Toby Canham/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Lindsay Lohan may have been at a Screen Actors Guild after-party on Sunday night, but she insists she was not drinking there. TMZ.com reports that the Mean Girls star is so upset over rumors that she was drinking at the party, held at the West Hollywood luxury hotel Chateau Marmont, that she's threatening legal action against the media outlets that published them.
RadarOnline.com reported this week that Lindsay "appeared to be under the influence" at Chateau Marmont and was seen entering a bathroom frequently with a male companion.
"She appeared to be loaded on something," a source said.
According to TMZ, Lindsay claims she only drank water at the party, and was with actor Alan Cumming throughout the night. She also denies other speculation that she recently made out with Dennis Hopper's son, Henry, at a gas station.
TMZ reports that Lindsay, who is currently on probation for previous DUI and theft convictions, is exploring her legal options because she believes the reports are damaging her potential acting comeback.
TMZ has stated that Lindsay is temporarily living at Chateau Marmont after moving out of her Venice Beach, Calif., home.
Max Morse/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- In the United States, the average divorce comes after eight years of marriage—that's 24 times longer than Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney lasted; 40 times longer than Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries; and 324 times longer than Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra.
But Rodman and Electra are a regular Burns and Allen (that's George Burns and Gracie Allen, kids, who stayed married 38 years until her death) compared to Britney and Jason. Britney Spears and her childhood friend, Jason Alexander, were married for 55 hour—one-1,274th as long as the average American marriage ending in divorce.
For Alexander, it all began—and ended—on New Year's in 2004. Spears invited him to Las Vegas and flew him there in a private jet.
In an interview with ABC News correspondent John Berman, Alexander said he went thinking he would simply "have a good time."
"It wasn't really a booty call," he said. "It was just, you know, a friend asking a friend to come on a trip."
Alexander did say he and Spears, who grew up together in Kentwood, La., had once been friends "with benefits" even when she was dating Justin Timberlake.
"There was an instance when [Britney and I] were hanging out," Alexander said. "He had called, and I was ... kicking it with her, kind of like the guy 'behind the scenes' no one knew about."
Then came Las Vegas, and he was behind the scenes no longer.
"She just came out and asked me," Alexander said. "She was like, 'Well, let's get married.' And I was like, 'Sure. You know, let's do this.'"
Alexander said they were drinking and "had party favors."
Asked if he meant drugs, Alexander replied, "Alcohol is a drug. Coffee is a drug. Cigarette is a drug. Yeah, we were doing drugs."
Whatever their state of intoxication, Alexander said he was also riding a wave of emotion.
"I went with my feelings," he said. "I was in love with her.”
They went to the little white wedding chapel, exchanged vows and posed for the infamous photo with Spears sporting a white baseball cap and a bare midriff. It all seemed so promising.
Alexander confirmed there was a honeymoon of sorts.
"I mean, we were in Vegas, you know. I mean ... well, we had a suite. Hmmm," he said.
When he and Spears shared the happy news with her mother and managers, Alexander said, "everyone went crazy because there was no prenup."
"They didn't want to hear anything ... and [Spears] came back, and it ended," Alexander said. "That was pretty wild."
The marriage was annulled. The annulment said Spears "lacked understanding of her actions, to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to the marriage."
"Bullsh**," Alexander said.
Alexander said he signed the annulment papers because he was being a nice guy, and he hoped they might get back together.
It hurt, he said.
"That was probably the hardest part about it," he said. "I had obviously got my feelings involved."
"I didn't get paid. I didn't make any money, uh, directly from that," he said.
He flew coach back to Louisiana.
Alexander is pursuing a career as a fighter in mixed martial arts.
What did he learn?
"Don't be a nice guy," he said with a laugh. "Nice guys finish last. Look out for yourself. If you are going to really get involved into a relationship with a celebrity and you are just an average Joe, make sure you are thinking business!"
In an interview with E! a few months after the annulled marriage, Spears described it thus: "It was me being silly, being rebellious."
Spears has since been married and divorced to Kevin Federline. She is engaged to her former agent.
Ander Gillenea/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Actor Ben Gazzara, whose long career spanned lead roles in the original 1955 Broadway productions of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Hatful of Rain, television, and dozens of film roles, including in 1959′s Anatomy of a Murder and 1998′s The Big Lebowski, has died, according to reports. He was 81.
Gazzara died in Manhattan of pancreatic cancer, the New York Times reported.
Gazzara told Charlie Rose in 1998 that he went from being mainly a stage actor who often would turn up his nose at film roles before, much later, becoming a ubiquitous character actor who “turned very little down, almost nothing.”
Gazzara’s career took off in the 1950s when he was appearing regularly on the New York stage and was a member of Manhattan’s famous Actors Studio, known for producing method actors including Marlon Brando.
