I couldn’t let the day pass without sending some Birthday Lurve to a favorite around here on Pink is the new Blog … Mr. Hugh Jackman. Considering all the wonderful entertainment Jackman brings us seemingly on a daily basis, the least we can do is send some lurve his way today on his birthday:

As this HAWT screencap from his movie Australia illustrates, there is a lot to celebrate today … Hugh Jackman is 41 years old and he looks damn good, don’t you think? I hope all y’all will join me in sending Happy Birthday wishes and lots of lurve to Hugh today. Here’s to many more birthdays and lots of shirtless yumminess in the years to come!!

Former Saved by the Bell star and current host of Extra! TV and America’s Best Dance Crew Mario Lopez got an early start on celebrating his 36th birthday this past weekend. Mario was the guest of honor at club mur.mur inside the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ on Saturday and was surprised with a beefcake birthday cake in celebration:

I’m not sure how Mario felt about eating a cake that featured his hot, ripped, half-nekkid body on it but I know I wouldn’t have minded a slice. Altho Mario and his peeps got a jump start on celebrating his bday this year, he doesn’t actually turn 36 until October 10. Judging by the hotness of his birthday cake, I think it’s pretty evident that Mr. Lopez looks pretty damn good for almost 36 … don’tcha think?

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Birthday Lurve goes out to Ashlee Simpson-Wentz who celebrated her 25th birthday at Wet Republic at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV yesterday. Joined by her hubby Pete Wentz, her older sister Jessica Simpson (not pictured) and a gaggle of her besties, Ashlee partied the day/night away poolside in the LV sun. Here are a few photos:

If you read the tabloids, you probably think Jessica Simpson is overweight and unable to stop crying and her sister, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, is on the brink of divorce. Both sisters were at Wet Republic on Saturday and demonstrated that you really can’t believe everything you read in the tabloids: Jessica Simpson looked great and her little sister seemed to be very much in love. While supermarket rags claim the seniormost Simpson sister is distraught, insecure and overweight after losing both her boyfriend and her dog, the 29-year-old looked great and was all smiles at the MGM Grand yesterday. Still, supermarket tabloids suggest otherwise. Jessica Simpson was on the cover of Us Weekly last week. “Jessica falls to pieces,” the cover story announced, along with other details of her alleged “meltdown.” “Crying all the time, unable to lose weight and feeling alone, she tells friends she wants Tony back,” it claimed. A week earlier, In Touch ran what they claimed to me an “exclusive” cover story on Sept. 21 that called the singer “desperate.” “Jessica humiliates herself by reuniting with the man who betrayed her,” it charged. “Is she doing it because Nick is back with Vanessa and Tony’s flaunting a new blond girlfriend?” Furthering the attack, People.com ran a story on Sept. 21 declaring, “Friends Worry About Jessica Simpson’s ‘Tailspin’.” “After losing her beloved Maltipoo Daisy to a coyote attack, Jessica Simpson may be at the lowest point of her life,” the story began. The story quoted a source saying, “She won’t leave her parents’ house.” Yet Simpson was very much out of the house yesterday, and was dancing and singing along to the music as she made her way down the staircase to pose for the photographers who were waiting for her along Wet Republic’s blue carpet. Granted, dark sunglasses concealed her eyes and she declined to speak to reporters — but the blonde seemed to be in good spirits, despite it all. What’s more, contrary to stories that claim the singer has packed on the pounds since she and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo went their separate ways, Simpson looked fit and fabulous in her high heels, a bikini and a stylish, sheer cover-up. Her sister, meanwhile, surprised pool partiers after posing alongside her sister, then retreating out of sight, only to return seconds later with husband Pete Wentz. Instead of having a girls’ weekend in Las Vegas, the Fall Out Boy rocker took a break from his tour to be with his wife on her birthday. So much for the couple wanting to take some time off. Yet Star Magazine suggested on Friday that the couple was definitely on the outs and hinted at a possible off-camera affair on the set of Simpson Wentz’s show. “Ashlee is giddy over Colin (Egglesfield),” Star said, and “her husband is jealous.” “The two have been fighting worse than ever,” the story claimed. The story cited a so-called “’Melrose’ set source” as saying, “On a few occasions, she broke down in sobs after angry phone calls.” Yet Egglesfield seemed to be the furthest thing from Simpson-Wentz’ mind yesterday; her real-life hubby was the only one she was being “overly flirty” with at MGM Grand. “I’m very happy in the moment I’m in,” she told the Sun. “My whole family’s here … the whole nine yards. It’s good to celebrate this with everyone.” In addition to her husband and big sister, her 10-month-old son, Bronx Mowgli; mother, Tina Simpson; and notorious father/manager, Joe Simpson, came to Las Vegas yesterday to mark her birthday. After what proved to be a whirlwind year, the petite brunette said she had a lot to celebrate. “I had such a great year … it was definitely the best year of my life, “ she said. “I had, you know, a child and got married.” She and Wentz tied the knot last May and welcomed their son in November. The young family traveled together and came to Las Vegas for the poolside birthday bash. “I came in today from tour, I’ve been on the road with my husband,” Simpson-Wentz said. The 25-year-old was only here for the day, but did her best “to relax and enjoy (her) friends and family” during the brief trip.

