After years of rumors that they have an open marriage Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have separated after 13-years of marriage together, well that’s if InTouch Weekly‘s insider is to believed.
The couple have two children together, Jaden and Willow, and Jada is the stepmother to Will’s son Trey, who he had from a previous marriage.
Will and Jada met back when she auditioned for a role on ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ and then they got married on December 31st, 1997.
Speaking to Ellen Degeneres back in 2008 Will said “Divorce just can’t be an option, it’s really that simple. And I think that’s the problem with L.A. – there are so many options. So a huge part of the success for [Jada] and I is that we just removed the other options.”
TMZ are now reporting that they placed a call to Jada’s rep and her response was “What? In Touch said that? I know nothing about this … Lord. I’m going back to bed.”
Is it just me or is that one of the best statement’s ever? One of her clients has a huge story spreading over the internet like wildfire and she simply says she is going back to bed.
I don’t know if I believe this story or not, I guess we will know for sure by the end of the day what is going on.
If you don’t know who Jessie J is then you should because she is pretty amazing and she is currently taking over the world, anyway here is her new video for her latest single ‘Nobody’s Perfect’.
Her thoughts on the video? “It’s my fave video I’ve done so far!” is what she wrote on her Twitter account and while she continues to try break it big in the USA she is set to perform on the Ellen Degeneres show tomorrow. What are your thoughts on Jessie J?
When most people think of comedians they usually just think of the men and most movies or comedy tours are full of male comedians, to celebrate some of the female comedians Yahoo have come up with a list of the top female comedians. Take a look at the top 10:
10. Lucille Ball “How I Love Lucy was born? We decided that instead of divorce lawyers profiting from our mistakes, we’d profit from them.”
Probably the single most influential woman figure in comedy, Ball’s long-running sitcom I Love Lucy not only forged the path for women on TV, but continues to run in syndication, holding its own against contempory television comedies that she and it undoubtedly influenced.
09. Jenny McCarthy “My philosophy of dating is to just fart right away.”
The original naughty hottie, McCarthy started on the MTV dating show, Singled Out. Her crassness, crudeness, and tomboyish tongue often stole the spotlight and not only opened doors for her career, but also for foul-mouthed female followers like Chelsea Handler.
08. Tracey Ullman “If God had intended for breasts to be seen, He wouldn’t have created large woolen pullovers.”
Regarded as the queen of sketch comedy, Ullman’s side-splitting sendups of famous men and women alike made The Tracey Ullman Show a hit in the 90′s and beyond. It also introduced the world to an animated family of five named The Simpsons.
07. Joan Rivers “I don’t excercise. If God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor.”
The queen of the red carpet and savage wit. If women in comedy was a political office, Rivers would be the two-term president who won by a landslide. Respected by peers and audiences alike, Rivers’ witty tongue-lashings take aim at everything and everyone, including herself.
06. Roseanne Barr “Women should try to increase their size rather than decrease it, because I believe the bigger we are, the more space we’ll take up, and the more we’ll have to be reckoned with.”
Barr’s success came at a time when audiences wanted it: an overweight, homely, mom-type who hid a hilarious sense of humor under her juice-stained sweats. Barr was lauded and loved for her true-to-life portrayal of supermoms everywhere, but also castigated for setting Tom Arnold loose on the world.
05. Ellen Degeneres “My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the hell she is.”
Years ago, Degeneres turned her sitcom Ellen’s demise and media-fed questions about her sexuality into her current success as TV’s first openly-gay comedy/variety talk-show host. Her throne atop daytime television remains unchallenged, and her Queen of Nice title does nothing to tarnish her hilarity.
04. Carol Burnett “We didn’t exactly starve, but we were pretty poor when I was growing up. I remember thinking, Oh gosh, if I could just make thirty dollars a month to help with the rent, that would be fabulous. So perhaps I envied performers when I heard that Bing Crosby made twenty dollars a minute.”
Along with Lucille Ball, Phyllis Diller, and Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett is widely considered one of the fore-mothers of female comedy. The Carol Burnett Show, a long-running sketch comedy hour, sealed her fate as an American icon for women in comedy.
03. Amy Poehler “I’ve said this before, that, when you’re in school and you’re the class clown, men are really good at making fun at other people and women are really good at making fun of themselves.”
