Oh My!
We went behind the scenes at the brand new Nordstrom in Burlington. Check out a sneak peak of the new spring fashion lines from Vince, St. John, Nanette Lepore and Diane Von Furstenberg.
Word on the cobblestone streets is that Tony Orlando landed in Lowell today. The singer is staying at the DoubleTree Hotel and the rumor has it that he asked for a downgrade from a suite to a standard room. Who knows, if you knock three times at his hotel door he might answer.
Orlando is set to perform Thursday night at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. The show starts at 8 p.m.
Spolier alert: We hear that "Tonight Show" host, Jay Leno, will call in to Orlando’s show to wish the entertainer a happy birthday. The Andover native will appear via video conference on a screen set up in the auditorium.
Speaking of the personality with the prominent chin...soccer hottie David Beckham made amends with Leno on his show Tuesday night.
Becks with the pecks moved into the same neighborhood as Leno since he relocated to play for the Los Angles Galaxy. He apologized for the paparazzi hanging around their hood, but also said American celebrity photographers “have been kind to us” compared to those across the pond.
Leno quizzed Beckham about Emporio Armani ads that feature the soccer star appearing in briefs.
“Do you normally sit around the house like this?” asked Leno.
Women in the live audience screamed and applauded the black and white photo showing Beckham’s ripped stomach. However, Beckham said he was nervous during the photo shoot because his “mum” was going to see him lounging around in almost no clothing.
“When the photos came out, she was the first one to call me and say, ’What are you doing?’ I had to try and explain it to her and it didn’t go down that well,” he said.
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In the end, "Beauty and the Geek" reality show participant James “Jimmy’’ Babcock, didn’t get the girl or the cash.
At the end of Tuesday’s night’s episode, Babcock, a 2004 Bedford High School graduate and self-proclaimed computer geek, and his Beauty partner Leticia were asked to “leave the mansion’’ after losing a science challenge and a sudden death quiz.
In an earlier interview with The Sun, Babcock’s mother, Judi, said her son’s goal in going on the reality show was to learn how to be less socially inept. The $250,000 prize money was secondary.
But as Babcock and Leticia parted ways, he got neither the money nor the kiss he so wanted. Leticia merely gave him a peck on the cheek.
I used to pretend to be Madonna. I was a a 5-year-old with a ruffle denim skirt, a banana clip and clip-on earrings from the dollar store. Those plastic rosary beads they gave out in religion class came in handy for something. They worked great to complete my look.
I think Madonna would have been proud.
After the material girl, I went through a few short-lived phases. I spent countless afternoons in front of my mirror perfecting my inner Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Paula Abdul and Jem. The Madge made a comeback, more than a few times. She is timeless.
I was tapped into anything that was peddled by MTV. As you can tell, that pop poison was pumping strong through my veins at a young age. Each dose was dispensed daily by a dealer named Downtown Julie Brown.
My parents must have thought I was doomed. There was never an intervention, but I am sure they were thinking about it. After I went to bed, I pictured them awake all night asking each other where the hell they went so wrong.
I grew up on a steady diet of blues harmonica. My father played in various gigs and open mics. His buddies would come over and they would hold jams while my mother was working an overnight shift. Looking back now, I have to say my dad was pretty cool.
I have to give my mother props too. Her record collection was peppered with Cream; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; Creedence and Leon Russell. She even drove my little brother and his buddy to a Metallica concert at Great Woods when they were 13 years old. She likes to tell the story about drinking Buds in the parking lot with Hells Angels as my brother was in the mosh pit.
True story. I can’t make this stuff up. Well, maybe they weren’t part of the Angels, but they were definitely bikers.
As you can see, I was raised on the straight and narrow, but like all children, I had to rebel. Pop music was the fuel to the fire — my parents hated it.
That was until the seventh grade, when I picked up a copy of Rolling Stone that was kicking around my house. I went cold turkey, trading in a Starter jacket for flannel and baby doll dresses. I used Kool-Aid to dye my hair and for once my parents were proud. I have to say that rock music saved my life.
Sometimes I still think I am Madonna. Her high was too powerful to forget. A person with a “stage name” and this wild party girl persona that in reality likes to hang at home making a spaghetti sauce while flipping through the Sunday New York Times.
The thing is, I don’t think I have ever found myself, whoever that maybe. But I sure hope that when I grow up I will drive my kid to a rock concert and tailgate with leather-clad bikers.
Who do you want to be when you grow up? E-mail lowellita@lowellsun.com.
They may be pushing 40, but the New Kids are returning to the block.