After early film success in major roles, Gazzara’s career cooled, though he starred in the TV series, Run for Your Life, from 1965 to 1968.
It was during his stint on Run for Your Life that Gazzara met the cult icon John Cassavetes, who he later described to an unbilled interviewer in a YouTube video as “a poet of film.”
In the YouTube interview, shot at a Cassavetes festival, Gazzara said he soon found himself rehearsing, refining and improvising a script with Cassavetes and the actor Peter Falk that would eventually become the 1970 film, Husbands.
“It’s the first time I experienced a piece of work that I wanted to go on and on and on because it got to the point where the relationships had become like blood. I couldn’t leave that,” Gazzara said.
Gazzara continued to work with Cassavetes, including in the films, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and Opening Night.
Gazzara’s latter-day work included the films Road House, Happiness, The Spanish Prisoner, Summer of Sam, and Buffalo 66.
SGranitz/WireImage via Getty Images(ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga.) -- John Travolta is to donate his Gulfstream II executive jet to Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame, reports The Sun News. The Gulfstream II is a twin engine, 14-seat jet.
Travolta has been a pilot for years. In 2007, he won the Living Legend Ambassador of Aviation Award. The Pulp Fiction star is reportedly donating the plane to honor his late son Jett, who passed away in 2009 after having a seizure. Travolta's jet will make its first public appearance at an April air show.
Steve Granitz/WireImage(LOS ANGELES) -- Three Oscar-nominated actresses from The Help have landed new roles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Viola Davis has been cast in Beautiful Creatures, about a teen boy drawn to a mysterious girl in a Southern town. The project is based on the book series of the same name by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. According to Variety, Davis will also star in a futuristic alien-invasion drama titled Ender's Game.
The Hollywood Reporter says Octavia Spencer will appear in a sci-fi flick titled Snow Piercer, about a revolution on a train in a futuristic world where a new Ice Age has destroyed virtually all life on the planet. Tilda Swinton and Chris Evans will also star in the film.
Finally, Jessica Chastain will join Warrior actor Joel Edgerton in a double feature, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: His and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Hers, exploring the lives of a New York City couple as they struggle with their marriage. Each film will tell the story from a different perspective.
Davis is a strong contender in the best-actress Oscar race for her performance in The Help, while Spencer and Chastain will oppose one another in the best-supporting-actress category.
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Tracy Morgan refuses to engage in a public war of words with his family, following claims made by his sister that he hasn't done enough to support their mother, who could soon face foreclosure.
Morgan's 61-year-old mother, Alicia Warden, recently told the New York Daily News she owes nearly $25,000 on her home in northeast Ohio. Warden said she's been informed that foreclosure proceedings will begin on Feb. 23 if she does not make a minimum mortgage payment by then.
Warden said her son offered her two thousand dollars, but she turned him down. She explained to the Daily News, "I’m not some person in the street.”
Morgan's sister, Asia Morgan, argues that the 30 Rock star is in position to help out their mother, but hasn't come through. Pointing out that Warden is battling health issues, including diabetes, Asia Morgan told the Daily News, “This would be a drop in the bucket for Tracy. She has a son that can do, and she’s done everything that she could possibly could for her family.” She claimed that Morgan has "never been a nice person," and calls him a "d*****bag."
In a statement obtained by E! Online, Morgan says he is "saddened that these untrue stories about me have people questioning my commitment to my family." He continues, "For reasons that are between us, I have not seen my mother in 11 years and outside of a random call here and there have had little to no contact with my sister."
Morgan noted in his 2009 book I Am the New Black that he was estranged from most of his family, including his mother.
Donald Miralle/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Madonna, Madonna, Madonna. She’s inescapable these days, in part because she’s headlining the halftime show of the 2012 Super Bowl (XLVI, officially). She’s promised not to pull a Janet and expose herself. She’s pledged to entertain and delight. But how will she compare to the memorable (for reasons both good and bad) performances of these guys and gals?
1. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, Super Bowl XXXVIII
Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction in which JTims inadvertently exposed her nipple was arguably the most infamous Super Bowl halftime moment ever. The 2004 scandal resulted in a record $550,000 fine by the FCC against CBS and severe embarassment on the part of Jackson.
2. Michael Jackson, Super Bowl XXVII
Her late older brother fared better. From being catapulted onto stage and striking one of his “Dangerous” poses to singing Heal the World with 3,500 children, the King of Pop’s 1993 Super Bowl show was a must-see -- more people tuned in for him than for the first half of the game.
3. Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and Edward James Olmos, Super Bowl XXXIV
We get it -- you want a lot of stars for any Super Bowl halftime show. Madonna’s likely to be joined by Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., Cee Lo and LMFAO on Sunday. But the lineup for the 2000 game was a bit ridiculous. Pairing the guy from Blade Runner with the guy who sang “I can be your hero, baby?” What?
