The 1970s Swedish pop group ABBA is dancing its way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, The Hollies and The Stooges.

The list of the next class of inductees was released Tuesday by the hall, which is based in Cleveland.

ABBA — whose hits included “Dancing Queen” — and the Stooges made it in this time after being nominated previously but then not making the cut.

The rock hall also has announced that an award for non-performers will go to music industry executive David Geffen, the songwriting teams of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, and individual songwriters Jesse Stone, Mort Shuman and Otis Blackwell.

The 25th annual induction ceremony is scheduled for March 15 in New York City.  

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

The following acts will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 2010 at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City: The Stooges, Genesis, ABBA, the Hollies, and Jimmy Cliff.

The Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers is also being awarded during the ceremony. This year’s recipients are: David Geffen, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Jesse Stone, Mort Shurman, and Otis Blackwell.

Steven Spielberg, left, receives award from ADL’s Abe Foxman
_______________________________________________________

BEVERLY HILLS, California (Press Release)– Steven Spielberg received the Anti-Defamation League’s highest honor — America’s Democratic Legacy Award — at the Annual Dinner Celebration on December 9 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.  ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman presented the award in front of a sellout crowd of 1,100.

“Steven, we honor you for your exceptional contributions to the well-being and security of the Jewish people,” said Mr. Foxman. “Your masterpiece, Schindler’s List, literally changed the way we teach about Jewish history and the Holocaust and it arrived at exactly the time when we started to see a startling rise in Holocaust denial.”

Previous America’s Democratic Legacy Award recipients include former U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan, Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman; as well as Colin Powell, Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, Justice Earl Warren, Saul Bellow, George Tenet, Henry Kissinger, Lee Iacocca, Walter Annenberg, Dwayne Andreas, Bernard Marcus and Cardinal John O’Connor.  The award has also been presented to distinguished institutions including Harvard University, The New York Times and the Columbia Broadcasting System.

Proceeds from the event will help ADL in its fight against bigotry, prejudice and anti-Semitism.

Drew Barrymore opened and closed the evening, citing her relationship with Spielberg since she was 6 years old and working on the movie “ET.” Kirk Douglas spoke and led the motzi (prayer over the bread) and Richard Dreyfuss also presented remarks.  Co-Chairs for the event were Harold Brown, David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Richard Lovett, Ron Meyer, Bruce Ramer and Sid Sheinberg.

Speakers included two of the dinner co-chairs, Bruce Ramer, founding partner of Gang, Tyre, Ramer and Brown, Inc, and Sidney Sheinberg, founder of the Bubble Factory and former President and COO of MCA, ADL National Chair Robert Sugarman, Regional Board Chair Nicole Mutchnik and Regional Director Amanda Susskind.

Other special guests included “American Idol” finalist Adam Lambert singing the U.S. national anthem and Israeli singer/songwriter Noa Dori singing the Israeli national anthem.

Videos describing ADL’s work, the history of its America’s Democratic Legacy Award, and Steven Spielberg’s extraordinary contributions to the entertainment industry and philanthropy were shown.

Other celebrities attending included: Paula Abdul, J.J. Abrams, Matt Blank, David Franzoni, Greg Harrison, Walter Hill, Jeffrey Katzenberg,  David Linde, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, Kevin McCormick, Walter Mirisch, Rich Ross, Stacey Snider, Matt Tolmach, Michael Wright.

*
Preceding provided by Anti-Defamation League

Obama held his first state dinner on Tuesday, and the President invited a few gays.

Included on the list were:

David Geffin and his partner, Jeremy Lingvall

Urvashi Vidal and her partner Kate Clinton

Chris Hughes and his partner, Sean Eldridge

Fred Hochberg and his partner, Thomas Healy

But the only thing better than being invited to the state dinner is getting to sit next to First Lady Michelle Obama, and that is exactly what David Geffen, media billionaire, got to do. Geffen is the bald man on the right.

Geffen, 66, received a lot of flack for supporting Obama, and defying Hollywood’s commitment to Hillary Clinton. When asked if Obama could defeat Clinton, Geffen said in February 2008, “I hope so, because that machine is going to be very unpleasant and unattractive, and effective.” — Thank you David for helping me validate my senior thesis.

Above is a picture of Geffen’s boyfriend, age 26, – you know, in case you were wondering what his type is. Apparently, he and I have a few friends in common on Facebook….

Personally, I’m still holding out for Chris Hughes.

.

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Hat tip to The Washington Times for appreciating the significance of this particular party list.

The Times reports today about who did and didn’t make the cut for President Barack Obama’s first state dinner. Noticeably absent are top Republican lawmakers. Who did make the list? Well, Oprah Winfrey, for one.

Although many in mainstream media will attempt to discount the significance of the invite list – who made Obama’s A-List and who didn’t – the fact is this list is a solid representation of Obama’s vanity and skewed priorities in Washington.

So far, according to the Times, we know one Republican did get an invitation –

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell received an invitation but decided to skip the dinner.

“Sen. McConnell is with his constituents this week and will be at Kentucky events tomorrow and tomorrow night,” Don Stewart, the senator’s communications director, said Monday.

But the list of top congressional Republicans stiffed by the Administration is longer and says far more about Obama’s notion of bipartisan leadership in Washington.

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner won’t be there; he’s on Thanksgiving break and home in Ohio. His deputy, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, also didn’t get an invitation to the dinner.

The president didn’t invite his 2008 rival, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, even though Mr. Obama the candidate pledged a post-partisan presidency.

Hollywood, however – according to some reports and rumors – will be well represented.

According to rumors, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, who endorsed Mr. Obama during the campaign, will be attending. Reports emerged Monday that Hollywood will be in the house: DreamWorks partners David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, along with Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman Michael Lynton and WME Entertainment Agency co-CEO Ari Emanuel, will attend, according to deadline.com.

I learned while lounging about watching University Challenge tonight that this painting below, False Start by Jasper Johns, is (or possibly was) the piece that fetched the highest price for the work of a living artist. It was sold by music business mogul David Geffen for about $80milion dollars in 2006 (to the Chicago-based hedge fund Citadel Investment Group). Well done for keeping up the highbrow end Messers Johns, Geffen & Citadel; that’s the equivalent of two Euromillion Lottery wins (zero numbers out of six for us as usual, but I’ll know what to blow it all on [half of] when they come up.)

1959, Oil on canvas, 67″x 54″
(3618 square inches; works out at $22,112 per square inch)

Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 musical film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust and also briefly references Frankenstein and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. Initially, it had box office failure and was panned by some critics, but it was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe and has since acquired a cult following.

Tagline:  The music made him do it!

