This Week: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
This week was a showdown among good, bad and ugly happenings in Hollywood.
Britney Spears proved good things really do come to those who wait. We waited and waited and waited for Britney to put on some underwear, and now it appears the panty situation is under control.
In a holiday message on her Web site Spears told the world "thank God for Victoria's Secrets' new underwear line! I look forward to a new year, new music and a new me!"
No, really, thank you, Britney.
And if she's good, maybe Spears will be standing next year where Mary J. Blige stood on Thursday when she received eight —count 'em, eight— Grammy nods. The R&B queen owes it all to her critically acclaimed best-selling album, "The Breakthrough," which was a comeback in every sense of the word.
There's also some good news for those unable to attend Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' lavish nuptials in Italy Nov. 18. The happy couple are having a stateside reception for all of the folks who couldn't make it to the affair at Lake Bracciano. Will the stateside wedding top the Italian affair? Only if Tom sings "Old Time Rock And Roll" to Katie in his underwear.Photos: Kennedy Center Honors
We learned this week that bad things do unfortunately happen to good people.
Like George Clooney. His potbelly pig, Max, went to the great mudhole in the sky this week. The pet was a big part of the actor's life, sometimes even sleeping in his owner's bed. The sexy man welled up with tears when he talked about his pet at the premiere of "The Good German" on Monday. "It's strange not having him sitting on the carpet in the house, but, you know… sad, actually," he told People. George, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on …
Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn apparently avoided a bad-break up several weeks ago when they mutually decided to part ways. A rep announced this week that they "continue to be good friends today." The former costars had been dogged by rumors of a split since October.
Things went from bad to ugly, when Eddie Murphy appeared on a Dutch TV show and expressed doubts about whether the baby Melanie Brown (aka Scary Spice) is carrying is the fruit of his loins.
"We don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test," said Murphy, his mouth apparently operating on autopilot.
A few days later Mel B. fired back at the actor, whom she reportedly met at a party in June.
"I have no idea why anybody would want to conduct themselves in this kind of manner about such a personal matter in such a public way," she said in a statement. "My main concern is for the well being of my (7-year-old) daughter Phoenix and of course the baby. I was astonished at what Eddie said — there is absolutely no question that Eddie is the father."
Torn refused to take a sobriety test and was expected to be arraigned on charges of DWI. While no one was hurt in that accident, another crash, involving actor Lane Garrison, was fatal to his passenger.
The 26-year-old "Prison Break" star lost control of his Land Rover and crashed into a tree on Dec. 2. The 17-year-old passenger was killed in the crash, and two other teens were hospitalized. Police later said that the actor displayed signs of alcohol intoxication; an investigation could take up to eight weeks.
Kate Moss' boyfriend and rumored fiancé, Pete Doherty, is again tangled in some ugly matters. The lead singer of Babyshambles, who has a long history of drug use, reportedly got into a fight with actor Mark Blanco at a pal's London flat early Sunday morning and shortly afterwards, Blanco, fell to his death from a balcony, the Sun reported Wednesday.
The bad-boy musician hasn't been linked to the death, but police questioned him for two hours on Dec. 7, according to the Sun. An inquest into the death of the 30-year-old has been opened, although Det. Inspector Mark Dunn told the Sun,"The injuries that Mr. Blanco sustained were consistent with that of a fall."
By Amy Bonawitz