I have to say, I’m happy that Ashlee had herself a nice birthday and I’m also happy to see that reports of Jessica’s meltdown seem to have been greatly exaggerated. To be honest, it’s impossible for Jess to have suffered so much loss and not fall apart just a little bit … so it’s good to hear that she is getting out and moving on. I LOVE Ashlee on Melrose Place … she plays kooky/crazy Violet very well and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for that character. It sounds like Ashlee had herself a very nice birthday and that Jessica will live to see another day. Clearly it was a great weekend for the Simpson sisters!!

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

So I managed to get home to LA from NY last night in record time. My Virgin America flight got in an hour early, without a single delay at all. It was the quickest trip from NY to LA I’ve ever had the pleasure to fly. As much as I’m gonna miss David, who decided to stay in NYC for another week to enjoy the city, I am really happy to be home.

Today is the 10th anniversary of the release of the Nine Inch Nails album The Fragile and fans have taken to Twitter to get #thefragile into the trending topics in celebration:

It’s really insane to realize that such an epic album is already 10 years old … and that Nine Inch Nails has come to an end. As should be clearly evident by now, I’ve been a huge NIN fan for years … The Fragile was such a landmark album in the band’s history … listening to it today is just as powerful as listening to it for the first time back in 1999. If you have never listened to The Fragile or just want to hear it again, you can do so online HERE. It’s a stunning album … one that will live much longer than it’s first 10 years of existence.

UPDATE: Trent Reznor posted a couple of tweets on the official Nine Inch Nails Twitter profile about the 10th anniversary of The Fragile … he even confirmed that a reissue of the album will be coming our way in 2010:

10 years ago for #thefragile – wow. Thinking a lot about that time today. (TR) And… we’ve begun work on the ULTIMATE reissue coming 2010. #thefragile

Woot!! Very exciting news! Can’t wait to see what that release will be like. I’ve heard some ideas for the deluxe packaging … we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out.

I have no plans for the coming week … I’m gonna just try and veg out as much as I can. It’s gonna be hot here in SoCal this week … just the way I like it :)

Altho my dear David is celebrating his birthday today, a bunch of us got together last night to get the party started early to celebrate his 26th first with a cocktail party at our friend Marissa’s and then at dinner in the West Village at a place called Bobo. David’s NYC friends came out for the affair as did our friend Jordan from LA, our Detroit friend Oriana and David’s sisters and aunts. We had a fabulous night of food and revelry … here are a few photos:

The food was fab, the drinks were strong … and never-ending … yes, folks, a great time was had by all. Because David will remain here in NYC for another week we’re gonna have to do his West Coast birthday party after he gets home. Last night was a lot of fun, it was great having so many friends and family members in one place … ’twas fun, ’twas fun.

I have to give a shout-out to Pink readers Jessica and Mindy who I randomly met at Bobo last night:

It was my extreme pleasure meeting them both :)

This afternoon we’re stepping out for a Birthday Brunch before I leave for LA. Yes, I have to get back home to take care of the homestead while David continues his stay here in NYC for the next week. Soooo … I’ll be comin’ atcha from the West Side tomorrow mornin’. Remember, if you’d like to send a Birthday Message to David you can do so on his Twitter profile HERE.