Trivia:

• The character Philbin, who is the chief henchman of the villain Swan, borrows his last name from Mary Philbin, star of The Phantom of the Opera (1925).
• The “Death Records” secretary’s card index includes files on Alice Cooper, David Geffen, Bette Midler, Peter Fonda, Dick Clark and Kris Kristofferson.
• On Phoenix’s mirror after the concert in which she becomes a star is a magazine ad with the headline “I’m a Harper’s Freak”. Phoenix was played by ‘Jessica Harper (I)’.
• At the airport when Beef is introduced, the “Death Records” logo on the lectern was superimposed over the original logo for “Swan Song” records to avoid conflict with Led Zeppelin’s record label, which had sued. Although the film’s producers were certain they would win due to the fact that the phrase was common long before, they decided to make the change in order to get the film finished quickly rather than go through a prolonged court fight.
• The Death Records logo is optically printed over the originally planned “Swan Song” label at several points in the film
• Cameo: [Rod Serling] introductory voiceover.
• Phantom was a box office flop the year it came out. The only place in North America where the film had lasting power was in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada where it stayed on the screens for months.
• Sissy Spacek is credited as “set dresser” for this film. As she was already an established actor when this film was made, one can assume that she took the job to assist her boyfriend, Jack Fisk, who was the film’s production designer.
• William Finley came up with the bird motif of the Phantom costume, a collaboration with costume designer Rosanna Norton.
• According to William Finley, the record press in which his Winslow character was disfigured was a real pressing plant (it was an injection-molding press at an Ideal Toy Co. plant). He was worried about whether the machine would be safe, and the crew assured that it was. The press was fitted with foam pads (which resemble the casting molds in the press), and there were chocks put in the center to stop it from closing completely. Unfortunately, the machine was powerful enough to crush the chocks that it gradually kept closing. It was Finley’s speed and timing that saved him from truly being hurt, as he got his head out just in time. Incidentally, his scream in the scene was real.
• Gerrit Graham has talked about the infamous “musical chairs” casting, where William Finley almost wound up with no part to play. The studio considered casting Paul Williams as Winslow, Graham as Swan and Peter Boyle as Beef. Williams turned down the role of Winslow not only because he didn’t feel physically fit or menacing for the role, but he didn’t want to use the role of Winslow as a message against the recording industry. Somehow, Boyle was unavailable, Graham took the Beef role, and Finley ultimately took the Winslow role. In fact, director Brian De Palma actually wrote the part with his colleague Finley in mind. William Finley said in a recent interview that Jon Voight was at one time considered for the role of Swan.
• The character of Winslow Leach (the Phantom) was named after director Brian De Palma’s mentor, Wilford Leach.
• The single-edit, “time bomb in the car trunk” sequence is an homage to Orson Welles’ famous opening for Touch of Evil (1958).
• Gerrit Graham’s singing voice was dubbed by Ray Kennedy.
• When Swan (Paul Williams) is adjusting Winslow’s voice, the singer is not William Finley but Paul Williams. This makes it a little in-joke when Swan announces that the voice is “perfect”.
• The “electronic room” in which Winslow composes his cantata (and where Swan restores his voice) is in fact the real-life recording studio, The Record Plant. Also, the walls covered with knobs are in reality a huge, custom-built Moog electronic synthesizer. Dubbed TONTO, this instrument was featured on several albums by the pioneering electronica duo T.O.N.T.O.’s Expanding Head Band, and it still exists to this day.
• During Beef’s introductory scene at the airport, on of the gathered reporters is named “Mr Pizer”. This is probably a reference to the film’s director of photography, Larry Pizer.
• In addition to Leroux’s “Phantom of the Opera” and Goethe’s (et al) “Faust”, the film also references Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, and Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” for a total of at least five citations of classical horror stories.
• Gerrit Graham was so sick the day that the “Life at Last” scene was filmed that he could hardly walk.
• Director Brian De Palma originally considered the popular group Sha-Na-Na for the roles of the Juicy Fruits, but the group was not only very big at the time, but he found them too difficult to work with.
• Jessica Harper beat out Linda Ronstadt for the part of Phoenix.
• Much of the movie deals with birds: The names Phoenix and Swan, the Phantom’s bird-like costume, Phoenix’s dress after her first appearance, her feather jacket, Swan’s bird vest, Beef’s bird tail during his number. Even the logo for Death Records is a bird.
• According to Danny Peary in the book Cult Movies 2, originally this film would have had the title “The Phantom” but King Features Syndicate, producers of the Phantom comic strip, demanded that this film have a longer title.
• This film homages the 1943 remake of the Phantom of the Opera, not the original novel; the 1943 film had the Phantom as a man disfigured by acid (similar to the 1939 origin of the Tonny Quinn, the Black Bat and the 1942 origin of Two-Face). In Leroux’s novel, the Phantom lived with his deformity from birth.

Amazon Specials!

Actors Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend watch the season opening game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on October 27, 2009 in Los Angeles, California

Among them were -beside the Kardashian sisters- many A-list celebrities such as Billionnaire David Geffen, Heather Locklear,Jack Wagner,Jack Nicholson,David Katzenberg, Nicky Hilton,David Beckham

]]> http://anthonygeorge.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/curious-about-eppie-just-ask-ann-landers-and-the-whos-who-who-cheered-barbra-in-the-village/ Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:00:16 +0000 George Anthony http://anthonygeorge.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/curious-about-eppie-just-ask-ann-landers-and-the-whos-who-who-cheered-barbra-in-the-village/

Ms LONELYHEARTS: After a memorable guest spot as a dying nurse on the first season of Edie Falco’s hit series Nurse Jackie, veteran stage and screen charmer Judith Ivey opens tonight at Manhattan’s Cherry Lane Theater in a one-woman play about legendary lovelorn advice columnist Ann Landers called The Lady With All the Answers.

IVEY: as Ann Landers

The last time I remember seeing Chicago’s queen of hearts, as Eppie Lederer (her real name) was called, was at Chaz & Roger Ebert’s wedding. Eppie and Brian Linehan were hot-footing it on the dance floor when it started to get a tad too hot for Eppie. “Tame it down, tame it down!” she protested, and Linehan graciously acquiesced.

After dispensing sage advice to thousands of grateful readers, by the end of her career Eppie was most famous for failing to save her own marriage. Also, much to her chagrin, her daughter Margo Howard, who eventually took over her column, would marry four times. But then, when has a daughter ever really listened to her mother?

I was much better acquainted with Eppie’s twin sister Pauline, who was equally famous as the Abigail Van Buren of Dear Abby. In the days when newspapers ruled, the sisters’ columns competed with each other in rival journals. Ann Landers was in the Toronto Star, so Dear Abby ran in The Toronto Telegram (and later the Toronto Sun.)

ABBY & ANN in their heyday (AP)

Eppie was a permanent fixture in Chicago. ‘Abby’ lived in California and enjoyed it. Like her sister, she was bright, vivacious and always good company. One day I walked into Norman Jewison’s beach house in Malibu and Norman, ‘Abby’ and Washington columnist Art Buchwald were all sitting in the living room, busy debating a burning issue of the day. As I approached them Abby looked up at me and beamed.

“We met in Toronto two weeks ago!” she proclaimed, struggling to remember my name. “I know you!”

“I don’t!” said Buchwald with a shrug, and returned to debating with Jewison.

CHANNING: "Absolutely not!"

Identical twins born 17 minutes apart, the sisters also got a kick out of teasing people when they were mistaken for each other. One night I bumped into Eppie in the bar at the Four Season in Hollywood and started talking about mutual friends in Chicago until I saw the twinkle in her eye.

“Yep,” she said, grinning – “I’m the other one!”

Manhattan gossip girl Liz Smith says that years ago Eppie’s good friend Carol Channing wanted her Hello, Dolly! composer Jerry Herman to make a musical for her to star as Eppie. “To which Eppie said, ‘Absolutely not!’ But now there is a two-time Tony winner channeling Ann Landers,” adds Liz – “and everybody just hopes Eppie approves.”

