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Oh man … Ellen DeGeneres sure nailed Jennifer Aniston on national TV today. Jen paid a visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show to promote her new movie Love Happens and Ellen brought up the matter of Jen‘s next film wherein she will sing in the movie. Without missing a beat, Ellen ambushed and FORCED Jen to sing a little bit during her interview on the show. Jen looked and sounded a bit pissed, y’all … but she womaned up and sang a little bit for the audience:

She sang a few lines of Cole Porter‘s I’ve Got a Crush on You … not very well, but hey, she was ambushed. I’m sure many people will say, It was staged! She knew she’d be singing! But it really looked to me like she was surprised and not planning to sing … she even confessed to the audience that she was assured that Ellen would not force her to sing like this … but, Jen, at that point you should’ve known it was coming ;) After the jump, check out the clip in full and hear Jennifer Aniston sing for yourselves …

In surprising news that pretty much shocked everyone late yesterday, FOX announced that funny lady/talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has been hired to join American Idol as the new permanent 4th judge, replacing Paula Abdul once and for all. As you may recall, Paula announced last month on her official Twitter profile that she would be leaving AI due to a break-down in contract negotiations with FOX. Since her announcement, AI has brought on board a string of guest judges to fill in for Abdul during AI auditions but it was commonly believed that Paula and FOX would work out their dispute in time to bring her back on the show permanently before the show returned to the air in January. It seems that FOX had other plans and decided to hire Ellen to fill the position … meaning there is now ZERO chance that Paula will ever return to the job she abandoned. Here is the full text of the press release announcement:

Emmy Award-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has joined AMERICAN IDOL as a fourth judge. DeGeneres will sit alongside Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi and offer her own unique perspective to the contestants throughout the competition. The ninth season of AMERICAN IDOL premieres January 2010 on FOX. DeGeneres will join the judges’ panel after the auditions, which will feature appearances by guest judges Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Kristin Chenoweth, Joe Jonas, Neil Patrick Harris, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and Shania Twain. “I’m thrilled to be the new judge on AMERICAN IDOL,” said DeGeneres. ”I’ve watched since the beginning, and I’ve always been a huge fan. So getting this job is a dream come true, and think of all the money I’ll save from not having to text in my vote.” “I could not be more excited to have Ellen join the AMERICAN IDOL family,” said creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “Ellen has been a fan of the show for many years, and her love of music and understanding of the American public will bring a unique human touch to our judging panel. I can’t wait for this next season to begin.” “We’re all delighted to have Ellen join our ninth season of AMERICAN IDOL,” said executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz. “Beyond her incredible sense of humor and love of music, she brings with her an immense warmth and compassion that is almost palpable. She is one of America’s foremost entertainers, and we cannot wait to have her join our team.” Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment for FOX added, “We are thrilled to have Ellen DeGeneres join the AMERICAN IDOL judges’ table this season. She is truly one of America’s funniest people and a fantastic performer who understands what it’s like to stand up in front of audiences and entertain them every day. We feel that her vast entertainment experience – combined with her quick wit and passion for music – will add a fresh new energy to the show.”

