Multiple news sources are reporting Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein was found dead in his NY apartment from an apparent drug overdose on Friday.

This is extremely haunting and sad news, as Adam and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker were the only two survivors of a deadly plane crash which claimed four lives almost a year ago on Sept. 19, 2008.

Adam, 36, was a recovering drug addict, having spent the last 9 years of his life leading a clean and sober existence and using his experience and recovery to try and help others overcome their addiction. Adam dated reality TV star Nicole Ritchie and singer/actress Mandy Moore. Adam was also a very respected club DJ and worked on several albums for major artists. Here’s a bit of his bio from Wiki:

Goldstein was a member of the rock band Crazy Town, known for their hit “Butterfly”. He has also scratched on albums for Papa Roach, Madonna, Will Smith, and Shifty and played concerts with Jay-Z. He has played private events for celebrities like Jim Carey, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Stiller, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, and Kate Hudson.[10] He had had a one-year contract with Las Vegas’ Pure Nightclub inside Caesar’s Palace to play at the venue every Friday and opening a nightclub at Caesars Atlantic City called Dusk.

I loved Crazy Town’s “Butterfly”, featuring Shifty Shellshock’s awesome vocals (also featured on Paul Oakenfold’s “Starry Eyed Surprise.)

Some sources are stating Adam was distraught over a recent break-up with his girlfriend Haley Wood, and it is well known both he and fellow crash survivor Travis Barker have struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder from their brush with death, which including horrific burns requiring hospitalization.

Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein and Travis Barker of Blink-182

Out of respect for DJ AM, who came across as a very sincere and grounded guy, we won’t get into the lurid details of his death. There’s plenty of sources for that.

RIP Adam, I hope you found a respite from the pain in the great beyond, the world will miss your tremendous talent and your friends and family will miss your presence.

Now I know our country is truly going to hell in a  handbasket:  Meet the newest postage stamps featuring the characters from The Simpsons – Bitten & Bound

Amy Winehouse:  Hey, people in charge, you’re not the boss of me! - Celebslam

Seth Rogan’s new flick is my recommendation for your next dinner-and-a-movie night, because there’s nothing like a super-funny date rape scene to really create a memorable evening - Jezebel

Naomi Campbell is no longer mean and scary – Cityfile

Come on.  You are so not surprised to hear that Jennifer Lopez has a room just for her wigs - ONTD

Remember last week when we were talking about how Jennifer Lopez just couldn’t manage to coordinate her kazillion carat ring with her sparkly gold dress for the Golden Globes?  Well, I guess she figured blue would bring out the inner fire of that giant glass doorknob her diamond wedding set, so she dug it out and wore it to the Latino Inaugural Gala.  Yes, she sucked it up and did it for Obama!  (I didn’t mean this to be political, but today I guess everything is political!)

Somewhere a tranny is crying because J-Lo stole his makeup case.

hattip to dlisted

I’ve been married a long, long time, and I realize that there are times when one must take off one’s wedding band.  When you’re doing some sort of mechanical work, for instance, or if you’re putting on hair color, or stripping furniture, or performing a heart transplant.  But this is a new one on me…Jennifer Lopez, around whom divorce rumors have been swirling faster than a tornado in a trailer park, said that she didn’t wear her wedding ring at the Golden Globes because it didn’t match her dress:

JENNIFER LOPEZ has denied further rumours her marriage to MARC ANTHONY is in trouble, insisting she didn’t wear her wedding ring to the Golden Globes because ‘it didn’t go with the dress.’

The actress made the bizarre remark after she was snapped posing on the red carpet at the awards ceremony without her wedding band.

But J. Lo insists she was just making a fashion statement.

She told American magazine In Touch: “Every time I’m not wearing my ring, people think I’m getting divorced.

“That’s crazy. It just didn’t go with the dress.

“Divorce is not and was never an option.”

Orly.

I don’t know about you, but when I get dressed up one of the first pieces of jewelry I make sure I have on is my wedding band.  But then again, I don’t have to match sparkly jewelry to sparkly gold dress.  That’s just too difficult, so I’d better leave that to the pros like J-Lo.  We can’t trust important things like this to amateurs!