The Boston boy band New Kids on the Block, which sold 70 million albums in the 1980s and early ’90s, has reunited and plans to release a new album and go on tour. The reunion comes 20 years after the release of the group’s multiplatinum album, “Hanging Tough.”
“The fan response to this has been incredible,” band member Donnie Wahlberg told the Boston Herald.
Wahlberg said he was persuaded to get back together with his former bandmates — Joey McIntyre, brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight and Danny Wood — when they decided to record new music. Wahlberg said he wrote 80 percent of the new material with McIntyre and Jordan Knight.
“I had no interest going out on a nostalgia tour and singing the same material,” said Wahlberg, 38. But he added: “We absolutely will do the old songs for sure.”
Producer Maurice Starr formed the group in Beantown in the 1980s, hoping to recreate the success he had with another teen group from Boston, New Edition.
At the height of their popularity, New Kids sold out world tours, marketed millions of dollars in merchandise and spawned a Saturday morning cartoon.
The group disbanded in 1994. Wahlberg has acted on television and in movies, while Jordan Knight, McIntyre and Wood released solo albums. Jonathan Knight became a real estate developer.
Rumor has it that Beyonce and Jay Z will tie the knot in New York City on Friday!
The low key pair has been together for almost six years. It was reported that the couple filled out a marriage license a couple of days ago.
What do you think...B have a bun in the oven?
Kevin Federline might play the part of the pauper to his pop princess ex-wife Britney Spears, but in Las Vegas he is king.
Federline spent more than $43,000 on Las Vegas hotels, dining and shopping between May 2007 and January of this year, according to documents filed by Federline’s attorney in his custody battle with Spears. The documents were released by the Superior Court on Thursday.
The tabs included $1,445 for clothing at Gianni Versace, $3,863 at TAO nightclub, and $3,008 at the Hard Rock Beach Club.
He appears determined not to be branded a cheap tipper. At Scores strip club, he dropped a cool $2,000 on a $365 meal bill.
Meanwhile, his company, Gooseneck Productions, Inc., spent $841,129 in 2007 while earning $544,075, according to the documents.
The aspiring rapper also spent big on attempts to prop up his struggling music career. Federline had $74,102 in “music production” expenses, but earned only $9,849 in “music income,” according to the documents, which did not elaborate.
The Superior Court commissioner dealing with the Federline-Spears custody battle has consistently awarded Federline attorneys fees. In March, Spears’ divorce attorney, Stacy Phillips, argued that Federline’s attorneys were overbilling, and her client should not be required to pay. Federline still owed $343,834 in fees to his attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, when the documents released Thursday were filed in January.
Spears pays her ex-husband $15,000 per month in child support for 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James. Her monthly spousal support payments of $20,000 ended in November.
Federline also pays $18,228 per month in child support, rent and private school tuition for his two children from a previous relationship.
What is the world coming to?
Just read this morning that the once dank Bowery home of CBGB has been turned into a designer boutique that sells $130 tee shirts. Not likely that a struggling muscian or fan of punk rock would be able to afford such a thing. Or with this recession anyone else for that matter.
Fashion designer John Varvatos’ menswear boutique has opened in the same spot where bands like the Ramones, Television, Talking Heads and Blondie helped spark a punk rebellion. The store echoes its past with aging graffiti, black walls, and flyers from the 1970s are preserved behind glass on one wall. The stage has been replaced by a tailoring shop encased with gold Alice Cooper records.
Nice touch
“I wanted to combine music, fashion, memorabilia and really make it like a cultural space,” Varvatos told "The New York Post" today.
He promised emerging artists will be welcomed there, and said he will host a fundraiser for young musicians next month. OK so we'll give him some credit there.
Robert Hollander, an East Village resident and activist, said the transformation of CBGB into an upscale boutique is a symptom of pervasive commercialism in what was once a gritty, browbeaten neighborhood.
“It’s kind of ironic because they’ve made this gesture to preserve a little bit of history but the reason CBGBs is gone is because places like this have opened up in the neighborhood,” Hollander told amNew York.
We hear ya...it is similar to what they are trying to do in Lowell...sort of.
CBGB closed in October 2006 after the owner, Hilly Kristal, lost a rent fight against the building’s landlord. Kristal died in August.
Rob Lowe and his wife are suing their former nanny, claiming she told secrets and lies about their family.
The complaint filed Monday in a Los Angeles Superior Court asks for at least $1,000,000 in damages and charges Laura Boyce with violating a confidentiality agreement, defamation and infliction of emotional distress on the former “West Wing” star; his wife, Sheryl; and their two sons.
