Happy Birthday Madonna!

She's on the Borderline...of being 50!

Madge turns 49 years old today.

Happy Birthday Madonna Ciconne Ritchie!

Pregnant Foxy Brown Surrenders To NYPD After She Pulls A "Naomi Campbell Style" Incident

27-year-old rapper Foxy Brown (whose real name is Inga Marchand) turned herself in to NYPD yesterday afternoon to be booked on felony assault, menacing, harassment and criminal possession of a weapon . She was arraigned and released on $5,000 bail.

Foxy knocked her 25 year old neighbor in the face with her Blackberry, very similar to Naomi Campbell's incident with her assistant (which led supermodel Naomi to do five days of community service this past winter at the NYC Department Of Sanitation just blocks from my home!).

Foxy reportedly knocked out the neighbor's teeth and busted her eye and lips with her Blackberry device on July 30, 2007 at their Prospect Heights, Brooklyn residence.

This incident comes after many arrests and court appearances by Brown, including one where she stuck her tongue out at the judge and was subsequently handcuffed and restrained for the duration of the court session. It also comes after Foxy's fake disappearance earlier this year and her beatdown at the Pink Houses projects in East NY, Brooklyn by three women who ripped out her weave, her hearing aid and allegedly stole her designer purse, etc.

Foxy was not nice or friendly when I met her in October 2003 while I was employed by MTV. She was very rude when I said hello to her, so these incidents by Ms. Inga are no surprise to me.

UPDATE 8/20/07: Foxy Brown is expecting her first child.
The rapper confirmed the news to the New York Post during a recent shopping trip. She also revealed that she plans to get married next month.

Britney Spears' Allure Magazine Cover

Britney Spears on the cover of Allure Magazine, September 2007 issue.

Mandy Moore Attends "Dedication" Movie Premiere In NYC

I just got back from the premiere of Mandy Moore's new film Dedication. The film also stars Billy Crudup, Dianne Wiest and the film is directed by actor Justin Theroux (Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle).

The premiere was held at Clearview Chelsea West Theater in Manhattan. The event was attended by Mandy Moore (who looked stunning and chic with her risque shade of dark lipstick), Billy Crudup, Justin Theroux, producer Harvey Weinstein and SNL's Amy Sedaris, who has a supporting role in the film.

Also in attendance was Jason Preston (BF/ex-BF of designer Marc Jacobs) with an anonymous blonde male companion.

Mandy Moore on her lack of partying:

“I’ve probably been drunk, maybe, four times in my entire life. Honestly. I guess I’m a bit of a lightweight. I have a better time enjoying one glass of wine and just being relaxed. It’s a bit of a control thing - I don’t like not being in control of my words. I like to go to bed at 10pm, or 10.30pm, because I like to wake up at 7am. Maybe for some people drink and drugs work for them, but I’m not a tortured artist. I wouldn’t turn to some sort of substance to make me feel better, I’d turn to writing.”

Dedication opens Friday.

Amy Winehouse: They Made Her Go To Rehab!

After a false report last week that she had allegedly checked in to a treatment facility, Amy Winehouse has entered rehab.

The Mirror is reporting that the singer flew to a treatment center in the U.S. this past weekend to deal with an addiction to heroin and cocaine.

Amy's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, is also entering rehab with her for separate treatment issues.

Amy’s best friend, Juliette Ashby, allegedly caught her smoking heroin on Friday night, just days after her scary drug overdose/hospitalization.

Winehouse’s father, Mitch, then reportedly got into a heated argument with Blake’s parents.

The married couple eventually agreed to get treatment. They have reportedly surrendered their cell phones and cut off all contact with the outside world.

Four Year Anniversary of The Northeast Blackout of 2003

On August 14th, 2003, four years ago today, shortly after 4 p.m., a blackout of over 2 days occurred, affecting much of the United States' Northeast area, including New York City and the surrounding areas. No matter what country blackouts occur in, they expose modern technological societies' dependence on electricity.

The events that led to the largest power failure in U.S. history began in Ohio, officials said, when several high-voltage transmission lines failed. Investigators said that an alarm that should have alerted power controllers also failed. These events triggered the shutdown of power lines and some 100 power plants across the North East and Canada. However, officials could not yet account for why the safety measures that should have isolated the power failures did not work.

An estimated 50 million people in Canada, Ohio, Michigan, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York lost electrical power at approximately 4:10 p.m. on Thursday, August 14, 2003. In New York City, subway trains shut down and thousands of riders had to be evacuated. All travel in and out of Penn Station and Grand Central Station ceased. Travel on New Jersey Transit, Metro-North, PATH trains, and the Long Island Rail Road and area airports came to a halt.

Millions of people walked out of their office buildings and tried to figure out how to get home. Tens of thousands of commuters and tourists had no where to go and ended up sleeping on city streets, buying what food and drinks they could from stores that stayed open. Many neighbors organized their own festivities, with outdoor parties extending late into the night.

The New York Stock Exchange opened on Friday morning, powered by a generator, but much of the city took a summer "snow day", with many businesses and summer school and day care programs closing for the day. All power was fully restored in the city by 9 p.m. on Friday; the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan was the last to see the lights go on. By 6 a.m. on Saturday, the subway system was running on its regular schedule.

By Sunday morning August 17, 2003, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared that the city was back to normal.

The blackout of 2003 caused power in waste water treatment plants to go out, leading to their shutdown and consequent sewage spillage. Environmental effects of that were sea-life, beach, and tap-water contamination. The economic effect of the contamination was the costs of cleanup.

