Richard Hatch, 2000: Survivor was the network show that kicked off the reality craze, and Richard Hatch was both its first victor and first villain. Hatch was unlikeable, rude, and "not here to make friends," which made him an excellent prototype for the reality villains of the era. Hatch's life away from the show, including a conviction for tax evasion in 2006, also lent itself to the tabloids, creating a crossover of sorts for "ordinary people" from reality shows to have their dirty laundry aired just like the celebrities would, a trend that has only gotten stronger and more insane as the years have gone on.


O-Town, 2001: A manufactured pop group thrown together during the first season of MTV's Making The Band O-Town represented a growing trend in reality programming; the ability to make dreams come true through a recording contract (see also: Popstars, The X Factor, American Idol, Making The Band 2, 3, and 4). They had a hit with the now hilariously dated "Liquid Dreams" and faded away soon after. Band member Ashley Parker Angel later got his own "road back to stardom" type show on MTV, with similar results.


Howard K. Stern, 2002: One of many "celebreality" shows of the decade, the Anna Nicole Show was an attempt by Anna Nicole Smith to regain a bit of fame after her career dropped off in the late 90s. The show was an absolute trainwreck, and it was clear things would not end well. Stern, who was Smith's lawyer, always seemed to be lurking in the background, making decisions for the often-incoherent starlet and attempting to explain her erratic behavior. Smith died of a drug overdose in 2007, and Stern is currently on trial facing charges that he provided the drugs that led to her death.


Evan Marriott, 2003: The star of the wildly popular Joe Millionaire, Marriott played the role of a super rich guy looking for love, though the audience was well aware that Joe was anything but a millionaire. At the end of the show, the lucky winner had to figure out whether she really loved Joe or just his imaginary bank account. Did she stay for love? I honestly don't remember, but it doesn't matter now, as Marriott and Joe Millionaire are just a distant memory.


Laguna Beach, 2004-2006: The show that launched a thousand mascara tears, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County premiered in 2004 and introduced us to the likes of Lauren Conrad and Kristen Cavallari, who went on to to star in a second MTV reality show, The Hills. As for the rest of the cast, I'm sure they're all doing well and cringing every time they hear their Hilary Duff penned theme song on the radio.


Flavor Of Love, 2006-2008: Vh1, tired of being the channel best known for playing videos your mom likes and handing out tidbits of pop information via bubbles placed in videos, decided to spent the better part of the decade dealing in the love lives washed-up celebrities. Flavor Flav had three seasons of Flavor of Love on the network, but it was the contestants, including Tiffany "New York" Pollard, who stole the show. Soon enough, Pollard was considered celebrity enough to receive her own dating "celebreality" show, I Love New York. VH1 has since become a hotbed of sorts of reality dating show "stars," giving them multiple opportunities to extend their 15 minutes via an endless array of spinoff shows.


Sanjaya Malakar, 2007: A contestant during the sixth season of American Idol Sanjaya's inexplicable longevity on the show became a gift for some and a curse for others. The split between Sanjaya's supporters and detractors only served to make him a bigger star...until the next season started. If there's any show where careers are made and destroyed as quickly as possible, it's American Idol. By the time the next group of wannabes comes around, the majority of "stars" from the past seasons are instantly forgotten.


The Kardashians, 2008 It's pretty much impossible to walk past a supermarket checkout without seeing one of the Kardashians on the cover of a tabloid mag. The family has been documenting their lives on screen since late 2007, and though Kim was the breakout star, sisters Khloe and Kourtney got their own show in 2009 and have since become her rivals for coverage with stories of their weddings and pregnancies and various other important life things. The Kardashians, like the Osbournes and Hogans before them, found a place in the county's weird obsession with watching famous families go through relatively scripted ordeals.


Jon Gosselin, 2009: And speaking of family television, here's Jon Gosselin. Ugh, I can barely write another word about Jon Gosselin. You know who he is, right? He's a father of eight who wears bejeweled tigers on the back of his jeans. Gosselin started out as one of the stars of a "nice" reality show, the type of "educational" programming based around big families, little people, and neighbors who swap houses for a fun day of remodeling. Yet by the time his show was over, he'd hit every "naughty" reality show cliche in the book, proving that it's not that hard to move from "beloved" reality star to "international jackass" when your life falls apart on camera.


Jersey Shore, 2010: Get used to these faces. After a decade of villains, heroes, messed up families, hair-pulling fights, rock stars dating on buses, people taking shits on carpets, "bad girls" screaming at each other, pop stars rising and falling, top models being born, and Idols being worshipped, this is the new face of reality television. Welcome to 2010. It's going to be a Bumpit ride.

