By SASHA PASULKA
This past week was all about the television, as the Jersey Shore finale aired with 4.8 million viewers watching, marking a new ratings record for MTV and a fist-pump to the face of this season’s ratings-challenged The Hills.
The show’s success has also been good news for whomever owns the cast’s Seaside Heights beach house, as it’s currently renting at $3500/night, with prices going up to $6500/night for the summer. Jersey’s never been so classy!
American Idol refuses to be caught with its pants on the ground; the juggernaut pulled in well over 20 million viewers this week, despite initial fears that a Paula Abdul-less season nine would be a ratings disappointment. I have to admit, it’s strange watching the show when all the judges are sober and have at least a loose grasp of the English grammar, but I’m holding out hope that Ellen DeGeneres can develop a quick Xanax addiction before they begin filming live episodes with her as the fourth judge.
In other television news, the giant Hope for Haiti broadcast raised over $58 million the night it aired, with over 100 celebrities performing and/or answering phone calls from donors. Donations continue to pour in and will be accepted for the next six months.
In movie news — well, there is no movie news (it’s January, where bad movies go to die), but Wernersville resident Jon Gosselin was spotted with his new girlfriend, Morgan Christie, at the Sundance Film Festival in her home of Park City. Jon was looking large and in charge, with an emphasis on the large.
Hopefully the frigid Park City weather kicked his metabolism into high gear, because he just seems to be getting bigger every time we see a new photo of him. Lay off the beer, Jonny!
Also spotted at Sundance: Boston boy Ben Affleck, tossing back vodka with Tommy Lee Jones. Tsk tsk, Ben! Didn’t you already go to rehab for this behavior? You have a wife and two beautiful children waiting for you in Los Angeles. Perhaps you ought to make a brief detour through rehab on your way home?
Check back in next week for all the latest dirt from Hollywood!
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Sasha Pasulka is the managing editor of Evil Beet Gossip, your daily source of celeb gossip and snarky wit. Check us out at www.EvilBeetGossip.com.
January 28, 2010
JON’S LIVIN’ LARGE!
November 5, 2009
KATE’S SOB STORY
By MOLLY DAVIS
Kate Gosselin always has to have the last word.
Her teary TV interview, “Kate: Her Story,” aired Monday night on TLC.In her “heart-to-heart” interview with NBC’s “Today” anchor Natalie Morales on , Kate addressed the end of her 10-year marriage, saying, “Whatever happened, it happened so quickly … I remember thinking, ‘We’re not going to recover from this.’”
There were three rounds of tears.
Crocodile tears?
In my opinion, yes.
She has no credibility as the victim in my eyes.
She recalled her bumpy marriage, and soon-to-be ex-husband Jon Gosselin didn’t have much sympathy for her either.
Jon, wanting to get the last word, shot back, in what is turning into a war of public apologies.
On Tuesday he was all a-twitter. Via Twitter.
He posted, “Kate even slipped last night and admitted we split up a year ago!” the octodad tweeted. “Though she claims she ‘didn’t remember’ who called it quits. Hey at least she said ‘didn’t remember’ instead of lieing. [sic]”
I’ll excuse the spelling.
Enter Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.
That’s right. I said Rabbi.
No, Jon is not Jewish.
Not even close.
But he’s seeking “spiritual guidance” from Rabbi Shmuley, and hosted a public discussion at the West Side Jewish Center Sunday, where he apologized to Kate and said he has “decided to calm things down until the divorce, just until the divorce” about his relationship with 22-year-old Hailey Glassman.
“I don’t want to ruin things with Hailey like I did with Kate,” he said. “We just need to slow things down. I don’t want another failure in my relationships.”
Jon copped to some bad behavior in the last few months.
“Half the stuff I’ve done, if I look at my moral compass, I shouldn’t have done,” he said. “Every day I look in the mirror and I wonder [why I'm famous]. I don’t sing. I don’t dance. I’m not a Nobel Peace Prize winner. I just had eight kids and I had a show on TLC.”
Jon also said he plans to apologize to Kate.
Rabbi Shmuley says he’s “working on Jon’s moral development.
Jon was once a good husband and father and somewhere along the line that changed and I am helping him to return to his former self.”
This may be a job for a priest, as Rabbi’s aren’t known for their exorcism skills.
When I heard about the Rabbi, my spidey sense tingled…
Shmuley had his on show on TLC,”Shalom in the Home.”
