Despite claims to the contrary, Lindsay Lohan has posted a message on her official Facebook profile to deny reports that she and Samantha Ronson have broken up. Additionally, the happy couple (despite how they look in these pics) were spotted out and about together as they made their way to the Echo nightclub in LA over the weekend:

This from her Facebook profile:

not breaking up

tabloids and people tell lies- they always wanna see everything and anything
good come to an end. duh

Additionally, Lindsay has uploaded a bunch of new photos to her official My Space profile, including quite a few new pics of L. Ron together:

It sounds and looks like they happy couple are still very happy together. I, for one, am relieved to hear Lindsay refute these claims. L. Ron are my fave new couple of 2008 … I am looking forward to seeing them happily together well into the new year and beyond!

[Photo credit: Splash News; thanks Stephon]

Yesterday was a cold, rainy and absolutely dreary day. It poured from morning til night and offered not one bit of respite the whole day long … even still, I braved the elements to make my way out into the city to pick up my tickets to see Britney Spears perform in the Big Tent at the Big Apple Circus tomorrow morning:

I don’t normally like to talk about events before they occur but I am really excited to see our dear Britney tomorrow morn. I was very lucky to be in the hiz at the 2008 MTV VMAs in September as well at the LA Madonna concert where Britney showed up as a special guest … and tomorrow I’ll get to see her perform live on her birthday. It’s been a wacky year for Britney but I’m just so happy to see things going so well for her lately. I have to be at Lincoln Center at 6AM tomorrow morning for the show … so that means it’ll be an early night for me tonight.

This afternoon, now that the rain has stopped, I’m gonna try to make my way up to 5th Ave. to see the Xmas window decorations in the stores there. This will be my last visit to NYC before Xmas so I’m gonna make the most of it while I can. Fun times, y’all :)

• Four Christmases was the #1 movie at the box office this weekend.
• Christine Beatty, former aide/mistress to former-Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, pleads guilty in their ongoing txt message sex scandal
  

Britney Spears, who just completed a successful yet short European promo tour delivering performances in Germany, France and the UK, has made her way to New York City, NY to round out her promo work here in the Big Apple. Grandpapa Jamie Spears had Britney‘s sons Sean Preston and Jayden James flown in from SoCal to be with their mother here in NYC. Here are pics of Britney‘s arrival at JFK airport early yesterday morning and of her sons arrival in Newark, NJ later in the day:

After watching Britney Spears: For The Record last night, I think we all know what being in NYC means to Britney … and now that she is able to enjoy the city with her children, she must be in great spirits today. Tomorrow morning, Britney will perform live on Good Morning America in the big tent set up in Lincoln Center at the Big Apple Circus. I understand that Britney is scheduled to perform at least two songs on GMA tomorrow but, beyond that, there is no further info. I suspect we’ll be seeing the same Womanizer routine she’s been performing in Europe over the past few days but I’m hopeful we’ll see an entirely new routine (mebbe for her single Circus) as well. These are exciting days for our dear Britney … not only does she release her new album Circus tomorrow …

… but she will also be turning 27 years old as well. I hope that all her birthday wishes come true this year. Thus far, she appears on the right track to make all her dreams come true again.

After the jump, check out a new preview video for her new music video for Circus …

The Brangelina brood has surfaced in New Orleans, LA this weekend as matriarch Angelina Jolie (who may or may not be hiding a baby bump underneath that kinda tight dress) and her eldest child Maddox Chivan popped up in town doing a bit of shopping at the Little Toy Shop (which specializes in old skool toys):

Additionally, in other parts of town, Brad Pitt and his porn’stache were spotted zooming around on his motorcycle:

It would stand to reason that the rest of the family is in town as well. This is the first time that Angelina has been seen out in public since In Touch Weekly reported last week that she is pregnant again. It appears that she chose to wear this tight-fitting dress to prove that she is not harboring a new baby in her womb (tho, if it was early enough … she could be hiding a burgeoning baby bump under this dress in order to throw us off the track). In any event, it appears that the family has set up shop to celebrate at least part of the holidays at their home in New Orleans. Pregs or not, I’m sure that various members of family (individually or en masse) will be showing up around town in the coming days, weeks. Welcome home, y’all!!