[With Jon & Kate Gone, The Soup Pitches New TLC Show [Mediaite]

The Slate piece is mostly about Hayes's regret that the Gosselins' divorce ruined the show, but Hayes, whose North Carolina-based production company is also responsible for the series Super Obese, seems to have an obsession with big families:

"Hayes was first introduced to a large, eccentric family in high school. Located in the hills of North Carolina, the school was populated by the descendants of brothers Eng and Chang Bunker, a set of conjoined Thai twins who moved to the region in the early 19th century and produced more than 20 children. The descendants populate the Tar Heel landscape and, every year, hold a family reunion, which Hayes has attended."

And this is weird:

"That said, his interest in the surreal aspects of human life is not exactly marked with journalistic detachment. He told me, for instance, that a Brazilian faith healer he met several years ago lowered his cholesterol through "invisible surgery.""

There really ought to be a special channel for People Who Will Believe Anything.

Family Man [Slate]

Jon almost seemed manic. And for all his talk about making changes, growing up, and being a the best father he can be, he sounded like a first-semester NYU student.


Jon also talked about how he has to work on his relationship with Hailey. Kate said that the kids don't know about "girlfriends." Speaking specifically about Hailey, Kate said, "I don't envision a future there involving my kids…at all."


During one of his custody visits, Jon planned on setting up a lemonade stand with the kids to raise money for the local fire department. He wouldn't allow the twins (the two older girls) to participate, because one of them had made a remark about how she prefers doing things with her mother. Later, at the lemonade stand, Jon wore a shirt that read, "Lies, Lies, Lies," while he sold the drinks to paparazzi.


Kate gives her final thoughts on the series coming to an end, and how she never intended for Jon to not be in "the driver's seat."

The previous clip showed the Gosselins in February applying for passports for a trip to South Korea that was supposed to be kept secret, due to the increasing presence of paparazzi. Jon, however, decided that he didn't want to go on the trip—most likely because he didn't want to spend time with Kate—and also decided that he wouldn't allow his children to go on the trip either. Instead, he got his new passport and went to the south of France with his 22-year-old girlfriend to hang out on a yacht with the Ed Hardy guy.

This screen appeared at the beginning of the episode to let the viewers know what they were in for.


Probably the most disturbing footage was this clip, shot over the summer, after the Gosselins had separated and figured out a custody agreement. Jon is shown several times ignoring his children while he texts on talks on two different phones at the same time, and walks over to the edge of his property to greet fans and paparazzi.


The only real comic relief in this episode was this woman, who had shown up for one of Kate's book signings. She idolizes Kate, and had her hair cut in the same style.

Radar Online has obtained the legal documents from Jon Gosselin's response to TLC's breach of contract lawsuit. The two documents were filed by lawyers Mark Heller and the unfortunately-named Christopher A. Hostage in Maryland, where Heller is not licensed to practice law.

The first document reveals that when the Gosselins renegotiated their salary in April 2008, the network agreed to pay them $22,500 per half-hour episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8 and $45,000 per one hour episode. Jon claims that TLC still owes him $175,000.

In Jon's answer to TLC's request for a preliminary injunction against him, his lawyers argue the original contract the Gosselins signed in 2005, is "unconscionable and therefore unenforceable" because the entire family was only paid $2,000 per episode and at the time "Mr. & Mrs. Gosselin... were unrepresented and unsophisticated."

Jon accuses TLC of failing to obtain location permits to film in the Gosselin home, not filing permits required under Pennsylvania's child labor laws, and a series of other violations that paint the network's actions as heartless, if not criminal. The document claims that TLC's contract was written so that it:

... Might preclude the children from pursuing academic, athletic, or religious pursuits that may be scheduled in conflict with [TLC]'s filming schedule.

And that because the Gosselin home was used as a location, the network:

Would not allow Mr. Gosselin or his family to take pictures at their home... thereby, Mr. Gosselin could not photograph or record his own family moments and hallmark events in his family's life.

The document says TLC paid "the family," rather than the children specifically, in an effort to dodge child labor laws. It's pointed out that Pennsylvania is currently investigating whether the show broke these laws after receiving an anonymous tip,

Which may have resulted from a raw clip of video footage from [Jon and Kate Plus 8] that appeared on the internet, which may be viewed at the following internet website http://www.youtube.com/watchv=WG2r87KkDKQ, which video footage depicts one of the children being denied water while pleading for same, during the staging and filming of [TLC]'s show.