A beloved television icon and entertainment pioneer, DeGeneres’ distinctive comic voice has resonated with audiences from her first stand-up comedy appearances through her work today on television, in film and in the literary world. DeGeneres has made a home for herself in the daytime arena with her hit syndicated talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” The show, now entering its seventh season, won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host four years in a row and has earned a total of 29 Daytime Emmy Awards. DeGeneres was recently included in Forbes’ Top 5 “Most Influential Women in Media” and was voted “Best Daytime Talk-Show Host” by Parade.com readers. In addition, DeGeneres has been voted “Favorite TV Personality” by The Harris Poll’s annual favorite television star list beating out Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno. DeGeneres was included in MSNBC’s “Power players who shape your TV habits.” DeGeneres also was honored with Television Week’s Syndication Personality of the Year and voted No. 1 in Oxygen’s “50 Funniest Women Alive” special in the company of such comedic legends as Carol Burnett and Lily Tomlin and has been included in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. DeGeneres had the honor of hosting the highly rated 79th Annual Academy Awards and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety or Music Program. This follows her 2005 stint hosting the Primetime Emmy Awards, which marked her third time hosting the show. Her performance hosting the 2001 award show garnered her rave reviews for providing a perfect balance of wit with heartfelt emotion to the post-September 11 telecast audience. DeGeneres won an American Comedy Award for her inaugural effort hosting the show in 1994. Additionally, DeGeneres co-hosted AMERICAN IDOL’s very successful IDOL GIVES BACK special that raised money for children in extreme poverty in America and Africa. In 2008, DeGeneres became the newest face for CoverGirl. The national print and commercial campaign for Simply Ageless Foundation premiered in December and the product quickly became No. 1 in the marketplace, outperforming expectations. DeGeneres partnered up with American Express in 2005 where she appeared in their ad campaign “My Life, My Card,” including a national commercial and a print campaign. DeGeneres later appeared in the national commercial “My Life Goal: to work with animals” which won a Primetime Emmy Award. Prior to the launch of her talk show, DeGeneres scored simultaneous achievements on stage, film and in the literary world. She enjoyed unprecedented popular and critical response to her character, Dory, the fish with extreme short term memory, in the blockbuster animated feature film, “Finding Nemo.” At the same time, DeGeneres crossed the country on a 35-city stand-up comedy tour, entitled the “Here and Now” tour. Her stop at the famed Beacon Theater in New York was turned into an HBO special and was subsequently nominated for two Emmys. Finally, in October, Simon & Schuster published DeGeneres’ second book, “The Funny Thing Is….,” comprised of the author’s comedic short stories and essays. The book hit the New York Times’ Bestseller list upon its release. In 2005, DeGeneres was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for the audio version of the book. Her first book, “My Point…And I Do Have One,” published in 1995, debuted at No. 1 on the The New York Times bestseller list. DeGeneres’ career began as an emcee at a local comedy club in her hometown of New Orleans, which led to national recognition in 1982 when her videotaped club performances won Showtime’s “Funniest Person In America” honor. When DeGeneres moved to Los Angeles she filmed her first HBO Special, “Young Comedians Reunion,” then in 1986 “Women of the Night.” That same year, DeGeneres scored a first by becoming the first female comedian to be summoned by Johnny Carson to sit down with him after her performance. In 1989, DeGeneres received a Cable Ace nomination for her “Command Performance: One Night Stand” special. She was also named “Best Female Stand-Up” at the 1991 American Comedy Awards. DeGeneres began her acting career in television on the FOX sitcom “Open House.” She moved on to ABC’s “Laurie Hill,” prior to being offered a part on “These Friends of Mine” by ABC. After the first season, the show was renamed “Ellen.” Running from 1994 to 1998, the show garnered record ratings, with DeGeneres receiving Emmy nominations each season in the Best Actress category. In 1997, DeGeneres was the recipient of the coveted Peabody Award as well as earning an Emmy for writing the critically acclaimed “Puppy Episode” when her character came out as a gay woman to a record 46 million viewers. Both on and off screen, DeGeneres’ humanitarian efforts take center stage. DeGeneres is passionate about bringing awareness to the people of New Orleans, her hometown, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and her efforts have resulted in “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” raising over $10 million to improve the lives of New Orleans residents. Overall, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” has raised over $50 million and brought attention to various causes, including global warming and animals. Additionally, DeGeneres continues to raise awareness about breast cancer, and served as spokesperson for General Mills’ breast cancer awareness initiative, Pink for the Cure, and hosted special episodes of her show to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Since she was first nationally recognized in 1982 as a comedian in New Orleans, Ellen’s many contributions to the entertainment industry have earned her numerous accolades including a Golden Apple Award as Female Discovery of the Year from the Hollywood Women’s Press Club; a Lucy Award honoring women in Television and Film, as well as an Amnesty International Award. We’d like to welcome Ellen DeGeneres to the American Idol family!

