Jessica Simpson

The former Newlywed star Jessica Simpson has been sued for a whooping $100 million for breach of contract by the Tarrant Apparel Group. The lawsuit alleges that Jessica had failed to promote the low-priced jeans and apparel that she had signed a deal with in December 2004.

The Smoking Gun reports that:

The Tarrant Apparel Group alleges that Simpson, 25, failed to support the clothing lines and even refused to be photographed wearing items from the JS by Jessica Simpson and Princy collections.

Tarrant contends that a three-year deal inked in December 2004 requires Simpson to be “actively involved” in promoting the clothing and that she should wear the garments at “public events, shows, and appearances” whenever “reasonably practicable.”

The lawsuit also states that the company has already paid Jessica $2.2 million and agreed to an additional $6 million in payments. Looks like more problem for Jessica. I wonder if Nick Lachey has to worry.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron was awarded the Vanguard Award by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation at their 17th annual GLAAD Media Awards.

Theron was presented with the award for increasing the “visibility and understanding in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.” When presented with the award, Theron says:

This is very surreal for me because two years ago, I stood right here and won my Oscar for ‘Monster.’

In her Oscar award performance in Monster, Theron played a lesbian serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

The awards are split between four cities, with the New York and Los Angeles part completed, the next stop will be Miami on May 25, 2006 and the San Francisco event on June 10, 2006.

[BBC]

Paris Hilton

The socialite Paris Hilton will not be Mother Teresa as rumor in the past. Paris has now say that the two does not look alike:

I heard that. I don’t think we look alike. I love Mother Teresa.

Thank God this isn’t going to happen. Imagine Paris playing Mother Teresa, that’s just not fair to Mother Teresa.

[Female First]

• Benchwarmers (Sony)
• Lucky Number Slevin (MGM/Weinstein Co.)
• Phat Girlz (Fox Searchlight)
• Take The Lead (New Line)

Meredith Vieira

As predicted and rumored to replace Katie Couric on the Today show, Meredith Vieira has officially announced to the viewers of The View that she will indeed replace Katie on the Today show this morning. Vieira told the audience:

I’m thrilled, I’m really thrilled,” she said. “You would love these people. I believe in growth, but right now I’m feeling terrific growing pains.

This announcement comes a day after Katie had announced she was jumping ship to CBS. According to NBC’s CEO Jeff Zucker, they went with Vieira because:

Meredith’s vast experience as an award-winning journalist, as well as talk show host, make her the ideal candidate for this job

This deal will make Vieira a $40 million woman and also put her into the number one morning show. There no way up but down.

[AP]

Tom Cruise

The upcoming Mission: Impossible III movie star Tom Cruise has confessed to being beaten by his father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, when he was younger:

He was a bully and a coward … the kind of person where if something goes wrong they kick. It was a great lesson in my life – how he’d lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang.

For me it was like, ‘There’s something wrong with this guy. Don’t trust him. Be careful around him’. There’s that anxiety.

The beating ended when he was 12 years old, that’s when his mother, Mary Lee, had enough and took him and his sister, Lee Anne, away. The next time Cruise would see his father was ten years later, on his death bed, suffering from cancer.

When I saw him in pain, I thought, `Wow, what a lonely life’. He was in his late 40s. It was sad.

Maybe it was that dramatic life as an young boy getting beaten by his daddy that push him to Scientology.

[AP]

[The Superficial]

I thought Paris Hilton was trying to be friends with former BFF Nicole Richie. I guess that is never going to happen now, now that Paris has slammed Nicole by saying she’s jealous and pathetic. Paris may have put the last nail on the coffin by telling Heat magazine:

She cannot stand being around me because I get all the attention and people really don’t care about her. It breaks my heart. She was my sister. She was the funniest, best person to be around and then she let the fame go to her head.

She’s not the same person any more. I never want to speak to her again – ever.

Paris also added that Nicole was only able to promote her book The Truth About Diamonds by using her name:

It’s really pathetic that she needs to use my name to sell something because she’s obviously not enough.

I’ve been best friends with her since I was two, but when I brought her on to my show, she got very jealous and turned on me for no reason.

I say oil down these two former BFF and have them wrestle to see who wins. That will be a pay-per-view people will watch.

[Monsters and Critics]

Eminem and Kim Mathers

Another day another celebrity breakup. Looks like its another divorce for rapper Eminem and wife Kimberley Mathers. A source had told Star magazine that the papers have been filed under Eminem’s birth name Marshall Bruce Mathers III on April 5, 2006.

The divorce comes after just 82 days of wedding bliss or not so bliss. I’m surprised the marriage lasted this long. And this time around, it looks like Kim will be getting lots of money because the couple never had a prenuptial.

We can expect the two to get married for the third time next year.

[Star]

Jessica Alba

The fight between Hugh Hefner’s Playboy and Sin City’s Jessica Alba has ended. Alba has dropped her lawsuit against Playboy after Hefner written a personal letter to her pledging to donate a large amount of money to the charities of her choice, which are Keep A Child Alive and Until There’s A Cure.

The lawsuit was about Playboy using a picture of her in a swimsuit on the cover of their March 2006 issue. Alba released the following statement:

I appreciate Mr. Hefner’s acknowledgment of the distress caused by Playboy’s actions, and I’m happy to put this unfortunate event behind me.

This was never about money, it was about setting the record straight about something that was done without my knowledge or consent.

Playboy is “happy the matter has been amicably resolved.” I bet they are. No lawsuit means no bad press and donating money to charities is always good PR.

[The Sun]