Conicidence?
Doubtful.
Shmuley seems to be as big a media whore as Jon and Kate, appearing on “Oprah” whenever he can and is was well known for “advising” Michael Jackson.
It smacks of publicity.
Is this whole thing an act?
Not just the goings-on of late, but the entire Jon/Kate drama?
I wouldn’t be surprised.
What would surprise me are the couple’s phenomenal acting chops.
“And the Academy Award goes to…”
JON & KATE PLUS A RABBI
By ASHLEY DOS SANTOS
As thousands of Americans dressed up as Jon and Kate Gosselin for Halloween last week, Jon Gosselin also donned a new costume: spiritual pilgrim.
Jon, despite identifying as an evangelical Christian, recently had a very public meeting with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach for spiritual guidance on his quest to extend his 15 minutes of fame.
If there is one thing that the Gosselin media circus was missing, it was a good old fashioned dose of artificial piety.
Before their tabloid explosion, Jon and Kate Gosselin were actually considered role models by some religious communities because of their refusal to use selective termination when they found out that they were having sextuplets.
Now, it seems like Rabbi Shmuley is about the only religious figure willing to interact publicly with Jon Gosselin.
If the name Rabbi Shmuley sounds at all familiar, it’s because he was linked recently to Michael Jackson as his spiritual leader for a short time. The Rabbi’s book, chronicling the singer’s most private and confidential sentiments, was released in September after Jackson’s untimely death. Now that those 15 minutes of fame are up, Shmuley has conveniently found a new advisee in Jon Gosselin. You do the math.
Jon’s visit with the Rabbi is his latest public effort to clean up his image. We’re all painfully aware of Jon’s recent philandering, and how the slew of bad press forced TLC to drop him from his own television show.
So what did Jon learn throughout his deep spiritual quest? Jon told reporters after the meeting, “I am well aware that my behavior over the past few months has not always reflected my personal and religious values…I have allowed myself to become somewhat severed from my own moral anchor and be carried away by the challenges of fame.”
That’s an understatement, Jon. Just wait until your kids are old enough to Google you. Then try to teach them life lessons about morality and see how they react.
If there is one positive outcome from this ridiculous event, it’s that Jon Gosselin has reportedly “slowed things down” with his 22-year-old party-girl companion Hailey Glassman.
Previously, rumors were swirling that Glassman and Gosselin had discussed marriage, sending shivers down America’s collective backs.
The idea that this 22-year-old, whose Facebook profile is rife with photos of binge drinking and drug use, could possibly serve as a stepmother to 8 children under the age of ten would be laughable if it weren’t so utterly sad.
So while Jon Gosselin deserves credit for making one good decision, it’s pretty clear he hasn’t reached nirvana.
This meeting with Rabbi Shmuley conveniently took place a few days before Kate Gosselin’s highly publicized interview with NBC’s Natalie Morales aired on TLC. You don’t have to be a biblical scholar to figure out that this is yet another publicity stunt from a man who is watching his fame wane as his soon-to-be ex-wife’s stardom keeps rising.
To paraphrase a famous Bible verse: “It’s easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle… [than to get a man with tabloid money, hair plugs and a trashy college co-ed girlfriend into heaven].” Let’s hope Jon takes this message to heart and uses his new spiritual side to turn away from spending time with media-loving Rabbis and other C-list celebrities to focus on the truly important people in his life: his children.
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Ben Grinspan contributed to this article.
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Ashley Dos Santos serves as a senior account executive at Crosby~Volmer International Communications in Washington D.C. She received her bachelor of arts degree in women & gender studies and romance languages from Dartmouth College.
October 15, 2009
REPORT: SHOW’S DAYS ARE NUMBERED
By MOLLY DAVIS
Hallelujah.
It’s over for Jon & Kate Gosselin.
And I’m not talking about the divorce.
Sources are saying that their reality show on TLC, “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” has about a month left before it is bounced off the air.
Is it wrong that “Ding dong, the witch is dead” from “The Wizard of Oz” is running through my head when I think about Kate’s TV demise?
Yes, it is.
But I’ll keep humming it anyway.
Now, before I break into full song and dance, let me say that TLC has not confirmed the rumor.
But according to RadarOnline.com there is only enough unused new footage to take them through about another month.
How many more hours can we watch of Kate cooking and doing “green activities” with the kids?