Birthday Lurve goes out to my sweet boo who is celebrating his birthday today. I hope all y’all will join me in sending out all our Birthday Lurve and best wishes to David who is turning, much to his chagrin, one year older today:

This fun photo of David was snapped last year when we were on holiday in Iceland for his birthday … we were resting up after a visit to Gullfoss (Golden Falls) Waterfall at the Hvítá River. This year, David wanted to spend his birthday in NYC with some of his family and many of his friends. We celebrated David’s birthday last night at dinner at Bobo here in Manhattan and I’ll share some of those pics a little later on … but, again, I hope you’ll send all your Birthday Lurve to the love of my life today!! Happy Birthday, David!!

Birthday lurve goes out today to Prince Harry, our favorite ginger royal from the UK, who is celebrating his 25th birthday. Not only will Prince Harry be receiving lots of birthday cards, gifts and (most likely) a really big cake but he will also be coming into a hefty inheritance left to him by his late mother Princess Diana. Yes, methinks today is going to be a great birthday for his royal hotness:

Prince Harry turned 25 on Tuesday, becoming an even more eligible bachelor as he gained access to part of his inheritance from his mother, Princess Diana. The quarter-century mark denoted a coming of age for the flame-haired prince, who is third in line of succession to the British throne and possesses both his mother’s sense of adventure and her common touch. The younger son of Diana and Prince Charles spent his birthday continuing his pilot training in the Royal Air Force, but he was hardly out of the spotlight. British media ran a flood of pictures, showing Harry’s steady progression from a toddler in short pants to an earnest soldier in combat gear. At each step — with his easy smile and approachable ways — he reminded many of Diana. Other sympathetic images included the 12-year-old boy who walked behind his mother’s coffin to Westminster Abbey and the confident 24-year-old who spoke movingly at a memorial service in 2007 about “the best mother in the world.” “When she was alive, we completely took for granted her unrivaled love of life, laughter, fun and folly. She was our guardian, friend and protector. She never once allowed her unfaltering love for us to go unspoken or undemonstrated,” he said. Harry and his brother Prince William were left equal shares in their mother’s estate following her death in a car crash in Paris in 1997. With inheritance taxes deducted, the estate was valued at nearly 13 million pounds at the time, but its present value has not been disclosed. The Sunday Times Young Rich List — published in April — guessed that Prince Harry and Prince William were each worth 28 million pounds ($46 million). It did not break out how much was related to Diana’s estate. Under Diana’s will, the princes are entitled to all the income from their part of her estate when they are 25 and they gain access to the capital at age 30. William is now 27. Patrick Jephson, who was involved with Diana’s finances when he worked as her private secretary, said the princess’ money was “very prudently” invested and that Harry will also have access to some of the considerable wealth generated by the Duchy of Cornwall, which is under Prince Charles’ control. “Of all the concerns that a young man in his position might have, money is not one of them, and likely never will be,” Jephson said. As a lieutenant in the British Army, Harry’s annual pay is between 29,006 to 32,061 pounds per year ($48,000 to $53,000) … Dickie Arbiter, former royal spokesman and now a commentator, said Harry’s new wealth was unlikely to change his life. “I doubt whether he’ll touch the money because he manages quite well with his Army salary. What does he need to spend it on? Very little,” Arbiter said on Sky News … Prince Henry Charles Albert David was born in 1984, fulfilling what Diana had called her duty to produce “an heir and a spare” … Harry is third in the line of succession to the throne, behind his father and his elder brother. There are precedents for younger brothers to become king, including Harry’s great-grandfather, King George VI who stepped in when his elder brother, King Edward VIII, abdicated. More likely, Harry will fall further back in the line of succession if William has children. Jephson said the young prince went through some rocky patches but is now living up to his parents’ high expectations. “His record of service to the country, both in the army and in his royal duties, would surely make both his parents and his grandparents very proud,” he said.

While it is very true that Prince Harry has suffered a few missteps in the public eye, I think for the most part he is a good kid who grew up into a fine young man. His commitment to the service of his country is commendable and his desire to help the less fortunate (a desire instilled in him by his late mother) is extremely admirable. The young prince may not be perfect but he seems willing to learn from his mistakes and right the wrongs he may have caused. I wish him all the Birthday Lurve today and hope he will get to enjoy many, many more birthdays to come!!

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