VILLAGE PEOPLE: Yes, Barbra Streisand really did return to the tiny Village Vanguard club in Manhattan to perform songs from her new album, Love

STREISAND: stage fright?

Is The Answer, with only a jazz quartet behind her. (Chalk it up to the influence of her album producer Diana Krall. Not that there would have been room for an orchestra, let alone a band. “It’s hard to have stage fright,” Streisand remarked, “when, like, there’s no stage!”) Her audience, comprised mainly of contest winners from around the world, were thrilled to find themselves squeezed against such devoted Barbra boosters as Hillary, Bill and Chelsea Clinton, Nicole Kidman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Donna Karan, Barry Diller, David Geffen and composers Marilyn & Alan Bergman. Streisand was reportedly in glorious voice, and in addition to tunes from her new CD, she also reprised a few of her classics, including Evergreen (which she dedicated to a misty-eyed Bill Clinton) and The Way We Were.

Apparently you had to be there to believe it. And don’t you wish you had been?

TOMORROW:

What Julie Stewart and Dan Aykroyd are up to in Toronto.

I just read a biography about one of my favorite singer-songwriters, James Taylor. I was disappointed. Not with Taylor, but with the author Ian Halperin, a self-styled “investigative journalist” who has received some positive attention, and has apparently worked as a musician from time-to-time. Pish. I scooted over to Amazon, where I read other reviews complaining of the poor writing. Mr. Taylor deserves better. The only way he and his colleagues are going to get it right is if they write autobiographies, or cooperate with a reputable biographer.

2.0 out of 5 stars
Fire and Rain Creates Mud, September 30, 2009

I so very much wanted to like this book. When reading biographies of contemporary persons, I try to remember to take what I find with a grain of salt and be generous of the author’s bias and context. For one, we most often have individuals writing bios who are trained as journalists. Stylistically there is a conflict.  Journalists opine, write tight paragraphs out of necessity, and do not have time or space to develop a narrative.

Biographies require a narrative treatment. It’s a form which needs to retell and recreate conversations and situations. Details are everything. When I see writer X of Such and Thus Magazine authoring a biography, I understand what I am getting myself into. That’s my bias.

My patience is waning.

“Fire and Rain” has some documentation.  There is some worthy content. We learn a few new details. All good. However, I cringe every few pages over grammatical sloppiness. The greater crime is a lack of fact-checking. It causes one to question the author and publisher’s motives. Do we get this thing written, ship product out, and accept the shortcomings for the cash?  Apparently. Don’t publishers employ editors anymore? Mean, picky editors who force accountability and some conformity to basic standards?  Apparently not. Is it too much to ask that information be cited, and some footnotes available?

I’ll offer an example of this miserable lack of fact-checking.

On page 124, the author is discussing the anticipation surrounding Taylor’s follow-up record to his first U.S. release on the Warner label, Sweet Baby James. ( Note that Taylor’s actual first record, James Taylor, was on the Apple label, but the zoo that was Apple and it’s messy demise, kept the record from being well promoted. There was nobody handling A&R at the time.)  Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon made a huge impression. Sophomore albums usually sell fewer units than first releases, and that is an accepted pattern in the record industry. I run into frustration in the following sentence from paragraph three.

“Solo artists like Jackson Browne and Cat Stevens were enjoying much-publicized revivals, so it wasn’t difficult to predict that Taylor’s new album would see massive media exposure.”

Here is the problem.  Although Cat Stephen’s 1971 release, Teaser and the Fire Cat was his fifth album, he had not yet taken off in the United States. The two singles from the first three albums reached chart positions of 118 and 115 (Billboard).  He did much better in the UK. In 1970, Wild World, from his fourth album, Tea For the Tillerman, made 11 on the chart (ibid).  Songs from this record were featured in the Harold & Maude soundtrack. This is a pattern of an artist riding up in a nice arc. Teaser was the evidence of Stevens arrival, certainly not, as the author states, a revival.

As for Jackson Browne, the author is egregiously wrong.  In 1971, Browne released his *first* album, the eponymous Jackson Browne, fondly referred, to his initial chagrin, as Saturate Before Using due to the cover art by Henry Diltz. It was a much anticipated release in the industry from the man who had composed hits for other artists.

Borrow the book from the library or go to BookMooch.com as I did, where folks trade books. But keep the laptop handy because you’ll find yourself wanting to confirm certain details.

(c)GoshGusMusic(ascap)2009

WILL FERRELL ATTACKS INSURANCE EXECS

Is It Time To Boycott Hollywood?

 I’ve two points to make: first, and foremost, how is it that a multimillionaire, who has a degree in sports casting, can walk a mile in my shoes? Ferrell did not exactly grow up poor; his dad was the keyboard player for the righteous brothers. I only wish some of that righteousness would have rubbed off on him, as his video is not exactly righteous for the many reasons listed in the comments section of Dave Cook’s article, “Will Ferrell Attacks Insurance Execs.” The other point I wanted to make is that in general, if you make more than ten grand a year, you pay taxes, the amount varies, however 30% of a year’s earnings is a pretty common. That 30% does not include property taxes and sales tax. Making healthcare mandatory and/or implementing fines for not having healthcare is essentially adding more taxes. So if we need to pay out another 10% of earnings, whether you’re 20 years old and fit as a fiddle or not, you will only be keeping 60% of your earnings. Add in another $1500 in property taxes and we then keep 55%. This is unacceptable. As for Ferrell, I advise him to look around at his surroundings; arguably, Oprah is losing her fan base, because of her political pandering, this should be an eye-opener for Hollywood types. We, the people who make or break celebrities, don’t want to hear your manurish ramblings. I’m like a freaking elephant, and I do not forget. The list of movie and TV personalities that I will not support, and vehemently oppose in public circles when they are introduced in conversation, just keeps growing and growing. I don’t mind that celebrities have an opinion, but theres no need to jam your opinion down the throats of those without one. I have no use for knuckleheads like Madonna, Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Bill Maurer, Jessica Alba, Ryan Phillippe, John Legend, Anthony Kiedis, Taye Diggs, Kate Walsh, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Tobey Maguire, Edward Norton Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ben Stiller, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, Will Smith, Chris Rock, Sean Penn, and the one that hurts me most, as I used to be such a big fan, Eddie Murphy; I refuse to watch them on the big screen or TV. Advertisers, should take heed as well, as it affects their bottom line when they use these pompous windbags. Do us all a favor Hollywood; keep your effer-vescing pie holes shut. Mr. Ferrell, and company, welcome to my black list!

WILL FERRELL ATTACKS INSURANCE EXECS

 By Dave Cook | 09.22.09

The battle over health care reform took to the web Tuesday, as comedian Will Ferrell and a group of other Hollywood stars released a sarcastic video mocking health insurance executives and pitching the need for a publicly-run health insurance option.

The video was released by Ferrell’s video website “Funny or Die” and by the liberal political group MoveOn.org.

“Humor can serve as a powerful reminder to Americans about what exactly is at stake” Justin Ruben, executive director of MoveOn.org, said in a statement.