Any fan of Late Night with Conan O’Brien will tell you some of the funniest moments on the show were when sidekick Andy Richter’s angry, hyperactive “kid sister” interrupted the show with her emotional outbursts. Poehler later went on to steal scenes on Saturday Night Live, host Weekend Update, and star in her own sitcom, NBC’s Parks and Rec.
02. Phyllis Diller “You know you’re old if they have discontinued your blood type.”
To say that Phyllis Diller paved the way for zany, female comics would be like saying Michael Jordan was a pretty good basketball player. Diller’s original zaniness, wit, and personality were unlike any seen before, and her scratchy-voiced delivery of some of the most deadpan statements places her among the top originals of funny women.
01. Amy Sedaris “I always got along with all types of people – popular people as well as drug addicts.”
“Weird,” “strange,” and “offbeat” are words used to describe Sedaris and her sense of humor, but only in conjuction with “funny.” Sedaris’ books, stints on TV, and talk show appearances have only confirmed these descriptions, but it is this uniqueness along with her sense of humor that makes her so original and funny.
I would not put Jenny McCarthy on this list instead I would add Kathy Griffin and Lisa Kudrow to the list, who is your top female comedians at the moment?
This year has seen soem of the biggest celebrity scandals ever, from affairs to trips to rehab to drug scandals, but not all of them were bad this year. Do Something have come up with a list of the most charitable celebrites for the year. Take a look at the top 10…
10. Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber visited and dedicated a music video to the many children battling illness worldwide, even raising $150,000 for a Buffalo, NY children’s hospital. Bieber also works with Pencils of Promise to help build schools and increase education opportunities in the developing world,donating $1 from every ticket sold to the org, which is no small change when you’re selling out giant arenas.
9. Oprah
Oprah donated $40 million to charity, making her The Giving Back Fund’s top celeb philanthropist. O talks education inequities, dedicating a 2-part series of her show to education reform. In September, O presented checks for $6 million in grants to 6 different US charter schools whose groundbreaking leadership provide quality public education.
8. Leonardo Dicaprio
A noted environmentalist, Leonardo DiCaprio took on preserving endangered tigers this year. He traveled to Asia to witness the tiger population threats firsthand, and met with world leaders from the 13 tiger-inhabited countries, including Russia’s Prime Minister Putin. Leo launched Save Tigers Now with the World Wildlife Fund, and in November, donated $1 million for tiger conservation.
7. Matt Damon
Last YearMatt Damon co-founded Water.org to provide safe drinking water & sanitation in developing countries. This August he traveled to Ethiopia to increase water conditions there. He also personally reached out to top celebs like Stephen Colbert asking them to promote the initiative. Recently, he helped design the organization’s water bottles with 100% of the proceeds going to the cause.
6. Nick Jonas
Nick Jonas isn’t just 1/3 of the The Jonas Brothers and their Change for the Children Foundation. A leading diabetes advocate, Nick became this year’s National Chair for JDRF’s Walk to Cure Diabetes. He supports the cause everywhere he can, writing a blog that promotes diabetes awareness and even offering a personal visit for diabetes-sufferers who made a difference in their communities.
5. Ellen DeGeneres
Before and after other celebrities spoke out for the issue, Ellen dedicated episodes of her show to the harms of bullying. She teamed up with the The Trevor Project to raise over $150,000 for LGBT people struggling with mental health issues and delivered a heart-wrenching important message about the epidemic.
4. Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore launched the DNA Foundation to combat child sex trafficking. Since then, the couple has traveled to meet with world leaders to discuss ending slavery worldwide. On Valentine’s Day the two sent roses to survivors. Ashton also used his Twitter to successfully pressure Craigslist to shut down their harmful ‘adult services’ section.
3. Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is a Tennessee girl, so when Nashville flooded this year, she jumped to its aid & donated $500,000 the relief effort. She also posed for a picture next to her favorite Nashville landmark to raise additional funds for the cause. Later this year, Taylor joined Scholastic to promote literacy through READ NOW.
2. Alicia Keys
Keep a Child Alive founder Alicia Keys worked harder than ever this year to make sure her organization continued to provide AIDS treatment worldwide. She launched the celeb-packed Digital Death Campaign, raising $1.1 million dollars. Alicia also announced that she and hubby Swizz Beatz adopted a South African village where they will build schools and provide support for the residents.