Lowe is cast in the Ricky Gervais movie This Side of the Truth that will begin filming in Lowell next week. Jennifer Garner and Tina Fey are also part of the cast. Scenes will be filmed at downtown businesses such as The Dubliner, Cobblestones, Lowell 5 Cent Bank and La Boniche.
Boyce was hired to take care of their sons for most of 2007 before she quit in November, according to the complaint.
The court papers make no specific reference to what information Boyce passed along, or to whom, only that Boyce had “betrayed their trust and engaged in a scheme to hurt the Lowes by spreading malicious lies” both during and after she served as a nanny.
Party on Wayne!
Mike Myers will host the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, which will air live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, Calif., on June 1.
This will be Myers’ second time hosting the show. The celeb-filled event is MTV’s irreverent nod to the typical awards shows. Award categories include best kiss, best villain and best comedic performance.
MTV says nominees will be announced in May.
Myers stars in the upcoming film “The Love Guru.”
We think it should have been Jack Black again. Why fix something that is not broken? Who do you think should be hosting the awards?
We got tipped off that there will be a kick-off party this Friday night at the Dubliner on Market Street for the cast and crew of "This Side of The Truth"
Those that get their fish and chips on Friday night will have to get Greek at the Athenian Corner next door instead. The restaurant will be closed that evening.
Party starts at 7 p.m.! Get you cameras ready, any pics taken send to rbriere@lowellsun.com and we will publish them.
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Ricky Gervais was also seen walking to the set.
We WILL have pics soon...keep checking back.
I am on the hunt.
Most will stop reading after the first sentence, thinking yet again I am trying to find the perfect mate or martini. Sound the buzzer, because you are wrong. As much as you think you know me, it is not all about boys and booze in this gal’s life. There are much bigger and more difficult things out there to locate besides a man who is employed, with no criminal record and a sense of humor in this mill hole.
I am on the lookout for a place to call home. This is not my first apartment hunt, and it probably will not be my last, but each time it gets more difficult. In this case, experience does not make things easier.
We’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves here. Let’s take a step back and re-evaluate the situation.
I have no desire to have the smell of curry wafting through the ventilation system when I turn on my air conditioner. Nor do I want to write monthly checks that match the annual income of factory workers in Guatemala to a slumlord who will not fix a leaky dishwasher no matter how many times my heel goes through the rotted floor in the kitchen. Not in the slightest.
True story. I had a stiletto lodged in my kitchen floor for a couple of days until my friend suggested to use olive oil as a lube. Slid right out after that.
Nope, I don’t miss that at all. I would rather tough it out at my parent’s house for just a little while longer, but I am starting to get the sense that I have worn out my welcome.
I get it. I moved back in, the third time, with the plan to save money to buy a condo within a year. Two years later, still no condo or down payment. Whatever, there is a recession. Who would buy a house now? Not I. Stimulus package — smackage.
I began delving into the classifieds and Craigslist looking for ads within my price range. I learned quickly that a young, professional woman like myself can live just about nowhere. If I stretch the dollar a bit, survive on Ramen noodles, steal cable, try to pick up the neighbor’s WiFi signal and use candles instead of lamps, I could just afford to live in a basement studio in an alley off Appleton Street.
Very tempting. The landlord would not let me have a cat, even though the carpet smelled like the litter box for multiple felines of yore.
Someone told me the new apartments in the “up-and-coming” Hamilton Canal District, around the corner from the cat box, were reasonable and very nice. I thought I would give them a shot.
I parked my car at the first open spot I could find, three blocks away and fed the meter. I told the man asking for change that I put the last of it in the meter. I then avoided eye contact, putting my head down and picking up the pace when a car full of teenage boys began to cat call. I stepped over the sleeping homeless person in the alley to the front door.
Inside the model unit the building manager said there were plenty of units and models to choose from. I explained I wanted the cheapest. I didn’t even get to see any of the apartments — $1,200 for a one bedroom with no parking?!?! Later.
I woke up the homeless person when I asked him to move out of my way, flipped off another group of young men and told the beggar to get a job. When I got back to my car I was greeted with a parking ticket.
Nice, now I can tell my parents I need to pay the ticket before I move out. That buys me another 30 days. There was a happy ending to this story.
To share your housing woes, e-mail lowellita@lowellsun.com.
Ashlee Simpson and her rocker boyfriend Pete Wentz are engaged.
“We know there has been a lot of speculation recently about Pete and I, and we wanted our fans to be the first to know, because you guys are the best,” Simpson said in a statement posted Wednesday on People magazine’s Web site. “Yes, we are thrilled to share that we are happily engaged.”
