“The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.”

James Branch Cabell, The Silver Stallion, 1926
US essayist & novelist (1879 – 1958)

A reader sent me this email today that I found pretty amusing.  It is about the importance of teaching our children spelling.  I think you will enjoy!

Weekend Box Office
January 23 – 25, 2009

1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $21.6 million ($64.9 million)
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - $20.8 million ($20.8 million)
3. Gran Torino - $16.2 million ($97.8 million)
4. Hotel for Dogs – $12.9million ($37.5 million)
5. Slumdog Millionaire - $10.7 million ($56.1 million)

Full Box Office Totals

“American Idol” is a competition to find the best undiscovered talent in the country, but the rules and fairness of the game were put to the test when Joanna Pacitti showed up to the auditions of the show’s 8th season.

Joanna is not an amateur! She is described as someone who already has a very well-established career in the business – Joanna has launched one album titled “This Crazy Life” and has been featured in various movie soundtracks.

Joanna Pacitti – a singer who was once signed to A&M Records. During that time she not only put out an album, but had songs featured on the soundtracks for films like “Legally Blonde,” “First Daughter” and “Nancy Drew.” Joanna even recorded the song “Out From Under” which Britney Spears covered on her most recent album, “Circus.”

Joanna who previously complained about how easy it was for “Idols” to make it in the music business has turned the table on herself. She auditioned and put quite a tearful show while trying to resuscitate her dead career on the same show she once bashed.

Joanna was asked if she resents that TV turns people into stars in a matter of seconds. “It’s handed to people way too easily,” she said of the fame that comes from being on an “Idol”-like show. “I’d rather have my experience than overnight success.”

Looks like Joanna now wants to get a taste of some overnight success. What do you think? Does this girl’s experience in the show/music business threaten the fairness of competition on “American Idol”??

Other hot/controversial “American Idol” contestants:

“American Idol” Bikini Girl Katrina Darrell Lesbian Party Photos HERE>>

“American Idol” Casey Carlson Audition & Bikini Photos HERE>>

Katrina Darrell: From Hooters To “American Idol” Bikini Girl Photos HERE>>

Watch Joanna Pacitti’s Music Video + Various Songs below go on reading »

In recent events Katie Holmes seemed to have lost a lot of weight. The actress was reportedly going onto a Scientology vitamin detox after the end of her Broadway debut with “All My Sons” and she was also seen with a bottle of Celsius. Celsius is a known drink amongst celebs containing only 10 calories and claiming to burn up to 77 calories in a 3-4 hour period.

This is just insane! Katie doesn’t need to diet or a freaky Scientology detox. It’s scary just imagining what kind of crap those lunatics are feeding her… another step in the process of turning Katie into a robot wife? That’s exactly what she looked like at Tom Cruise’s “Valkyrie” premiere in London!

[images: WENN]

Actress Kate Winslet doesn’t have anything to prove anymore. She is an amazing actress! This year alone, Kate won two Golden Globe Awards and was given her sixth Oscar nomination for her amazing performance in the controversial movie “The Reader“, where she exposes her naked body.

But what seems so natural to her wasn’t always easy. Kate confesses she had no confidence in herself when she was younger and considered to be fat, unhappy and unable to compete with much thinner actresses.

Kate revealed: “As a young girl, I never felt attractive. I was fat and unhappy at times and that kind of thinking stays with you your entire life.

“There’s always going to be a part of me that worries about not looking as slim as other actresses.”

Although Kate’s talent totally makes up for any imperfection on screen, I don’t believe she has anything to worry about. Kate is absolutely gorgeous, has a successful acting career and a lot more confidence in herself now.

She added: “At a certain point, when you achieve a lot of your goals and you can be proud of your work, you start to relax more about who you are.

“And that includes your appearance and self-image – I don’t think I look too bad for a mother of two.”

Kate recently shared her secrets to keeps her milfy body hot and tight. The “Revolutionary Road” star has come to a time in her life where she has achieved a great balance between her personal life (Kate is happily married with director Sam Mendes) and career.

[images: WENN]

Bikini Bottom – Click to Find Out Who

Slumdog Millionaire is easily the runaway film hit of the year. The underdog has swept top honors at every awards show all season and yesterday it scored top honors from the Producer’s Guild of America.