4. Bruce Springsteen and Prince, Super Bowl XLIII
The Boss and the guy who sometimes goes by a symbol both offered up solid sets in 2009. But the most memorable moment: Springsteen sliding into the camera and giving the entire world a close up of his crotch.
5. Chubby Checker and The Rockettes, Super Bowl XXII
At the time there were no HD flat screens or Dolby surround sound. Instead, you had … instruments! Eighty-eight grand pianos to be exact, which were wheeled out on to the field in 1988. That was so long ago, we couldn’t even find YouTube video of it.
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage(NEW YORK) -- For all of Demi Moore’s recent troubles, she might take comfort in knowing that her headline-making November breakup with Ashton Kutcher was NOT the recent celebrity split that attracted the most attention on Twitter.
Instead, that dubious honor may go to Katy Perry and Russell Brand, who went public with their breakup in late December. In the first 30 days after the pop star and British comedian announced their divorce, more than two million tweets emerged mentioning the kaput couple, according to an analysis of tweets on five recent celebrity breakups provided to ABC News by the Twitter tracking company Topsy Labs and the Web newspaper The Daily Dot.
In second place was reality star Kim Kardashian and her basketball player ex-beau Kris Humphries, whose October split generated more than 1.4 million tweets.
Tweets mentioning Kutcher and Moore (who still uses the Twitter handle “mrskutcher”) for the first 30 days after their breakup totaled just fewer than 300,000 -- despite the fact that Kutcher was the first person to amass 1 million Twitter followers. Since that 2009 achievement, Kutcher has seen his total tweeple count eclipsed by both Perry and Kardashian, whose follower totals are well into the eight digits. Kutcher has 9.3 million while his ex, Moore, has 4.6 million.
Owen Thomas, the founding editor of The Daily Dot, said the Twitter breakup reaction stats seemed to reflect celebrities’ overall fame.
“It’s not how hip they are or how active they are on Twitter, it’s how many people know them, period,” he said.
But certain popular celebs shouldn’t expect Twitter to be a source of breakup solace. While it’s tough to track the exact content of all Twitter messages, Thomas said many of the tweets about Kardashian and Humphries’ 72-day marriage weren’t quite sympathetic.
“With Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, it was clearly, ‘Come on, what were you thinking?’” he said.
Users did, however, appear “bummed” about the breakup of singer Seal and supermodel Heidi Klum. News of their busted marriage last month generated half a million mentions in just eight days. (In an ABC News vote asking readers which celeb breakup upset them the most, Seal and Klum ranked at the top.)
Thomas said that given Twitter’s ever-increasing reach -- the micro-blogging site announced last year that it has 200 million total users -- and the tendency of tweets to mention real names instead of Twitter handles, sentiment about celebs expressed on Twitter likely reflects sentiment felt by the public at large.
“It’s not the hardcore Twitter heads dominating the conversation,” he said. “It’s ordinary people.”
Kristian Dowling/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Word is that new mom Beyonce is being offered a whopping $100 million per year if she signs on for a five-year stint judging X Factor. That's according to MediaTakeout, which claims to have gotten the info from the same person who revealed that Jennifer Lopez was joining American Idol.
X Factor creator Simon Cowell is reportedly offering Beyonce big bucks to join the panel of judges in hopes of giving the show a much-needed boost in ratings.
Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger were booted from their positions as judges, and Mariah Carey has been mentioned as a possible replacement for one of them next season.
Beyonce was featured on the British version of X Factor back in 2008 when she appeared as a guest singer and mentor.
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Here's a look at the new movies opening nationwide Friday:
-- The Woman in Black: In his first role since the final Harry Potter film was released last year, Daniel Radcliffe plays a widowed lawyer who discovers his client's home in a remote village is haunted. Rated PG-13.
-- Chronicle: Three high school students develop superpowers after exploring a mysterious crater, but their abilities change them for the worse. Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan, and Michael Kelly star. Rated PG-13.
-- Big Miracle: Drew Barrymore is an environmentalist who, with the help of her ex-boyfriend, a reporter played by John Krasinski, tries to save gray whales that are trapped in ice in the Arctic Circle. Kristen Bell and Ted Danson also star in the film, which is inspired by a true story. Rated PG.?
Michael Tran/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) -- NBC's singing competition The Voice begins its second season on Sunday night, in the plum post-Super Bowl time slot.
In one respect, the expectations for The Voice are raised -- it was a summer show last year, but this time around it will regularly air Monday nights opposite other networks' first-run programming.
All four mentors from season one -- Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton -- are back, as is host Carson Daly. They're joined by a new social media correspondent, Christina Milian.
Not surprisingly, The Voice is again being compared to shows like American Idol and The X Factor, but the mentors say there are a few aspects to their program that sets it apart from the competition.