1. Lady GaGa
In 2010, Lady Gaga had breakout popularity and breakthrough advocacy. Gaga called for the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, walking the VMAs red carpet with service members and speaking at a rally. Her ladyship also hosted the Hands Up for Marriage Equality event supporting same-sex-marriage and was the face of MAC Viva Glam, with 100% of the proceeds going to prevent HIV/AIDS worldwide.
source: This year’s top 20 Celebs Gone Good: [Do Something]
Madonna has appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres show today to speak about against bullying and the recent group of teenagers who have committed suicide because they are gay. Here is what she had to say…
“I’m incredibly disturbed and saddened by the overwhelming number of teen suicides that have been reported lately because of bullying … to hear that teenagers are taking their lives because they are being bullied in schools and dormitories, what have you, is kind of unfathomable. If you want to talk about solutions or how can we solve this problem, try to get through the day each and everyone of us without gossiping about somebody. And not only that. Not even listening to gossip. Walking away from it. Can you imagine what your day would be like? How much more free time you’d have? I also feel like you’d feel about better about yourself.”
She also talked about speaking about this with her own children.
source: Madonna: Stop The Bullying — And Gossip! [Just Jared]
When people break-up they always want to experience other people, be it straight away or after a couple of months, but what isn’t so common is when one of the people decides to go gay. But after all this is Hollywood so here is a list of 10 celebrities that decided to play for the same.
Since the shock of Christina Aguilera‘s recent divorce announcement from Jordan Bratman, it’s been revealed that Aguilera turned to Samantha Ronson for emotional support when her marriage started to crumble. And it’s been said that Jordan eventually “found himself unnecessary in his wife’s life.” And during their marriage, it’s been said that Christina picked up women at gay bars around Los Angeles, one solicited woman said, “The bodyguard told me it was an understanding within their marriage and that she brings girls home and Jordan’s okay with it… I met Christina in the bathroom and she told me she liked to play with girls.” Well, perhaps Christina and Ronson can be of comfort to each other now that their loves are lost? We’ve rounded up a few other celebs who went gay after their big breakups or divorces.
Back in the mid-‘90s, Anne Heche dated Steve Martin for two years but eventually left him for Ellen DeGeneres, whom she dated until 2000. It’s even been rumored that Heche was Martin’s inspiration for Heather Graham‘s character in “Bowfinger,” who hooked up with Bowfinger to get ahead but ends up with “the most powerful lesbian in Hollywood.” Martin denies any similarities. Guffaw.
Cynthia Nixon was dating an English professor named Danny Mozes for 15 years and had two children with him, but got separated in 2003 when she began seeing education activist Christine Marinoni. Nixon and Marinoni got engaged in 2009 and now raise Nixon’s kids together.
After Al and Tipper Gore got divorced after 40 years of marriage, it was rumored that Gore was “caught up in a nasty gay affair.” Of course, there were also rumors that he was sexually harassing homely female hotel masseurs, so it’s hard to know who to believe.
Meredith Baxter played the matriarch on “Family Ties” and had five kids from three different marriages. After her third divorce in 2000, Meredith admitted that it took a few years before she “discovered herself” and began dating Nancy Locke, who she’s been with since 2005. She didn’t come out of the closet until 2009 though, when the National Enquirer printed pictures of her on a gay cruise.
Portia de Rossi says that she has known she was a lesbian since she was little, but she married documentary filmmaker Mel Metcalfe in 1996, in an effort to get a green card. After their divorce in 1999, Portia said “it just obviously wasn’t right” and began dating singer Francesca Gregorini for 4 years, eventually falling for and marrying Ellen DeGeneres in 2008.
Former N’Sync member Lance Bass dated women until he was 22 years old, including “Boy Meets World” actress Danielle Fishel. Bass knew he was gay early on but thought it would be “something that I would have to hide my whole life.” Of dating women, Bass said, “I’ve definitely, you know, been with women. And I’ve had great relationships with them where I was definitely in love. It’s just I grew to a point where deep inside I knew that I could never truly have a relationship with a woman. I don’t know if they ever suspected. It was never brought up.” Instead of keeping up with the charade, Bass came out in 2006.
After losing her spot on “The View,” Star Jones‘s marriage to Al Reynolds also fell apart. Reynolds spoke up afterward, mentioning that he takes pride in his appearance and “some people call that kind of soft” or “metrosexual.” He also said that he agreed to leave his plush Wall Street job to support Star’s career. But apparently, all of that was in order to deny that he was gay as the rumor mill persistently insisted.
