Timbaland Denies Dumping Chris Brown
Timbaland says he's got nothing but love for Chris Brown, despite the fact that Brown is now an ex-contributor to the MC's latest album.
"The decision was a mutual decision since both artists were at the time working on their solo projects," a rep for Timbaland tells E! News in response to a TMZ report that Brown's vocal on "The One I Love" was dropped due to all the "drama" in his life.
"Chris is a friend to us," the rep says.
Neither version is particularly far-fetched, but that's the official word.
Another rapper on the track, D.O.E., told TMZ that the tune was originally titled "Maniac," but was changed to "The One I Love" because of Brown's involvement.
Timbaland's latest solo effort, Shock Value II, is due out Dec. 8. Brown's new album, Graffiti, drops the same day.
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Get a load of the latest videos in both Chris Brown and Rihanna's repertoires right here.
New Sweet Home for Khloé and Lamar
Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom finally have a roost to call their own.
E! News confirmed Monday that the newlyweds have purchased a seven-bedroom home in Tarzana, Calif.—pretty close to Kris and Bruce Jenner's abode in Calabasas—for close to $4 million.
In addition to sleeping quarters for all of Khoé's siblings and a few Lakers, the Mediterranean-style manse has nine bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, a gym, a theater, a pool and spa, an outdoor cooking space with two fridges and a barbecue pit, and a driveway that can fit around 15 cars.
We're just going to assume that high ceilings were a prerequisite.
Not bad for a first home as husband and wife—and they even got a deal! The price had recently been reduced by a million dollars due to the real-estate-unfriendly economic climate.
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While we wait for a Khloé at Home gallery, check out Khloé on the Karpet.
Family Wants Second Autopsy for Real Housewife Kandi Burruss' Slain Fiancé
To get at the truth, the family of Kandi Burruss's late fiancé is looking to raise the dead.
A.J. Jewell did not have sickle-cell anemia, according to a spokesman for Jewell's relatives, who have requested that a second autopsy be performed by a private coroner to clear up any inconsistencies surrounding his death last month from a head injury sustained in a fight outside an Atlanta strip club.
Results are expected in about two weeks. The Real Housewives of Atlanta fixture was laid to rest over a month ago.
The Fulton County medical examiner ruled Jewell's death a homicide, and the other guy in the fight, Frederick Richardson, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter.
But Jewell's family disagrees with the finding that sickle-cell anemia aggravated his injuries.
Sarah Jessica Parker Surrogate's Alleged Invader Found Somewhat Guilty
They fought the law and the law won some and lost some.
After about 12 hours of deliberations, a jury found Ohio lawman Barry Carpenter guilty of receiving stolen property, theft in office and tampering with evidence in connection with a break-in at the home of the surrogate who carried Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's twin daughters to term.
Carpenter, who's been suspended from his post as chief of the Martin Ferry Police Department, was acquitted of burglary and unauthorized used of property or services. He had been accused of breaking into Ross' place in May to rustle up some pregnancy info to sell to the tabloids.
Ross testified last week that she noticed that her belongings had been pawed through, plus ultrasound pictures and some tax documents were missing. A paparazzo ultimately informed her of the scheme, she said.
Carpenter admitted to being in Ross' home, but only because he saw a door open. While inside, he testified, he took photos of Ross' surrogacy file containing ultrasound pics and a plaster cast of a pregnant stomach and later showed them to paparazzi.
No, New Moon Absolutely, Positively Didn't Beat Dark Knight
Twi-hards, you were right: New Moon's Sunday box office was bigger than estimated.
Twi-hards, you were wrong: New Moon wasn't big enough to dethrone The Dark Knight as Hollywood's all-time opening-weekend champ. (Or, for that matter, to displace No. 2, Spider-Man 3.)
Final numbers released today show that the Twilight sequel finished the weekend with a spectacular $142.8 million, up from the, well, spectacular $140.7 million of first reports.
In the end, New Moon made $72.7 million on Friday, $42.3 million Saturday and $27.8 million on Sunday.
Twi-hards, take note: Next time, the Dark Knight-beating number you're looking for on Sunday (assuming the other returns stay the same) is $43.5 million. Lotsa luck, Eclipse.
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While New Moon didn't break the Batguy's record, the Pattz-powered sequel did have plenty of pretty people in it. Take a look-see in our New Moon Premiere gallery.
Exclusive
Modern Family: Is Shakira Getting In On the Act?
Shakira is no actress, but maybe it's time for her to become one.
She and her hips are wanted over at ABC's new hit comedy Modern Family.
"I'm trying to convince her to act," M.F. star and resident MILF Sofia Vergara told me at the American Music Awards. "Hopefully, she'll say yes."
Vergara liked our suggestion that...
TLC Lets the Door Hit Jon (Not So Much Kate) on the Way Out
At this point, there's almost nothing we don't already know about Jon and Kate Gosselin.
He likes Ed Hardy, ticking every box off the midlife crisis checklist and demanding privacy from the paparazzi, unless of course they want to patronize his lemonade stand or capture him bringing flowers to his ex-wife. His dislikes include spell-check and Nancy Grace.
She, on the other hand, enjoys employing ghost writers to pen cookbooks on organic food, berating her personality-challenged husband and recouping hundreds of thousands of dollars that were rightfully hers to begin with. She's not such a fan of anything less than industrial-strength pomade.
This much we know.
But TLC is reminding us of a few other Gosselin truths that have gotten lost along the way in the torn-apart family's reality swan song, as Jon & Kate Plus 8 comes to its confessional- and montage-filled series end tonight.