But let’s revisit an earlier article about Jenny From The Block:

Rumors swirled that Lopez’s marriage was on the rocks after she showed up to the premiere of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last week without her 8-carat diamond engagement ring, wedding band – or ever present husband, Marc Anthony (who was spotted in Las Vegas sans wedding band the weekend before).

Multiple sources confirm to to Us Weekly their marriage is at a breaking point.

“They both didn’t wear their rings on purpose,” a mutual pal of the married couple of four years (who renewed their vows in October) tells Us. “Nothing Jennifer does is without purpose.”

You could try to tell me that Jennifer showed up to a global awards show, where she had a pretty good idea that her photo would be taken, would stand there holding her little clutch purse with her ringless finger prominently on display, and then try to tell me it was all coincidence and that she just couldn’t coordinate the ring to her outfit…but I’d still have to put my money back in my pocket because I ain’t buying it.

Look for these two to call it quits any day now and for J-Lo to gravitate more and more to Scientology.

Oh, but better than the missing ring…check out the look that Kate Winslet is giving Jennifer!  Now THAT is priceless.  Kate gets an award from me just for that!

Why do people insist on getting pregnant, having babies, and then heading to divorce court before the tots are even walking yet?  They aren’t there yet,  but rumors are swirling that there is tension between Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony, and that things have gone from babies to bad times:

Rumors swirled that Lopez’s marriage was on the rocks after she showed up to the premiere of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last week without her 8-carat diamond engagement ring, wedding band – or ever present husband, Marc Anthony (who was spotted in Las Vegas sans wedding band the weekend before).

Multiple sources confirm to to Us Weekly their marriage is at a breaking point.

“They both didn’t wear their rings on purpose,” a mutual pal of the married couple of four years (who renewed their vows in October) tells Us. “Nothing Jennifer does is without purpose.”

I believe that.  Girlfriend should get together with Mariah Carey and compare control-freak notes.  But wait…is there room in the family for two control freaks?

“He’s very, very controlling of her,” a close Anthony pal tells Us. “The skirts aren’t as short. You don’t see so much of that booty anymore.” The new Us Weekly also reports that Anthony also picks out Lopez’s clothes and keeps tabs on her phone calls.

But Lopez — who once claimed she “loved getting his opinions” — has become less interested in his approval since the birth of their 10-month-old twins, Max and Emme.

“She walks in from work, washes her hands and grabs the babies,” a longtime friend tells Us. “With him, it’s almost like, ‘Ugh, they’re crying again?’”

Yeah.  Babies cry, Marc, that’s what they do.  You should know that, since you already had kids before Jennifer came along.

It also seems that Jennifer doesn’t like the life of a housewife, like the lives of so many other little people in the world:

Another problem: Lopez — who once commanded $15 million per film — “blames Marc for her career going down the tubes,” says a mutual pal, adding that she’s bitter about the failure of their 2006 drama, El Cantante, which only grossed $7.5 million. (Her 2002 flick Maid in Manhattan earned over $94 million.)

“Jennifer looked around and said, ‘This is my life now? I’m a Long Island housewife?’” a pal says. “She hates that everything she worked for went down the tubes.”

And Marc just can’t seem to keep his mouth shut about how much his wife drives him loco:

Anthony has also been badmouthing his wife. One night after their tense family Thanksgiving in which the couple “didn’t sit together,” Anthony hit NYC hotspots Bungalow 8 and Marquee, where he was spotted with his hand on a woman’s thigh and overheard complaining about his wife to a group of women, “telling them, ‘She’s making me miserable,’” a source says.

His club spree didn’t stop there: The next night, he was photographed by TMZ.com partying sans wedding band with pal Eva Longoria Parker and Russell Crowe in Las Vegas. (A source says, “According to Jennifer, he didn’t cheat.”)

Now there’s a smart move…because, of course, nobody in the world knows who J-Lo or Marc are.  I’m sure he was totally anonymous!

If any of this is true, then it sort of blows a hole in the side of the perfect little family picture that Jennifer has tried to sell us for so long.  She and Marc were spotted out the next day going out to a lovey-dovey dinner with their rings on, but if there’s one thing J-Lo knows how it do it is manipulate and play the media.  Like the article above said, she does nothing on accident, including being “caught” without her rings on.