Tom Cruise‘s “Top Gun” love interest, Kelly McGillis has two kids from two marriages, but came out last year after having “battled with her sexuality for more than 40-years.” She denied her homosexuality in 2007, after appearing on “The L Word” but last month, Kelly married her girlfriend Melanie Leis, who she met when Leis worked at the restaurant McGillis owned with her then-husband Fred Tillman.
In her teen years, Jodie Foster was involved with Scott Baio and used to make out with him on the set of “Bugsey Malone” and “Foxes.” Foster began dating producer Cydney Bernard in 1993, while raising two sons from unknown father(s) but only admit to that relationship 14-years later at a Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment breakfast. The two broke up in 2007.
source: 10 Celebs Who Went Gay After Their Breakup [The Frisky]
Given the fact that 3 celebrity couples have broken up in the past week that we all thought would have made it last it has made NY Mag come up with a list of couples that we are all expecting to make it. Here are the couples:
Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley
Okay, so she’s not famous in her own right, but being Bon Jovi’s High-School Sweetheart Who He Married is enough to make this pair an A-List duo. New Jersey would be devastated if they broke up. Though, if he wrote “Shot Through the Heart” after dating Diane Lane only a short while, imagine the opus he could come up with if these two split! Actually, we’d rather not.
Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly
Intel Chris saw them on the street the other day outside the magazine offices! They looked like they are in love. Also, he’s practically albino and she was in Labyrinth, so what could possibly go wrong?
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi
Who doesn’t want this couple to make it? Oh, yeah. Every single gay-marriage foe in the country who is threatened by the fact that a normal lesbian couple is in living rooms in middle America each afternoon. But other than that?
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard
If they split up, it would be a real blow for Brooklyn.
Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt
You may think this pair is not going to make it, as Jennifer is suffering from the disadvantage of Having Dated Somebody Incredibly Attractive Since Before He Was Famous. But last year Intel Jessica spotted them at an SNL taping full-on making out, and they’d already been dating for years. Normal couples aren’t even like that. Also, it’s Jon Hamm. Nobody is letting go of that for as long as they still have hands.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
As Vulture Kyle observed, “That would be sadder than your own mom and dad divorcing.”
Julianne Moore and Bart Freundlich
Everything about Julianne Moore gives us warm feelings, even her terrible Boston accent on 30 Rock. Which is why we’re rooting for her and her director husband, despite the fact that we’ve never watched a movie he’s written or directed. If Julianne likes him, he has to be worth keeping.
Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson
Normally we wouldn’t put ScarJo — who dated Josh Hartnett, for God’s sake — on a list like this. But then she surprised us by managing to conduct a relationship with another celebrity for a long time, all in secret, such that we didn’t know she was even dating the Van Wilder star until they were practically married. You still never see them together, really, which makes us think there’s something to this relationship. Like, they might even have conversations.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver
You may not like his or her politics, but you’ve got to admit, at this point they’re like America’s almost-gorgeous-but-actually-kind-of-weird-looking aunt and uncle. Apparently, back when aspiring New York governor Andrew Cuomo was married to a Kennedy, none of the rest of the clan liked him in Hyannis because he wouldn’t play football and horse around. You KNOW Arnold horses around. Better than anybody.
Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber
Did you read the story in which our reporter took a cab home from the airport with Liev and before he even got in the door he took their kids to the park to play? We rest our case.
I agree with this list, but after all this is Hollywood and they all tend to bite the dust sooner or later.
source: Celebrity Couples We Still Believe In [NY Mag]
In September, five teenage boys killed themselves after being physically or verbally (or both) assaulted for being gay.
The suicides of Tyler Clementi, 18, Billy Lucas, 15, Asher Brown, 13, Justin Aaberg, 15, and Seth Walsh, 13, have brought national attention to the epidemic of bullying in American schools.
Now, a number of stars, many of whom have personal experience with anti-gay bullying, are speaking out in hopes of raising awareness and providing support to teens and young adults who are being victimized or who are having trouble dealing with their sexuality. The topic is also addressed in a cover story for this week’s People magazine and in a week-long series on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360.
Most recently, ‘Project Runway‘ mentor Tim Gunn spoke candidly about his own suicide attempt and his support for The Trevor Project, a national 24-hour, toll-free confidential suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth. “I understand the desperation. I understand the despair,” an emotional Gunn said with tears in his eyes. “And I understand how isolated you can feel … It will get better. I promise.”