Levine recently told reporters, "All four of us are singers. That's probably the thing that differentiates us the most, is that we all sing. It's our craft. All four of us. So that alone is a unique element on its own."
Aguilera says the mentors last season tried to offer advice to struggling contestants, rather than ridicule them.
"We really wanted to give genuine opinion without tearing people down. So this year we actually are diving more into critiquing it," she says.
Critics have pointed out that albums released by season-one winner Javier Colon and his Voice peers, including runner-up Dia Frampton, have not sold especially well.
Daly's response: "Season one of a television show on a major network put out more quality music than arguably a lot of labels and a lot of artists that are in front of them on the charts. So as far as, you know, success, it's in the eyes of the beholder. "?
ABC/A.M.P.A.S.(LOS ANGELES) -- We are three weeks away from the presentation of the 84th annual Academy Awards. The ceremony will be held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 26.
Billy Crystal will host the Oscars for the ninth time, a high water mark only surpassed by Bob Hope, who hosted 19 times. It was Crystal's participation in a Bob Hope tribute at last year's Oscars -- and the audience's reaction to him in an otherwise critically flamed show -- that inspired him to return as host.
He jokes, "That reception I got last year touched me so deeply that I probably should've quit last year. It really made me think about wanting to be here again."
Crystal won't divulge any details regarding the monologue and sketches he has planned for this year's ceremony, but he says, "There's so much expected of this, we just tell people, 'Please lower your expectations, and we'll have a good time, we'll figure out something good to do, I know.'"?
Jason Merritt/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Jersey Shore star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi wants to make something clear: She wants babies. She just isn't having one yet.
Snooki and her costar Jenny "JWoww" Farley appeared on Good Morning America and on Live! with Kelly Thursday and discussed a RadarOnline story that said the petite guidette has gone from too tan to "tin roof rusted."
"Everyone was going crazy yesterday [with the pregnancy rumor] and I was like, 'Great, I gained weight again,'" newly-skinny Snooki cracked to Kelly Ripa and guest co-host Peter Facinelli. "I like children...but I'm not pregnant."
Radar's story said that Snooki and her boyfriend, Jionni LaValle, have only told close friends they're expecting their first child, and the alleged pregnancy has forced MTV to, "re-do the creative direction" of the Jersey Shore spin-off that will star Polizzi and Farley.?
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- As the director of W.E., Madonna had to make some tough choices -- including cutting her own daughter out of the film.
The Queen of Pop tells MTV she cast Lourdes as a younger version of Abbie Cornish's character, a woman in the present day who's interested in the forbidden romance between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.
Madonna says, "She was really great and then I ended up cutting her out of the film. Ruthless, I know."
She recalls, "I said, 'Sorry babe, you're on the cutting room floor.' She took it like a champ."
Christopher Polk/Getty Images(INDIANAPOLIS) -- Madonna is such a citizen of the world that it's hard to remember that she's actually just a girl from Bay City, Michigan -- and she played up those roots during a pre-Super Bowl press conference in Indianapolis Thursday. "I am so excited to be here [and] incredibly nervous," she told reporters. "This is a Midwesterner girl's dream, to be performing the Super Bowl halftime, so if I speak fast, or run out of breath, you'll know why."
Continuing to refer to her roots, Madonna, who was wearing a black sleeveless vest and black slacks, with her hair long and loose, said that she wanted to dedicate her performance to her father. "I'm sure of all the things I've ever done in my life, this will be the thing he's most excited about," she laughed. Explaining her decision to dedicate the show to Papa Ciccone, Madonna added, "I was raised in the Midwest, and he is the personification of Midwestern values. He gave me the work ethic that I have, so if I'm a hard-working girl that never stops, it's because of him."
Of course, everyone wanted to know if Madonna, being the sexual provocateur that she is, had any Janet Jackson-style outrageousness planned for Sunday night's performance. The answer, she said, is no. "Great attention to detail has been paid to my wardrobe. There will be no wardrobe malfunctions. Promise," she told reporters.
Pressed to reveal details about the performance itself, including the setlist, Madonna would only admit that she's performing "three old songs and one new one" -- her new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin." She also wouldn't confirm reports of any guest stars, saying, "I really don't want to blow the surprises. I want people to be knocked out of their seats from beginning to end and so I just want to keep that surprise and keep anticipation going. Sorry."
Madonna did reveal, however, that mounting this Super Bowl performance has been one of the most difficult projects she's ever tackled. "I have never worked so hard or been so scrupulous or detail-oriented or freaked out as much as I have, maintaining my sanity and trying to make the most amazing show," she admitted.
Asked by a little girl reporting for Scholastic about the craziest thing she'd seen in Indianapolis, Madonna got big laughs when she replied, "Me!"