That refers to this clip:



It's not like TLC sipped water in front of a pack of thirsty children. On the other hand, the kids wouldn't have been thirsty in the first place if no one wanted to interview them about Jon and Kate Plus 8. Now, after four and a half years of this shoddy treatment [and being fired from the show], Jon won't take it anymore:

[TLC is a] huge, multinational corporate conglomerate... while Mr. Gosselin... is an unsophisticated father of eight children, who is also known as "David" in this instant lawsuit between "David and Goliath."

Well, "unsophisticated" seems about right.

The contract is quoted as saying the Gosselins can appear on news and talk shows on other networks as long as they coordinate their appearances with TLC's press department and are identified as being from Jon and Kate Plus 8. The document claims Mark Heller faxed information about Jon's appearances to TLC and its "press department's failure to do any 'coordinating' is not a breach by Mr. Gosselin."

It goes on to say that if TLC is allowed to prevent Jon from making other TV appearances it will cause him "severe and unbalanced harm" because:

Mr. Gosselin will be unable to earn a living as a television personality, and therefore be precluded from supporting his eight children, whereas [TLC] currently has its show on "indefinite hiatus."

There's no mention of the "severe and unbalanced harm" Jon is causing the public by earning his living as a television personality. The document concludes with this impassioned plea:

Righteous, law-abiding, good citizens journey to seek the most coveted privileges of an American — which are equity, fairness, and justice, on the precondition that they reach out with clean hands to Honorable Justices and therefore, are worthy of the Court's consideration. However, here, [TLC]'s hands are so sullied, polluted and infected with wrong doing, deception, heavy handedness, unconscionability, and disregard for the Public's Interest, that the only resolve that justice should mandate is that [TLC]'s infected hands be amputated.

As far as we know, judges can't sentence people to "hand amputation" in this country, but Jon's point stands: it's the unalienable right of every American to agree to put their family on a reality show, violate their contract, overrun the media with reports of their ridiculous behavior, and drag their problems through the American legal system.

EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS: Read Jon Gosselin's $5 Million Lawsuit Against TLC! [Radar Online]
EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS: TLC Broke The Law Jon Gosselin Charges In New Court Papers [Radar Online]

Kate says that in retrospect, she cuts Jon some slack for how hard she was on him, but it's obvious here that she thinks he's an immature asshole.


Kate is currently estranged from her parents and three of her four siblings.


Morales grilled Kate about how she's creating her own tabloid mess by remaining in the public eye. Kate's response was pretty much: "That was way harsh, Ty." (Notice how the Kate Halloween wig is sitting next to Natalie, like a lap dog. They never talked about it on the show.)


Kate described her one meeting with Hailey Glassman.


Mostly though, Kate asked, and answered, her own questions.

Mostly, the episode was sort of a PR push to convince the audience—if not Jon—that J&KP8 is not harmful to the Gosselin kids, and in fact, affords them special opportunities, like college tuition.

Earlier today, TLC released its plans for the (near) future of the show, which will include the one-hour special Kate: Her Story, airing November 2, "where NBC's Natalie Morales sits down with Kate Gosselin for her most intimate interview to date." There are four episodes of J&KP8 that will air in the following three weeks, one of which is a clips show.


1.) What's the deal with your hair?


2.) Do you regret renewing your vows with Jon last year?


3.) If the show is canceled permanently, what are your career goals?


4.) Do your kids know they're famous?


5.) Is there money put away for the kids' education that neither parent can touch?


6.) What's the worst thing you've read about yourself in the tabloids? Do you buy tabloids?


7.) Will you ever remarry?


8.) What happened to the dogs?


9.) Why do you look different?


10.) Do you clip coupons?

The piece—"The Unreal Rise of Jon and Kate Gosselin"—paints a portrait of Kate as a woman trapped in the gilded cage of fame. And she's loving it. She enjoys that her hairdo is iconic, she's chatting on her cellphone with Kelly Ripa, and she's finally begun to win the media war against Jon, who keeps trying to rain on her parade and destroy her brand. "I'm running a business - hello?" she says.