Tongue in cheek

The video opens with Jon Hamm, star of TV’s “Mad Men,” saying, “Something terrible is happening.” Ferrell explains the terrible thing is that “health insurance executives are getting a bum rap.” Stars including Olivia Wilde of “House,” Masi Oka of “Heroes,” Donald Faison of “Scrubs,” and Linda Cardellini of “ER,” offer the tongue in check admonition that “we need to remember who the real victims are – health insurance executives.”

Ferrell sarcastically asks, “So why is Obama trying to reform health care when insurance companies are doing just fine making millions of dollars of profit?”

The video continues with an actor saying, “Insurance companies need our support because they keep our selfish priorities in check when we can’t.”

And Ferrell returns to the screen to say, “Insurance companies are detailed enough to reject claims for things like typos. If you spell something wrong, do you really deserve surgery? I don’t think so.”

Pitching the public option

The video closes with a slide urging viewers to “Call Congress: tell them we need a strong public health insurance option.”

The video hit the web on the same day the Senate Finance Committee began hearings on Chairman Max Baucus (D) of Montana’s draft health care reform legislation. The so-called chairman’s mark dos not include the public health insurance option Ferrell and his colleagues are pushing.

But Baucus did announce Tuesday several new measures to make health insurance more affordable for working families, including increased subsidies for lower income families, limits on additional charges insurance companies can impose on older workers, and lower penalties on those who defy rules requiring them to buy insurance.

Republicans attacked the plan, with Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., saying the legislation was a “stunning assault on our liberty.” He cited several provisions to strengthen the government’s role in health care.

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/09/22/will-ferrell-attacks-heath-insurance-execs/

To repeat that oft used phrase it is not often I agree with Letters from a Tory today reading his letter to Peter Mandelson made me smile in agreement.

Regarding the release of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, LFaT points out that

You [Peter Mandelson] apparently spoke briefly about the case with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi while on holiday in Corfu, yet your spokesman had the nerve to suggest that the subsequent reports of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi’s possible release from jail were “entirely coincidental”.

My own support for the Labour party was not informed by a love of coincidental meetings, but this and the letters containing the words lets keep this whole ordeal away from the media, it is sleaze politics and it doesn’t excite me. Lets not get carried away, the conspiracies that this was all to do with business deals is all without foundation at the moment, but when enough of a gap is left open, enough to see that much is to be hidden, then this raises the voters eyebrows and it is at the expense of the party.

What was that other coincidental meeting Mandelson attended the other day

You are proposing cutting the broadband connection from users who swap copyrighted content, which has outraged internet providers who said that it would breach fundamental rights and would not work.  Even though this proposal was rejected by Lord Carter, the former Digital Britain minister and Downing Street special adviser, a matter of months ago, you have mysteriously changed your mind.

Now simple decorum would have done nicely here, namely, do not change your mind from something reasonable (like a reasonable crack down on illegal internet activities) to something potentially illegal (like cutting off a music downloader’s internet connection altogether) after meeting for dinner with David Geffen, the billionaire producer, then allowinng officials to claim that the topic of internet piracy did not come up.

Now the trouble with all this is, as sleazy as it may seem, as slim as it may look, the case that these examples were mere coincidence is plausible. It is damaging, but it may be unfounded. So what is there to be concerned about Mandy for, from the perspective of a Labour supporter?

Despite appeals from Mandelson that he will never become leader through choice, one or two aspects seem to show that his being head honcho through other means goes a way into undermining the leadership, and this doesn’t include the speculation that he was leader of the country via blackberry during his holiday.

Peter Mandelson’s part in the undermining of Brown when he announced, unknown by anyone else, particularly Brown himself, that Brown would engage in a live television debate – though I think everybody knows Brown would be up to it – was if not rude then rather up front of Mandelson. For someone who has no apparent desire to be leader one day, he has a way of making sure his powerful presence is known.

With Jack Straw’s new move to qurantine peers for 5 years who want to sit as MPs has caused speculation that it is a personal swipe at his foe Mandelson. But Straw has flatly denied this, and indeed the rule does apply to all sitting peers. But where are the explicit efforts to curb Mandy’s power inside the party?

The further speculation that Mandelson will resign from the Lords in order to save the party from despair and obscurity will obviously have some high end supporters. But is his really the face we want fronting the party? He who holidays with the shadow Chancellor and a Rothschild, he who changes his mind on policy over dinner dates, he who seeks not to challenge business as much as see it untie its regulation under his watch, he who mysteriously pays off fat mortgages, and he who has become the most important member of the Labour party without ever having been elected to do so? Is he really the face of the Labour party?

Backstory: the government issued their Digital Britain report earlier this year. They started  a consultation on P2P filesharing and what measures should be taken to stop it, with the consultation ending on the 16th September.

Here’s the consultation page (as of 6am 25-Aug):

Consultation on Legislation to Address Illicit P2P File-Sharing
Starting Date: 16-06-09

Closing Date: 15-09-09

This consultation sets out the Government’s legislative approach for addressing the problem of illicit use of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file-sharing technology to exchange unlawful copies of copyright material.

But now, in the middle of the consultation, they’ve changed their mind; there will be an announcement today at 9am. According to the Guardian:

People who persist in swapping copyrighted films and music will have their internet connections cut off under tough new laws to be proposed by the government today.

The measures also include taking the power to target illegal downloaders away from regulator Ofcom and giving it to ministers to speed up the process.

The decision to cut off peer-to-peer filesharers is unexpected since it was ruled out by the government’s own Digital Britain report in June as going too far.

In the report, the then communications minister Lord Carter said illegal filesharers should receive letters warning them their activities could leave them open to prosecution. If that failed to reduce piracy by at least 70%, Ofcom would have the power to call on internet companies such as BT to introduce so-called “technical measures” to combat piracy. The most draconian of these measures was to slow down a persistent filesharer’s broadband connection, but it would not appear until 2012.

But today the government will take the unusual step of proposing much stricter rules midway through the Digital Britain consultation process. Illegal filesharers will still get warning letters but if they continue to swap copyrighted material they could have their internet connection temporarily severed.

So why the change? Maybe it has something to do with Peter Mandelson’s recent meeting with David Geffen:

Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, ordered officials to draw up draconian regulations on internet piracy just days after he had a private dinner with a Hollywood mogul who is a critic of illegal file-sharing.

Mandelson is understood to have demanded that internet service providers be given new powers to cut off the accounts of British web users who persistently download music and films for nothing.

The business secretary’s intervention comes after a meeting last weekend with David Geffen, the billionaire producer who co-founded the DreamWorks studio with Steven Spielberg.

Mandelson and Geffen dined on August 7 with members of the Rothschild banking dynasty at the family’s holiday villa on the Greek island of Corfu.

I wonder how big a bribe donation Geffen offered to secure the legislative changes he wanted? It must be quite a lot for Labour to risk pissing off 7 million downloaders just before the general election. As commenter Christovir put it:

I ever cease to be amazed at how persistent Labour is at choosing policies that are both unworkable and unpopular. Truly impressive.

If Labour had any sense, what they would do is scrap this unworkable and unpopular plan, and instead put Tom Watson in charge of Digital Britain. I don’t agree with everything Watson says,  but he basically gets it, unlike Mandelson.

UPDATE: see also my summary of the proposals, and why the proposals are flawed. Andrew Robinson has made a statement for the Pirate Party.

