Hollywood gossip is something that has become so pervasive in our culture that we tend to take it all for granted. Whether we tend to listen to it all or shun it like the plague, we end up hearing more than our fair share, and stowing it away in memory without even realizing it.
Sometimes, the really good gossip slips through the mainstream and get slowly forgotten by the few people that ever knew about it to begin with. These are some of those bits of information; these are ten of Hollywood’s worst kept secrets.
1. Tim Allen served time
In 1978, Tim “the Toolman” Taylor was caught at an airport trying to smuggle 1.4 pounds of cocaine in his luggage. He was busted after plea bargaining his way out of the life sentence to a few years. He gave up the dealers and got out on parole.
2. Sylvester Stallone starred in a porn flick
The trailer for “Italian Stallion” was made in 1970, which was a full six years before Sly Stallone would be more well known as Rocky Balboa. The movie was originally titled as “The Party at Kitty and Stud’s”, but was renamed after he became a huge box office success as the famed boxer. As for why he did it? He was starving and needed the money.
3. Jack Nicholson’s sister was really his mother
Jack Nicholson was born in 1936 to a showgirl, but his mother wasn’t known to him as that for the longest time. His grandmother raised him as her own and his real mother was allowed to continue her work. A journalist from “Time” magazine broke the news in an interview in 1974, but by that time, they had both passed away.
4. Eric Stoltz was the original Marty McFly
Eric Stoltz had some pretty decent movie hits in the eighties, but the part he landed would surprise all of us. Apparently the actor filmed part of the “Back To The Future” movies as the character we’ve all come to know and love – Marty McFly. The part went to Michael J. Fox after Stoltz got the axe from the movie.
5. Don King killed two men, did time
Don King gets a lot of press for being, well, Don King. He’s got the support of some heavy-hitters (pun intended), but he’s also come to be known as something of a bastard by those who know him best. One of the little stories that tends to get forgotten involves two incidents in King’s past: he shot one guy in the back as he was trying to rob one of his gambling houses back in 1953, and then stomped another guy to death because he owed him $600. Nice guy, eh?
6. Winona Ryder is a natural blond
You gotta love Winona. She’s the bad girl who’s not the bad girl; she’s cute, bubbly, dark, light, shoplifts with the best (and worst) of ‘em and rolls with the punches. She played roles in some of the best movies of our time, including Edward Scissorhands and BeatleJuice. What most of us never stop to think about, given the fact that she’s nearly always appeared as a brunette (and a good one at that), is that Winona is actually a blonde. For those who never had an inkling, watching Edward Scissorhands again with this knowledge is like flipping the world upside-down.
7. Nicole Richie’s real dad was a member of Lionel’s band
Nicole Ritchie being Lionel Ritchie’s kid was always one of those things you just tend to forget about. The names match up, but little else does, and we sort of just make it work in our heads. Most people never stop to question it, and when they do, they find ways to justify it in their heads that they’re father/daughter instead of checking to be sure. Fact is, Nicole is Lionel’s adopted daughter; her mother was a bit of a deadbeat who worked wardrobe for Prince, and her biological father was actually a former percussionist in Lionel’s own band.
8. Janet Jackson was secretly married for eight years
People elope all the time; it’s much more common than most of us realize. When an individual as famous as Janet Jackson does it, and manages to keep it a secret for eight years; well that’s an accomplishment. Apparently she had to keep her marriage a complete secret because she wanted to keep it from her father, who we all know is not the greatest guy on earth. She and her husband, Rene Elizondo, had to act like “close friends†the entire time. It was his hands in the photo shoot above. In 2000, Rene had officially had enough of the secret life, and since Janet wouldn’t budge, he filed for divorce. It got pretty ugly after that point, and since he was suing her for millions, we’re pretty sure her father found out anyway.