Simpson’s manager-father, Joe Simpson, told the magazine he’s “totally happy” and “so excited to have Pete as part of (our) family.”
The couple began dating in fall 2006, according to People.
Wentz, 28, is bassist for Fall Out Boy. Simpson, 23, a singer, songwriter and actress, is the younger sister of pop star Jessica Simpson. Ashlee Simpson’s new album, “Bittersweet World,” is set for release on April 22.
Let's hope the younger Simpson sibling's marriage lasts longer than her big sis.
Gossip blogger Perez Hilton is reporting that Owen Wilson was with Kate Hudson Saturday at the Ritz Carlton in Boston. Hudson is in town working on her new film.
If you remember...Wilson and Hudson were rumored to be together after her divorce from rocker husband, Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. After their break, Wilson overdosed....
Sounds like this could get interesting here.
Lowell is ready for its close up!
Today filming begins for "This Side of Truth" at The Dubliner on Market Street and I just got back to the office from the set where I met the producer, Lynda Obst (Happy Birthday Lynda!) The spunky woman told me that the scenes they were filming today are when Ricky Gervais' character learns how to lie.
We spotted Gervais taking a smoke break around lunch time. We also saw Louis C.K. pacing back and forth in front of the Athenian Corner.
No Jennifer Garner — yet. We hear she will be here on Friday. We also heard some say that Rob Lowe was in the pub today though we did not see him yet.
Any sightings????
We got a tip here this morning from the rumor mill that Rob Lowe will be on Market Street this afternoon to film scenes for "This Side of the Truth"
Take a long lunch break or skip out of work for the afternoon and don't forget your camera!
See you on the set.
Newly engaged couple, Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz are saying the rumors that Smashlee is preggars are a false.
The Fall Out Boy bassist says it is a witch hunt and Ash is keeping mum about the whole thing. The rumors started after they said the wedding would take place next month.
Hmmmm...that raises a few eyebrows, engaged in April and wed a month later. Shot gun anyone?
Will Grandpa Joe be the manager of a new generation of Simpsons? God help us all...pop music will never die.
UPDATE: People is reporting that a "family insider" says that Ash is with child!
Talk about putting things behind you...
Kim Kardashian is not mad at her "friend" Paris Hilton who called her rear end "disgusting" and like "cottage cheese inside of a trash bag" on a morning radio show.
WHAT?!?!
KK posted on her blog (why anyone reads this beats me) that the pair have known each other since preschool and Hiltie called to say sorry already.
I am thinking that Paris has some dirt on her big badonkadonk. That would mean Kimmie would have to stay on Hilton's good side no matter what.
Steve Shemchuk of Lowell was ready at 7 a.m.
He gripped a felt-tip pen in his right hand yesterday and kept a manila folder snug under his left arm. Inside were laminated headshots of Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey and Ricky Gervais.
Did he get an autograph?
For the first time EVER, Patriots QB, Tom Brady was snapped with his son! Congrats Tom, you acknowledge that you have a child. Good for you, that is the first step now there are 12 more. Keep up the good work.
Brady took time off from shopping in Paris, making out with Gisele in Italy and running errands for his super model girlfriend to spend some time with his son.
Please leave your own comments here about the BradyBundch
I did the unthinkable just the other day.
It's days like this that make me want to run away to California. And these two Hillers above have nothing to do with it. I am not even sure why I posted their pics other than it may get some guys attention.
I Googled "Cali" images and the pic of LC and Heidi appeared. I was going to blog about how this weather makes me long for palm trees, but Heidi's outfit is distracting me. Not sure where it would be appropiate to wear such a thing other than to a...well...um...whatever!
It's Friday so I'll forgive Heidi for her Holly-hood outfit choice. Why am I even blogging anymore? It is 75 and sunny...latah!!!
p.s. you're welcome for the eye candy
Actress Sandra Bullock and her hubby, Jesse James, were unhurt after a head-on crash with a drunken driver in Gloucester, Mass.
The couple were driving in a sport-utility vehicle Friday night when a station wagon crossed the center line and hit them, said Gloucester police Lt. Jerry Cook.
Both vehicles were totaled, but no one was hurt. The vehicles were traveling 15 to 20 mph, Cook said.
The other car was driven by Lucille Gatchell, who registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent, Cook said.
She was held by Gloucester police overnight and released Saturday on personal recognizance. She is to be arraigned Tuesday in Gloucester District Court.
Bullock is in the Bay State filming the romantic comedy "The Proposal."