Kristen Stewart’s simplicity and beauty dazzles on the cover of Dazed & Confused magazine.  Totally trippy! While Madonna celebrated her 51st birthday,with three of her children. Even trippyer! She’s looking good.

When the city of Los Angeles votes their news topics of interest each day in Hollywood, here’s how it looks:

1. THE HORIWOOD TOP 10 – SUN 8.16.09

2. KARDASHIAN FAMILY FASHION IS THE #1 TRENDING TOPIC ON THE AMERICAN BRAIN

3. ANNA PAQUIN LEADS TRUE BLOOD TO HBO’S RATINGS GOLD

4. KELLAN LUTZ HAS BULKED UP FOR ECLIPSE

5. LIKE MJ, BEYONCE GIVES A HELPING HAND

6. HORIWOOD’S TOP RANKING CELEBRITIES LIST FOR 2009

7. WHAT DOES A NEW YORK TIMES #1 BEST SELLING AUTHOR LOOL LIKE?

8. TOP BOLLYWOOD STARS IN THE WORLD

9. HEIDI MONTAG’S HUSTLE IS “DIRTY RICH” ON PLAYBOY

10. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE PARODIES LADY GAGA’S “MEDIOCRE FACE” SONG

Bonus Post: WHITE PEOPLE BEHAVING BADLY 3: “DIFFERENT STROKES” TEA PARTY PROTEST SIGN

horiwood’slatest tweet on twitter is: “it pays to shop around. tonight i went to pavilions, traders joes + gelsens to do grocery shopping. by comparing prices i saved $23. yes!less than 5 seconds ago from web

Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston share an uncanny similarity in the same taste in…. leather dresses. Funny that. Here’s the top 10 posts on Horiwood.Com today here in Hollywood, LA, California.

1. V MAGAZINE OUT TAKE: LADY GAGA PIC

2. VANESSA HUDGENS GROWS UP IN HER FILM ROLE CHOICES

3. FARRAH FAWCETT COVERS PEOPLE MAGAZINE

4. TWILIGHT’S KELAN LUTZ FLAUNTS HIS SEXY

5. ZOE KRAVITZ- BOHEMIAN ROCK CHIC – NEW YORK FASHIN WEEK

6. THE VAMPIRE LIST: THE 20 TOP VAMPIRES OF ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY

7. BRITNEY SPEARS LOSES 20 POUNDS IN 4 WEEKS

8. ZAC EFRON: WALKS THE LINE IN HOLLYWOOD

9. SMASHPROOF – IT’S FRIDAY IN HOLLYWOOD

10. TOP RANKING CELEBRITIES LIST FOR 2009

horiwood’slatest tweet on twitter is: “dale k has become a redhead in wellington, new zealand. woah! somebody’s gotta bottle that degree of hotness asap. less than 5 seconds ago from web

Blog numbers don’t lie on the internet. Their numbers are 3-4 months ahead of magazines in who the world’s biggest stars are.

These are the top ranking stars and celebrities so far this year, here in Hollywood. For whatever reason, you the global audience on Horiwood.Com voted for them and gave them the attention you feel they deserve as entertainers who amuse you. Enjoy your celebrities for 2009!

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie may be what everyone perceive to be the most searched for celebrities in the world, but it is actually surprise up-and-coming stars, like Nikki Reid of The Twilight Saga, Johnny Markoudakis of West Hollywood and Miss Tessa (a fashion designer, artist and model) of New Zealand who keep the fame game interesting.

Of course Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett’s deaths and Rihanna’s domestic violence issue with Chris Brown have been some of the biggest media moments this year in entertainment. 2009’s popularity this year however, has to belong to author Stephenie Meyer and the bevvy of young Hollywood actors that she created and spun into young Hollywood superstars with her Twilight Saga novels through Summit Entertainment.

Of noteworthy significance is what Stephenie Meyer has done for Native American people in giving young American ‘Indian’ actors a center stage spotlight in mainstream cinemas again in our times. That’s amazing today, as the blog numbers show.

So, it’s with great pleasure that I present to you, your 50 top celebrities on Horiwood.Com. Thanks Team.

1. NIKKI REID :She is the naughty girl of the Twilight Saga film franchise, whose often held under wraps, by Summit Entertainment. When the heat was on Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson’s chemistry, it was Nikki’s scene stealing appearance with Native American Indian youngster, Taylor Lautner, that garnered Nikki Reid the top spot all year on Horiwood.Com. This one pic is the most searched for on this entertainment and news website in Hollywood. Reid is a big ’sleeping’ star in the making.

2. DAVID CARRADINE: the veteran, Hollywood actor’s kinky & mysterious death, was a fascinating look  into the darker side of human nature. People all over the world are still interested in David Carradine’s tragic passing.

3. KATHERINE HEIGL: She’s one of the most underpaid TV actresses in prime time. Blake Lively of Gossip Girl earns thousands more than Heigl does on hit medic show, Grey’s Anatomy. Heigl’s costar, Ellen Pompeio does too. Despite, being under appreciated in the TV pay stakes and being gracious about it, Katherine Heigl is often framed as a b*tch by LA media. However, my friends who work on the set of Grey’s each day, say that you will never find a sweeter star whose more of a team player in Hollywood than “Ms Heigl.”

Her divaness to turn on a show Hollywood style becomes apparent on the red carpet,  or in the quirky romantic comedy films she appears in (Knocked Up and The Ugly Truth). Heigl channels old Hollywood glamour. She is the real deal, and comes in at #3 on Horiwoood.Com’s most searched for celebrities.

4. HAYDEN PANETTIERE: The stories that the film crew of Heroes TV series, tell in Hollywood of Hayden Panettiere are hysterical. This girl is not a child in any way, but she has a cult teen following here in America. Hayden Panettiere is a young actress who fascinates American girls. They all want to be like her. This image of Hayden in a country straw hat, and cut off shorts, clocks in at number 4 for the year to date, on Horiwood.Com. America loves a country girl gone bad. Add Heroes’ action, super-powers to her and Hayden Panettiere has it made.

5. LADY GAGA: When it comes to the world of pop, there is no other debut artist who has made the impressions with music, attitude and show-personship than Stefani Germanotta’s Lady Gaga creation. She always brings the fierce, is a great songwriter and lyricist; and Lady Gaga will wear anything outrageous to capture a headline every week. She’s a relentless marketing machine. However, it is her claim that Lady Gaga is bisexual, that ensured her rise to  fame this year, as this post proves on Horiwood.Com. 

6. AMBER ROSE: She is not a singer, she is not an actress. Her claim to fame is that she is an African American model, who happened to date hip hop artist, Kanye West. But Amber Rose totally fascinates people daily on Horiwood.Com. She is the most underrated person on the celebrity set in America. But her fame online supersedes many stars who still say that they are stars. The internet never lies. That’s Amber Rose’s proof in today’s celebrity rankings. This girl is huge!

Her sultry beauty and no nonsense diva attitude, combine the best of fashion, urban chic groove and hip hop music. She just is who she is, a true star as her ratings position and popularity reveals on Horiwood.Com. Amber Rose is the new Nicole Richie, basically.