9. Charlize Theron watched her mother kill her father
Charlize Theron is South African by birth, and lived there her entire young life. She led a somewhat normal life into her pre-teens, but then things changed a bit. Her father was an abusive alcoholic, and her mother was the chief punching bag around the house. When Charlize was 15, her father came home especially drunk one night. A scuffle broke out and she witnessed her mother pull a gun and shoot her dad dead. At least this makes it a bit easier to understand how she can play such messed up roles so well — and if the picture of her from Monster scared you a bit, here’s a nicer one to reset the memory.
10. Mark Wahlberg is living on borrowed time
It’s pretty common knowledge that Mark Wahlberg is either blessed or just among the luckiest guys on earth by natural circumstances. Either way you cut it, the guy has made out pretty well time after time, despite beginning his public life as Marky Mark (an unforgivable sin). What most people don’t know is that the morning of September 11, 2001, Wahlberg was a ticket-holding passenger on one of the planes that struck the World Trade Center. He, on the other hand, was miles away attending a film festival in Toronto. He was invited at the very last minute by some friends who happened to be there, and he missed his flight. Lucky is an understatement for this guy.
These are all surprising to me except for the one about Eric Stoltz, I thought that one was common knowledge.
The Commodores are getting back together. Probably. If they don’t all die first.
Grammy award-winning pop singer Lionel Richie said Saturday that he and the Commodores will reunite soon for a tour. Richie said a reunion could happen in the next two years.
“We better do it now, or in the next 10 years nobody would care,” he told reporters before singing at Antigua’s Romantic Rhythms festival. Richie, 58, said it was important for the group to get together before it loses more band members. Lead guitarist Milan Williams died two years ago.
Richie was confident that synergy still existed between band members. He said Commodores’ bass player Ronald La Pread joined him on stage during his last tour and played some of the group’s old hits. The Commodores were known for hits like “Three Times a Lady” and “Brick House.”
Richie broke away from the Commodores in the late 1970s and topped the charts in the 1980s with songs like “Endless Love” and “Say You, Say Me.”
The Commodores made their reputation as a funky R&B band but “Three Times a Lady” and similar ballads had more mainstream appeal, much to the chagrin of Richie’s band mates, who were more interested in music than commercial success. For a decade or so, Richie was the king of the romantic ballad, cranking out top ten hit after hit.
Ironically, Richie is probably best known to the younger generation as “Nicole Richie’s dad.”
Forbes Magazine has compiled a list of the 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces.
Forbes’ list of the 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces examined only divorces during the last 25 years. Reporters scoured press reports, interview transcripts and, whenever possible, court documents to verify settlements. Figures are not adjusted for inflation. Some celebrity divorces with allegedly high settlements were excluded when information was unavailable or unreliable.
#10. Mick Jagger & Jerry Hall
Estimated settlement: $15 to $25 million
The Rolling Stones rocker and Texas supermodel met in 1977 and had two children together before marrying in a traditional Hindi wedding ceremony in Bali, Indonesia, in 1990. Hall filed for divorce in 1999 after learning that Jagger had fathered another woman’s child. Jagger, worth an estimated $325 million at the time, successfully challenged the legality of the Balinese wedding and received an annulment. Hall walked away with between $15 and $25 million, a fraction of Jagger’s estate.
#9. Lionel & Diane Richie
Estimated settlement: $20 million
Richie, then 36 and married, met the 18-year-old backup dancer at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Richie, divorced from his first wife in 1993, married Diane by 1996. The Richies became tabloid favorites when Diane filed for divorce in 2004 and detailed their lavish lifestyle in her alimony petition. Among her claims: a monthly clothing allowance of $15,000; $50,000 a month for manicures, massages and other personal services; and a plastic surgery budget of $20,000 a year.
#8. Michael & Diandra Douglas
Estimated settlement: $45 million
Douglas met 19-year-old Georgetown co-ed Diandra Luker in 1977 at a Jimmy Carter inauguration party. They married six weeks later. During the course of the marriage, Douglas became one of Hollywood’s top earning actors, starring in classics like Fatal Attraction, Wall Street and Basic Instinct. Amid rumors of the actor’s infidelities and alcohol abuse, the couple split in 1998. Diandra was awarded an estimated $45 million, plus homes in Beverly Hills and Majorca.