But what does Scientology have to do with all of this?  Well, check out this little throwaway blurb in the article:

Lopez isn’t the only one with growing resentment toward her husband. Her best friend, Leah Remini, also can’t stand him.

“It if was up to her, Leah would just break them up today,” a pal says.

Ooh.  I haven’t worked at this site for over a year and not picked up a few things here and there.  Leah Remini, if you follow the CoS, is pretty active in the Cult of Scientology.  She’s also bff’s with J-Lo.  So how does this all tie together?

Work with me here.  Back in October, I did a story on Jennifer mulling over the idea of possibly putting her kids in  Scientology classes:

The conversation turns to Scientology. “I know a lot of your friends are Scientologists,” I say. “Your father has been a Scientologist for about 20 years …”

“More than that now,” she says.

“Scientologists don’t believe in shrinks. Would you ever call on Scientology if you were having those problems again?” I ask.

“I do know a lot about Scientology. And I know about the practices.  I know all about what the technology is and all that kind of stuff. It’s very helpful.  So in a sense, yeah, you do call on it.”

“Do you consider yourself a Scientologist?”

“No.”

“If you were, would you be open about it?”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t have a problem saying it because I know what it is. I have no problems with it and it really actually bothers me that people have such a negative feeling towards it.”

“That it is too exotic? Too cultish?”

“Just negative feelings.”

“Would you consider schooling Emme and Max in a Scientology school?” I ask.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind. Not at all. Because I know that the technologies that they have are very helpful… It’s all about communication. That’s the thing I really don’t like about talking about this. I do know so many great people who do do it, who choose it as a lifestyle and really follow it and it is their religion…I just wish that people wouldn’t judge it without knowing what it is.”

Was this a new idea in Jennifer’s head?  Nope, because she and current hubby Marc took a class in the cult as far back as December 2006:

My sources tell me that as recently as December [2006], Lopez and Anthony were taking professional business meetings at Scientology’s Celebrity Center in Hollywood.

Anthony is said to have taken the “purification” course, a hopped-up sauna that supposedly “cures” all ills. Lopez may have invested in the IRS-sanctioned religion thanks to infertility issues and difficulties in the couple’s marriage.

What’s very clear is that Lopez and Anthony’s sudden friendship with chief celebrity Scientologist Tom Cruise is no accident. Other than belonging to the expensive pay-as-you-go religion, Cruise and the Lopez-Anthonys would have nothing in common.

From what I’m told, Lopez and Anthony entered Scientology with the help of Angelo Pagan, the husband of “King of Queens” actress Leah Remini. Both Pagan and Remini — mostly the former — have taken dozens of pricey courses in L. Ron Hubbard’s creation.

In keeping with Scientology’s Hollywood deal in which members hire each other, Pagan has had parts in John Travolta’s “Swordfish” and Jenna Elfman’s “Dharma & Greg,” as well as in several episodes of “King of Queens.” [...]

Scientology is notable for recruiting stars at low points in their careers or personal lives, preying on uncertainty, instability or just plain fear by promising to fix life issues.

A source says that they were invited to meet Lopez and Anthony at the Celebrity Center where they were ensconced in four-star digs. There, Anthony talked excitedly about the “purification” program while Lopez discussed career matters.

“They’re in,” a source said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Lopez’s father has been a Scientologist for 20 years, as recently revealed.

So not only do you have the friend angle, but the father angle.  Now…reread the first portion of this article.  See where J-Lo is frustrated with being just a housewife, where she’s irritated that her career has stalled, where she’s blaming Marc for her professional life going down the toilet?  Well, Leah felt that way too.  And here’s what she did about it:

This is Leah Remini Writing you again. Some of you may know me from the TV show “King of Queens”, but what is more important is that I am now OT V and at one point I was a very stalled Clear. A lot of people helped me to get OT, and I decided I was going to turn around and help every Clear make it to OT. A couple of months ago, you received a letter from me about an event I was holding to help people move who were stalled on the Bridge. Obviously you did not come and for some reason, feel you are not indeed a “stalled Clear”. Let me start with the definition of
“stalled”. Not that you are-but who knows? STALL: To slow down or halt the progress of. (American Heritage Student Dictionary). If you are not aggressively moving on your next step-your next “Gradechart Action”, you are stalled. Look at the Gradechart, it says: Clear-Sunshine Rundown-Solo Course Part 1-OT Preparations and so on up the chart. If you are not on your next step as per this chart, and are not on a prerequisite for Solo, you are stalled-plain and simple.