Sales points out that since March 2009, the Gosselins have been on the cover of the celeb weeklies over 50 times, beating out other celebrities, including Brad and Angelina. She—like most of us—wants to know what "perfect storm made Jon and Kate this year's tabloid obsession." Although Sales met with Kate twice (once in August and again in September), Ginia Bellafante, TV critic at The New York Times, seemed to have a lot more insight into how a tabloid star is born:

It became a show that was completely suited to a multi-platform world. You can't just watch Jon & Kate on television and understand it anymore. You have to participate in it on all these different levels-tabloids, news shows, talk shows, the blogosphere. Jon & Kate became unintentionally brilliant because it demanded so much other consumption to find out what was ‘real.'

Sales' piece is a testament to that. Despite the fact that this story has been in the works for nearly three months, it doesn't appear in the current print issue; it's a web exclusive, which makes sense, seeing that mainly the Gosselin story seems to have a new and dramatic development, each day.

Part of what's propelling this story, as Richard Spencer of In Touch tells Ms. Sales, are Jon and Kate themselves. "Brad and Angelina try to be discreet, whereas Jon and Kate, they serve it daily to you on a platter." Sales also notes that, in this climate of cost-cutting, the Jon-and-Kate story is "cheap to produce; the price of paparazzi shots of the family runs significantly lower than pictures of the latest Kardashian wedding." And you can't argue with numbers. In Touch and Us Weekly almost doubled their sales with each Jon-and-Kate cover story.

With each tabloid story, it seems more and more likely that Kate's children are being exploited. And she tends to agree, but insists that this is the media's fault:

'The ones claiming we are exploiting our children,' Kate says—here referring to the tabloids and other media that have criticized her for putting her kids on television—'are the ones exploiting our children!'

Like many celebs, Kate also seems to have a love/hate relationship with the paparazzi. "They're all sort of bald and fattish, aren't they? They have a look," she says. Yet, while in a car going on a publicist-approved shopping trip to F.A.O Schwartz (because it would make Kate "look good"), "she leans out the window and yells to one of the bike riders, 'Hurry up!' She laughs her whooping laugh."

But perhaps this anecdote is the most revealing about Kate's view of herself, and her future:

A young British paparazzo is clandestinely snapping the transaction, his camera hidden under a stuffed animal. I ask him what he sees in Kate. 'She's a massive story at the moment,' he whispers. When I relay this comment to Kate, she scoffs, 'At the moment?'

Tabloid compilation via Vanity Fair.

The Unreal Rise of Jon and Kate Gosselin [Vanity Fair]

Despite the fact that Jon has been saying that he no longer wants his children to be filmed and he wants to "privately" settle his problems with ex-wife Kate, he has taken a very public platform to do so, by basically taking up a residency on the tabloid TV shows The Insider and Entertainment Tonight this past week. He's so "concerned" about the privacy of his children that he brought ET cameras with him to shop for birthday presents for Mady and Cara, which aired last night. According to Radar, Jon showed up at the birthday party today and wants his own camera crew to film the affair, which Kate is refusing to allow.


He even read a private email from Kate aloud, in which Kate suggests that the former couple's acrimony and legal problems would make celebrating their daughters' birthday together problematic for the children. She requested that they each spend a few hours alone with the girls today, but Jon isn't having it.


In this clip, Jon can barely enunciate words. He seems manic as he's explaining he's made mistakes, but in the same breath, claims that he's been "set up" by someone (whom he doesn't name) to appear like a schmuck in the court of public opinion.


While he keeps insisting that he only has the best interests of his children in mind, he admits to The Insider that he plans on "cornering" Kate at the birthday party to discuss their issues.


On tonight's episode of Entertainment Tonight, Jon takes the camera crew to pick out a birthday cake for his daughters, whom he claims have been exploited by being on television.

In an interview last week on Entertainment Tonight, Jon insisted that his decision to halt production of Kate Plus 8 was not about money, saying, "My kids are more important to me than your dollars." However, since then, he has reportedly emptied $230,000 from his family's joint bank account, money that was set aside for paying the household bills.


This morning, a visibly shaken Kate was on Today, giving very specific details about the family's finances, and telling Meredith Vieira that she was left with only $1,000, and can not pay her bills. (Jon and his lawyers have released a statement to Entertainment Tonight, sort of denying her claims.)


On Friday, Jon was a guest on The Insider—which has a new View-ish panel setup—and said that 80% of the money he and his family have earned has been put into a trust for his children. However, he said that the trust is "revocable," meaning that he has access to the money in it. He admitted that he "absolutely" plans on dipping into this trust.


In a phone interview on The View today, Kate said that she would work at McDonald's, if need be, to support her children, but would obviously prefer the larger paychecks from TLC.


