SCANDAL SHEETS IN TROUBLE?

I'll say it. I feel for Britney Spears. If there is one celeb that's been driven to the state of madness by the paparzzi, it has to be her. Granted, she may feed into the frenzy most of the time with dopey young adult behavior and ridiculous antics. That said, however, there's definitely a codependent thing going on - and the pappers know it and feed into it. As a result, an already-fragile pop star is in a dire state.

So, this interistingly comes via the NY POST. Perhaps, enough now, is enough ...

THE FBI is poking around the celebrity magazine world on the West Coast, investigating allegations of kickbacks and pay-for-play schemes, according to a source who was contacted by investigators.

The source was told that the probe, which appears to be at a preliminary stage, involved "paparazzi and In Touch" magazine.

The source was contacted by an agent named Dennis Webster in the FBI's Los Angeles office. Webster had not returned calls to Media Ink by presstime.

Specifics about what the feds are looking into remain murky, but people at the celebrity magazines have been burning up the lines in recent days since a story about the FBI probe was posted Wednesday on the complex.com Web site and picked up by gawker.com and jossip.com.

However, the source said that West Coast legal circles have been buzzing that Hollywood stars who have long felt they were being harassed by the paparazzi were perhaps pushing the feds to act.

To read the rest of the piece, click HERE.

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HE'S BAAAACK ...

Here's the new teaser poster for the forthcoming Bond pic "Quantum of Solace," courtesy of Moviefone. Not sure how I feel about it per se. Badass, yes. Bond? Um, not so sure ... Is it me or does anyone see Tony Montana from "Scarface" with that over-the-shoulder machine gun?

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IT'S OFFICIAL ... LEDGER DIED OF OVERDOSE

"The Dark Knight" actor Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, the New York City medical examiner's office has ruled.

In January, the 28 year-old thespian was found dead at an apartment he had been renting for several months in Manhattan.

A spokeswoman for the medical examiner said Ledger died "as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects" of six different drugs.

They include painkiller Oxycontin and anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Xanax.

Last week, his former partner Michelle Williams spoke publicly for the first time since the star's death, saying: "My heart is broken."

The pair met on the set of their film Brokeback Mountain.

The couple, who had a daughter Matilda, now two, split up last September.

He'll portray The Joker in "The Dark Knight" film, to be released this summer.

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AND THEY WONDER WHY (original poetry)

What happens when you mix a dollop of Bukowski, a pinch of Raymond Carver and a dash of hobo-era Tom Waits? Maybe you'd get this original poem? Then again, perhaps not.. You decide... And my apologies to fans of the Fab three above...

AND THEY WONDER WHY...
Back when I was seeing the waitress,
I met a ghost at the diner counter.
I dunno, it was three a.m. or so
-- that nevertime where tired
cranky and mellow
become one weird sensation.
Anyway, as I jotted some
meaningless notes into a
notepad full of lost ideas, I felt a
prescence next to me. He had the
entire counter to himself, but
he chose to plop on the
stool right five inches away.
It seemed that he needed the
company, so I placed my pen on
the nearest napkin and said hello.

It looked as if he’d been crying and
his shirt was torn with a bloodstain
streaming from his nose to his mouth.
Scratches all over his face, he was
just a plain mess. I looked around to
see if anyone came in with him but
oddly, I was the only one in the joint.
In fact, the staff was nowhere,
must’ve been scattered in the kitchen.

We talked for about an hour, over coffee
and a half-pack of Winstons. He spoke
of his wife – both sad and angry - gesturing
their argument from earlier that evening.
Every now and again, he’d repeat, “They
wonder why we do the things we do.”
He said that men had it rougher than
we’re ever given credit for. Then he asked about
my own situation and I pointed to
the waitress in a shoulder-shrug sort of way.
He smiled, but quickly, again found his
rant, “We can’t cry or
fuss or carry on like them. We have
to listen to their bullshit complaints.”

I fiddled with a toothpick as I looked
for my Zippo asking, “Whaddya gonna do?”

“Cheat,” he answered. It was a simple,
heartfelt answer that I found funny.
The two of us sat there enjoying its honesty.
I made sure the waitress wasn’t listening
or else I'd get holy Hell on the ride home.
But then my new friend got somber once again
and kept repeating “And they wonder why...”
I never saw him ever again.

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QUENTIN LOSES IT (video)

I saw this post about a week or so ago and finally found it on YouTube. Check out "Kill Bill" director Quentin Tarantino losing his shit at a papparazzi shutterbug at the recent Sundance Film Fest in Park City, Utah.

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WILL THE SHOW GO ON?

Cate Blanchett was missing in action, but George Clooney, Viggo Mortensen and Hollywood's new darling, Ellen Page, partied with more than 100 other nominees at today's Oscars luncheon in Beverly Hills.

But will the show go on? Will the WGA strike be over? Let's hope so...

Click HERE to read the rest of the story via The Daily Telegraph

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WHY CAN'T MEN ...

... LEAVE A DECENT PHONE MESSAGE WHEN THEY DIG A CHICK?