[Photo credit: Splash News, X17]

Matthew McConaughey, his babymama Camila Alves and his newborn son Levi Alves have made their way to the Southern Hemisphere to embark on a family vacay so that Camila could introduce her son to her homeland of Brazil. The family spent their Friday in Rio and then made their way to Camila‘s home in Minas Gerais. Here are a few pics of Matthew and Camila gettin’ their party on in Rio:

Aww … it looks like the happy couple were gettin’ their weekend off to a fine start. I’m sure with those drinks in hand, they were ready for anything. After the jump, check out a few more pics that show what exactly Matty and Cam got into after they finished those drinks …

President-elect Barack Obama has just announced his decision to name Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (his former rival for the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States) as his Secretary of State when he takes office in January. While this news isn’t actually “news” per se (we’ve been hearing that Hillary was his choice for weeks now), I think it’s absolutely relevant to talk about it now that Clinton‘s nomination to Obama‘s Cabinet is official. Here is a pic of Obama and Hillary at their press conference in Chicago, IL this morning:

President-elect Barack Obama is filling his Cabinet at record speed, choosing loyal friends and one-time foes to guide his wartime foreign policy decisions. Obama on Monday announced Democratic primary rival Hillary Rodham Clinton as his secretary of state and said that President George W. Bush’s defense secretary, Robert Gates, is staying on. Obama also named Washington lawyer Eric Holder as attorney general and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary. He also announced two senior foreign policy positions outside the Cabinet: campaign foreign policy adviser Susan Rice as U.N. ambassador and retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones as national security adviser. The announcements rounded out the top tier of the team that will advise the incoming chief executive on foreign and national security issues in an era marked by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and terrorism around the globe. “The time has come for a new beginning, a new dawn of American leadership to overcome the challenges of the 21st century,” Obama said as his Cabinet picks stood behind him on a flag-draped stage. We will strengthen our capacity to defeat our enemies and support our friends. We will renew old alliances and forge new and enduring partnerships.” Obama said his appointees “share my pragmatism about the use of power, and my sense of purpose about America’s role as a leader in the world.” Obama also has settled on former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle to be his secretary of Health and Human Services and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to be Commerce secretary. Last week, he named key members of his economic team, including Timothy Geithner, president of Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as Treasury secretary. The decisions mean Obama has half of the 15-member Cabinet assembled less than a month after the election, including the most prominent positions at State, Justice, Treasury and Defense. With the world grappling with war, recession and terrorist threats that erupted this week during coordinated attacks in India, Obama was moving swiftly to try to bring reassurance and continuity in the federal government when he takes over in less than two months … Obama’s choice of Hillary Clinton was an extraordinary gesture of good will after a year in which the two rivals competed for the Democratic nomination in a long, bitter primary battle … The bitterness began melting away in June after Clinton ended her campaign and endorsed Obama. She went on to campaign for him in his general election contest against Republican Sen. John McCain. Advisers said Obama had for several months envisioned Clinton as his top diplomat, and he invited her to Chicago to discuss the job just a week after the Nov. 4 election. The two met privately Nov. 13 in Obama’s transition office in downtown Chicago. Clinton was said to be interested and then to waver, concerned about relinquishing her Senate seat and the political independence it conferred. Those concerns were largely resolved after Obama assured her she would be able to choose a staff and have direct access to him, advisers said.

Personally, I think this decision is the perfect way for the US to benefit from the leadership of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In the primary season, I was strongly on Team Hillary but happily supported Obama when he won the nomination. Unlike many other people, I’m glad he did not select Hillary to be his VP because I think she can better serve this country as the Secretary of State. This way, we have the best of both worlds. Obama and Clinton will make an amazing team and will be better able to work together to get things done in this capacity. I’ve been thrilled at the prospect of Hillary Clinton being named our nation’s top diplomat since the reports began to swirl a few weeks ago … now that it’s official, I’m over the moon. The coming administration has filled me with such hope and optimism … I can’t wait for them to get to work.

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Here are a few ABSO-EFFING-LUTLY adorable photos of mama Nicole Richie and her precious babygirl Harlow Winter out and about in SoCal this past weekend and you will note that Harlow has begun teething. In these pics, you can see that the little darling is cutting her teeth on her Sophie Giraffe doll:

Have you ever seen anything so cute in all your life? Over the summer while I was in Paris, France with Steph and Alek, I learned that every single child born in France gets a Sophie doll — like, they pop out of the womb and BAM! they get a doll — because the babies there absolutely love her. I just cannot get over how adorably cute Harlow is … especially with her little rubber giraffe … I’m dying. She has to be the cutest celeb baby girl, like, ever. I’m sure she and Sophie will be very happy together for many years to come.