No one knows.
And no one seems to care.
Well, I don’t care.
And since Jon has forbid the network to film the kids, TLC will not challenge his wishes.
I’m not getting my hopes up for the cancellation, as Jon (or Kate) tend to change their minds every 10 minutes.
If he does decide that he needs his TLC paycheck, “Kate Plus 8.”
Don’t hold your breath.
Or hold it – the story could change tomorrow.
In the meantime, “Ding dong, the witch is dead…”
DAY IN COURT CREATES MORE CONFUSION
By MOLLY DAVIS
Jon & Kate had their day in court.
I was going to say “Jon & Kate plus litigate.”
But I’m trying to cut back on my rhyming puns.
So, the estranged reality couple went before a PA judge this week.
All I can say is WTF?
Something is very odd.
Kate says Jon took $230K.
He says he didn’t and can prove it.
The judge rules Jon has to return $180K.
Why not the full $230K?
Is this a different sum of money?
According to TMZ, Jon was ordered to return the funds because they were in violation of an arbitrator’s order.
He was reported to have removed $230,000 initially from their account, despite a ban from such instances due to the couple’s ongoing nasty divorce.
Kate spoke out following the ruling, saying: “As difficult as this has been for me, I am pleased that the Court has ruled fairly on behalf of myself and my children. Now that this matter has been ruled on, I look forward to returning to private arbitration, as we have agreed to do, to resolve any remaining issues.”
Holy obvious.
Kate, if it took a judge to tell you that you and Jon should’ve been handling your split privately, you have have more problems than I thought.
Which is really saying something.
The story states she took $55K to pay for bills for her and the kids but doesn’t have to return it… as of yet.
But I remember reading she had taken that money out BEFORE he touched the account and she had already returned it.
There is something WAY wrong here.
If there is ban on taking money out of the account for the BOTH of them, shouldn’t ALL the money be returned?
Was the money SHE took actually used to help pay bills and why didn’t they do this in private to begin with?
I’ll say it again — WTF?
Jon must replace the missing money by their next court hearing, which is scheduled for Oct. 26.
If the money is not replaced, he’ll have to appear before a judge for a contempt proceeding, TMZ reported.
There is a lot more going on to this than they are telling the public.
Which is how it should be — it’s nobody’s business.
They are BOTH horribly guilty of using the media to sway opinion.
Thing is, Kate’s playing the game better.
October 8, 2009
GRACE DRUBS GOSSELIN
By MOLLY DAVIS
Jon Gosselin vs. Nancy Grace.
And the winner is?
Feisty former prosecutor Grace, of course.
He never had a chance.
Jon appeared on an ‘Insider’ panel with the famously tough, outspoken host, and by the looks and sounds of it, he should’ve stayed home.
Grace grilled the father of eight about the recent goings-on with he and estranged wife Kate’s reality show.
Her customary sneer, firmly in place when she cross examines her opponents, said “For years Jon, you had your children on TV on a reality show, but suddenly when it’s no longer ‘Jon & Kate Plus 8,’ it’s ‘Kate Plus 8,’ you suddenly have a problem with it and you want it all to come to an end? I don’t believe that!”
“Regardless of the timing, I’m their father and I will do what’s best for my children,” Gosselin shot back.
Jon’s lawyer tries to get a word in, but Grace just taunts, “Oh you’ve got your lawyer here, you’re afraid to answer questions? Whatever.”
“What’s important is the children and not these two self-absorbed husband and wife who are argue constantly in front of their children?” she said.
“Exactly, that’s why they are coming off the air,” Jon said.
“Why don’t you just quit arguing and work on your marriage, wouldn’t that be a better idea?” Nancy yelled over him.
Jon revealed he was “working things out with Kate so they could be parents,” and Grace pshawed that statement.
“Hey, you talk the talk, but you don’t walk the walk. You can’t go out with one 22-year-old after the next while she’s at home with the children and say you want to work it out. That’s not working it out, Jon Gosselin,” she said.
Nancy then strongly “suggested” that the couple get therapy.
WATERS MUDDIED AS GOSSELINS GET DOWN & DIRTY
By MOLLY DAVIS
It’s official.
Jon Gosselin has been given the heave-ho from TLC.
The octodad has been dropped from the reality show and the title.
“Kate Plus 8″ begins airing on Nov. 2.