These clips are side-splitting. The second-one gets me EVERY TIME it's on. Seriously, this T-Mobile guy is priceless. Forget those Geiko cavemen, give this guy a sitcom. That said, though, it's a blatant rip-off of "Swingers," the all-time classic example of a guy trying to call a chick he's just met and it going horribly, horribly wrong.





AND THE ALL-TIME CLASSIC ...

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JULIAN SCHNABEL GETS DISSED BY SEAN YOUNG (VIDEO)

While the press made the whole Sean Young incident at the recent DGA Awards much more scandalous, here's the video (albeit a little choppy) of Young heckling "Diving Bell and the Butterfly" director Julian Schnabel as he accepts his award at the DGA's Saturday night. The drama continued to unfold yesterday when the controversial actress checked into rehab.

But check out the vid ... The clearly moved Schnabel was trying to make a speech when in the background you hear, "Get on with it!" And then he sorta just splits from the stage, pissed.

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A FUTURE MOVIE CRITIC??

OK ... I don't know what to exactly make of this kid, but for some reason, I find him hilarious. I couldn't look away. In any case, he's giving the world (web cam style) his take on the new "Rambo" film, released last week. Some of the things he says are outright goofy, but that's part of the charm.

And just a by-the-way... How did the kid get into the theater to begin with?? Oh, and that nasally voice... He must be channeling Andy Rooney... Enjoy.

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WEDDING CHAPEL WARS IN LAS VEGAS

I tied the knot in Vegas on 777. While the day was a frenzy because of the date, fierce competition for chapel wedding services has escalated into minor warfare between vendors, who are hiring packs of handbillers to stalk couples paparazzi-style and hurl frantic, Glengarry Glen Ross-like pitches at budding brides.

And even though weddings are still huge business in Vegas, a recent drop in marriage licenses has seen competition stiffen, and handbillers -- usually earning $10 an hour -- have been involved in scuffles ranging from fist-fights to stabbings. I DO remember seeing a segment on "Cops" about this and thought it was a wild notion - wedding chapel wars in Sin City. And although the Vegas industry of love is frequently commented upon, the sheer desperation is little-reported, making this an entertaining (if somewhat depressing) read.

Click HERE to read a recent probe at the LA TIMES.

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'MAD MEN' WRITERS TO RETURN

VIA THE NY POST: Strking writers are set to return to "Mad Men" and "Weeds" - giving two of cable's more popular shows a chance to start their seasons as planned.

Both "Mad Men" (AMC) and "Weeds" (Showtime) are produced by independent company Lionsgate, which signed an interim agreement last week with the Writers Guild allowing its writers to return to work (like David Letterman's and Craig Ferguson's shows).

Writers for "Mad Men" are expected to return this week, sources say, although there's no word on when actual production on the show's second season will resume.

The "Mad Men" writers were originally supposed to report for work on Season 2 in mid-November, just weeks after the writers' strike began Nov. 5.

To read the rest of the story, click HERE.

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RAMBO MAY BE BACK FOR FIFTH FILM

Over at Deadline Hollywood, Harvey Weinstein hinted that another "Rambo" sequel is already planned and will involve bringing the character back to the United States.

The comments come after the latest (and fourth) "Rambo" film opened to a solid but unspectacular $18.1 million and second place spot over the weekend.

Despite "Rambo III" taking in $53m domestic back in 1988 - an amount this "Rambo" isn't expected to top despite two decades of inflation - Weinstein is bullish over its economic prospects. Perhaps the retro factor of the character and all the kick-booty nostalgia may resonate with fans.

Weinstein's hopes lie in the international market as the "Rambo" films, like the James Bond series, have consistently made 75% of their profit overseas - a quite different margin than other action franchises like superhero films or the Jason Bourne series which earn notably more domestically than internationally.

Yet analysts predict Harv may be disappointed with global totals considering the political climate change in the past two decades, and the anti-American sentiment (or more specifically the anti-Bush sentiment) that has pervaded even other Western cultures in the post-Iraq environment.

Even more interesting, is that the other day, Sly dropped a hint that he'd love to take the green beret into another realm. Perhaps supernatural? Perhaps alien?

Whatever the case, we're on board.

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CARMEN HAS A CRUSH ON ME

This is why we love viral marketing ...

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NO MAJOR INJURIES IN MONTE CARLO FIRE

Via The Las Vegas Review Journal:

Columns of black smoke loomed over the Strip on Friday as flames burned atop the Monte Carlo, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and stirring memories of Las Vegas' darkest day.

The fire started just before 11 a.m. on the upper reaches of the 32-story hotel. Fueled by highly flammable construction foam, the flames quickly spread along the building's facade while firefighters standing on the roof and hanging out hotel room windows attacked them with water.

"It started with a little smoke, and I thought it was, like, kitchen smoke," said Angel Hernandez, who works at a nearby kiosk on the Strip. "The next thing I saw was the black smoke and I went, 'That's not the kitchen.' "

The plumes of smoke soon attracted hundreds of onlookers, who craned their necks and snapped pictures with camera phones from the crowded sidewalks on Las Vegas Boulevard. Meanwhile, news helicopters swirled overhead, capturing live footage of the growing conflagration that conjured images of the deadly MGM Grand fire in 1980 that killed 87 people.

To read the rest of the story, click HERE.

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MONTE CARLO CASINO IN FLAMES

A casino near and dear to my heart is curently on fire ...

A three-alarm fire is burning on the south tower roof at the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino. The fire is on the 32nd floor and higher. Thick, black smoke is pouring from the top of the building.

People are being evacuated from the Monte Carlo property to the Bellagio and New York-New York. Reports from local papers say four Monte Carlo employees were stuck on the roof. Let's hope they got out...

No cause for the fire is known at this time and there are no known injuries. Fire crews from Clark County, City of Las Vegas and Henderson are on the scene.

Las Vegas Boulevard is shut down between Tropicana Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. I-15 had not been closed by 11:45 a.m., but the northbound and southbound ramps at Spring Mountain Road, Flamingo Road and Tropicana Avenue were closed due to the fire. Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman Kevin Honey said the closures are to keep the general public out of the area so firefighters "with heavy machinery" can do their jobs.

The fire was reported by passersby shortly before 11 a.m.

Click HERE for more ...

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HOTTEST SCREENWRITER WORKING TODAY

Here's a spunky broad 'ol Papa H would dig ... Recently, "Juno" screenwriter Diablo Cody appeared on David Letterman, fresh off the heels of her Oscar nomination. Gotta love this pistol ... a former stripper who is literally the hottest writer in Hollywood. Grab a java and enjoy.

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SHADES OF ABUSE OR HARMLESS SLEEP AIDS?

The tragic death of actor Heath Ledger has rocked Hollywood and already there's all sorts of speculation running rampant about the nature of why he used sleeping pills.

First, there's this recent article in The New York Times published just two months ago...

“I stressed out a little too much,” Mr. Ledger said.

He tends to do that. He is here in London filming the latest episode of the “Batman”franchise, “The Dark Knight.” (Mr. Bale, as it happens, plays Batman; Mr. Ledger plays the Joker.) It is a physically and mentally draining role — his Joker is a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy” he said cheerfully — and, as often happens when he throws himself into a part, he is not sleeping much.

“Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” he said. “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.” One night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing.

Even as he spoke, Mr. Ledger was hard-pressed to keep still. He got up and poured more coffee. He stepped outside into the courtyard and smoked a cigarette. He shook his hair out from under its hood, put a rubber band around it, took out the rubber band, put on a hat, took off the hat, put the hood back up. He went outside and had another cigarette. Polite and charming, he nonetheless gave off the sense that the last thing he wanted to do was delve deep into himself for public consumption. “It can be a little distressing to have to overintellectualize yourself,” is how he put it, a little apologetically.

There's also this disturbing interview video that shows Ledger either simply uncomfortable or possibly under the influence of something. I've seen my fair share of video interviews from press junkets and making-of documentaries and I've never seen anyone twitch about like this.

Whatever the case, it's certainly sad... He'll be missed.

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HEATH LEDGER DEAD

JUST IN: An NYPD spokesperson says the actor Heath Ledger has been found dead at a downtown Manhattan residence. No details as of yet. Just the statement

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SUMMER WINE - NANCY'S CLASSIC

How frikkin' great is this kitschy tune "Summer Wine"? Director Quentin Tarantino is destined to put this in one of his schlocky grindhouse efforts (much like he did with her classic "Bang Bang ...") BTW, I found this gem listening to the Martini Madness station on XM.

This song was the B-side of Sinatra's 1967 hit "Sugar Town." It wasn't a huge hit at first. When "Sugar Town" subsided, it gained a little heat and finally charted on March 4, 1967, snuggling all the way to #49 in the States. It was also a chart hit in Australia.

Be warned, though, if you do listen to this, it'll get into your head.

Great stuff ...

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2008 OSCAR - ACADEMY AWARD ODDS

Fresh off this morning's Oscar nominations and yesterday's Lounge predictions, the sports betting site BoDog has released their Oscar odds for the 80th Annual Academy Awards:

Best Picture
No Country For Old Men 10/11
Atonement 3/1
Michael Clayton 3/1
Juno 7/2
There Will Be Blood 4/1

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood 3/1
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men 3/1
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton 11/14
Jason Reitman - Juno 5/2
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 9/4

Best Actor
George Clooney - Michael Clayton 7/2
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood 1/4
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd 15/4
Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah 17/4
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises 6/1

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age - 9/4
Julie Christie - Away from Her 2/1
Marion Cotillard - La vie en Rose 7/2
Laura Linney - Savages - 4/1
Ellen Page - Juno 5/2

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 3/1
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men 1/2
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson’s War 11/4
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild 6/1
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton 9/2

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I’m Not There 10/11
Ruby Dee - American Gangster 5/1
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement 13/4
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone 11/4
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton 5/2

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