[...] So, it is up to you now to be honest with yourself and look at your own progress up the Bridge. Do you ever wonder why you are not moving? No? Then that’s an outpoint. You are Clear, you are special, why have you not moved? Whatever the reason, there is an answer and a solution. I don’t care what it is: you were not serviced right or fast enough, people don’t get you, you have other things going on that we don’t get, you are helping others, you are upset, you haven’t been acked, your life is actually going well, your life is not going well, there’s no money there’s no time, if you were a millionaire you would do it no problem, you are waiting for your 2D to make it, there’s no urgency, you are not sure if you have what it takes to be OT, you hated your auditor, you don’t like the parking situation…WHATEVER IT IS, IT IS STOPPING YOU AND THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT! [...]

You are in charge and responsible for what you do this lifetime. Not being on course and not doing your next step is getting you where? Play out the scenario-there you are being a Clear, being right about whatever it is that is keeping you from being on course and doing your next step. Years go by, you are making money, you have a nice house and a nice car. You spent time with those friends you wanted to hang out with, you cleaned out the garage, you traveled. You do all the things that were keeping you from taking your next step. Then what? Then you are going to move? I hate to say this but you are lying to yourself. You need to move now, regardless of your situation. Are you just going to keep in place what you have had sitting there for lifetimes to come? Do you think we are just going to be here forever? So I say knock off any critical thought right now that you may have about me, the orgs, your FSM, your auditor, anyone else, and contact us so we can help you. All you need to do is just reach once and we can help. LRH was very clear on what we need to do- obviously in some way you are out of agreement with that. That again, is an outpoint, and we can help you with that.

Now, just what is the definition of “clear“?

In Dianetics and Scientology, Clear is stated to be a condition in which a person is free of the unwanted influence of engrams, unwanted emotions or painful traumas which are not readily available to the awareness of present time. A person in this condition, then referred to as a “Clear”, would be a person cleared of those negative influences. Such a person is said to be “at cause over” (in control of) their “mental energy” (their thoughts), and able to think clearly even when faced with the very situation which in earlier times caused them grave difficulty.

Okay.  Jennifer’s career is stalled and she feels frustrated in her boring life.  According to the above referenced article, she and Marc were having problems as early as 2006.  Because of these problems and infertility issues, they checked out Scientology and even took some courses and such.  Now, I have no way of knowing if J-Lo and/or Marc are truly Scientologists, and if they are, if they are “clear” or not.   However, as we have seen in the case of Tom Cruise, a Scientologist surrounds himself with other Scientologists as close friends.  People who are not Scientologists are tolerated for a while, but are usually eventually cut out of the person’s life.  J-Lo and Leah are bestest buds while Leah wants Marc out like yesterday.  See a connection?

Basically, it’s a pretty safe assumption to make that if J-Lo is total friends with Leah Remini, then J-Lo must at the very least be open to the teachings of the CoS.  And Leah is pretty adamant that you (yes, you) can be helped in every little thing if only you’d join the CoS…your infertile womb will bear fruit, your stalled career will be rejuvenated, your stale life will become fresh again.  Jennifer has already birthed out two babies after years of fertility problems…now she’s bored with playing house, she and her hubby aren’t getting along, and she wants her crappy career to be jump-started.  Enter Leah Remini, conveniently voicing her lousy opinion of Marc and how she’d like Jennifer and Marc to split up.  Maybe Marc decided he didn’t want to waste his millions on a failed novelist’s con game?  Perhaps that is the true reason behind their rumored breakup, and the whole “he’s controlling/she’s controlling” thing just grew out of that?