[Photo credit: X17]

Last night, as I’m sure everyone on planet Earth is well aware, MTV aired an intimate documentary titled Britney Spears: For The Record that featured the young popstar openly discussing the hellacious year she suffered in 2007, leading up to her mental breakdown in January of 2008, as well as the aftermath and her recent attempts to get her life back in order. Filmed by the documentary filmmakers who made the heady Academy Award-winning doc Fog Of War, For The Record is an intense look at Britney Spears‘s life from her perspective, in her own words. Here are a few screencaps from last night’s airing:

Britney Spears’ life has been filled with speculation and scrutiny over the last few years. In “For the Record,” a documentary that aired on MTV on Sunday night, the pop singer finally opened up about her life in the spotlight. “I have good days and I have bad days,” she said in the special. “Sometimes it’s too much. No subject was off limits, and Spears talked about being a mom, her public breakdown and her breakups with Justin Timberlake and Kevin Federline. “For the Record” also gave an all-access pass to her return to the pop scene as she worked on promotion for her album Circus, which included video shoots for “Womanizer” and the title track. Explaining her breakdown, Spears said that she had let the wrong people into her life. “[It was] a really bad time in my life. … I’m not gonna sugarcoat it and say I was OK,” she admitted. “Maybe I had traumatic stress. I just remember I did not want to be at home. When I was in my car, I was driving and I was going somewhere.” Despite the hard times, the singer said she tries not to let them get her down. “Normal is different for everybody,” she said, later adding, “It could be a lot worse. There are people out there who have it a lot worse than I do.” She also admitted that even though her life seems hectic, what with constantly being surrounded by assistants, handlers and the paparazzi, “I choose to be a happy person. If I have a bad day, I get angry with myself.” Britney’s dad, Jamie Spears, and her longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, were also featured in the documentary, as well the pop singer’s mentor, Madonna. “I admire her as an artist,” the Material Girl said, adding that she sees a lot of herself in the young singer. But Spears isn’t just a pop star, she’s also a mother to her two sons. And they are the people in her life that help her hold onto her faith. “I see my babies and say … you have to believe in God,” she said. “How can these two babies be here without there being a God?” At the end of the documentary, she said she hoped that people would understand that she’s just like anybody else. “I love what I do. I love my babies,” she said. “And I work really hard.” She added, “It’s weird. You can see the cruelest part of the world and then on the other side you see the most beautiful. … But they’re worth it. … I’ve been to both places.” In order to stay on that beautiful side, Spears said she’s avoiding the people and things that hurt her: “Now I try to avoid situations from the past that may threaten me. … I go through life like a Karate Kid.”

Many folks have commented that Britney looked sad thruout the documentary … to me, she appeared guarded and very reserved. I imagine that she is not used to baring her soul in such an open fashion. Despite her immense fame, she has never been afforded the opportunity to talk so openly about her life — the good and the bad — on such a grand scale. While there may have been tinges of sadness in the piece, I think the overwhelming tone was a guarded one (think of an injured bird that has had both of its wings broken and, in the course of the healing process, has to trust an outstretched hand that she is being helped and won’t be hurt again). I was very impressed with how much Britney opened up to the cameras … I found it wholly fascinating to see what her life is like on the inside. I must admit, it doesn’t look fun. But it appears to be all she’s ever known … she even talked a bit about how she isn’t complaining about how her life turned out, she’s just trying to deal with the realities as she deals with very strong personal issues at the same time. It’s a great sight to see her surrounded by her close friends and family members (Jamie Spears, Brett Miller, Larry Rudolph) — it’s a far cry from the days when she was running around with that lecherous trash that almost led her to her destruction last year (Lutfi, Sims, Ghalib). I’m sure some people will complain that there were many things she did not discuss in the doc but, for me, I was impressed that she even agreed to talk about her life at all. This doc totally feels like a Larry Rudolph idea. It is not meant for Britney‘s very loyal fans … she will always have those people. This doc was made for the haters, detractors, critics and all around a-holes who take pleasure in ripping the poor girl apart. It’s basically a stripped down look at her as a real person … good or bad, this is who she is. Will it silence her critics? I doubt it. Will it change a few minds? I think so … but in the end, I suspect the act of being so open, so publicly is an integral component of Britney‘s rehabilitation (if you will). She fell so far and has to recoup so much that, I think, she needed to (on some level) start over from scratch — baring so much on world-wide television prolly seemed like a good place to start. Again, I was very impressed with this film (and very surprised that Madonna agreed to sit down to be interviewed — that was a very well-kept secret). I just hope that her life continues to level off and that she is better equipped to handle the stresses that come along with being Britney Spears. I believe she can do it.