The film, a gritty yet heartwarming drama about a game-show contestant from the slums of Mumbai, beat out “Milk,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight” and “Frost/Nixon.”

Producer Christian Colson was honored with the Darryl F. Zanuck producer of the year award at the ceremony, held at the Hollywood Palladium, the latest Hollywood kudofest in the run-up to the Academy Awards next month.

Tonight we will find out what the Screen Actor’s Guild thinks- which is often a good indication of who gets the Oscars. My money’s on the Millionaire.

[images: WENN]

First, I must apologize for the disgusting picture of this plumbers nasty hands… Moving on: Allison Berry‘s ring fell off her hand as she went to flush the toilet at the Black Bear Diner in Phoenix, AZ on January 14. But this wasn’t a cracker jack box ring- it was a 7 carat, $70,000 diamond wedding ring that took over $6000 to recover.

City workers opened a pipe outside the restaurant and continuously flushed the toilet, hoping to push the ring out to the opening. When that didn’t work, the city called the office in suburban Tempe of Mr. Rooter, a plumbing services franchise based in Waco, Texas.

“This is going to be like dredging for a treasure chest in the ocean,” Mike Roberts, general manager of Mr. Rooter, said at the time.

Roberts guided a tiny video camera into the pipe with an infrared light attached. He eventually spotted the ring just 3 feet down and 5 feet over from where it was flushed. Then it took an hour-and-a-half of jackhammering and pipe removal before Roberts and a technician could recover the ring, eight hours after it fell in the toilet.

Mr. Rooter charged $5200, while the city’s bill came to $1000. Berry and her husband also tipped Roberts and the technician $400 each and gave $200 to a diner employee for staying late… Which is great, but did they pay to fix the bathroom that got jackhammered?

[image: AP]

Yes, Hugh Hefner is married. Kimberly Conrad and Hefner married in 1989 and have two teenage sons together, and while they separated ten years later, the pair have never divorced (and likely never will). What do all those girlfriends that live with him think?

“This upset Holly (Madison) a lot, as she really did want to marry Hef and have a family with him, but she realized it was never going to happen and that’s when she left,” said our source.

Since the split, Conrad has rarely been seen at the mansion fraternizing with his hoard of ladies. Until now…

“I don’t care about them (Hef’s other companions). They actually try to avoid me,” she once said, adding that she only visits the Mansion for Tuesday’s “Family Night,” when no other hotties are hopping around.

So, Conrad reportedly caused quite a stir of surprise when she recently showed up to one of Hef’s female-frenzied movie nights, spending the evening hanging out with a bevy of beauties and the men’s magazine mogul.

“They still have a very special connection, you can see that when Hef looks at her,” a mansion insider said.

Wonder what Hef’s twins and new #1 girlfriend Crystal Harris think of the return?

[image: AP]

Nicky Hilton and boyfriend David Katzenberg stepped out for some lunch at Joan’s On Third in Hollywood yesterday in coordinating outfits. Nicky looked super sexy in a black cap, a black and white plaid top, tattered jeans and totally hot black knee high boots. Her man wore a white tee, black sweater, jeans and Nike sneakers.

The ridiculously rich duo (he is son of Dreamworks‘ producer Jeffrey Katzenberg) were reportedly planning a winter wedding after the Christian and Jewish holidays, but apparently that was just a rumor. They have been together since 2006.

[images: WENN]

Paul McCartney‘s girlfriend Nancy Shevell is officially divorced, leaving him free to propose to the New York socialite.

Ms Shevell – whose father heads the £250 million family haulage business – obtained her full divorce from Mr Blakeman last month. The divorce was made final by the US Supreme Court of the State of New York on December 9, after she had been legally separated from him for one year and sixty days.

Everyone knows that McCartney’s kids-especially designer Stella McCartney- hated ex-wife Heather Mills, but rumor has it they have given Shevell their seal of approval. It is also comforting to the family that she has become wealthy in her own right and it clearly not after his money. So what does the handsome duo not agree on?

Ms Shevell does differ in her politics. She is a meat-eating Republican, unlike the more liberal and staunchly vegetarian ex-Beatle.

Sir Paul, 66, has happily been photographed with his love since early on… Maybe soon it will be wedding pictures we get to see!!

[images: WENN]