Jon, who has been claiming that he wants his children off the show because the lack of privacy is "harmful" to them, disclosed on The Insider the last time he had sexual intercourse with Kate.


He then lied, over and over and over again about various rumors. (Please, he's never smoked a joint in his life? Didn't he live in a Hawaii for a while?)


After denying scandal after scandal, Jon apologized to people for his "mistakes." He also said he believes he will survive this particular one.


But will he survive Nancy Grace? Jon will be facing off with her tonight on The Insider.


Oh, and Hailey weighs in, via Twitter, if anyone cares.


BREAKING NEWS: Kate Gosselin Files Motions To Get $230k Back From Jon [Radar]

In today's Gosselympics, Kate has torn down the misspelled no trespassing sign that Jon placed in front of the estranged couple's home late last week, which warned TLC crews to stay off the property or face a severe "penelty." Unafraid of said "penelty," and irritated at Jon's attempt to stop the production of Kate Plus 8 Kate has taken down the sign, and she plans to call Jon out on his "I want to work things out/I'm stopping the show for the children" bullshit on Monday's Today show.

Meanwhile, Radar is also reporting that the couple have come to an "informal custody deal," and that Jon is anxious to get out of his TLC contract in order to start working on his long-rumored Divorced Dad's Club project with Michael Lohan. Both parents seem eager to ensure that their television projects are protected and allowed to thrive without being interrupted by very public displays of nastiness, pettiness, and overall insanity. Too bad they can't say the same about their kids.

Exclusive: Jon And Kate Gosselin Reach Informal Custody Deal [RadarOnline]
New Photos: Kate Gosselin Takes Down Jon's Sign Barring TLC From Their TLC Home [RadarOnline]

With his slimy lawyer in tow, Jon went on TV to publicize his crusade to stop the publicity! Even though he was filming for TLC as recently as last Friday, Jon said that he had an "epiphany" that he no longer wanted his family to be on TV, which conveniently came right after TLC dropped his name from the show, but refused to release him from his exclusive contract with them. (Making it impossible for him to get "Divorced Dads Club" off the ground, a project he'd been putting together with Michael Lohan and possibly Kevin Federline.)


Just last month, Jon refuted tabloid claims that the show was harmful to his children.


Even though he denies that this whole thing just boils down to contract negotiations, Jon does admit that he doesn't get along with the TLC brass, saying that they, at one point, put him on "house arrest." It's obvious that TLC has a particular disdain for Gosselin; they issued a rather scathing statement, something that networks pretty much never do.

We are aware of Jon Gosselin's recent statements, and remain deeply disappointed at his continued erratic behavior. He and the family were shooting as recently as last Friday, without incident, and his latest comments are grossly inaccurate, without merit and are clearly opportunistic. Despite Jon Gosselin's repeated self-destructive and unprofessional actions, he remains under an exclusive contract with TLC. Direct filming of the children has been currently suspended, pending further conversations between both parents. - Laurie Goldberg, Senior VP, TLC

He also did a real shit job at denying affairs with any other women other than Hailey Glassman. However, he has issued an apology to his ex-wife…via an appearance on Entertainment Tonight, airing tonight.

• Jon Gosselin is demanding TLC stop filming Jon and Kate. He posted a sign on his gate reading, "NOTICE: NO FILM CREW OR PRODUCTION STAFF FROM TLC IS PERMITTED ON THIS PROPERTY UNDER PENELTY [sic] OF TRESPASS. JOHNATHON [sic] GOSSELIN"