#7. James Cameron & Linda Hamilton
Estimated settlement: $50 million
The Titanic director married the Terminator actress in July 1997. They had one daughter together before the marriage tanked 18 months later. Cameron received some $100 million from Paramount for Titanic (which grossed $1.8 billion). Hamilton received half of that, an estimated $50 million, in the divorce settlement.
#6. Paul McCartney & Heather Mills
Settlement pending: Possibly more than $60 million
In 2002, the former Beatle wed Mills, a model-activist 30 years his junior. McCartney reportedly shunned Mills’ offer of a prenuptial agreement. By 2006, the pair, who have one child together, split acrimoniously. She accused him of assault; he locked her out of their London home. Rumors of a settlement suggest Mills may get in excess of $60 million–McCartney’s worth is an estimated $700 million.
#5. Kevin Costner & Cindy Silva
Estimated settlement: $80 million
The pair, who met at California State University, wed in 1978. During their 16-year marriage, Costner became one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, scoring seven Oscars for Dances with Wolves and starring in iconic films like Bull Durham and Field of Dreams. Costner pocketed $50 million in 1991 alone. Because Silva was married to Costner during his peak earning years, she was awarded $80 million, a substantial piece of his net worth.
#4. Harrison Ford & Melissa Mathison
Estimated settlement: $85 million
The couple met in 1977 at a dinner with casting director Fred Roos (American Graffiti) and wed in 1983. Six years later, Ford became one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors when he banked $7 million for Presumed Innocent. By 1995, he was making $20 million a film. The couple divorced in 2004. In addition to her divorce settlement, Mathison negotiated a piece of Ford’s future earnings from films he made while married, including DVD sales of the Indiana Jones trilogy and The Fugitive.
#3. Steven Spielberg & Amy Irving
Estimated settlement: $100 million
The couple met when Irving auditioned for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). They married in 1985, after Spielberg had already struck it big with his first Indiana Jones flick and ET. They divorced after nearly four years of marriage. Irving successfully contested their prenuptial agreement (reportedly scribbled on a napkin) because she did not have legal representation and was awarded $100 million, roughly half of Spielberg’s fortune at the time. Today, he is worth $3 billion.
#2. Neil Diamond & Marcia Murphey
Estimated settlement: $150 million
The crooner married Murphey, a television production assistant, in 1969, before he released his first gold record, Touching You, Touching Me. By the late ’70s, Diamond was one of the most successful musicians in showbiz, grossing upward of $14 million annually. After 25 years of marriage, Murphey filed for divorce in 1994, citing irreconcilable differences. She walked away with half of Diamond’s fortune–she’s “worth every penny,” he later said.
#1. Michael & Juanita Jordan
Settlement pending: Possibly more than $150 million
The legendary basketball star married Juanita Vanoy, a Chicago bank officer, in 1989. He had already signed an eight-year, $25 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. He also was earning another $30 million a year from Nike and other endorsement deals. She filed for divorce last year. Over the course of the marriage, Jordan earned more than $350 million. Should Juanita press for half of his assets, she could get more than $150 million in the settlement, making the Jordan divorce the most expensive in entertainment history.
Wowsers. At least they were married a long time. Getting $15 million for a few months of marriage is just ridiculous. And, frankly, if she didn’t even change her name, she probably wasn’t in it for the long haul anyway.
P.S.: If you’re worth several hundred million dollars more than your beloved, you simply must insist on a prenup. No, it’s not romantic. Too bad.
Nicole Richie was charged Friday with misdemeanor driving under the influence.
In addition to the single count, the case contains an allegation that Richie had a prior misdemeanor DUI conviction in June 2003, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.