Wow … betcha didn’t know that Ellen had accomplished so much in her career, did ya? While it’s true that Ellen has no formal musical background to “qualify” her to be a judge on a singing competition show, I don’t think you will be able to find a person to say a bad thing about her. FOX made a genius move by going after Ellen, who will fill in the “Paula Abdul role” on the show perfectly. I can’t help but feel really bad for Paula … methinks she overplayed her hand poorly and totally screwed herself out of the best job she could ever wish for at this point in her career. I also can’t help but feel that any job she signs on for from this point on will only be a sad consolation prize :( In any event, I think Ellen will make a great judge for AI … she will hold her own against Simon Cowell‘s negative comments and will be a beacon of hope for the AI hopefuls that stand before her for judgment. I deffo believe American Idol wins here … do you?

[Source]

A couple of week’s ago, we saw a huge poster advertisement of David Beckham and Ellen DeGeneres (well, Ellen‘s head was superimposed over Victoria Beckham‘s head) for Armani Underwear hanging on the wall of the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA where The Ellen DeGeneres Show tapes … and today we know why. I mentioned that Vicki B. paid a visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show but while that was true, it turns out that her hottie hubby David Beckham was actually the guest of honor. Becks taped the season premiere episode of Ellen‘s show 2 weeks ago and it finally aired yesterday. During his appearance on the show, Becks gave Ellen (and viewers at home) a peek at the underwear he was wearing for the interview … and what a peek it was:

Ellen DeGeneres may have photoshopped her own face over Victoria Beckham’s in the couple’s famous poster campaign for Emporio Armani, but guest David Beckham had his own surprise in store. The LA Galaxy had a special treat for the talk show host during his television interview, which screened in America last night. He revealed that rather than wearing his trademark Armani briefs, he instead had Ellen’s name all over his underwear. His wife Victoria didn’t seem to mind as she flashed a rare smile while hugging sons Romeo and Cruz in the studio audience. And Victoria had even more to smile about at the end of the interview as family man Becks went up into the audience to kiss her and their three boys. Becks revealed his boxer shorts tribute after Ellen teased him by asking if he had considered getting a tattoo of her. He laughed: ‘I’m very tempted – but I actually did this.’ Then he stood up and lifted the bottom of his shirt to reveal Ellen’s name across the waistband of his boxers. Earlier Ellen revealed the mock adverts where she had replaced Posh Spice’s face with her own image. ‘I don’t know why they didn’t end up in magazines because I think they looked good. Let me show you what we did,’ she told David and the studio audience. But her joke didn’t end there. ‘That’s crazy that nobody got to see that. I felt that more people should see it and I don’t have a lot power but I have some power,’ she said. Ellen then surprised the father-of-three by revealing four giant billboards of the fake image hung in New York’s Times Square, outside the television studio, on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and in Liverpool Station – David’s hometown! David laughed at the mock Armani posters as did Victoria, who later gave the host, who is married to actress Portia De Rossi, a big hug, saying: ‘That is so funny.’

Hahahahaha!! This is so Ellen … and I love that Becks was happy to play along. While it’s a shame that he didn’t show off all of his undies, I suppose we can’t be too upset with what he did show off … no sir, not at all. After the jump, check out a few more photos of Becks and Ellen and check out video of their interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday …

Daytime television’s biggest night took place at The Orpheum Theatre here in Los Angeles, CA where the 2009 Daytime Emmy Awards were handed out in a lavish ceremony hosted by actress/singer Vanessa Williams. The daytime drama The Bold & The Beautiful (one of my faves) took home the big prize of Best Daytime Drama for the first time in it’s 22 year history while Christian LeBlanc, from The Young & The Restless (another of my faves), took home the aware for Best Actor. Here are a few pics from the red carpet arrivals at last night’s affair:

Yes, Stacy Haiduk (who plays Mary Jane Benson/Patty Williams a crazy woman who believes her dead cat is still alive after losing her mind a bit by changing her entire face in order to stalk and seduce Jack Abbott on Y&R) brought a stuffed cat with her as her date to the Daytime Emmys … but it’s okay cuz her crazy-ass character on the show made that stuffed cat a star! While there were a lot of awards handed out last night, the big enchilada went to The Bold & The Beautiful. After the jump, check out a few photos from the show itself and a few photos of some of the winners posing with their new Emmys in the press room after the awards were handed out — plus, read all about B&B‘s big win which was 22 years in the making …

Victoria Beckham payed a little visit to the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank, CA this week, where The Ellen DeGeneres Show is taped, and was greeted by a huge promo photo of the latest Emporio Armani Underwear ad featuring her husband David Beckham and … Ellen DeGeneres???

Truth be told … of all the Armani Underwear ads where Becks has to share the spotlight, I think this is my fave. I mean … right?

[Photo credit: X17]

Last night tweens of all ages convened at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City here in LA for the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. While the show doesn’t air on TV until tonight, the whole shebang was filmed last night. Britney Spears was on hand to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ultimate Choice Award, from the Teen Choice folks but it was Twilight that cleaned up … taking home 11 surf board trophies. Here are a few photos from the red carpet arrivals and some deets from last night’s affair:

“Twilight” struck a vein at the Teen Choice Awards. The adolescent vampire drama dominated Sunday’s ceremony with 11 wins, including choice movie drama, romance, liplock, rumble and soundtrack. Kristen Stewart won the movie drama actress category while Robert Pattinson picked up two surfboard-shaped trophies — one for movie drama actor, another for male hottie. “We’ll see you guys in theaters November 20th,” co-star Taylor Lautner teased the squealing crowd. Lautner and Ashley Greene, who will appear alongside Stewart and Pattinson in the upcoming “Twilight” sequel “New Moon,” were honored as the male and female movie fresh faces while Cam Gigandet was crowned movie villain. “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke joined the cast on stage to accept the adaptation’s pack of trophies. The Teen Choice Awards, which were selected by over 83 million votes cast online, honor celebrities in TV, film, music and sports. Several winners — including 16-year-old Miley Cyrus and show hosts the Jonas Brothers — took home multiple trophies at the 11th annual ceremony at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Gibson Amphitheatre. Cyrus sailed away with six awards, winning for comedy TV show and actress for “Hannah Montana;” music/dance movie actress and hissy fit for “Hannah Montana: The Movie;” music single for “The Climb” and summer song for “Before the Storm” with the Jonas Brothers. Cyrus also presented Britney Spears the ultimate choice award. “I’m a huge fans of hers,” Cyrus said before a subdued Spears accepted her own surfboard. The Jonas Brothers won five trophies, including choice male red carpet icons. They kicked off the show performing on a tiny stage that moved through the audience. Throughout the taped ceremony, the trio completed dares submitted by fans. At one point, younger brother Nick was challenged to hug a lineup of female fans. “It’s just hugs,” Joe cautioned the women. “You’re not going for long-term relationships here, girls.” Other big winners included “Gossip Girl” and Zac Efron. Chace Crawford, Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick picked up TV drama actor, actress, villain and TV series awards for the sudsy CW show while Efron won for music/dance movie actor in “High School Musical 3″ and comedy movie actor and rockstar moment in “17 Again.” The ceremony itself was peppered with several odd moments. Kathy Griffin arrived on the red carpet with Levi Johnston, the teenage ex-fiance of Bristol Palin, daughter of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Mike Tyson took shears to Joe Jonas’ head as part of stunt. And before presenting the choice hottie awards, comedian Dane Cook pleaded to Vanessa Hudgens to keep her clothes on. The Teen Choice Awards is scheduled to air Monday at 8 p.m. EDT on Fox.