• Last week Jon was fine with his kids filming, but now that he's been dropped from Kate Plus 8 he suddenly doesn't want his kids to be on camera. [TMZ]
• Jon Gosselin's manager, Mike Heller, told Perez Hilton: "Jon Gosselin is the new David and TLC is the new Goliath. Jon is empowered by his new attorney, Mark Jay Heller, to take back control of his family. Even if it means the revenue stream will be cut off. Jon's priority is family not money. THIS IS NOT A NEGOTIATION TACTIC TO get more money from TLC. We are completely cutting ties with TLC. This is something that he has been trying to do for a while now." [Perez Hilton]
• TLC responded: "We are aware of Jon Gosselin's recent statements, and remain deeply disappointed at his continued erratic behavior. He and the family were shooting as recently as last Friday, without incident, and his latest comments are grossly inaccurate, without merit and are clearly opportunistic... Despite Jon Gosselin's repeated self destructive and unprofessional actions, he remains under an exclusive contract with TLC. Direct filming of the children has been currently suspended, pending further conversations between both parents." [People]
• Kate Gosselin is similarly disappointed in Jon. She says: "I'm saddened and confused by Jon's public media statements. Jon has never expressed any concerns to me about our children being involved in the show and, in fact, is on the record as saying he believes the show benefits our children and was taping on Friday with the kids. I check in regularly with each of the kids to be sure they want to participate in and continue with the show and will continue to do so..." [People]
• Michael Lohan has weighed in on the matter saying, "All I can tell you from my conversation with him two days ago is that he does want to pursue the Divorced Dads Club... Michael Heller, he and I represent Jon on a business level, wants him to do the show. Mark is trying to get him out of the TLC contract so he can." [Radar Online]
• Sources from both sides are explaining what's really going on... or rather, their version of events. TLC sources say Jon Gosselin wanted off the show so the network offered to give him his full paycheck and take him off Jon and Kate Plus 8. But they wouldn't let Jon do any other reality show, which Jon found unacceptable. His lawyer threatened to shut down production by claiming the show wasn't good for the kids. Jon sources say the kids really have been complaining about the show, and that the show being renamed Kate Plus 8 means they'll have to be on camera a lot more to fill the void left by Jon. [TMZ]
• The most shocking thing about Michael Jackson's autopsy? He was actually pretty healthy. His heart and other organs were strong and functioning normally and at 136 lbs he was in the acceptable weight range for a 5-foot-9 man. He had arthritis in his lower back and some fingers and his lungs were chronically inflamed and had reduced capacity, but his lung condition wasn't serious enough to contribute to his death. As this is MJ, there has to be something odd: He had tattooed on eyeliner, eyebrows, and lipliner and covered a bald spot with a tattoo from ear to ear. [AP, The Telegraph]
• In a new interview with Britain's Channel 4, La Toya Jackson says that in the hospital after Michael Jackson died, Paris told her, "The cardiologist was the best, so how could this happen? What happened is they worked him too hard. He never got the chance to rest. It was non-stop work." La Toya continues, "She said, 'No, you don't understand. They kept working him and Daddy didn't want that, but they worked him constantly'. I felt so bad." [The Mirror]
• Michael Bearden, the musical director for Michael Jackson's "This Is It" tour, says the coroner's finding prove that the allegations Michael was too weak to perform weren't true and he was definitely up for performing 50+ concerts. [TMZ]
• The Jackson kids spent time with their longtime nanny, Grace Rwaramba, yesterday. [TMZ]
• Emma Watson was "quite shaken" when a group of students from the Harvard Voice stalked her at a Harvard-Brown football game. They Tweeted the progress of their "stalking mission" and posted a picture of her, calling it a "success." [Extra]
• The Voice says that their Emma Watson-stalking live blog was a "parody." The magazine responded to complaints left on their website writing, "There seems to be much ado about nothing over this photo and liveblog. Understand that these live tweets were made to be intentionally outrageous and overblown." [People]
• Could a prenup put an end to Kevin Jonas' plans to marry Danielle Deleasa? She hasn't signed yet and is reportedly taking time to come "to terms with the request." [Perez Hilton]
• Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield got "touchy-feely" between filming scenes on Melrose Place. Watch out Pete, a source says she was even doing the "hair flip thing!" [Star]
• David Copperfield wants a judge to temporarily shelve a personal injury lawsuit filed by a woman who says he sexually assaulted her on his private island because Department of Justice prosecutors are already investigating the case. [The Smoking Gun]