There were no riots, looting or serial killer in NYC during the blackout of the summer of 2003 as there was in the blackout of the summer of 1977.

30 Year Anniversary Of The Summer Of 1977 In NYC: Son Of Sam and Citywide Blackout

30 years ago last week on August 10, 1977, Son Of Sam serial killer David Berkowitz was captured and arrested by New York City police officers after Berkowitz slipped up and was discovered by getting a parking ticket on his car in the Brooklyn neighborhood he was stalking out for his next vicious crime.

David Berkowitz joined the U.S. Army in 1971, and was active until 1974. He managed to avoid service in the Vietnam War, instead serving in both the U.S. and South Korea. Afterward, he toyed with Christianity and briefly and enthusiastically described himself as "born again".

Berkowitz, a resident of Yonkers, NY, was terrorizing all of NYC with his brutal murders in the nearby Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn between July 29, 1976 and July 31, 1977. The fear, paranoia and dread he created in NYC peaked during the brutal heatwave and citywide blackout on July 13 and July 14, 1977.

The shootings gained international press coverage and the media dubbed the shooter "The .44 Caliber Killer" after the type of gun he used to murder his victims. Many victims were attacked and killed in "Lover's Lane" type areas; many were shot while parked in their cars in these areas. Women who had long, dark hair were seemingly in direct danger of being targeted by the serial killer. In response, many women wore short, blond wigs. Some opted to cut their hair shorter and dye their hair blond to possibly decrease their chances of being attacked or killed.

Berkowitz claimed that the Hall & Oates song "Rich Girl" motivated the murders. But the song was not released until February of 1977, after the first four shootings had already taken place.

Berkowitz worked at several jobs, and was employed by the U.S. Postal Service at the time of his arrest.

The 1999 film Summer of Sam, directed by Spike Lee and set in 1977 NYC depicts the tensions that develop in a Bronx neighborhood in which residents start pointing fingers at anyone who doesn't fit in the crowd as suspects.

30 years later, New York City is a much different place.

Courtney Love's Harper's Bazaar Spread

After wearing a fake knockoff Chanel dress to an event, Karl Lagerfeld has forgiven Courtney Love and decked her out in hardly anything at all for the latest issue Harper's Bazaar magazine (which was shot by Lagerfeld himself).

Amy Winehouse: They Tried To Make Her Go To Rehab...

...and she went...or did she? Amy Winehouse (pictured above with husband Blake Fielder-Civil) allegedly checked into rehab today in England for drug and alcohol treatment. The exhaustion and hospitalization she faced earlier this week were reportedly caused by an overdose of drugs and alcohol. Winehouse is being treated at The Priory rehab in Roehampton, Southwest London.

But contrary these earlier reports, NME is reporting that Amy Winehouse is NOT in a London rehab.

The well-connected music magazine says that Amy has locked herself in a London hotel room to recover from her apparent drug overdose.

Wilmer Valderrama Visits Korea on USO Trip

Wilmer Valderrama visited the USO at Camp Caroll in Korea this week.

Backstreet Boys "Inconsolable" from their upcoming new album

Backstreet's back, minus one member. Kevin Richardson has either left the band or decided to sit this album out. I'm sure we will all find out soon enough via Nick Carter when BSB start to do promotional press interviews for their new album Picking Up The Pieces (which is being released in late October 2007).

The first single Inconsolable is great in typical BSB style.

Backstreet Boys

Inconsolable

I close the door

Like so many times, so many times before

Felt like a scene on the cutting room floor

When I let you walk away tonight

Without a word

I try to sleep, yeah

But the clock is stuck on thoughts of you and me

A thousand more regrets unraveling, ohh

If you were here right now, I swear,I'd tell you this

(Chorus)

Baby I don't want to waste another day

Keeping it inside it's killing me

Cause all i ever want, it comes right down to you

I'm wishing I could find the words to say

Baby I would tell you every time you leave

I'm inconsolable

I climb the walls

I can see the edge but I can't take the fall, no

I've memorized the number

So why can't I make the call?

Maybe 'cause I know you'll always be with me

In the possibility

Baby I don't want to waste another day

Keeping it inside it's killing me

Cause all I ever want, it comes right down to you

I'm wishing I could find the words to say

Baby I would tell you every time you leave

I'm inconsolable

I dont want to be like this

I just want to let you know

'Cause everything that I'm holding

Is everything I can't let go

Oh cant let go

(repeat chorus)

Don't you know it baby

I don't want to waste another day

I'm wishing I could find the words to say

Baby I would tell you every time you leave

I'm inconsolable

Yeah yeah yeah

I'm inconsolable

Inconsolable

FLASHBACK Song Of The Day; "Love On The Rocks" by Jonathan Davis from Korn / Neil Diamond

Love on the rocks

Aint no surprise

Pour me a drink

And I'll tell you some lies

Got nothing to lose

So you just sing the blues

all the time

Gave you my heart

Gave you my soul

You left me alone here

With nothing to hold

Yesterdays gone

Now all I want is a smile

First, they say they want you

How they really need you

Suddenly you find you're out there

Walking in the storm

When they know they have you

Then they really have you

Nothing you can do or say

You've got to leave, just get away

We all know the song

You need what you need

You can say what you want

Not much you can do

When the feeling is gone

May be blue skies above

But its cold

when your love's on the rocks

First, they say they want you

How they really need you

Suddenly you find youre out there

Walking in the storm

When they know they have you

Then they really have you

Nothing you can do or say

Youve got to leave, just get away

We all know the song

Love on the rocks

Aint no surprise

Pour me a drink

And I'll tell you no lies

Yesterday's gone

And now all I want is a smile