 7. KRISTEN STEWART: The Twilight Saga’s, Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse films show how one author’s vision can create a superstar if they have the beauty, smarts and chops to fill the role. Stephenie Meyer gave actress Kristin Stewart, the chance to show the world who she really is. She’s a stunner and a big star on Horiwood.Com. LA raised, Stewart’s family all work in film, on the crew side of the production line. When Kristen stepped over the gaffer tape line, she has never looked back and a superstar, playing Twilight’s Bella was born.

I love her singing voice too. Like her face, her voice is so pretty and soulful. A girl who can make both Robert Pattinson hot and also Taylor Lautner so  hot, has got to have enough sensuality to do this. Stewart proves she has. She is often a hate target of bloggers like PerezHilton.Com and female fans in love with her costar, Robert Pattinson, but Stewart keeps going from strength to strength here in her native LA. We love her!

8. MILEY CYRUS: She is because she is. She stepped into the ready made American shoes, of Britney Spears, teen pop star sensationalism. Having met Miley Cyrus in person, there is nothing to explain why America’s reigning teen superstar has the ranking that she does on Horiwood.Com with our global audience. I swear, Miley is so much prettier in person. She’s also incredibly smart. In person, Cyrus is so humble. That’s the shocking part. She’s a bundle of sweetness that fears God and who is naughty a lot too like any kid her own age, adjusting, growing and living life.

In spite of being a global megastar, Miley Cyrus is just such an American teenager! Love her!!!

9. MICHAEL JACKSON: He was the King of Pop and the third most famous person on the planet, after the Queen of England and The Pope. The world stopped to honor a person who was rich in complexity and talent. He paved the way for all African Americans to be loved in high profile positions in America and worldwide. This cannot be diminished or forgotton as your votes this year show today.

There will never be a performer quite like Michael Jackson. Barry Gordy described Michael Jackson as “the greatest entertainer on the planet” at his memorial service. Too true!

10. FARRAH FAWCETT: Charlie’s Angels hottest star ever. The beauty of Farrah Fawcett was always her strength of spirit. This became apparent as the lovely Farrah left this world, losing her battle to anal cancer. She ranks by all audience viewers worldwide at #10 on Horiwood.Com so far in 2009. What a gem of a human being!

11. LIL KIM: She is the world’s most famous hip hop widow. The rapper known as Lil Kim’s fame soared this year with her celebrity turn on Dancing With The Stars.

12. ROBERT PATTINSON: He took the box office magic of J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter film franchise, and gave the Twilight Saga the much needed celebrity spark that Stephenie Meyer needed to kick start the Twilight film franchise, perfectly. Robert Pattinson is Hollywood’s young reigning King of the tween celebrity set as a result of a Meyer-Pattinson-Rowling connection.

He hails from the UK and it is his onscreen relationship with Kristen Sewart who has made the Brit (who does not really work out at the gym like his costar, Kellan Lutz does) so appealing in the eyes of girls and cougars the world over. You get the feeling with Robbo that he doesn’t give a toss about his fame. This doesn’t stop girls from throwing themselves at the star though all year round. He needs security wherever he goes.

13. RIHANNA: Rihanna’s unfortunate altercation, with then boyfriend, Chris Brown on February 8th, sparked off a ‘domestic violence’ discussion right across America.

The pre-grammy night moment was very disturbia inducing. Horiwood.Com started the next day in response to this moment in shhow biz. Rihanna rates on blogs and websites right across America. She is Barbados’ exotic pop princess, doing it better, than many Americans. She’s a honey. As tough as she is talented and pretty within the fame game. The girl just lives her life, here in LA.

14. JOHNNY MARKOUDAKIS: He’s a barman that works at the local in my hood of West Hollywood, but it was when Johnny Markoudakis appeared in Lady Gaga’s Nothing Else I Can Say video, that made him a cult Hollywood heartthrob here on Horiwood.Com. Like Nikki Reid (who beat out all celebrities this year), Johnny is one of the shock surprises of the year on who really is a star in Hollywood. The people decide. Nikki and Johnny are both proof of that principle in a democratic, consumer based society.

15. CARRIE PREJEAN: America’s fascination with Carrie Prejean and all things plastic surgery, led the de-crowned Californian beauty Queen to superstardom this year on Horiwood.Com. Hate her or love her, this girl rates. The numbers don’t lie.

16. MEGAN FOX: She transformed from a cutie into a global Hollywood superstar, with Transformers 2: Revenge of The Fallen. Borrowing a lot initially from the style and PR moves that Angelina Jolie once made as a youngster on the Hollywood chess board, Fox has now stopped mimicking Angie, to step into her own spotlight and find her own voice.

Her video on peer pressure for kids is kinda amazing. It’s what she’s been experiencing lately having being bullied by her Transformers director, Michael Bay in the press. Fox’s statement is, that she may be his actress for a film franchise, but she’s not his girl toy. Love this girl. She’s annoying and church raised, but we’ve got to forgive her for in your face obnoxiousness. Balancing fame is always hard, when it comes to you in a rush, like it has for Fox. She’s alright with me.

17. BEYONCE KNOWLES: No one can out peform Beyonce Knowles. She’s America’s greatest triple threat entertainer and the living female version of a Michael Jackson superstar that America has produced (alongwith Janet Jackson, of course).

Beyonce can open a movie at #1 at the box office and she added executive film producer title to her impressive resume in entertainment this year with her film Obsessed. She is the American King and Queen’s first choice of officiating entertainer. The Obama’s love her. So do I. Beyonce Knowles is such a hard worker. I loved her live in concert. She rocks!

18. OCTO-MOM: Having octuplets when you can’t afford them tapped into America’s obsession with anything that’s medically enhanced. Nadya Suleman’s Octo-Mom creation and manic lifestyle, clocks in at #17 this year.

19. JON & KATE GOSSELIN: A family struggling to raise 8 kids, while divorcing propelled Jon & Kate Gosselin to fame this year. They rate on magazine covers as highly as Brad Patt and Angelina Jolie. They are the poor man’s Brad & Angie of reality television suburban life and they are single-handedly responsible for giving the tabloid magazine industry a huge growth boost this year.

The fact that the Jon & Kate Gosselin could do this in a recession, shows that middle America fears losing their family, putting food on the table and knowing the difference between stress and love in these times of recession. That’s why the Gosselin’s strike a cultural resonance across America. In other countries, not so much.

20. MICHAEL JACKSON’S CHILDREN: PARIS JACKSON, PRINCE MICHAEL JACKSON I & BLANKET: A new Paris  rose on the celebrity set this year and it was not Paris Hilton. The world reached out to the predicament that Michael Jackson’s children were found in, when their famous dad, left them early in this world. Paris Katherine Jackson tore hearts open with her few words about her father at MJ’s memorial. Even the most hardbitten, cynical journalists burst into tears.

21. ANGELINA JOLIE: She has set the benchmark of all celebrities to emulate both now and forever. Beauty, riches and fame must be used to benefit humanity. That’s the purpose of possessing or pursuing any of these three things. To do for others lesser fortunate than one’s self or one’s own.

Her star template she has created, makes Angelina Jolie the author of all modern thinking stars who say they love others. She’s Forbe Magazine’s #1 celebrity in the world. Love this woman!

If I had my way, Angelina Jolie would be #1 on this list of top celebrities, but ya’ll didn’t vote that way and that would be cheating, so she sits at #21 today.