Or does it?
This is where the future of the show gets iffy.
TLC is reportedly on the fence whether to proceed with their earlier stated plans to rebrand the show.
Could it be true?
Has TLC finally gotten rid of the albatross that has become Jon and Kate?
No one’s sure, and the network is declining to comment.
To muddy the waters even further, sources say TLC has not halted all production.
Huh?
Confused?
Me too.
Producers have (for now) stopped shooting footage of the couple’s eight children, but they are still filming mom Kate alone.
They also have previously unaired footage of Jon and the kids that will probably turn up in future episodes, according to a person close to the show.
So fans may not notice much difference in the days ahead.
Who are these “fans?”
Will people tune in for “Just Kate?”
Because that’s what it should be called.
It’s all about Kate – always was, always will be.
She’s now literally a one-woman show, which suits the controlling mom just fine.
Even Kate doesn’t seem to have much faith that the show will go on.
“With ratings falling, this might be the last season of Jon & Kate Plus 8. I’m not sure yet,” Kate Gosselin wrote on her Facebook page (as reported by Us Weekly).
She’s on Facebook!
I sent her a friend request, but she still hasn’t accepted me.
WTF and LOL.
I would love to see her status updates.
Kate is: “Taking the kids for ice cream.”
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I’m sure she has a PR rep handling her page.
She’s way too important to handle the daily grind of facebook.
It’s demanding, and you can’t berate people on there — they’ll report you — cyber bullying is a no-no.
Best to stick with face-to-face bullying, Kate.
Stick with what you know.
And she knows more than we do, which is why she’s covering her bases and filmed a pilot for a talk show with the Food Network’s cooking queen Paula Deen.
Jon has also been shopping around for a new gig.
He’s reportedly been trying to get a new reality series, “The Divorced Dads Club,” up and running.
With uber-creepy dad Michael Lohan.
Jon has been eating some humble pie as of late, telling In Touch magazine, “I regret my conduct since Kate and I separated.”
“I used poor judgment in publicly socializing with other women so soon.
“I would like to get back with Kate as a partner in parenting.”
Translation: “I need a job. Please let me back on my own show.”
If there even is a show.
Time will tell.
Or not.
I’m still confused.
October 1, 2009
GROVELING JON EQUALS PATHETIC
By MOLLY DAVIS
It’s official… Jon Gosselin has been given the heave-ho from TLC.
The octodad has been dropped from the reality show and the title.
“Kate Plus 8″ begins airing on Nov. 2.
She’s now a one-woman show, which probably suits the controlling mom just fine.
“We’ll be seeing much less of Jon,” a source told PEOPLE. “Given Jon’s recent antics, there was no way the show could continue to portray him as a doting dad while all this other crap was going on.”
“Jon will still be seen on the show from time to time,” the source adds.
One wonders if this will help the suffering ratings.
The fifth season premiere attracted a record 9.8 million viewers for the TLC network, making it the most-watched show of that evening including those on broadcast TV.
But after a six-week hiatus from new episodes, only 4.2 million viewers tuned in to see Jon & Kate on Aug. 3, and only 1.7 million reportedly watched last Monday.
Will people tune in to see just Kate?
Time will tell.
And Kate doesn’t seem to have much faith that the show will go on.
“With ratings falling, this might be the last season of Jon & Kate Plus 8. I’m not sure yet,” Kate Gosselin wrote on her Facebook page (as reported by Us Weekly).
Which is probably why she’s covering her bases and filmed a pilot for a talk show with the Food Network’s cooking queen Paula Deen.
Jon has also been shopping around for a new gig.
He’s reportedly been trying to get a new reality series, “The Divorced Dads Club,” up and running.
With uber-creepy dad Michael Lohan.
Jon has been eating some humble pie as of late, telling In Touch magazine, “I regret my conduct since Kate and I separated.
“I used poor judgment in publicly socializing with other women so soon. I would like to get back with Kate as a partner in parenting.”
Translation: “I need a job. Please let me back on my own show.”
CELEBRITY KILLED THE REALITY STAR
By ASHLEY DOS SANTOS
Oh Jon Gosselin, your Vegas parties and coed girlfriends have finally caught up to you.
On Tuesday, the TLC network announced that they were dropping Jon from “Jon & Kate Plus 8” to focus on Kate’s new life as a single mom in the revamped Kate Plus 8.