It’s all speculation and conjecture at this point (and I’m sure Dawn will come along later and clear up some points which I might have gotten wrong), but the parallels are not hard to draw.  Time will tell, but I won’t be surprised if it turns out J-Lo is a Scientologist after all.  Hey, I ain’t sayin’, I’m just sayin’.

I was aimlessly looking for one more story to publish today, and here’s one that just sort of fell into my lap…a tidbit of information tucked in amongst the fluff.  It seems that a reporter for Elle did a story on Jennifer Lopez that they deemed not flattering enough to the star and entirely too personal (read:  He didn’t kiss her butt enough and made her look like a regular human being -gasp-).

However, the reporter, Kevin Sessums, had his piece posted on The Daily Beast, and it contains some velly interesting information about the star…for one, she isn’t breast-feeding (and I say, so?  I did, lots of women don’t):

I’ve caught the family on a bad day. Lopez, who gave birth to twins Emme Guatelupe and Max David only four months ago, has caught a bug from her daughter and is feeling ill. But, ever the trouper, she agrees to go through with our interview anyway, opening up about topics including Scientology, breast-feeding, and a “nervous breakdown,” as she calls it, that she’s never publicly discussed.

When I meet Lopez in a dimly lit pine study filled with gold records and Grammy awards, she has dispensed with the usual packaging and gloss. Her unwashed hair is pulled severely back and there’s a halo of frizz around the crown of her head. She wears no make-up, her eyes are glassy, and her feverish cheeks are aglow. I think of Fitzgerald’s heroine, Daisy Buchanan, whose face was “sad and lovely with bright things in it.”

Before I can fully apologize for putting her through an interview, Max begins to cry upstairs. Daisy from the Block excuses herself and returns with both twins in her arms. Emme’s ears are already pierced with tiny gold hoops in them. Max is wearing a black onesie with an array of sequins on its back.

After refusing to have a nanny for the first four months of her children’s lives, she has reluctantly ceded that she may need one. “I’m trying out my first one today,” she whispers. “But I still can’t stand the sound of my babies crying without tending to them myself.”

Lopez, wearing an orange Scoop T-shirt dress, looks as gratefully exhausted as any new mother. I ask her if she needs some privacy so she can nurse the twins who are beginning to squirm. “Is that something you’ve chosen to do?  To breast-feed?”

“No,” she says as I ask if the La Leche League has come after her for such a decision. She laughs and readjusts the twins in her arms. “No. No. Some people are radical about it. But to each his own.” [...]

Of course, it’s always a good idea to put an infant into a onesie with sequins on it.  You know, because the sequins never fall off or anything, and babies never put anything in their mouths, and I’m sure they’re totally comfortable to lay on.  And don’t get me started on piercing a baby’s ears.  Totally, totally stupid and irresponsible.  (Watch somebody come along and say it’s a cultural thing.  Yeah, so is female circumcision.  Just because it’s cultural doesn’t make it any less stupid.)

She’s had some postpartum depression, like so many new moms have:

She admits there have been a few rough days. “People kept prepping me for it, but it didn’t happen. At the tenth day after giving birth all that chemical stuff did peak – that hormone thing – and I did cry a lot that day because I was having so much trouble moving. I had a c-section,” she says. “Have you ever seen a c-section? I told them I didn’t want to know anything, but afterwards they told me they had cut six layers. That’s why you can’t walk afterwards. I couldn’t get up fast enough to feed the babies. It went on for about three days. Marc was helping out a lot and I was crying and crying and going, ‘Oh, Papi … they’re going to know everybody more than me.”  She begins to pretend she is sobbing, waking up a now sleeping Emme in the process.  “They’re going to love everybody more than me!” She stares into her daughters opened eyes. “Don’t worry, baby. I was just acting,” Lopez says.  “Mommy is an actress and she does dramatic things.”

Okay, I’m not going to touch that last one, because new motherhood and hormones and stitches (in my case, in a couple of rather private areas) will do weird things to you.  I remember sobbing hysterically at the changing table because the cute little newborn diapers didn’t fit my cute little newborn.  But I digress.

On selling out her long-awaited children to the press:

Emme and Max are already contributing to the Lopez empire, estimated at close to half a billion dollars. Earlier this year, Lopez and Anthony sold the rights to the newborns’ photos to People magazine for an estimated $6 million. Any internal debate that she was using her babies as a commodity?