Comedienne Sarah Silverman has inspired some controversy by positing that a national atmosphere of institutionalized homophobia, as exemplified by the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy as well as campaigns for constitutional amendments to ban civil marriage for same-sex couples, are at the heart of this epidemic.
(Warning: Explicit Language)
Other celebrities involved: Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, Bill O’Reilly, Anne Hathaway, Jenny McCarthy, Daniel Radcliffe, Lance Bass, Ian Somerhalder and Kristin Cavallari.
Forbes have come up with their annual list of the 10 top-earning women in Prime-Time television and it’s full of the usual people you would expect to appear on the list.
10. (tie) Jennifer Love Hewitt, Estimated earnings: $6.5 million
The CBS show Ghost Whisperer, on which Hewitt served as producer and star, ended its run in May after five seasons. The former Party of Five star also played a prostitute in the Lifetime movie The Client List and offered a scene-stealing cameo in NBC’s Love Bites pilot. In March she shared personal relationships struggles in her book The Day I Shot Cupid.
10. (tie) Calista Flockhart, Estimated earnings: $6.5 million
Though her on-screen struggles, be them health-, politics- or marriage-related, as Kitty Walker have been many, Flockhart has little to complain about off-screen. As the ensemble cast’s top-earner, the former Ally McBeal star banked $6.5 million last year. Arguably better: she finally tied the knot with long-term beau and fellow actor Harrison Ford.
8. (tie) Marcia Cross, Estimated earnings: $7 million
Cross’ comedic turn as the all-too-perfect Bree Van De Kamp on ABC’s hit series has earned her critical accolades, countless fans and a $250,000-per-episode paycheck. The mother of twins padded her Wisteria Lane income with a lucrative turn as a Motts spokeswoman.
8. (tie) Ellen Pompeo, Estimated earnings: $7 million
Now in its seventh season on the air, viewers still flock to ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. Having spent years watching Pompeo’s Meredith Grey simultaneously push away and pine after her now husband, Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd, they got to see her move on to the next struggle this past spring: a child. In the high stakes season finale, her character miscarries. Off camera, Pompeo has been busy caring for her own healthy baby, Stella, with her real-life producer husband Chris Ivery.
7. Tina Fey, Estimated earnings: $7.5 million
What 30 Rock lacks in prime-time viewers (the series averages 6.5 million weekly viewers last season) it makes up for in critical and award show acclaim. The series had won the Emmy for best comedy for three consecutive years, upstaged this year by ABC’s Modern Family. Fey, too, has picked up statues for her role as the series’ creator and star, Liz Lemon. She reprised her Emmy-winning Sarah Palin impersonation on an episode of Saturday Night Live last season, and appeared opposite Steve Carell in the big-screen romantic comedy Date Night.
6. Mariska Hargitay, Estimated earnings: $9.5 million
Though ratings for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit took a hit when it was bumped up an hour to make room for Jay Leno’s short-lived 10 p.m. talk-show last season, the series remains the franchise’s strongest effort. At the forefront of both that show and its success is Hargitay, who has been rewarded with an Emmy and Golden Globe win in the past. Now that the Law & Order mothership has concluded its lengthy run, the New York-based actress becomes the unofficial face of the larger franchise.
5. Marg Helgenberger, Estimated earnings: $10 million
The Emmy-winning actress recently launched her 11th season as showgirl turned blood-spatter analyst Catherine Willows on the lucrative CBS procedural. In an era where few shows deliver sizable ratings–much less massive profit–her series continues to stand out.
4. Eva Longoria Parker, Estimated earnings: $12 million
Like her fellow leading ladies, the Desperate Housewives siren pulled down an estimated $250,000 per episode last season. Off screen, Longoria Parker’s lengthy list of endorsements included L’Oreal Paris, LG Fashion Touch, Heineken and London Fog. The restaurant owner, who donates much of her personal income to charity, also dipped her toe into the celebrity fragrance marketplace with the spring launch of Eva by Eva Longoria.