The California vehicle code specifies that if convicted of DUI twice within 10 years, a person can be sentenced to between 90 days and a year in jail, fined between $390 and $1,000, and have driving privileges suspended.
The complaint alleges Richie was under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and an unspecified drug when she was arrested Dec. 11, said prosecution spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.
Arraignment was scheduled for Feb. 21 in suburban Glendale Superior Court. Richie, who starred in the TV reality show “The Simple Life” with Paris Hilton , does not have to appear because it is a misdemeanor case.
Telephone messages seeking comment from Richie’s publicist Nicole Perna were not immediately returned.
Richie, 25, was arrested Dec. 11 after 911 callers reported her car headed the wrong way on a freeway in Burbank about 12:30 a.m. She was found alone in her SUV, stopped in a car-pool lane.
Richie was arrested after she failed a field sobriety test, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP Officer Todd Workman said at the time that Richie, the daughter of pop singer Lionel Richie, volunteered information that she had smoked marijuana and taken the prescription painkiller Vicodin, but no drugs were found on her or in the car.
Last month, Paris Hilton, pleaded no contest to alcohol-related reckless driving stemming from her Sept. 7 arrest in Hollywood and was sentenced to 36 months probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines. That case was reduced from an original charge of driving under the influence.
Joan Baez,
Natasha Bedingfield,
Tony Bennett,
Lewis Black,
the Black Eyed Peas,
Nicolas Cage,
Ciara,
Ornette Coleman,
Melissa Etheridge,
Nelly Furtado,
Terrence Howard,
Jennifer Hudson,
Samuel L. Jackson,
Queen Latifah,
Pink,
Rihanna,
LeAnn Rimes,
Chris Rock,
Nicole Scherzinger (of the Pussycat Dolls),
Seal,
David Spade (“Rules of Engagement”),
and Stevie Wonder.
The 49th Annual Grammy Awards take place this Sunday, February 11th.
Rail-thin “celebutante” Nicole Richie was charged early Monday with driving under the influence of drugs after she was seen going against traffic on a Southern California freeway, police said. Starved for attention much?
The cops said it wouldn’t be released, but they lied! Here’s Nicole Richie’s mugshot taken this morning after she was busted for driving under the influence of Vicodin and weed. Ah ha! Britney’s source? [heh]
The predawn arrest of the 25-year-old co-star of “The Simple Life” came about six weeks after it was revealed that she had checked herself into a treatment facility to address weight-loss issues.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department report showed the the 5-foot-1-inch actress weighed 85 pounds at the time of her booking.
Officer Todd Workman, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol, said police encountered Richie at a standstill blocking the carpool lane on the Ventura Freeway in Burbank at about 1:45 a.m. He said the officers were responding to reports from other motorists of a driver going the wrong way on the busy highway.
Although Richie’s car was pointed in the right direction when police found her, her black sports utility vehicle matched the description of an SUV seen entering the freeway against traffic nearby, Workman said.
Workman said Richie was placed under arrest after she failed a field sobriety test, and that she admitted to officers that she had taken the prescription painkiller Vicodin and smoked marijuana. A preliminary alcohol screening test was negative, he said.
According to Workman, Richie was alone in her vehicle and on the cell phone when police approached her. He described her as “very cooperative” and that she told police she had been following a friend on the freeway when she got lost.
Richie, who has previously undergone treatment for heroin addiction, was subsequently booked into jail on a DUI charge and was released a few hours later after posting $15,000 bail, authorities said.
Representatives for the daughter of singer Lionel Richie were not immediately available for comment.
Socialite Nicole Richie , whose rail-thin appearance in recent photos has stoked tabloid speculation of an eating disorder, has checked into a treatment facility to address her inability to gain weight, her publicist said on Thursday. Inability to gain weight, bah…I say, lay off the drugs and eat more healthy.