“No. No. I think one of the reasons that the price went so high is that we didn’t want to do it for so long,” says Lopez. “We weren’t into it. I was like, no, I don’t really want to. No. No way. But then it got to the point that you go, well, now you’re being stupid with these offers… I thought I can set them up. I can put this away just for them.”

“Did you give any of the money to charity?”

“We gave a little bit and I saved the rest for them.”

“Don’t their parents make enough money?” I ask. “I mean, according to Forbes you’re the 9th richest female working in show business.”

“Hmmm …” Lopez says. “I wouldn’t believe everything I read.”

Oh, absolutely.  I’m positive that Jennifer is feeling the crunch just like everyone else is.  Why, she and the single mom working two jobs are just like sisters, they’re so alike!  I wonder if they get together and share tips on how to make a meal at the end of the month with no money, a piece of hard bologna, some dried-up carrots, and a mustard packet?

And finally, on Scientology:

The conversation turns to Scientology. “I know a lot of your friends are Scientologists,” I say. “Your father has been a Scientologist for about 20 years …”

“More than that now,” she says.

“Scientologists don’t believe in shrinks. Would you ever call on Scientology if you were having those problems again?” I ask.

“I do know a lot about Scientology. And I know about the practices.  I know all about what the technology is and all that kind of stuff. It’s very helpful.  So in a sense, yeah, you do call on it.”

“Do you consider yourself a Scientologist?”

“No.”

“If you were, would you be open about it?”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t have a problem saying it because I know what it is. I have no problems with it and it really actually bothers me that people have such a negative feeling towards it.”

“That it is too exotic? Too cultish?”

“Just negative feelings.”

“Would you consider schooling Emme and Max in a Scientology school?” I ask.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind. Not at all. Because I know that the technologies that they have are very helpful… It’s all about communication. That’s the thing I really don’t like about talking about this. I do know so many great people who do do it, who choose it as a lifestyle and really follow it and it is their religion…I just wish that people wouldn’t judge it without knowing what it is.”

She’s thinking about putting the kids in Scientology classes?  Will they be there soon enough to be playmates for Suri?  Seriously…this isn’t the first time she’s been linked to the cult.  When she was pregnant, pal Leah Remini (an outspoken Scientologist in her own right) was reportedly trying to get her to have the famous Scientology “silent birth“, but JLo decided that was a little much.  And she’s come out defending them when people criticized her father for joining.  In fact, rumors about JLo and Marc joining the cult have been swirling for some time now, as evidenced in this article from February 2007:

My sources tell me that as recently as December [2006], Lopez and Anthony were taking professional business meetings at Scientology’s Celebrity Center in Hollywood.

Anthony is said to have taken the “purification” course, a hopped-up sauna that supposedly “cures” all ills. Lopez may have invested in the IRS-sanctioned religion thanks to infertility issues and difficulties in the couple’s marriage.

What’s very clear is that Lopez and Anthony’s sudden friendship with chief celebrity Scientologist Tom Cruise is no accident. Other than belonging to the expensive pay-as-you-go religion, Cruise and the Lopez-Anthonys would have nothing in common.

From what I’m told, Lopez and Anthony entered Scientology with the help of Angelo Pagan, the husband of “King of Queens” actress Leah Remini. Both Pagan and Remini — mostly the former — have taken dozens of pricey courses in L. Ron Hubbard’s creation.

In keeping with Scientology’s Hollywood deal in which members hire each other, Pagan has had parts in John Travolta’s “Swordfish” and Jenna Elfman’s “Dharma & Greg,” as well as in several episodes of “King of Queens.” [...]

Scientology is notable for recruiting stars at low points in their careers or personal lives, preying on uncertainty, instability or just plain fear by promising to fix life issues.

A source says that they were invited to meet Lopez and Anthony at the Celebrity Center where they were ensconced in four-star digs. There, Anthony talked excitedly about the “purification” program while Lopez discussed career matters.

“They’re in,” a source said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Lopez’s father has been a Scientologist for 20 years, as recently revealed.