22. BRAD PITT: He is half of the reigning king and queen of Hollywood equation. Brad Pitt has long been loved in America and in Asian cultures too. Brad has recently announced his intentions to run for the Mayor of New Orleans. Of course he is joking, but what better way to promote his charity that is rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina’s devastation than this. Brad Pitt is one smart marketer of his image and humanitarian-focused brand.

When your Mrs is Angelina Jolie, you better rock it like a humanitarian if you want to be considered sexy. Brad Pitt does not disappoint in this regard. He’s globally and humanitarian conscious, which makes him sexy when he gets home from work. Too funny!

23.BRAD COOPER: It was the exceptional timing of a well written comedic script for The Hang Over that catapulted Brad Cooper into fame’s super celebrity spotlight. He ranks at number twenty on this website this year for celebrity rankings put to the vote by a global audience.

24. STEPHENIE MEYER: As an author, Stephenie Meyer is this year’s J.K Rowling. Creating the Twilight Saga into a film franchise and super brand of entertainment, merchandising and now fashion and cosmetics, shows that authors can potentially be the architects of Hollywood industry.

We love her most, not for just making vampires hot again, but for giving Native American Indians a center-stage spotlight, honoring what these tribes of people have given early America’s founding fathers largely without just recognition. The humanitarian in Meyer addressed this wrong. Stephenie Meyer is amazing! Smart and with a conscience that’s alive to history. She sees history like it just happened yesterday. Wow!

25. TAYLOR LAUTNER: He’s 17, First Native American and Stephenie Meyer is showcasing him to the world. He is America’s leading Injun superstar of the moment and we dig Taylor Lautner’s wolf pack lad shizzle. Hot!

26. SUSAN BOYLE: Susan Boyle was the ugly duckling from Scotland, who revelaed the inner swan in us all, proving that we often judge books by their cover wrongly and that beauty is more than skin deep. What an amazing feat by the break out YouTube star and debut singing artist of this century. Age is nothing but a number. Let your dream always live! I am surprised that Boyle is not higher up on this list.

27. MISS TESSA: She’s an artist, a photographer, a fashion desinger and a fashionista. Fashion and art are in her soul and she’s our silent star of Horiwood.Com. We all love Miss Tessa. So effortlessly talented and beautiful too.

28. ALEX MERAZ: He’s the native American actor whose consistently rated on this celebrity driven website since he first appeared on the scene when the dancer/ actor was cast in New Moon. Alex is also the first Twilight Saga parent of the young tween set being the father of Somack Meraz and husband of Vietnamese dancer, Kim Meraz. He is Kellan Lutz’s pick of being the next big Twilight Saga star. Being a working dad makes Meraz a hardworking man in Hollywood. Meraz hails from Phoenix Arizona.

29. KIOWA GORDON, CHASKE SPENCER, BRONSON PELLETIER: These three lads casting in Twilight’s New Moon gave Hollywood film three new rising stars that caused a furore in Tinsel Town and the world.

30. JUSTIN GATSON: He was a wannabe country singer, supporting his singing dream as an underwear model. He was then plucked out from the pack by Billy Ray Cyrus, to date his daughter, Miley Cyrus. When the relationship had run its course, Justin found himself famous in the fame game and bereft of all promises. He is remembered though on Horiwood.Com and in time, his solo star will rise again. Courage To Love brother! Congrats for making #30 on the top celebrity list. That’s a fine effort for an underpaid guy to still achieve on his own merits. Props!

31. SALVADOR DALI: Because Hollywood is more surreal than real, a surrealist artist whose either dead or alive is going to rate well on a Hollywood news, celebrity website. Spanish artist Salvador Dali has a cult following in Hollywood on Horiwood.Com. Though deceased he lives on in his art. Dali was so talented!

32. VANESSA HUDGENS: Her knack of surviving naked pic scandals has garnered ex-Disney trained star, Vanessa Hudgens her place in Hollywood. Tinsel Town is not all Disney Snow White-ish you know, that’s why Hudgens has earned her place as a celebrity news staple. She rates and pulls her weight in Hollywood!

33. ANNE HATHAWAY: She became a symbol of America surviving George W.Bush’s creepy economy-destroying policies and bad governance, when Anne Hathaway survived a boyfriend who was jailed for fraud. Her beauty and her acting talents being revived, garnered Anne Hathaway a worlwide following this year.

34. CHACE CRAWFORD: It was the Gossip Girl star’s casting in Footloose this year, that blew Chace Crawford up into film star status. He still has to deliver a good film, but we are rooting for him on Horiwood.Com.

35. SIR RICHARD BRANSON: With the help of naked supermodel, Denni Parkinson, Richard Branson, our favorite billionaire guy who flies the skies, captured his own share of the limelight this year. Innovative and Clever!

36. BROOKE SHIELDS: Her sincerity at her friend Michael Jackson’s passing won America’s heart as Brooke Shields snatched the America’s Sweetheart title this year. What an amazing person Brooke Shields is. Sincerity is something you cannot buy or fake in the fame game and this sweet souled actress, still has it. Props!

37. SELENA GOMEZ: Her flirtation with Twilight New Moon actor Taylor Lautner, got Disney’s Latina hottie, Selena Gomez her share of fame this year. An animal rights activist, Selena Gomez is such a cutie. She’s a young lady who knows how to work the star system.

38. EMMA WATSON: She saw her fellow Brit, Robert Pattinson, up his game in America and take over the leading Brit tween male role from Daniel Radcliffe, but that did not stop Harry Potter’s Emma Watson from ramping her star game and getting noticed this year. We love her because she is both pretty and smart. Oh and the rich single title doesn’t go against this young British girl either. Nice work Emma Watson, this year. She’s got her game on!

39. ALISON IRAHETA: She’s the closest music artist to Kelly Clarkson, that American Idol has ever seen. This girl has pipes. Her talent alone put her in the top 50 on Horiwood.Com. If this hadn’t of been a ‘boy’s’ year, Alison would be the reigning American Idol of the USA. Your vote let’s me know that. Congrats Alison Iraheta. The talented person does shine through in the end.

40. MICHELLE OBAMA: She’s the First Lady of America. What Michelle Obama brings to peoples consciousness is a strength in being both American and African American. Her fashion choices and her toned arms, gave Michelle Obama the #40 celebrity spot this year, along with her amazing ability to dream an American dream and live it with courage every day. Wow!

41. JENNIFER ANISTON: She’s made a career  out of being a spinster everyone still loves. Aniston still makes lists in her 40s as a romantic comedy actress. Love it that she does.

42. MAXWELL: His soulful return to r n b music, ensured that Maxwell is #42 on the hottest celebrity list this year. This man can sing! That’s what he’s about.

43. ADAM LAMBERT: His battle to be afforded the right, just to be himself, has made American Idol contestant Adam Lambert a popular figure of the people. He has the talent to go with his fame. American Idol Tour tickets have been selling out, with Lambert as the big draw. Congrats Mr Lambert on getting through your trial by fire into celebrity land this year. This kid is rocker tough.

44. JERMAINE JACKSON: Being the spokesperson for brother Michael Jackson’s death, catapulted Jermaine Jackson back into the public spotlight this year.