3. Katherine Heigl, Estimated earnings: $15.5 million
With both a newborn and a film career to nurture, Heigl walked away from her Emmy-winning role as Izzie Stevens on Grey’s Anatomy. Thanks to a string of box office successes, like Knocked Up and 27 Dresses,Heigl commands $12 million a flick, which puts her among the best-paid ladies in Hollywood. More recently her turn opposite Ashton Kutcher in the critically panned Killers proved a dud. Up next: Life As We Know It, where she and co-star Josh Duhamel become caregivers to an orphaned girl when their mutual best friends die in an accident.
2. Tyra Banks, Estimated earnings: $25 million
Though the supermodel turned super-personality concluded her daytime talk show run in May, she’ll continue to serve up ABC’s True Beauty and her popular unscripted model competition series, America’s Next Top Model. In addition to producing the latter, Banks has licensed it in territories throughout the world. First up from the newly minted book division of Bankable, her multimedia company, is Modelland.
1. Ellen DeGeneres, Estimated earnings: $55 million
In addition to her short-lived gig judging American Idol, DeGeneres remains host of her popular talk-show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and lends her face to ad campaigns for American Express, CoverGirl and new entry Vitamin Water. More recently, she announced she was launching her own record label, eleveneleven, and promptly signed 12-year-old YouTube sensation Greyson Chance as her first artist.
I was feeling great about myself after taking a loan out from the bank today, until I read this. Now I feel depressed.
source: Prime Time’s 10 Top-Earning Women [Forbes]
American Idol has lost another judge, this time it’s Kara DioGuardi who is leaving the show after being on the judging panel for two seasons.
Kara is now the third judge to leave the show this year, Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres also both quit Idol. She released a statement saying…
“I felt like I won the lottery when I joined ‘American Idol’ two years ago, but I feel like now is the best time to leave ‘Idol, I am very proud to have been associated with ‘American Idol’ – it has truly been an amazing experience … I look forward to my next challenge, and want to thank everyone who has supported me. All the best to everyone on Season 10!”
It’s rumored that Jennifer Lopez will join Randy Jackson behind the judges table and producers will go back to having just three judges. I wish they would just cancel this show, it hasn’t been good for the past 5 seasons.
source: Official: Kara DioGuardi leaving ‘American Idol’ [Hollywood Reporter]
A judge in California overturned the ban on gay marriage on Thursday–and Hollywood is celebrating! Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that Proposition 8was unconstitutional.
Celebrities immediately shared their delight on Twitter.
Within minutes after the ruling was announced, Kelly OsbourneTweeted, “”So happy over the news on prop8 its about time!”
Ellen DeGeneres also shared her happiness on Twitter, saying, “This just in: Equality won!”
Ellen DeGeneres has not had a very good time with American Idol, and has been pretty vocal about it to FOX execs for the past few months.
With Simon Cowell leaving the show, FOX was not pleased about the prospect of losing Ellen too, and told her that she would need to stay on until they found a replacement. FOX was in talks with Jessica Simpson briefly, but has locked down Jennifer Lopez to replace DeGeneres.
Nobody knows yet who will replace Simon Cowell, and everyone involved in the show really wants Elton John. It’s rumored that Sir Elton is asking for too much money and has touring commitments that can’t be changed, however.
Here is FOX’s official statement:
Ellen DeGeneres has decided to bow out from her role as a judge on AMERICAN IDOL next season. DeGeneres served as a judge during the ninth season of IDOL, the No. 1 hit series on television.
“A couple months ago, I let FOX and the AMERICAN IDOL producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” said DeGeneres. “I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for. I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on IDOL and I am very grateful for the year I had. I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.”
“We love Ellen and understand and support her decision to bow out of IDOL,” said Peter Rice, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Networks Group. “We were fortunate to receive the humor, energy and love for talent that she brought to the show.”
“It was a joy to work with Ellen,” added Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “She brought an incredible spirit to IDOL and was a great new addition to the team. While we’re saddened by her decision, we are very appreciative that she gave us ample notice so that we could work through it together.”
“I loved Ellen’s passion for the artists and her nurturing skills,” said IDOL creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “She brought honesty and optimism to our judging panel and I will miss her greatly.”
“We will miss Ellen, she has been the consummate professional throughout her time on the show, and she’ll always be part of the AMERICAN IDOL family,” added Cecile Frot-Coutaz, IDOL executive producer.
AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc. and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.
source:JENNIFER LOPEZ IS NEW IDOL JUDGE! Replaces Exiting Ellen DeGeneres Who Told Fox: “It’s Not Been Fun” [deadline]