From what I understand of Scientology (and please be gentle with me, I’m just the pretender to the throne, I’m not the resident CoS expert, that would be our intrepid and glorious Dawn…click here for her vast encyclopedia of articles), if your family member is into the cult and you are outspoken in your reluctance or refusal to consider joining, then they cut you out of their lives, a practice known as disconnection.  For Jennifer’s father to still be a part of her life, it seems that she would have to at least be tolerant of her father’s choice to be active in the church.  And let’s not forget that Scientologists believe that babies/children are just adults in tiny bodies, not ever taking into account their unique needs as children, and also performing what is known as “security checks” on them…at the best confusing to a child, at worst traumatizing.

Yep, putting her kids into a so-called Scientology school (where Study Tech is basically another name for Study Scientology) sounds about as good an idea as any of her other ideas, such as Bordertown, Como Ama Una Mujer, and El Cantante.  However, these flops have made her ripe for Scientology’s picking, since they come along when you’re down and out and promise to get you up and coming again.  To paraphrase yet another old chestnut, if you don’t know what you stand for then you’ll fall for anything.

SNL:  Tina Fey as Sarah Palin soared, while Michael Phelps as Michael Phelps sank (don’t worry, we still love him) – dlisted

Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey completed a triathlon (now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d type) – People

Lauren Conrad is going to write teen books…she’s going to get a big surprise when she realizes teenagers no longer want to color – The Superficial

Imagine there’s no really stupid rumors about John Lennon – IDLYITW

Is Pink the new Scientologist? – WWTDD?

Forbes recently released the annual list of Hollywood’s Most Overpaid Movie Stars to show you, in these economically challenged times, just who delivers the least bang for their buck at the thee-ater.  They used a very scientific formula to arrive at their conclusion:

To compile our list, we looked at each star’s last three films that opened wide before Jan. 1 (in order to give each film time for a DVD release). We didn’t count animated movies, supporting roles or anyone consistently earning under $5 million per movie.

To calculate our payback figures, we took half of each film’s worldwide box office (to roughly approximate the studio’s cut of each ticket). Then we added the first three months of DVD revenues and subtracted the budget to derive the film’s gross income. After that, the actor’s total compensation (upfront pay plus any money earned from sharing in the film’s profits) was divided into the gross income to get the actor’s payback figure for the film. The payback for the last three movies for each actor was averaged to calculate ultimate payback. We deliberately used gross income rather than net income in our analysis because the latter figure is so easily manipulated by studio accountants, with marketing expenses treated differently for almost every film.

Okay, seriously, everything was Charlie Brown’s teacher after the first sentence or two, because I tune out anything math-y.  But let’s get to the list, shall we?  Because that I can get my head around:

1. Nicole Kidman
2. Jennifer Garner
3. Tom Cruise
4. Cameron Diaz
5. Jennifer Lopez
6. Jim Carrey
7. Nicolas Cage
8. Drew Barrymore
9. Will Ferrell
10. Cate Blanchett

Here’s a few examples of just what is going on…for example, Nicole Kidman.  Her movie The Golden Compass earned $370M worldwide.  Sounds good, right?  However, it only took in $3.36 for each dollar shelled out to her.  Her movie The Invasion actually lost $2.68 for each dollar paid to her.  Overall, her movies averaged about $1 of gross income for every dollar paid Nicole.

So let’s take a look at Tom Cruise, who was once at the top of the movie ladder but who is now slipping farther and farther down the rungs due to both bad movie choices, strange personal behavior, and involvement in the cult of Scientology.  Lions For Lambs (show of hands, anyone who saw it) took in $63M worldwide, earning it only $1.88 on its investment in the actor.  Overall, his movies average about $4 of gross income.

Here’s one for you…Nicolas Cage, while scoring $456M in box-office receipts for Book Of Secrets, only managed to rake in $73M for Next, which means the movie lost $.50 for every dollar he was paid.  Overall, Nic can gross about $4.16.

Anyway, you get the idea.  It seems that with their multimillion-dollar paydays, some movie stars just can’t cut it in the dollar department.  Nicole can commandeer $15M for a movie, and Cameron Diaz can ask $50M and not blink an eye.  Yet numbers don’t lie, and if you’re looking for a good return on  your money this bunch might not be your best bet.

