Tabloid Gossip — Week-in-Review

‘Jersey Shore’s Ronnie and Sammie split for good. TOO FAB

Elizabeth Vargas and Marc Cohn split upon her second rehab stay. PEOPLE

Have Rihanna and Drake reunited. CELEBUZZ

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are going for round 1,332. POP BYTES

Karreuche Tran and Chris Brown are back at it. RUMOR FIX

Katherine McPhee has moved on from married men. US MAGAZINE

Christian Bale had another baby. JUST JARED

Andrew Keegan needs a new hobby. WONDERWALL

Gene Simmons seriously sucks. RADAR ONLINE

Julianne Hough might be a judge on Dancing With the Stars.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner had the cutest ice bucket challenge ever. WET PAINT

Meg Ryan and John Mellancamp split up. FOX NEWS

Michelle Rodriguez and Zac Efron ended their summer fling. DAILY MAIL

Chris Martin is dating Jennifer Lawrence. STUFF

Taylor Swift Debuts “Shake It Off” — LISTEN NOW

As celebrity worlds become small, so does their material, and Taylor Swift’s new single shines a light on that exact issue. Instead of her typical love-lost lamenting, it appears as if she’s traded it in for a single-girl celebration that takes aim at her critics, with lyrics like, “haters gonna hate” and “players gonna play.” The new found, non-country genre is a confusing cross between Katy Perry and Beyonce, with far less vocal prowess or convincing choreography. If you want to forgo authenticity and song quality for party music, then the production value of the presentation has to drastically increase. Unfortunately, that did not happen here. Swift is nothing if not cute, fun, and a little crazy, but perhaps she’s in need of some new inspiration.

JLO Bares Her “Booty” on Instagram

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Your rear view mirror just got a little clearer. For those of you who are so behind the times that you missed this picturesque posterior, fear not! I’ve butted into your life and provided a first look at the goods. Enjoy Jennifer Lopez’s beautiful buttocks below. And in case you missed it, here’s her BOOTY song.

Usher Intrigues as Cigar Aficionado’s Cover Man

Successful singer/songwriter, Usher, spoke with Cigar Aficionado while promoting his upcoming album, ‘Looking 4 Myself.’ See what he has to say about Justin Bieber, the internet’s effect on music, and what inspires him. Visit CIGAR AFICIONADO for more.

CA0914_cover5 (1)On “Yeah,” his multimillion selling song from his 2004 album, “Confessions:” “It was not an automatic hit, at least to me, which is funny considering how massive it turned out to be. When I first got the song, it came from a producer who always gave everybody the same sound. The demo he gave me sounded like the same thing he was giving to everybody else. So I asked him if he could redo it—and when he did, it sounded like something that would be a hit record.”

On how the Internet has killed the music industry: “The Internet has killed the music industry. People don’t wait in line anymore at a Target or a Tower Records for a new CD to be released; they just download it. When you see companies like Blockbuster and Tower going out of business, you know the industry has changed.”

On what inspired him to make universally appealing music: “I was 8 or 9 and I was enjoying Michael Jackson and so was my mother. And so was my grandmother. How’s that possible? That, to me, represents success: when you manage to be part of the conversation with all ages.”

On his cigar-smoking style: “I like the smell and taste of a good cigar. It’s a great fit that truly celebrates the occasion. And there’s nothing better, when you’re in a space where you’re being creative. There’s something about savoring a moment, rather than wracking your head to find a creative solution. I’m too young to consider myself a connoisseur. I just enjoy smoking cigars. And I’m not blowing smoke up your ass.”

Chris Pratt Covers Esquire

chris_pratt_esquireChris Pratt covered the September issue of Esquire, and he revealed some secrets on meeting his wife, his Guardians of the Galaxy audition, and more. Read some choice quotes below, and visit ESQUIRE for more.

