Melissa Gilbert: Empowering Parents To Prevent Teen Addictions

We all loved her as Laura Ingalls on the beloved television series Little House on the Prairie. Now, Melissa Gilbert is all grown up and speaking out against a cause close to her heart: teen alcohol and drug prevention. "I know from personal experience the importance of educating parents about the dangers of teen substance abuse," the mom-of-four tells Celebrity Baby Scoop.

Melissa, 47, sat down with Celebrity Baby Scoop and opened up about the "staggering" statistics facing our teens and her best advice for concerned parents: "I truly believe that empowering parents is the first step in preventing the disease of addiction from ruining families," she said. The actress also talked about her four sons - Dakota, Michael, Sam, and Lee - whom she'd "rather hang out with more than anyone in the world." Read on about Melissa's mission to empower parents with DrugFree.org, and hear about her upcoming Christmas movie.

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Source: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2011/11/08/melissa-gilbert

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Brett Ratner Out As Oscar Producer After Gay Slur

'Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable,' Academy president says in a statement.
By Kara Warner


Brett Ratner
Photo: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

In a move that falls right in line with the old adage "actions speak louder than words," director Brett Ratner has stepped down as producer of the 2012 Academy Awards.

Ratner submitted his resignation to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization in charge of the Oscars, on Tuesday (November 8), according to a statement posted on Oscars.org. The "Tower Heist" director has been making headlines over the past few days — first, due to his comments about a sexual relationship with Olivia Munn, then at a screening of "Heist," where he used a gay slur, claiming that "rehearsal is for f--s."

"He did the right thing for the Academy and for himself," Academy President Tom Sherak said in the statement. "Words have meaning, and they have consequences. Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable. We all hope this will be an opportunity to raise awareness about the harm that is caused by reckless and insensitive remarks, regardless of the intent."

Ratner explained his resignation in an open letter to the entertainment industry, obtained by Deadline.

"Over the last few days, I've gotten a well-deserved earful from many of the people I admire most in this industry expressing their outrage and disappointment over the hurtful and stupid things I said in a number of recent media appearances," he wrote. "To them, and to everyone I've hurt and offended, I'd like to apologize publicly and unreservedly.

"So many artists and craftspeople in our business are members of the LGBT community, and it pains me deeply that I may have hurt them," he continued. "I should have known this all along, but at least I know it now: words do matter. Having love in your heart doesn't count for much if what comes out of your mouth is ugly and bigoted. With this in mind, and to all those who understandably feel that apologies are not enough, please know that I will be taking real action over the coming weeks and months in an effort to do everything I can both professionally and personally to help stamp out the kind of thoughtless bigotry I've so foolishly perpetuated. As a first step, I called Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast. Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career. But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents."

Ratner apologized for the gay slur on Monday. "I apologize for any offense my remarks caused. It was a dumb and outdated way of expressing myself," Ratner said in a statement. "Everyone who knows me knows that I don't have a prejudiced bone in my body. But as a storyteller I should have been much more thoughtful about the power of language and my choice of words."

The statement was condemned by gay-rights organization GLAAD, which acknowledged the apology but said it did not go far enough.

Sherak initially stood behind Ratner as 2012 Oscar producer but warned that the organization would not put up with any more indiscretions. "The bottom line is, this won't and can't happen again," he told Deadline on Monday. "It will not happen again."

No word yet on whether this will affect plans for Ratner-recruited "Heist" star Eddie Murphy to host the show.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1674010/brett-ratner-academy-award-oscar-resignation-gay-slur.jhtml

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Chelsea Handler and Andre Balazs: It's Over!


Chelsea Handler and Andre Balazs have called it quits after less than a year of dating, her rep confirmed earlier today. The couple first went public in May.

Handler told Piers Morgan Tonight about her relationship then:

"I'm seeing someone now, but, I have spent so much time exposing my personal life to everybody that I finally am in a situation where I feel like it's disrespectful to another individual ... I've learned to respect somebody else's privacy."

I'd HandlerAndre Balazs Picture

Handler, whose exes include 50 Cent, Animal Planet's Dave Salmoni and Comcast CEO Ted Harbert, explained, "It's not about me, 'cause I would like to make fun of him as much as possible, but he has kids, so I have to be nice."