But let’s face it…$50M for anything that isn’t a cure for diseases or going towards some sort of humanitarian effort is a waste of money, in my opinion.  These people aren’t curing cancer here…they’re acting in movies.  Yes, I realize that acting is an art, and some people can do it and some people can’t.  Yes, I realize movies, like all entertainment, have their place as a form of escapism to help us take a little vacation from our everyday life.  But when people like teachers and paramedics, who actually serve a very useful function in society, can’t even afford to put food on their tables…even doctors’ salaries can’t compare to the cheddar actors and actresses bring home.  In my opinion, they’re all embarrassingly overpaid.  Even my favorites.  I’m not saying they shouldn’t get paid more than the average cashier, but come on…they may be talented, but they’re just people.  They put on their overpriced imported trousers one leg at a time.  Only without the overpriced and important part.  And let’s face it, I can’t afford anything with a big word like trousers, mine are pants.

And remember…when you’ve scraped together enough of your spare change and saved enough out of your paycheck (that didn’t go for bills and groceries) and decided to put off buying the kid a new pair of shoes for another week to actually purchase a couple of tickets to the movies, this is what your money is going for.  Are you getting a good return on your investment?

I hope this is made up.  I really, really hope somebody just pulled this outta their butt and fabricated the whole thing, because it’s just too sad to be true.  Rumor has it that Jennifer Lopez, when donating a gown to a charity auction, let slip that she doesn’t reuse the twins’ clothing:

The actress apparently insists on dressing her five-month-old twins in new designer gear every day.

We’re told: “Jennifer was approached by a charity and asked to donate some dresses for a celebrity auction. She agreed and donated a gorgeous £5,000 frock.

“She also offered some of Max and Emme’s clothes, telling organisers that she never lets them ‘repeat’ outfits.

“But the auction deals only in adult clothes. Jennifer told them it was a shame, as some items cost over [$]1,000 (£500) each.”

What do you say to that?  Do you believe it?  I don’t want to, but the part of me which has been covering celeb news for a while now says it might be so.  I hope, if it is so, that she donates those little designer duds to charity, so somebody can get some good use out of them.  All over America, all over the world, there are babies and children who don’t have decent clothing to wear, and if this is true then Jennifer could be throwing away a thousand dollars a day.  Even if each day’s clothing isn’t worth a grand (and I don’t see how it could be), even half that, or a quarter that, is so wasteful it beggars description.  If it’s an OCD behavior, there is help available…if it is diva behavior, I’m not sure what can be done.

I feel for these poor children.  Not the kids who don’t have enough clothes to wear, although they do have my sympathy (and all the help I can give within my limited means).  No, I feel sorry for Jennifer’s kids, even if this is a gross lie (and I’m about 50/50 on believing it).  Millions for their baby photos from a magazine, thousand-dollar clothes to cover their diapers and to spit up on, what’s next?  How can they learn to value themselves for themselves?  How can they ever learn that there’s more to life than money, fame, and how you look?

And people seriously wonder why.

FINALLY…a celeb who isn’t into whoring out their kid for cash and who ISN’T a Scientologist.  And I’m pretty sure Nicole won’t ever get sucked into the cult.  Nicole Kidman and hubby Keith Urban don’t plan on selling pics of little Sunday Rose, at least not for now:

While pics of Knox and Viv Jolie-Pitt are already being shopped for upwards of $15 million, the couple from Oz say they’re going to give the first snaps of their tot out for free, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“They don’t think it’s appropriate to make deals,” says a source. “They are still deciding how they feel about (it).”

Yes, make the right decision.  Don’t waver.  I was beginning to despair that there was anyone left who didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of Jamie Lynn, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Ritchie, Christina Aguliera, and Brad and Angelina (yeah, they donate the proceeds to charity, but it’s still photos of a baby, big deal).

I’ve never been a big fan of Nic, but with this revelation I’m starting to like her a bit.  Now if she can just manage to get that ex of hers to hand over some mommy time with her other two kids.  You know, and get them to stop calling her by her first name.