On his wife, Anna Faris, and how they met: When he goes to dinner with his wife, the actress Anna Faris, she always decides what they order. Pratt met Faris in 2007 on the set of Take Me Home Tonight, during the last sputters of her first marriage. She was hot and funny, but she wasn’t single, so there were no stakes. Why even bother trying to be the kind of guy she would date? When Faris came over to his apartment, he left porn magazines out. She didn’t mind. He detailed sexual encounters he had recently had as a single man in Los Angeles. She was into it. Into it into it? Into it into it. So when she called him to tell him that she had left her husband, Pratt decided he was going to marry her. He also decided he would be more like her, that he would study her and learn her sweet patience the way he’s learned to be a gentleman from his military friend.

His gun arsenal: Pratt talks about his thirty- or forty-gun arsenal. He bought Faris a gun in the event that crazy person comes to their house while he’s in Louisiana and necessitates her “blowing their fucking brains out.” He tells me to print that, just in case Anna Faris’ and Esquire’s fan demographics overlap. It’s not all so primal— Pratt believes in firearm regulation, background checks, and preventing guns from falling into the hands of the mentally ill. He explains population control and hunting licenses and tags and the virtues of eating what you kill. It all makes sense, but it also feels kind of like when Dexter explains that he’s a good serial killer because his victims are rapists and murderers. Really, this guy just likes to kill shit.

His GOTG and GI Joe audition: “When Guardians of the Galaxy was pitched to me, I said, “I don’t think so.” I just didn’t picture myself getting the role. I didn’t want to go and embarrass myself like I did when I auditioned for G.I. Joe a couple of years previously. I went in there, and halfway through I saw the director’s eyes just glaze over. It made sense—I was a little heavy and out of shape. I was not gonna play someone from G.I. Joe. I did not look like a G.I. Joe action figure come to life.

Seth Meyers and Neal Brennan Visit Moviefone — WATCH NOW

Late night host Seth Meyers and The Approval Matrix host Neal Brennan visited Moviefone for an unscripted, behind-the-scenes take on their individual hosting style, along with some secret SNL tidbits. As for how Seth will approach his upcoming Emmy-hosting gig, you’ll have to watch below to find out. ENJOY!

Fool’s Gold Visits FIGat7th Downtown Festival

Downtown Los Angeles’ premiere shopping and dining destination just outdid itself with a free outdoor concert by Fool’s Gold during its FIGat7th Festival. The LA based band mixes Western Pop with African rhythms, and they’re worth seeing for their electric guitar player alone. The five member band is now composed of vocalist/bassist Luke Top, guitarist Lewis Pesacov, drummer Garrett Ray, multi-instrumentalist Brad Caulkins, and percussionist Salvador Placencia. Check out two of their videos below, and before you say so long to summer, be sure to check out the last installment of FIGat7th on August 22 for The Belle Brigade.

Highland Park Independent Film Festival: All the Details

HPIFF Blue LogoDedicated to unique filmmakers who produce unforgettable content, the Highland Park Independent Film Festival (HPIFF) comes to Route 66’s Figueroa corridor from October 9-12. The historic Highland Theater will host this first annual event, which will feature both full-length and short films. Guests will enjoy red carpet events, panel discussions, and an awards ceremony. If you’d like to enter your film for consideration in the festival, there’s still time! Late entries will be accepted until September 1st. Entries are open to films of any genre in the following categories: Narrative Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Feature and Documentary Short. In addition to awards for Best Feature, Best Short, Best Feature Doc, and Best Short Doc, two awards will also be given to Best Cinematography and Best Musical Composition. To submit your film, visit www.hpifilmfest.com.

Robin Williams: A Timeline of His Life

I’ve received an immeasurable amount of emails from opportunistic vultures attempting to capitalize on Robin Williams death with endless self-promotion about books on depression, opinions on Parkinsons, etc. For the most part, I’ve ignored all emails from outside press with Robin Wililams name in the subject line, until now. The folks at infographic sent me a timeline of Williams’ life, and you don’t want to miss it. Take a look.

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Jimmy Fallon’s Tribute to Robin Williams — WATCH NOW

The most moving part of Jimmy Fallon’s tribute to Robin Williams wasn’t his “O Captain! My Captain!” desk stance, it was his very accurate impersonation of Williams’ stand up. If your style warrants an impression, then you certainly made one. Plus, for a brief moment in the past two days, I thought of Robin the way I hope to remember him. Watch below.