When asked whether she was in love with Andre Balazs, she replied: "I have very strong feelings." Too bad they didn't last longer, but what are you gonna do.

Break out the vodka and the one-night stands again?

[Photos: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/11/chelsea-handler-and-andre-balazs-its-over/

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Justin Bieber's Under The Mistletoe To Top Billboard

Holiday album on pace to sell more than 200,000 copies, giving the Biebs second-straight #1 bow.
By James Montgomery


Justin Bieber in "Mistletoe"
Photo: Island Def Jam

Christmas is coming early for Justin Bieber

Based on early estimates, it looks as if his Under the Mistletoe holiday album will claim the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 with sales in the neighborhood of 200,000 to 225,000 copies.

If those figures hold — and if Bieber can withstand a late charge from rapper Wale's Ambition — it will give the teen-pop sensation his second consecutive #1 debut, following in the footsteps of his My World 2.0 disc, which topped the charts in March 2010 with sales of more than 280,000 copies.

According to industry site HITS Daily Double, with a little more than half of the nation's retailers reporting sales, Mistletoe has already moved more than 150,000 units and holds a 40,000-album lead over Ambition.

And though, in recent days, he's been facing ongoing questions about the paternity suit filed against him by a 20-year-old woman, Bieber has been promoting Under the Mistletoe hard, logging a string of high-profile appearances that included premiering the video for the first single, "Mistletoe," live on MTV as well as interviews and performances on NBC's "Today" show, "Dancing With the Stars" and "The X Factor."

He also announced the formation of his Believe Charity Drive — he'll donate portions of the sales of Mistletoe to a spate of charitable organizations — and shot a pair of new videos for tracks on the album, including a "classic" clip with Mariah Carey on a version of her "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and a team-up with Boyz II Men on "Fa La La."

Share your reviews of Justin's holiday album in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1673955/justin-bieber-under-the-mistletoe-charts.jhtml

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Pitbull Barks Back at Lindsay Lohan Lawsuit


Pitbull has come out barking in his legal dispute with Lindsay Lohan, responding to the lawsuit she recently filed against him by calling LiLo a liar and a criminal.

Lohan claims the hip hop star owes her money for disparaging and using her name in the song "Give Me Everything," in which he name-checks the train wreck.

Hilariously, the track includes the memorable lyric, "I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan." More hilariously, Lohan says a PITBULL SONG damages her reputation.

Pitbull says that's ridiculous, but Lohan refused to back down ... so his lawyers are taking it to her, asking that, first of all, the suit be moved out of N.Y. State.

Lindsay claims in court documents that she's a resident of Nassau County, however, Pit claims she's been living California since 2004 ... and he can prove it.

"Given her frequent legal troubles, Ms. Lohan possesses irrevocable ties to California that are likely to keep her there for the foreseeable future," he states.

Then, Pit rattles off every single one of her legal problems in California - many jail stints, house arrest, community service, you name it - to make his point.

Thus, in light of Ms. Lohan's continuing obligations to the State of California, as well as the foregoing facts, Ms. Lohan is not a citizen New York," he adds.

The rapper wants the case moved to federal court, where he thinks he'll have a better shot of taking Lohan down. Your move, Marilyn Monroe wannabe.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/11/pitbull-barks-back-at-lindsay-lohan-lawsuit/

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Dierks Bentley: "Fatherhood Changes Your Life"

The arrival of his second daughter Jordan late last year meant that country star Dierks Bentley was definitely outnumbered on the home front - not that he's complaining. "We're really happy with what we've got," says Dierks, who is also dad to 3-year-old Evie with his wife Cassidy. In a new interview with Parade.com, the singer talks about his family, his music and his work with Wounded Warriors, which aids America's veterans.

On being inspired by fatherhood: "It changes your life and as a songwriter it feeds into your music, though I don't try to write songs like that. Some songs are very specific, but other songs I try so that they can be heard and interpreted in different ways. There are songs on this record that I wrote with my daughter in mind, but they could be a love song, could be a spiritual song, all depends on how you listen to it."

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Source: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2011/11/08/dierks-bentley-fatherhood-changes-your-life

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