• Ryan Jenkins' father has hired a private investigator because he refuses to believe that his son killed Jasmine Fiore. He says, "We just want the truth to be told ... It is just unfathomable to us that he could be responsible for anything that has been reported." [TMZ]
• John Travolta's lawer Michael McDermott testified today that the plot to blackmail Travolta was hatched because one of the defendants was star struck. McDermott says paramedic Tarino Loightbourne kept the document instead of turning it in because it was singed by a celebrity and he thought it was evidence that Travolta had either killed his son or recognized he was negligent in his death. [TMZ]
• Dennis Hopper's manager says he's "feeling much better" after checking into the hospital yesterday. He had severe flulike symptoms and was treated for dehydration. [AP]
• Randy and Evi Quaid's former private investigator claims that they scammed an 87-year-old lady named Lois. She says, "Lois worked out an agreement with Randy and Evi that they would rent her mobile home for $1,000 a month... But they never paid her and they left her place a disaster. To take advantage of an 87-year-old lady who trusted them like that is really sad." [Radar Online]
• Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi is pregnant. Her rep says, "she is carrying her first child after years of struggling with endometriosis, a cause for which she has co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America. As a result of her condition, this pregnancy has been referred to by her physician as nothing short of a medical miracle, and due to its delicate nature, we ask/implore the press to respect Ms. Lakshmi's privacy at this time." [Us]
• Flavor Flav dropped out of high school in 10th grade and now he's shopping a reality show about going back to school. So basically this will be a Strangers With Candy reality show. [Hollywood Reporter]
• Bethenny Frankel is getting her own reality show. It doesn't have a title yet but "will showcase her career as a natural foods chef, as well as the Gotham socialite's love life." [N.Y. Magazine]
• Intrawest, which operates nine ski resorts including the one Natasha Richardson died at six months ago, will implement a new rule this season, recommending that all skiers and snowboarders wear helmets. [AP]
• A preliminary hearing in the Anna Nicole Smith drug case against Howard K. Stern will be held on October 13. [TMZ]
• Ryan Seacrest hit on Madonna on his radio show today and she told him he's "too old" for her. She says she's dating a 22-year-old because, "Younger people are more adventurous. Have you met many guys my age? They're usually grumpy and fat and balding." She says as long as men are "old enough to dress themselves" she'll date them. She adds, "My body is a part of my job. I look in the mirror and say "more work.....less cake, more work." On the topic of Kanye West she says he's "impulsive" and that she wants to "give him a good talking to" because "he needs to put a lid on it." Finally she explains that she didn't notice Ryan in the front row of her concert because Jennifer Lopez was giving her "sharp looks." [KIISFM]
• Michael Bay announced on his website today that Transformers 3 will come out a year earlier than expected and wrote in a postscript (that came before his signature for some reason) "P.S. Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture. Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you." [N.Y. Magazine]
• Kevin Smith has compiled transcripts from his podcast into the book Shooting the Shit: The Best of SModcast. He says, "I don't feel like an author most days. John Grisham is an author. John Grisham sits down and is like, 'All right, I'm gonna write a story about this shit and it's gonna happen in Memphis and involve a couple lawyers, as per usual.' That's an author. I'm like, at best, a backdoor author. That sounds very homoerotic, but it's not gay porn - it's backdoor, man. I didn't intend for it to happen, I didn't go through the front door." [N.Y. Magazine]
• Drew Barrymore says of Whip It, "I didn't want it to be just another chick flick. I wanted it to stay true to girl empowerment. I wanted to make something that was also irreverent and relevant for boys. I wanted it to be emotional and yet romantic and also have action and have girls doing things you'd normally see boys do. That wasn't easy." [Reuters]
• Mo'Nique has done almost no press for Precious despite the fact that people are saying she's a possible Oscar nominee. Now her publicist of two weeks has quit and Mo'Nique is refusing to show up to the New York Film Festival on Saturday. [Showbiz 411]
• Mariah Carey has finally overcome her debilitating left side insecurity and is now allowing people to photograph either side of her face. She says, "I don't feel like, 'Oh, I have to be on this side, or I have to be on this side' — I really had specific things that someone told me when I was 19 starting in the business and I listened to them ... I don't care anymore. Sometimes I like that [left] side — and Nick likes that side better anyway." [Us]