LOL! Yes, it was Dane Cook‘s shout-out to Vanessa Hudgens‘s nekkid pics that was the TRUE highlight of the show … which you can watch HERE just in case FOX decides not to air the interaction on TV tonight. After the jump, check out pics from the show of some of the winners collecting their surf board awards and check out the FULL VERY LONG LIST of Teen Choice Award Winners …

Lindsay Lohan will be featured on today’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show (an appearance which she taped yesterday) wherein she talks to Ellen — for the first time on TV — about her break-up with ex-girlfriend Samantha Ronson. According to Lindsay, the break-up was a total surprise to her … their relationship, she claims, went from totally fine to Samantha just “disappearing”. HMM. Here is a screencap of Lindsay and Ellen together on the show and some deets from today’s interview:

What’s more difficult than enduring a painful breakup in the public eye? “When you don’t know you’re breaking up,” says Lindsay Lohan. “Really weird.” The 22-year-old actress shared her ordeal with somebody who knows all about a high-profile breakup: Ellen DeGeneres, whose split with Anne Heche in 2000 dominated celebrity news. In an Ellen DeGeneres show airing Thursday, Lohan tells the talk show host that the breakup with Samantha Ronson, 31, earlier this month “came out of nowhere.” “I had no idea what was going on. I just hadn’t seen her in, like, a week. She, like, disappeared,” Lohan says. Lohan didn’t discuss what may have led to it after a “really tough night” but denied infidelity was the cause. “I don’t believe in cheating on someone,” says Lohan. DeGeneres said that after her own public breakup, “I kind of lost my career for a little while and I went away … and I literally hibernated and got myself back together.” She asked Lohan if she wanted to run away. “I feel like I want to get my career back in shape,” she said, adding that being away from Ronson – and not dating anybody regularly right now – may be a positive step. “You know when people are together so much it gets really difficult and you forget who you are because you’re more concerned about being with the other person,” said Lohan. “I think it’s been really good for me. I thought it would be so much harder and it hasn’t been. My sister’s been here with me.” And Lohan still holds hope that the split won’t be permanent. “I really care about Samantha and we’ll see what happens,” she says. “Maybe when we’re fully in the right place. And I love her.”

Obvs, each person in a break-up is going to have their own perspective on what happened and who’s to blame. I kinda really love that Lindsay was so open about her feelings for Sam. It says a lot that she would choose Ellen‘s show to profess her still love for her ex-girlfriend … call me a wee bit crazy but is it wrong that I think it’s a little romantic? I cannot imagine that Samantha will be appearing on any TV shows to give her side of the break-up as she strikes me as an extremely private person. While I wouldn’t take Lindsay‘s assertions about what happened as the gospel truth, it may be the only side of the story that we’ll ever get to hear. Make sure you check your local listings, this is an ep of Ellen that you don’t want to miss. Incidentally, Prince will also be appearing on today’s episode of The Ellen DeGenres Show (I understand he performs Crimson & Clover) — so you don’t want to miss that. For those of you who might not be able to catch the interview or for those of you who just want a preview, there’s a short vid clip of Lindsay‘s interview. After the jump, check it out …

Celebs from the big screen, the small screen, the stage and more made their way out to the Nokia Theatre here in downtown Los Angeles, CA yesterday evening to attend and participate in the 2009 GLAAD Media Awards … which honors achievement in GLBT visibility in the media. Here are a few photos from the awards show itself and some info from the glitzy ceremony:

Civil rights group GLAAD honored the movie “Milk” and singled-out Reverend Gene Robinson and comedian Kathy Griffin for their work at a Saturday night gala highlighting issues such as gay marriage and equality. Talk program “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” was given a GLAAD Media Award for its episode “Ellen & Portia’s Wedding Day,” covering DeGeneres’ wedding to actress Portia de Rossi. DeGeneres dedicated the honor to Carl Walker-Hoover, an 11 year-old Massachusetts boy who killed himself earlier this month because school kids bullied him and called him “gay.” “In my opinion, we are not fighting for gay rights, we are fighting for equal rights,” DeGeneres told the black tie crowd at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater. The 2009 awards marked the 20th year that films, TV shows, performers and others have been honored by GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. “Milk,” about slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk, was named best film. “Desperate Housewives” was chosen best TV comedy, and “Brothers and Sisters” was named top TV drama. GLAAD President Neil Giuliano spoke to the audience about the impact TV shows such as “The L Word” and movies like “Brokeback Mountain” have had on introducing audiences to all sorts of lesbian and gay characters and issues they face. Giuliano touched on marriage and said that despite setbacks like the passage of California’s Proposition 8 which denied gay men and women the right to marry in that state, progress has been made in other states where gay weddings are now legal. “As we learned in Iowa and Vermont, ignorance and hate does not stop the march of social justice,” Giuliano said. While many of the night’s speeches focused on social and political issues — as expected for the activist group — the night also featured a lot of comedy and music. Comedian Kathy Griffin accepted the Vanguard Award for her work in the gay community. She dressed in a bikini with a white, gay marriage ribbon, pinned to the bottom. The makers of video sensation “Prop 8: The Musical,” a parody of the conservative campaign backing Proposition 8, were singled-out with a special recognition award, and the musical number was performed on stage. The Right Reverend V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Bishop in the Episcopal church, was given an honorary award for his work as a religious leader and activist. Last month, GLAAD held a ceremony in New York City where it handed out other media awards. A similar event is planned for May in San Francisco.

I really love that the GLAAD Media Awards are handed out in LA, NY and San Francisco … issues of GLBT visibility are too large for just one ceremony. Much love and congrats to all the folks who work tireless to help foster and spread positive images of the gay community, pushing the boundaries of discrimination further and further away. The work is long and hard and nowhere near complete … until justice and equality for all is achieved in this country, the work carries on. Again, congrats to those folks who keep on keepin’ on. Click HERE for a full list of award winners from the LA portion of the GLAAD Media Awards. My dear friend Darion was able to attend the GLAAD Media Awards yesterday and he managed to get a fun photo with one of his fave celebs:

Don’t they look great? Kathy Griffin looks stunning. Trust me, Darion was geeked beyond words. Woot!!

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

The Best Bump Watch EVER continues this weekend as photos and video footage comes our way from Alyson Hannigan‘s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday afternoon. Aly was a guest on Ellen‘s SuperBowl-themed show and managed to keep the major secrets about her pregnancy (like the month she’s due and the sex of the baby) a total secret from Ellen, despite all of her attempts to get the truth out of her. Aly did talk about her pregnancy cravings … and how being knocked up makes her feel like “a stoned Koala bear”:

Alyson Hannigan is finding that being pregnant not only gives her cravings – but makes her feel like a stoned Koala bear. “I get tired a lot and I have pregnancy brain, which I never realized was a thing but it is,” the expectant mom said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Friday. “I sort of feel like a Koala bear where I’m slightly stoned all the time and I’ll say the wrong word.” Quipped Ellen DeGeneres, “I’m not pregnant, but I have that brain too. I don’t have an excuse.” As for the baby’s gender, Hannigan, 34, says she and her husband, actor Alexis Denisof, have found out their child’s sex, but prefer to keep it private until its birth. “We’re just not announcing to the world,” said the How I Met Your Mother actress. “It seems a little personal.” Hannigan, who first announced her pregnancy to PEOPLE, would reveal her cravings, though. “[I crave] ginger ale big time,” she said. “I didn’t drink soda before and suddenly it was like, ‘I need a ginger ale,’ and surprisingly my mother craved ginger ale when she was pregnant with me as well.” DeGeneres seized on this nugget as a possible indication that Hannigan is having a girl, to which the actress responded by laughing and saying, “You’re very sneaky.” Hannigan is due in the spring.