Like, no matter how heinous you think their parents are—and at this point it is just a matter of degrees—those Plus 8 are downright adorable (and, lest we forget, the reason viewers flocked in the first place).
Update
Jennifer Lopez Stumbles for East Coasters Only
Sometimes the West Coast really misses out.
Not only does a tape-delayed award show mean Pacific zoners have to avoid Twitter for a few hours, but they also might miss the highlight of the event.
Last night's American Music Awards was no exception. Jennifer Lopez's much mocked giggled LOLed discussed live trip over her "Louboutins" was edited from the version of the show that aired later.
But the network insists this was not because of any sort of diva maneuvering.
"Due to the live nature of the show, we did not expect the impromptu moment in question," stated ABC, Dick Clark Productions executives and AMA show producers. "Regarding Jennifer Lopez, execs and producers felt it was respectful to Ms. Lopez to edit the mishap for later time zones."
What a bunch of fuddy-duddies! Out of respect for the people tuning in, they should have kept the "live" show as-is.
Even without the little dose of schadenfreude on the Left Coast, the AMAs telecast surged to its biggest ratings since 2002, with an estimated 14.2 million viewers.
For the record, Lopez's rep says she is physically fine. Her ego, on the other hand...
"Yeah, I meant to do that...That was part of the choreography," she joked with Ryan Seacrest this morning. "Look, the measure of things is not what happens when you fall, it's how you handle when you fall."
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Relive all the awesome action in our American Music Awards gallery.
Michael Jackson's Cash-Strapped Doctor Returns to Work
The doctor is in. Heaven help the patients.
The increasingly cash-strapped Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's infamous M.D. and the doctor at the center of authorities' still-pending investigation into the pop icon's death, returned to work Friday.
"Because of a deteriorating financial condition and prompting by many of his beloved patients, on Nov. 20, 2009, Dr. Conrad Murray resumed his cardiology practice in Houston, Texas," Murray's attorney, Ed Chernoff, said.
And he's wasting no time in expanding his services to the full scope of his former clientele.
"Dr. Murray plans to attend to patients in both Las Vegas and Houston. His decision to first return to practice in Houston was made because of the greater need these low-income patients have for his services and the prohibitive cost of reopening his clinic in Las Vegas."
And if you think people may be hesitant to get treated by the doctor who may or, slightly less likely, may not have had anything to do with Jackson's death, well, think again.
Taylor Swift Tops Even Michael Jackson at American Music Awards
Kanye West might have a problem with it, but this is definitely Taylor Swift's year.
The 19-year-old twanger pocketed a leading five prizes, including the biggest, Artist of the Year, at Sunday's American Music Awards, while Michael Jackson made some history from beyond the grave.
The late King of Pop won four posthumous awards—including Favorite Pop/Rock Artist and Pop/Rock Album for his 2003 greatest-hits set, Number Ones—bringing his AMA career total to 25.
In a night when neither of the top winners was present (Jackson for obvious reasons; Swift was in London rehearsing for a show at Wembley Arena), the Los Angeles cemerony was marked by a couple of outrageous performances (thank you, Adam Lambert and Lady Gaga) and welcome comebacks by Rihanna and Whitney Houston. But in the end, the ghost of Jackson was the night's most compelling presence.
"We love you, Michael," said a sequin-glove-sporting Jermaine Jackson, who accepted the honor on his brother's behalf. "It's not just about the winnings, the awards, it's mainly the message. The message that Michael had will live on forever...and he saw good in everyone and he wanted them to do good. To start with love and let's love each other."
Sister Janet kicked things off with a medley of her hits. Even Swift, who accepted her Artist of the Year award (without interruption) live via satellite, paid tribute to Michael, who she beat.
Carrie Prejean the Hot Topic at Miss California USA Pageant
Carrie Prejean may have been out of sight at Sunday's Miss California USA pageant—but she definitely was not out of mind.
The annual pageant, held at Agua Caliente Resort and Casino in Rancho Mirage, was full of overt digs at the controversial beauty queen. Donald Trump, the owner of Miss Universe, even got in on the action, appearing via video feed to introduce the interview portion of the show.
"Get ready for some really tough questions...and as time has proven, they get us in a lot of trouble," he promised.
Host Chris Jacobs also contributed a few cracks about Prejean, saying that one lucky girl would win the chance to "become TMZ's new favorite topic" and "give Larry King something inappropriate to talk about." He also referenced her solo sex-tape scandal, joking that a producer wanted to call Miss Photogenic "the Carrie Prejean award."
Backstage, pageant codirector Shanna Moakler weighed in on the controversies that have colored the organization's year. (Moakler, who left her post at Miss California USA during Prejean's reign, returned after Trump ousted the scandal-ridden titleholder.)
Update
New Moon Makes a Lot of Money (But Not Quite Batman Money)
It was big. It was bigger than expected. It was record-setting. But more on the new Sandra Bullock movie later.
New Moon will close out its remarkable debut weekend with an estimated $140.7 million, its studio reported today.
"I dare say in all the office pools, I don't think anyone had near this top gross," Summit Entertainment distribution president Richie Fay said.
The towering take makes the Twilight sequel the third-biggest opener in Hollywood history. Or, to put it in a way that will appease vampire-dismissing superhero boosters: Yes, The Dark Knight's opening-weekend mark is safe; and, yes, Spider-Man 3's second-place slot is secure.
But get over your spandex-supporting selves, because New Moon sucked up its own share of records:









