Patrick Swayze: Sad But Hopful

Having experienced the sudden diagnosis and death from pancreatic cancer of someone very, very close to me... the headlines scare the bjeebers out of me. Pancreatic cancer is deadly. By the time my loved one became aware, it was far too late.

I'm hopeful that Patrick Swayze will be the exception to the rule. From this blog to God's Ears. I pray it so.

I'm not so much an admirer of his work, but I'm a huge fan of Patrick. In the interviews I've seen, he seems totally Texan, totally humble and genuine... and just himself. I'm a big fan of loyalty, and he's been with his wife, Lisa Niemi, since she began taking dance lessons (she... at age 15) with Patrick's mom. And they married in 1975.

I also live in Oak Forest, the neighborhood in Houston, Texas, where he was raised. I pass, regularly, by the schools he attended. Many people who grew up here, now choose to live here. It was a place of humble beginnings, and I think it's reflected in Patrick's character.

He and Lisa are in my prayers. God has a plan and it's not for us to question. We can only pray.

Lisa Marie's Unhappy Announcement

Lisa Marie... married and pregnant???

I haven't spent a lot of energy thinking about her, but maybe this news story puts to rest the last thought I had.

Spencer Pratt is a Creep

I said it before and I'll say it again... well, even if I didn't say it in these exact terms before, still...

Spender Pratt is a creep.

Well that... and he is about negative 17 million on a scale of 1 to 10, as far as being "sexually appealing". There's not enough bandwidth in the universe, much less the world wide web, to list the many reasons.

And Heidi is either an equally egocentric money hungry, publicity hound... or she suffers from such low self esteem that bagging an "important" guy is the only way she can feel good about herself.

Either way... sad. Just sad.

Surely LC Isn't Still Smitten

It's always hard to celebrate the moving on, much less engagement of a former love. And last night Lauren had to endure it, on The Hills.

I'm hoping it was just for good television, but previous episodes seemed to raise a glimmer of hope in Lauren, that she and Jason Wahler might rekindle their friendship, if not something more.

And those feelings were replaced in last night's episode of The Hills, when Lauren learned of the engagement. I'm hoping the emotions that surged... were pity and relief.

Photo courtesy of WireImage.com, by way of this MSN breakup story.

Stephen Colletti & Lauren Conrad, Together Again!

All is well with the world again! (I really DO need to get a life!)

Stephen has split with Hayden Panettiere, and he and L.C. were spotted, attending as and looking very much like a couple, at a party for Hornitos Tequila Thursday night.

"Stephen and Lauren definitely looked like an item, "a source tells Star. "They hung out together the entire time and at one point, Stephen grabbed Lauren and took her out to the dance floor, where they danced to the song 'One More Time. ' They were laughing and flirting. They looked really happy and cute together."

Anxiously awaited and cute photo, courtesy of E! Online!

Alice Ghostley Passes Away

Resurrecting many wonderful childhood memories, Alice Ghostley, famed television and film actress, passed away yesterday at her home in Studio City, California.

Her filmography credits include movie parts in With Six You Get Eggroll, Please Don't Eat The Daisies, The Flim Flam Man, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Graduate and The Client...

And she played many characters on television in shows like Evening Shade, Designing Women, Good Times, Love American Style... and many, many more.

But I will always fondly remember her as the good witch and slightly off-kilter Esmeralda on 'Bewitched'.

Ghostley died after a long battle with colon cancer and a series of strokes. Passing from this life is often a blessing, but it's sad for those left behind...

1952 photograph, above, courtesy of AP. As Esmeralda, courtesy of this website.

The Difference Between Me and BB8's Zach

Zach believes that he is entitled to entry at L.A.'s hotspot, Hyde.

I have no such delusions.

Fame is fleeting for the dim witted, Dude.

Karma

We've grown accustomed to the flippant (yea arrogant) demeanor of O.J. Simpson. And today's mugshot is no different.

Splashing his own self in the media with all sorts of admissions, reveling in his 'sting operation', the possibility of criminal accountability (and why would it, based on past history) hasn't, even in the tiniest way, twinged his compulsively narcissistic (to the point of sociopathic) view of the world.

Booked today on multiple felony charges, including two counts of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit a robbery, burglary with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and coercion.

From what I've read, Las Vegas, NV law enforcement dots their i's and crosses their t's prior to issuing an arrest warrant. And with recorded footage of every inch of every casino, they can likely make their case, easily. It is unlikely that a Size 12 Bruno will be in question.

Conviction of the most stringent charge could bring a 35 year sentence. And he'll likely be held without bond, based on the fact that he's a flight risk (helloooo!).

Photo courtesy of Las Vegas, Clark County Nevada Law Enforcement... and a million other sources.

George Clooney & My Feelings

No wonder I feel old!

This is not a good time for me to have reminders that youth is fleeting!

Jodie Foster & Terminology

I'm not sure "gentleman greeter" is the appropriate terminology.

Just sayin'...

Justice Served? Paris and Jason

In spite of being a little touched in the head, Paris is back in the pokey.

I vascillate in my opinion on whether she is receiving special treatment... or "special treatment. Is her celebrity helping... or hurting her? Is her celebrity helping or hurting her?

Consider Jason Wahler, appearing before a judge across the street from the Hilton hearing today, for violating the terms of probabation for his 2006 battery arrest... just because he was arrested for the minor issues of criminal trespassing and assault in Seattle earlier this year.

Bless the little 20 year old scumbag's heart.

The judge told him that he "shouldn't drink" because "you can't handle it"... with no mention of the fact that he's underage. And to prove he means business, he ordered Jason to continue attending AA meetings and intensive rehab counseling at least four whole days a week, as well as 36 hours of anger management classes.

Yep. Wahler has been arrested four times in four different states. I'm sure that little spanking will probably get his attention.

How Noah Built His Ark

I was doing a little research on how to build my ark,
and I found this...
Bill Cosby narrates the story of Noah and His Ark!
Enjoy!

No Relationship Between Science and Scientology

When South Park has a firmer grip on reality than the Hollywood establishment... ummmm, that's a problem.

And when you consider the tragic effect of their teachings on the vulnerable, it's criminal.

On Topic: Michael Jackson's Extension

While Michael Jackson is parading and shooping around Bahrain in Islamic drag, Neverland employees go unpaid one more day.

How Unfair Can Life Be? Chris, Dana and Will Reeve

I was driving to work this morning, feeling a little sorry for myself. I had a hard work day ahead, and I was already feeling the pressure.

Last night, I realized that my mother's birthday is approaching, with the anniversary of her death a mere day behind. In about an hour's time, I relived her death, preceded by my Dad's. And I felt mournful. I felt sad. And I felt sorry for myself.

According to Kathy Lewis, president of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, Will is now, "In the loving arms of family and friends." The Reeve's closest friends celebrated Dana's life Tuesday. Best friends Robin Williams and his wife Marsha said, "The brightest light has gone out. We will forever celebrate her loving spirit."

In my (ripe) middle age, of all the many friends I treasure, I only have two that have experienced the loss of their parents. The surrounding feelings are incomprehensible, until they are your own, even at this age.

I was only a block away from work when, breaking into his diatribe on moral issues, the radio host announced that yesterday, Dana Reeve lost her own life to lung cancer.

My thoughts immediately went to Dana's son, Will. And I pulled over into a parking lot. I had to think. I had to process. My own experience was too fresh on my mind.

Christopher died in 2004 after his long battle with paralysis. She also lost her mother to cancer just months before her own cancer diagnosis.

Dana and Christopher's 13-year-old son, Will, was only 3 when his father was paralyzed. Now the young teenager will have to face life without either parent. Dana spoke of Will's resilience in the face of his father's death.

"One of the greatest gifts we could give our children are the tools to face life's inevitable adversity," Dana said. "He's an incredibly upbeat kid."

According to tape recordings, Jermaine discussed Michael's history of drug and alcohol abuse, and expressed concern that the King of Pop "had a thing for young children" and might be guilty of child molestation.

According to this story, his older brother feared the worst but backed him at trial because he thought Michael might potentially commit suicide in prison.

The eight page book proposal offered an inside look at Michael's troubles, and Jermaine indicated MJ's preference for Vicodin, Demerol, codeine, Percocet, cocaine, Jack Daniels and wine.

Appearing on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Monday night however, Jermaine denounced the book proposal detailed in The News as a lie, however, author Stacy Brown was able to produce the tapes, from storage, with Jermaine's comments, in context.

"Without a doubt," the tapes will prove Jermaine bashed Michael, Brown
said. Jermaine became "very emotional" at times during the book interviews, the
author said. "He'd be crying, spilling his guts, pouring his heart out for hours
on end. I thought, 'Man, this is really deep,' " Brown said.

Brown said Jermaine pulled the plug on the book after Michael, 47, got wind
of it and went ballistic, threatening to sue and toss Jermaine out of the family
home. By that time, an agent already had shopped the proposal to at least three
publishers and he and Jermaine had attended a meeting at one major book house
with "five or six" employees in attendance. "There's a paper trail," Brown said.

A few other spicy details and confirmations (duh!):

• The Jackson family has protected MJ's image
• MJ also cheats and lies
• MJ changed the color of his skin.
• Even the pop star's behavior with his own nephews has left his family "shaken," according to Jermaine. He recounts the family coming together after the death of brother Tito's ex-wife in the mid 1990s and finding Michael sitting on a bed with Tito's young sons and holding them in a disturbing manner.
• During the Jackson 5 days, Michael's brothers feared he was gay. The brothers met lots of women while touring and all eventually fell in love. "But Michael, well, he wasn't interested. We used to quietly say that we couldn't have a gay brother."
• Michael hates Jews because he thinks Hollywood moguls Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen stole the idea for Dreamworks studio, including the boy-on-the moon logo, from him.

Celebrities

They should that their place is on television, in the movies, on the red carpet, in the entertainment blogs and in the gossip magazines... NOT floating in the flood waters of New Orleans with a camera crew, or perpetrating a political agenda.

Charity is one thing, and I believe it is our divinely ordained charge, to help others in all the ways we are able.

Too often, though, celebrity charity is doled out with overwhelming measure of self aggrandizement and underlying manipulation of the populace.

And I'm really getting sick of it.

Popcorn and 'Wedding Crashers'

Along with my good friend and fellow Owen groupie, I saw Wedding Crashers today.

We both loved it, and laughed our way through until some poignant moments brought a little mistiness.

It's a great movie. I highly recommend it. Take your irreverent sense of humor with you!

The movie hasgreat casting great casting (including Dwight Yoakum and Henry Gibson!):

Owen Wilson .... John Beckwith
Vince Vaughn .... Jeremy Grey
Christopher Walken .... Secretary Cleary
Rachel McAdams .... Claire Cleary
Isla Fisher .... Gloria Cleary
Jane Seymour .... Kathleen Cleary
Ellen Albertini Dow .... Grandma Mary Cleary
Keir O'Donnell .... Todd Cleary
Bradley Cooper .... Sack Lodge
Ron Canada .... Randolph
Henry Gibson .... Father O'Neil
Dwight Yoakam .... Mr. Kroeger
Rebecca De Mornay .... Mrs. Kroeger
David Conrad .... Trap
Jennifer Alden .... Christina Cleary (as Jenny Alden)

Tons of awesome lines in this one! Bring your silly and wry sense of humor!

Three More Weeks For Martha

It's not a good thing.

Anniston on Brangelina

This photo and the following text are from MSN, regarding Jen's life after Pitt (I'm afraid if I only link to it, it will lead to a dead end, soon):

Jennifer Aniston could have been forgiven if she'd taken the bitter ex route in her first post-breakup interview by laying the blame for her split with Brad Pitt on the Angelina Jolie factor. Instead, she takes the high road and says, despite everything, her soon-to-be ex-hubby is "a fantastic man."

"I don't regret any of it, and I'm not going to beat myself up about it," Jen, 36, diplomatically tells Vanity Fair in the in-depth sit-down. "We spent seven very intense years together...a beautiful, complicated relationship."

The actress says she believes Pitt's assertion that he did not pursue a relationship with Jolie before their separation in January, but admits the aftermath hasn't always been easy."Am I lonely? Yes. Am I upset? Yes. Am I confused? Yes. Do I have my days when I've thrown a little pity party for myself? Absolutely. But I'm also doing really well," she says.

Still, when the interviewer mentions a rumor about Pitt and Jolie possibly starting a family, Aniston reportedly looks stricken and breaks into tears that last for several minutes.

Jennifer adamantly denies the oft-repeated claim that their marriage unraveled because Pitt, 41, who is now reportedly shacking up with Jolie, 30, her son Maddox, 3, and her newly adopted daughter Zahara at his Malibu mansion, wanted a family and she didn't."

A man divorcing would never be accused of choosing career over children," rants the star, who reveals that she had planned to spend the last year pregnant. "That really p***ed me off. I've never in my life said I don't want children. I did and I do and I will! The women that inspire me are the ones who have careers and children; why would I want to limit myself? I've always wanted to have children, and I would never give up that experience for a career. I want to have it all."

Jen 'fesses up to being hurt by paparazzi pics that captured Brad spending quality time with Angelina and Maddox on a beach in Kenya.

"The world was shocked and I was shocked," she says. "I'd be a robot if I said I didn't feel moments of anger, of hurt, of embarrassment."

Aniston continues, "I can't say it was one of the highlights of my year. Who would deal with that and say, 'Isn't that sweet! That looks like fun!'? But [bleep] happens. You joke and say, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.'"

She also wasn't a fan of the 60-page W spread in which Brangelina posed as bored suburban parents.

"There's a sensitivity chip that's missing [in him]," Aniston explains. "I can ... imagine Brad having absolutely no clue why people would be appalled by it."

The actress says she's still single and is fine with it, explaining, "I like a lot of people, but I am sooo not 'in like' with anybody."

But she believes another relationship will come in time: "I am really enjoying being by myself. I'm excited that I know there's somebody out there for me, but I am absolutely in no rush. This is all very fresh, very new. This was a 7-year relationship that was very dear, very complicated, very special. I need to honor it."

While the ex-squeezes are no longer speaking (the divorce will likely be finalized in the fall), Jen does seem to have achieved a bit of closure.

"I love Brad. I will love him for the rest of my life," she admits. "I really do hope that someday we can be friends again."

And like any good friend, Jennifer isn't afraid to speak the truth, taking a light-hearted dig at Pitt's lightened locks: "Billy Idol called -- he wants his look back."

This issue of Vanity Fair hits stands August 9th.

See also 'The Today Show' coverage on Aniston's interview.