It must be said, Alyson Hannigan is the most radiantly cute pregs celeb EVER. She looks … just stunning. Pregnancy really agrees with her and I *know* she’s yet to give birth to her first child but I’d love for her to have many children in the future so that we can enjoy her radiant glow for years to come. I’m usually anxious for celebs to birth their babies but in Aly‘s case, I want her to stay pregs … she just looks so amazing :) She’s gonna be the best mom, you can just tell. After the jump, check out video of Alyson‘s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday in full …

For the 35th year, the People’s Choice Awards were handed out to honor various entertainment outlets and actors as chosen by the people themselves. Last night’s award show was held at the Shrine Auditorium here in LA and brought out a cavalcade of celebs to collect their awards. The big winner of the night was The Dark Knight, which took home 5 People’s Choice Awards … but it turned out to be a big night for a few other folks as well. Here are some photos from the show and the press room and a run-down on who won what at last night’s affair:

Batman movie “The Dark Knight” soared away with five People’s Choice Awards on Wednesday including favorite movie and on-screen pairing for stars Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger to kick off Hollywood’s annual awards season. Country singer Carrie Underwood, who rose to fame on television talent show “American Idol,” was another big winner, hauling in three People’s Choice Awards for favorite female singer, country song “Last Name,” and star under 35 years-old. “Fans and people voting for me are what gave me a career in the first place,” Underwood said, acknowledging the voting by music lovers. “This is an amazing night.” The People’s Choice Awards, in its 35th edition this year, are a widely watched measure of popular appeal for Hollywood stars and they mark a starting point for the industry’s annual awards season which runs through the Oscars, the world’s top film awards, that take place in February. Adam Sandler was named funniest male star, Reese Witherspoon favorite female movie star, and Kate Hudson top leading lady among winners in more than 40 categories covering film, television, music and even online entertainment.

Sandler, Witherspoon and Hudson all echoed a familiar theme of the night by saying People’s Choice honors were special because they were voted on by fans, as opposed to critics or members of industry groups. The ceremony also has a more casual atmosphere compared to TV’s Emmy’s or the film industry’s Oscars, where black ties and ball gowns are mandatory. Noting that difference, Katherine Heigl, who accepted the trophy for best comedy movie for her “27 Dresses,” told reporters backstage that she wore a pants suit because “it was after the holidays, so I didn’t want to wear anything strapless or anything I had to suck in my stomach for.” Among film honors, “Dark Knight,” which was 2008′s top film at box offices with global ticket sales of nearly $1 billion, also proved to be the No. 1 movie of the night. Along with best film and on-screen match-up, it hauled in awards for favorite action movie, superhero for Bale as Batman, and for its cast. “The Secret Life of Bees” was the winner of best film drama and favorite independent film, and animated “Wall-E” was the No. 1 family film for People’s Choice voters. In the TV arena, medical show “House” was named favorite TV drama, and “Two and a Half Men” was best TV comedy. “The Mentalist” was top new TV drama while “Gary Unmarried” was the No. 1 new TV comedy. “House” star Hugh Laurie took home the trophy for favorite male TV star, and Christina Applegate took the honor of top female TV star for “Samantha Who?” Applegate, who revealed earlier this year that she underwent surgery for breast cancer, said the award meant a lot to her after a difficult year.” “I feel great. I really do,” she told reporters backstage. “Each week gets easier and each week gets better.” Ellen DeGeneres was named best TV talk show host and “Dancing With the Stars” was the people’s pick for No. 1 competition or reality TV show. Along with Underwood, top winners in music included Kid Rock for favorite rock song “All Summer Long,” Rascal Flatts for favorite group, Chris Brown best male singer and Katy Perry with best pop tune “I Kissed a Girl.”

I love the People’s Choice Awards primarily because the winners are determined by the people … which is unlike any other major award show. I had tickets to attend last night’s show but couldn’t make it because of a last minute meeting I had to attend late yesterday afternoon. As much as it bums me out that I couldn’t attend, I’m very happy with the way other things are going in my personal life right now … but I’m digressing. Much congrats to the winners of the PCAs this year. Let’s see if The Dark Knight is able to secure any other nominations and awards as the Awards Season carries on. Click HERE to see a full list of this year’s People’s Choice Award winners.

[Photo credit: Wireimage, Splash News; Source]