• At a concert on Sunday Marilyn Manson blew phlegm from his nose all over the stage (there's video). The next day he wrote on Facebook: "So I have officially been diagnosed, by a real doctor, with THE SWINE FLU..."

• He continued, "I know everyone will suggest that fucking a pig is how this disease was obtained. However, the doctor said, my past choices in women have in 'no way' contributed to me acquiring this mysterious sickness. ... Unfortunately, I am going to survive." [TMZ, UPI]
• The Sun has admitted Lily Allen didn't insult the Beckhams, and paid her $16,000. The paper printed an apology, saying, "We now accept that Lily didn't say these things to the magazine and we apologize to Lily for the upset and embarrassment caused by repeating them." The incorrect quote was taken from a French magazine called SoFoot. [E!]
• Though Lily Allen told fans she has no plans to make another record, her spokesman is reassuring fans that she's not retiring from music. He said: "Lily is not retiring from music. She is still promoting her current album which is why she said she is not thinking about her next record right now." [The Mirror]
• People has seen a videotape of John Travolta's lawyer and the two Bahamian defendants accused of trying to extort money from him. The men asked for money for a document called a Do No Transport form Travolta signed when considering whether to have his son taken to the airport or the nearest hospital. Travolta's lawyer asks, "Where the hell did you get a number of 25 million bucks?" [People]
• After Randy and Evi Quaid were arrested yesterday for skipping out on a hotel bill they sent in a $5,546 check — about $5,000 less than they owe. [TMZ]
• Deputy James Davis, the police officer who arrested Evi Quaid, says she showed up to his office today and screamed at him, accusing him of being "a crooked, corrupt cop" who concocted "a plot against her and her husband." He described it as a "psychotic episode." [TMZ]
• The Quaids have been formally charged with felony burglary, conspiracy and defrauding an innkeeper. The Santa Barbara D.A. said, "They're going to need to come to Santa Barbara and deal with these charges. Any restitution that's been paid will help facilitate a resolution of the criminal case, but that doesn't mean it will automatically go away." [TMZ]
• Last night Angelina Jolieand Brad Pitt went to the dedication of the Jane Pitt Pediatric Cancer Center in his hometown of Springfield, Mo., which was named after his mom and financed by a $1 million donation from Pitt. [Star]
• In a statement read on today's Oprah, Bijou Phillips said she was 13 when she learned that her half-sister Mackenzie Phillips had sex with her father. She is now 29 and says the information was confusing and scary and it was "heartbreaking" that her family still left her alone with her father. [AP]
• For some unknown reason, Vivica A. Fox was asked about Mackenzie Phillips' revelation that she had sex with her father. She said: "The fact that her father is not here to defend himself, I don't like it. I don't think that's fair." Yes, clearly it's Mackenzie who needs to be worried about being fair! [Radar Online]
• Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe and Eric Bogosian will be phased out of Law and Order: Criminal Intent this season and Jeff Goldblum will take over as the lead detective. [Reuters]
• Martha Stewart apologized for making insensitive comments about Jessica Simpson losing her dog on her TV show today. "I said that she should have been watching her dog more closely, but I feel very, very sorry for anybody that loses a pet," said Martha. "Jessica, I hope you find your pet, but if you don't, I'm really sorry that you lost one." [People]
• Blind item: Which "on-screen duo" doesn't get along in real life?" Michael Ausiello writes: he "claims his leading lady is unprofessional and extremely difficult to work with. Even worse, he has accused her of behaving 'inappropriately' at times. He's made it known to TPTB that he doesn't want to be in scenes with her, least of all love scenes. But there's no getting around those anytime soon. 'They told him the love scenes are unavoidable,' says my spy. 'Their characters are supposed to be having a torrid affair.'" [Entertainment Weekly]
• This week's episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8 was the lowest rated ever, drawing in only 1.7 million viewers. Their high was the divorce episode, which had 10.6 million viewers. [Radar Online]
• Elizabeth Hurley's husband, Arun Nayar, was badly burned on his face and right hand while lighting a bonfire at his home. He said, "I had an accident, but I am recovering well now." [The Telegraph]
• Justin Guarini is getting married this weekend to Reina Capodici, with whom he has a four-year-old daughter. His friend and publicist said, "This is the happiest I've ever seen him. He's smiling from ear to ear. I don't know what's bigger – his teeth or his hair." [People]
• Jaime Pressly is marrying Simran Singh on Saturday. They announced their engagement in July. [Radar Online]
• Isabella Rossellini, who starred in the experimental online Green Porno films says, "The web is a double-edged sword," she said, speaking in Italian. "It has a huge potential for distributing content, creating contacts. There are a lot of advantages. The problem is that money is spent on technologies, not on content." [Reuters]
• Gisele Bunchen says she and Tom Brady decided not to find out the sex of their baby. "We will only know when it is born, in December," she said. "I want the emotion of finding out then if it is a boy or a girl." [People]
• Jamie Lee Curtis criticized paparazzi for creating a "hostile environment for celebrities" and rushed past photographers at Variety's Power of Women Luncheon. She explained: "My knees happen to have some bruises on them because I just did a stunt where I was under a sink on my hands and knees with exploding water in my face. I had very bruised knees and I worried they would focus on that and make some bad story about why my knees are bruised!" [The Mirror]
• Hugh Hefner says he wants Megan Fox to pose for Playboy explaining, "Megan is a fox." However his new girlfriends want Kelly Osbourne to pose. "She's losing weight and she's blond now," Crystal Harris says. "She looks good. I want to see what she looks like naked." [E!]

Here, from last night's episode, Jon talks about how the custody situation is working out.