“She is working with a team of doctors and specialists whose focus is nutrition,” spokeswoman Nicole Perna said in a statement. “It is important to Nicole that she achieves this goal in a healthy way as this is not a treatment for an eating disorder.”
Richie, the 25-year-old daughter of singer Lionel Richie, has publicly acknowledged her obvious loss of weight in recent months, telling Vanity Fair magazine: “I know I’m too thin right now. … I’m not happy with the way I look.”
And she told People magazine that “stress” over the breakup with her former fiancee had briefly affected her eating habits. But she has vehemently denied as “rumor” media reports suggesting she suffered from an eating disorder.
Her admission to the unidentified facility has forced a delay in production of the latest installment of her popular TV reality show, “A Simple Life,” producers said.
Postponement of the show came weeks after Richie and her “Simple Life” co-star, hotel heiress Paris Hilton , ended a feud that had kept the two on nonspeaking terms for over a year.
“We wish her a speedy recovery and fully expect the series will resume production at some point, hopefully in the near future,” said Chris Alexander, a spokesman for 20th Century Fox Television.
Alexander said the upcoming fifth installment of “A Simple Life,” in which the pampered pair will be shown working as camp counselors, had been slated to begin in early November and air sometime in 2007. source
Nicole Richie and Adam Goldstein are either engaged to be married or have split up again. Or, possibly, both.
She and boyfriend Adam Goldstein split in December, got it back on again… and now Nicole’s dad has revealed a surprising new twist. Legendary singer Lionel Richie says Nicole and Adam are not just back together – they’re planning a trip down the aisle. He broke the good news to the Daily Mirror before he took to the stage at the Prince’s Trust concert in London on the weekend.
Lionel, who’s Nicole’s adoptive father, said: “I told her: ‘Honey, you do what you want and just send me the bill. “I’m really happy that it’s working out for her,” said the 56-year-old former Commodores star.
Nic and Adam, who first got together in 2003, are rumoured to be planning a July wedding.
But a note of caution: Lionel may want to save receipts for everything he splashes out on. US Star magazine has just reported that the pair have split up again… We’re officially confused.
The fact that Nicole is a moron might have something to do with it. Plus, she’s once … twice … three times a bimbo.
NICOLE Richie and boyfriend Adam Goldstein, a k a DJ-AM, broke up again last week – and insiders say it was a weight issue. One spy said: “After they got back together for the second time, she said she would improve her eating habits and stop her unhealthy extracurricular activity [such as going out so much].” But Richie still goes to clubs and is still skeletally thin, despite telling Vanity Fair that she is getting help from a psychiatrist.
Celebitchy thinks Goldstein is right and, based on some photos of her shopping for shoes, thinks Nicole is rather unhealthy.
Lionel Richie is as big in Iraq as Jerry Lewis is in France and David Hosselhoff is in Germany. Maybe bigger.
Grown Iraqi men get misty-eyed by the mere mention of his name. “I love Lionel Richie,” they say. Iraqis who do not understand a word of English can sing an entire Lionel Richie song.
[...]
I asked Richie if he knows just how big he is here. He said, “The answer is, I’m huge, huge in the Arab world. The answer as to why is, I don’t have the slightest idea.” He has performed in Morocco, Dubai, Qatar and Libya. There is obviously something up there. The more we talked, the more he theorized as to the reasons his music might be so popular here. He thinks it is because of the simple message in his music: Love. Richie says he was told Iraqis were playing “All Night Long,” on the streets the night U.S. tanks rolled into the country in 2003.
When I told him his daughter wasn’t nearly as big as he is here, he said, “I’ll be sure to tell her that she needs to work harder.”
Richie was no supporter of the war, but he says he could see a day when he would come and perform in Baghdad. I would love to be here for that. I have reported many stories here in Iraq, many of them sad, some inspiring, but none of them quite like this.
Grammy award-winning pop singer Lionel Richie said Saturday that he and the Commodores will reunite soon for a tour. Richie said a reunion could happen in the next two years.