45. ZAC EFRON: Disney trained star, Zac Efron is a triple threat who proved he can open a movie at #1 without all the Disney Hoopla attached to him. He does shimmy with Vanessa Hudgens in real life, which helps him a lot! Lopping off his famous boy bangs was a recession friendly move. Blokes don’t have the time, energy or money to waste on fluffing with their hair these days. Congrats Zac for making the top 50 on Horiwood.Com

46. CHASTITY BONO: Cher’s daughter, Chastity Bono caused headlines and prime time news coverage to freak out this year (just a little!), when the daughter of Sonny & Cher announced she was undergoing gender reassignment treatment and was on her way to switching genders and becoming a bloke. Radical! Chastity Bono and Jennifer Aniston both were best mates in high school. It’s amazing how many different routes stars can go in the fame game. This town is different.

47. LISA MARIE PRESLEY: The King of Rock’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley showed what being Elvis kin is all about, when she stepped up to the plate to shed some light on what being Michael Jackson’s wife was all about in show biz, after MJ died. It shot the spotlight shunning Presley back into headlines again. She was quite insightful, refreshing her Graceland merchandising and brand like that.

48. FRAN DRESCHER & BILL CLINTON: A naughty and friendly pat on the rump, by President Bill Clinton on Fran Drescher’s behind, shot the Nanny star and the ex-President to celebrity status fame again this year. These two are just two playful kids trying to do good in the world. Age is nothing but a number, as they both playfully showed, for a charitable cause.

49. CHELSEA HANDLER: She’s the Jewish waitress from New Jersey, now doing well in Hollywood. The humor of Chelsea Handler from the Chelsea Lately show, makes her one of the hottest celebrities on Horiwood.Com. She has “the sharpest tongue in late night” and she also dates her boss. Tricky! Does this girl ever stop working? No! And we love her for it. She makes the city of LA laugh, laugh, laugh!

50. JAMES FRANCO: Going back to school and also being invited to The White House for dinner, got actor James Franco into the top 50. He values education. What a message to send young people. Nice one Mr Franco for completing our most popular celebrities list so far, for 2009.

RISING STAR PICK: Q’ORIANKER KILCHER (Click on her name to read why).

Horiwood.Com’s top 50 celebrities for 2009 was brought to you by the young romance novel, Courage To Love, a love story by Californian author, Robert Ellis.

Brad Pitt is #9

She’s beaten out The Pope and Barack Obama today as a news topic of interest. Q’orianka Kilcher, the actress who is perhaps best suited to play Leah Clearwater in the Twilight Saga’s Eclipse film is smoking hot news in Young Hollywood today on Horiwood.Com. There’s just no stopping her. Amazing!

As voted by you, worldwide, here’s your Top 10 news picks today. Enjoy!

1. TWILIGHT ECLIPSE’S SHOCKING CASTING NEWS: Q’ORIANKA KILCHER  VS JULIA JONES FOR TWILIGHT ECLISPE’S LEAH CLEARWATER CASTING

2. IS THE POPE THE NEXT MICHAEL JACKSON OF MASSIVE GLOBAL ALBUM SALES?

3. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR PRESIDENT: BARACK OBAMA TURNS 48

4. NAKED PICS OF VANESSA HUDGENS ARE EVERYWHERE 

5. EAT. PRAY. LOVE SAY JAMES FRANCO & JULIA ROBERTS

6. AMERICA’S FIRST LADY OF FASHION DESIGN, HAS THE BEST HEIRLOOM TOMATOES IN THE WORLD

7. ROBERT PATTINSON ONCE WAS A GANGLING BOY

8. KANYE WEST MORPHS INTO AMBER ROSE IN THE FUTURE OF STEM CELL RESEARCH

9. BRAD PITT PARADES HIS MARRIAGE EQUALITY INTENTIONS WITH ANGELINA JOLIE

10. JODELLE FERLAND JOINS ECLIPSE

BONUS POST: XENA & HERCULES TYPES: HAVE YOU EVER BEEN HIKING IN THE WAITAKERE RANGES?

horiwood’slatest tweet is: “Vanessa Hudgens is a trending topic on twitter today. i can only think of 2 reasons why?”half a minute ago from web

Whoever would have thought that homegrown, heirloom tomatoes would rate on Horiwood.Com? Not me! Miss Elliette’s tomatoes have the magic touch. 

Read #6. Too funny!

Disney’s Ashley Tisdale and Twilight Saga’s Ashley Green both enjoyed their downtime this weekend on both US coasts.

Horiwood’s Top 10 today in Hollywood as voted by you the people worldwide are:

1. TWILIGHT ECLIPSE’S SHOCKING CASTING NEWS: JULIA JONES III VS Q’ORIANKA KILCHER FOR LEAH CLEARWATER

2. KRISTEN STEWART & ROBERT PATTINSON HAVE CRAZY LOVE

3. KATY PERRY TELLS MILEY CYRUS, “NO MORE EMO TWEETS”

4. SUSAN BOYLE SHOULD RECORD A DUET WITH THE POPE

5. OMER BATTI IS MICHAEL JACKSON’S SON SAYS JOE JACKSON

6. HAYDEN PANETTIERE HAS A DATE WITH BOB…

7. NEW TAYLOR LAUTNER, NEW MOON: JACOB BLACK SMOULDERS

8. THE VAMPIRE LIST: THE 20 TOP VAMPIRES OF ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY

9. OH DEAR… DRAKE IS NO CHRIS BROWN!

10. JON GOSSELIN GETS A NANNY HAWAIIAN STYLE

BONUS POSTS: 11. AMERICA’S FIRST LADY OF FASHION DESIGN, MISS ELLIETTE, HAS THE BEST HEIRLOOM TOMATOES IN THE WORLD

12. DALE’S TRIP TO LA

horiwood’s last twitter pick was from dale who is back in NZ Here it is: “@horiwood Definitely home – nothin like singing the Lord’s Prayer in Maori this am at Te Ataakura’s christening & crying over the AB’s loss.”9:50 PM Aug 1st from web in reply to horiwood

The Twilight Saga’s shocking casting rumors regarding the female actors chosen for Eclipse, has got Hollywood talking, Saturday.

Horiwood’s top 10 Today as voted by you from Hollywood are:

1. TWILIGHT ECLIPSE’S SHOCKING CASTING NEWS:JULIA JONES III VS Q’ORIANKA KILCHER

2. KRISTEN STEWART & ROBERT PATTINSON HAVE CRAZY LOVE!

3. OMER BATTI IS MICHAEL JACKSON’S SON SAYS JOE JACKSON

4. IS THE POPE THE NEXT MICHAEL JACKSON OF MASSIVE ALBUM SALES?

5. TWILIGHT STARS: KRISTEN STEWART & TAYLOR ARE GOOD BUDDIES

6. CHANNING TATUM’S & JENNA DEWANS WEDDING PIC

7. BRITNEY SPEARS “FACE SYNCS” HER CANDIES CAMPAIGN

8. EMMA WATSON SUNDAY MAGAZINE

9. KATY PERRY TELLS MILEY CYRUS, “NO MORE EMO TWEETS”

10. CHELSEA HANDLER’S BIRTHDAY SUIT HAS ALLURE

horiwood’s latest tweet was:#graceVsjudgement: question – if the world’s leading tween in entertainment got pregnant … would we still have the grace to love her?less than 5 seconds ago from we