Britney Spears: For The Record will premiere in the UK on SKY1 tonight and will reair here in the US on MTV today, tomorrow and Wednesday (at least). I’m not sure if the film will be viewable online (at this point, it is not) but if it does become available, I’ll be sure to pass along the info.

UPDATE: Here is Part 1 of the doc:

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Today, Monday December 1, is World AIDS Day which seeks to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection around the world. I think it is very appropriate to pause and be observant of the day in order to remind people that AIDS is still a very real problem in the world — especially since many world governments make a point to faithfully observe the day year after year. I think it’s easy for people to forget the importance of AIDS awareness, particularly protection, because we don’t hear about it very much in the news anymore. Each year, World AIDS Day is given a theme … this year’s theme is Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise – Lead – Empower – Deliver:

Governments across the globe pledged Monday to step up the fight against HIV, combatting the stigma associated with the disease and promising to bankroll treatment programmes on World AIDS Day. US President George W. Bush was to announce his administration had already met its goal of treating two million people living with HIV/AIDS by the end of the year, while his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao visited patients with the virus as part of a government effort to fight discrimination. In South Africa, the country with the highest number of sufferers in the world, the government was mapping out its AIDS strategy under a new health minister as part of a sea-change in attitudes from the ANC government. South Africans held a moment of silence at midday (1000 GMT) as a mark of respect for victims of the virus which has affected some 5.5 million people. Speaking at a ceremony in the eastern port city of Durban, newly-appointed Health Minister Barbara Hogan urged men to overcome their traditional reluctance and voluntarily test for HIV. “We enourage all men, I repeat all men, to test themelsves for HIV to protect themselves and the people they love,” Hogan said. “We all know that together we shall overcome,” she said. In Johannesburg, the celebrated Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo also called for reducing the stigma still attached to the disease. “HIV-AIDS has become a huge issue for my continent and the fight against it must be relentless and determined,” Kidjo told AFP. “There is a need in Africa to educate people on the the killer diseases and ailments such as AIDS, malaria, dysentary, cholera,” said Kidjo, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. “It is pleasing to note that treatment for these diseases is becoming more accessible to people,” said Kidjo. Kidjo, who performed in South Africa on Saturday, is travelling to Dakar later Monday for a two-day musical campaign aimed at reducing the stigma of AIDS. Hu’s visit to a hospital in Beijing was also designed to strip away some of the stigma attached to the virus, following the launch on Sunday of a campaign being conducted with the United Nations to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. “Stigma and discrimination are major obstacles in an effective response to AIDS,” said Health Minister Chen Zhu at the launch of the campaign at the Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium. “We need to engage all sectors of society in China to combat these issues and work to stop the disease.” China has about 700,000 people who are HIV-positive, according to a previously released estimate by the Chinese government and UN health organisations. However only about 260,000 have been officially identified as having the disease. Meanwhile in Washington, the White House said that Bush’s emergency plan for AIDS relief (PEPFAR) had now supported life-saving antiretroviral treatment for over 2.1 million men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS around the world, including more than two million people in Sub Saharan Africa. The programme provides funding for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis treatment in 15 focus countries among the world’s poorest, mainly in Africa. “PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in human history,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement.

Practicing safe sex is STILL AN ABSOLUTE MUST in this day and age but so is fighting the stigma and fear of HIV testing. These days, HIV test results can be returned the very same day that testing occurs and many tests DO NOT REQUIRE NEEDLES (testing can also be as anonymous and private as you like, you do not need parental permission to get tested). A simple mouth swab and you have your results. It is my hope that World AIDS Day will inspire at least one person to be more aware of the AIDS pandemic in this world so that they will be better equipped to protect themselves from this still very deadly disease. MTV has set up a great page HERE that offers all kinds information on AIDS testing and prevention. Click HERE to visit the official World AIDS Day site to learn how YOU can make a difference.

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