned 26 on Sunday. Let's hope that 26 is a little less eventful than 25.
Janet Jackson Holding Out On Family Tour
The New York Post's Page Six reports that every member of the ultimate showbiz family - including Michael Jackson - has signed on for the 40-city world tour except Janet. A source told Page Six that she may join her family for a few shows, but her finance, music producer Jermaine Dupri wants her back in the studio to record a new album.
"He's also wary of having her be associated with Michael because he's gotten such bad press," the source told Page Six.
Wentz Has No Beef With Neurosonic
The New York Daily News reports that Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz is not filing a cease -and-desist order against the band Neurosonic. The band made fun of his girlfriend, Ashlee Simpson. But Wentz told the Daily New's Rush and Molloy "I've never filed a cease-and-desist in my life. I would never ... try to censor someone. ... The truth is I have never heard of this band or this song … Besides, we don't really waste our time talking about things that happened three years ago."