Not sure what the truth is, but we have heard many rumors here in the Mill City about Ricky Gervais' new flick "This Side of the Truth"
Gervais and Co. left behind some papers at one of their shooting locations last week and we got some inside info on the film. From the notes it looks that Gervais is playing Mark in the movie; Tina Fey is Shelley; Rob Lowe is Brad; Louis C.K. is Greg; and Jeffrey Tambor is Anthony.
Also, one of our reporters chatted with comedian Kathy Griffin on the phone who went bananas to learn that Gervais is in Lowell. Griffin wants Gervais to join her on stage when she performs two shows at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on May 1.
Maybe we can set the two up!
* We stole this pic from Ricky's blog....sorry Rick.
We went inside Markus & Leslie's new location in Chelmsford.
Pics of Hannah Montana in compromising poses have hit the Internet...a second time! And for once, Joe Francis is not involved in an under-aged girl taking her top off.
Will this girl ever learn? She can get paid for these pics.
What do you think? Is this Miley or look-a-like?
WANTED: Male or female who has nothing better to do than party. Qualities that are a must include shallowness, stupidity and the ability to look good in pictures BUT not as good as Paris does. Being vapid is a plus.
America's heir head, Paris Hilton is seeking a new BFF. This time she isn't looking for the next train wreck in La La Land to latch on to. Nope, not Hiltie. She has higher standards than that.
Paris will choose her new party pal from a select pool of contestants on her new reality show, “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF.” The MTV series, which begins production next month, will follow 20 contestants as they live together and vie for the chance to be Hilton’s permanent plus-one.
MTV says more than 85,000 potential pals applied. Amazing. Gives a whole new meaning to friends with benefits.
Last week, I got to play the role of a lifetime. I picked my costume out the night before -- trenchcoat, extra-large sunglasses and high heels I regretted wearing halfway through the day.
I crept down alleys, hid behind a dumpster, bribed a local business owner, got kicked out of a restaurant and manipulated a poor innocent citizen all for my own gain.
All just to meet Ricky Gervais...obviously!
Can you handle the truth? I was on location of the new Jennifer Garner and Ricky Gervais film. Check it out...
Amy Winehouse has been arrested....and it's not for drugs. The retro-soul singer is being held on suspicion of assault at the Holborn Police Station.
Wino allegedly headbutted a guy while she was out at a bar earlier this week. We're not sure if the bee-hive softened the blow or not.
The max sentence in London for assault is six months in jail. If she goes, she will join her hubby, Blake Fielder-Civil who is already in the clinker.
If the steroids scandal wasn't enough, now rumors are swirling that Roger Clemens had a decade-long relationship with Mindy McCready that began when she was a 15!
The Daily News is reporting that when Roger was pitching for the Red Sox he was playing sugar daddy to the teen.
Clemens’ lawyer, Rusty Hardin, confirmed a long-term relationship but told the newspaper it was not sexual. “He flatly denies having had any kind of an inappropriate relationship with her,” he said. “He’s considered her a close family friend. ... He has never had a sexual relationship with her.”
Clemens was 28 and a married father of two when he first met McCready. The newspaper said Clemens sent cash to McCready to help her with legal issues and reached out to her when she was in jail last year in Tennessee.
Red Sox nation never looked better. The web site SexySOXgirls.com hosts pics and profiles of Sox kittens in their team garb and very little else. Visitors of the site are then asked to vote how many sox each girl gone wild deserves.
Amanda from Lowell is a nurse who loves her Sox, especially Jason Varitek and David Ortiz. As of yesterday the flirty blonde was rated 3.8 sox out of five. Michelle from Billerica is no slouch either. Root for your hometown team by casting a vote.
Billerica native Keith Dorrington was on "Chronicle" Tuesday night talking optimistically about the movie "The Fighter." The Micky Ward biopic has been all talk, no show for a couple of years. Now, Dorrington says that the flick is a go and Paramount Pictures is on board.
The movie is about the rise of the scrappy boxer from Lowell’s Acre neighborhood and the relationship between Ward and his brother Dick Eklund, who once got in the ring with Sugar Ray Leonard before struggling with addiction.
Ward stepped into the ring for three fights against Arturo Gatti that have gone down as one of the greatest boxing matches ever.
Hollywood heavy weights, Mark Wahlberg and Brad Pitt are rumored to be casts to play the boxing brothers. Wahlberg appeared on "Live with Regis and Kelly" last fall and told the hosts he was training to play Ward in the film. After the writer’s strike there has been no buzz about "The Fighter" until now.
The movie industry encyclopedia, imdb.com lists Dorrington as the executive producer of "The Fighter."