TLC President Eileen O’Neill said “Given the recent changes in the family dynamics, it only makes sense for us to refresh and recalibrate the program to keep pace with the family” and that they now intend to focus the show on “Kate’s role in the family and her journey as a single mother building the next chapter in her life.”
Not too long ago, Kate was being vilified as the overbearing control freak who pushed Jon too hard. Fans of the show lauded Jon for taking his life into his own hands and moving on without Kate looking over his shoulder.
Fast forward to the present day. Jon Gosselin has taken on the role as America’s most pathetic father (sorry Michael Lohan) who abused his newfound fame by womanizing, partying and choosing Saint Tropez getaways over quality time with his children.
When the news broke that TLC was dropping Jon Gosselin from the show, I think we all breathed a little sigh of relief. No viewer could believe that Jon is a dedicated father when he’s pictured lounging at a Las Vegas pool full of coeds at the MGM Grand.
Plus, with the show’s dwindling ratings, the announcement came at the perfect time to revitalize viewership before the series is canceled altogether. “Jon & Kate’s” ratings now thrive on the melodrama of the Gosselin divorce and not on the health and happiness of their eight children.
Speaking of melodrama, Jon Gosselin made his own announcement on Tuesday that he wants to slow down his divorce proceedings to reconsider his relationship with his family and atone for his behavior. Before you start thinking this is genuine, please note that on Wednesday he also filed an injunction stating that no camera crews are allowed in the family home effective immediately. Sounds like someone is a little bitter that his 15 minutes of fame is screeching to a halt. And all thanks to the same network that made him famous in the first place.
Jon’s latest attempts to cling to his fame mean that he is even sleazier than we thought. How about taking your kids to the park, dad, instead of sending away the family dog because it isn’t allowed in your new Manhattan bachelor pad?
By using his notoriety to land college girls and attend C-list parties in the Hamptons, Jon has managed to destroy his public image completely, making his very presence on the show not only a liability to TLC but, more importantly, to its advertisers. It’s clear that Jon Gosselin gave TLC no other choice than to drop him.
And where’s Kate in all this? Kate Gosselin appears to be positioning herself for the end of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” as well. Kate co-hosted ABC’s The View for two days and it’s an open secret that she wants to host her own talk show, possibly with celebrity chef Paula Deen. But you have to wonder if this show will have any appeal without the tawdry gossip associated with the Gosselins.
As America watches the Gosselins’ unraveling, I ask just one question. How is all of this affecting the kids? There would be no Jon & Kate without their eight. Being thrust in front of TV cameras at a young age is one thing, but watching your parents’ catfights in the media will add on many more months of therapy to what I’m sure will be a hefty bill once the children come of age.
So Jon, to borrow a line from Prince’s song “Kiss,” act your age and not your shoe size. Your kids are depending on you.
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Ben Grinspan contributed to this article.—
Ashley Dos Santos serves as a senior account executive at Crosby~Volmer International Communications in Washington D.C. She received her bachelor of arts degree in women & gender studies and romance languages from Dartmouth College.
September 23, 2009
KATE’S ANNOYING PERSONALITY WILL SINK TALK SHOW
By MOLLY DAVIS
It looks like Kate Gosselin is close to sealing a deal to have her own talk show.
Did hell freeze over while I was sleeping?
How on earth did this happen?
I’m not trying to be mean.
Honestly.
But she has to be one of the most grating women on the planet.
And her stint on “The View” last week was a train wreck.
Kate didn’t fit in on “The View,” and was slammed by Whoopi.
I cheered from my couch.
The mother of eight, who shot to fame because of her brood on “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” is slated to host a show with “mom” hosts.
None of her kids has a starring role, so I’m confused.
What will she talk about if she’s not ordering everyone around?
She said she’s “been given the gift of gab, so why not use it?”
I’ve got several reasons.
The main one being that no one cares for your abrasive, opinionated, confrontational manner.
I would rather visit the dentist.
The only “up” I can think of of is that she would have a team of stylists to deal with that hair.
Even though she reverted to the reverse-mullet/dead do so soon after she took several right steps on the tress tracks.
Some possible topics for her show could be:
• How to make your man a Eunich in under five years.
• Nagging for beginners.
• Nagging at an intermediate level.
• Advanced nagging (bordering on belligerent).
That about covers her range of topics.
I’m canceling my cable.
