April 08, 2004 |
MERCY ELIMINATION
American Idol viewers finally did the humane thing and gave Camile Velasco the boot on last night's show. The 18-year-old Maui native's savage butchering of Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" sealed her fate. Next week, the seven remaining singers and John Stevens will croon popular movie themes in front of guest judge Quentin Tarantino. |
SALES MALFUNCTION
Despite an aggressive media blitz and a starring role in Boobygate, Janet Jackson's new CD, Damita Jo, debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's album chart with just 381,000 copies sold. By comparison, Jackson's last CD, 2001's All for You, opened at No. 1 with 605,000 copies sold. Damita marks the first time a Janet album has not debuted at No. 1 since 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814. So, who denied the singer-stripper the top spot? Usher, whose Confession disc sold 486,000 copies in its second week. |
T-SHIRT CONTEST
Jessica Simpson is suing over the very expensive T-shirt she wears in her "With You" video. According to TheSmokingGun.com, an auto-racing company called Motorock offered Simpson $140,000 to wear their logo across her ample bosom in the vid, among other promotional favors, but she has yet to receive a check. The moolah was due in Jess's hot little hands last October. |
APPRENTICE SCOOP
During a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Donald Trump revealed that his ultra-serious assistant, Robin Himmler, was not producers' first choice to play The Apprentice's boardroom gatekeeper. "We actually had an actress [play my assistant] and I didn't think the person was very good," he said. "[Exec producer] Mark Burnett went up to my office and said, 'You have somebody up here who'd be fantastic, and she works for you!' So we did it with Robin." |
IN RELATED NEWS...
As Apprentice fans know, Oma-rosa insists rival Ereka dropped the N-bomb and that producers censored it. Well, despite denials from Ereka and executive producer Mark Burnett, the disgruntled diva stands by her allegations on today's must-see Oprah Winfrey Show. Teases The Donald: "Ereka and Omarosa go at it like you will not believe about the N-word." These two need to get a room. |
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Hill Harper, last seen as Joe Pantoliano's sidekick on The Handler, has joined the cast of CSI: New York, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He'll play the coroner working with CSI's Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes and Vanessa Ferlito. |
GOD AT ABC
After more than two years in development, ABC is moving forward with production of the Oprah Winfrey-produced telepic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Adapted from Zora Neale Hurston's acclaimed 1937 novel, the project stars Halle Berry as a free-spirited 1920s woman whose search for identity and happiness through three marriages puts her at odds with mores of her small Florida town. |
STERN PENALTY
The FCC could fine Clear Channel Communications as much as $495,000 for Howard Stern's raunchy radio chat with Paris Hilton's ex-boy toy Rick Solomon, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Feb. 24 interview prompted Clear Channel to temporarily pull Stern's program off the air. |
SERIAL DATER
ABC has wrapped production on a 10-episode reality series that revolves around a twentysomething cheat. Produced by The Bachelor's Mike Fleiss, The Two-Timer will follow a horny bachelor as he goes on multiple dates each day, never telling the women that he's a low down dirty dog. "It's a comedic look at a kind of man who lurks out there in the dating world," Fleiss tells Variety. "It's a very relatable concept because everyone knows someone who's been a two-timer." I can't be certain, but I think he just took a swipe at Bob Guiney. |
REMEMBERED
Former ABC News correspondent Jack Smith, who was a regular on Nightline and This Week with David Brinkley, died Wednesday of pancreatic cancer. He was 58. |
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