John Cusack To Play Edgar Allan Poe In New Film

John Cusack has been chosen to play the role of Edgar Allan Poe in the new movie “The Raven.” “Officiali- will play edgar allen poe in fall-a-film called the raven, send any poe- gold - my way as i begin this journey into the abyss,” Cusack tweeted. The film will be directed by “V For Vendetta” director James McTeigue.

Sweetin Gives Birth

Jodie Sweetin is celebrating the birth of her second child, a baby girl named Beatrix. The 28-year-old former “Full House” star welcomed her new daughter on Tuesday. It’s her first child with boyfriend Morty Coyle and a little sister for her two year old daughter Zoie, whose dad is Sweetin’s ex-husband Cody Herpin.

Conan O’Brien’s New Show Is Simply ‘Conan’

Conan O’Brien took the simple approach yesterday in announcing the name of his new talk show on TBS. “Conan” will kick off November 8th. He posted a YouTube video announcing the show’s name to his fans. He scrawled the name on a white sheet of paper using a black marker. O’Brien was nominated for an Emmy Award for his short-lived stint as NBC “Tonight” show host that ended amid much drama in January, but lost to Jon Stewart and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”

NASCAR Comes To BET

NASCAR and BET?! Yup – NASCAR has new reality show on BET. “Changing Lanes” is the story of 10 young female and minority racers who are taking part in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. The women live in a house together and are eliminated one by one as they compete for spots on a racing team. The eight-episode series is narrated by Ludacris and made its debut last night.

Margaret Cho Sings On New Comedy CD

Margaret Cho is singing her jokes on her new CD, “Cho Dependent.” She describes one of her songs as an “honest-to-God murder ballad.” It’s a true tale. Cho says she used to have a crush on a guy for 17 years. He never knew. She lost touch with him and when she finally looked him up online, she found he’d been convicted of murdering his wife. She says it was cathartic writing a song about it. She says “the worst things, the most tragic stuff in life can actually be strangely hilarious.”

Porn Star Says Lindsay Lohan Will Make A Great

At least one person thinks Lindsay Lohan is the perfect choice to play porn star Linda Lovelace: porn star Brittany Andrews. Andrews says she doesn’t think an adult film actress would be a better choice, even though she’d be more familiar with what Lovelace went through. Andrews says porn actresses “can’t act their way through a bag.”

Last Finalists Revealed On ‘America’s Got Talent’

Last night, the final five contestants on “America’s Got Talent” were revealed. Magician Michael Grasso, Fighting Gravity, Jeremy Vanschoonhoven, Jackie Evancho and Studio One Young Beast Society made it to the Top 10, joining Christina & Ali, Taylor Matthews, Prince Poppycock, Anna & Patryk, and Michael Grimm. Debra Romer, Murray, Nathaniel Kenyon Haspop, Maestro Alexander Bui, Michael Lipari & Ashleigh Dijon and Alice Tan Ridley were voted off.

Lautner Lawsuit Target Suggests Push-Ups

A California RV dealer wants to resolve the lawsuit Taylor Lautner filed against him with a push-up contest. Brent McMahon, owner of McMahon’s RV in Irvine, said he wants to settle the lawsuit brought against him by the “Twilight” star, who claims the dealership failed to deliver a $300,000 customized RV on time and up to his specifications, with a contest of muscle instead of a trial. McMahon, who claims the RV was delivered to Lautner without any complaints from the 18-year-old actor, said he’s challenging the star to a contest to see who can do the most push-ups as a means of resolving the dispute. Should Lautner refuse the challenge, McMahon said his lawyer is ready to defend him against the suit, which is seeking $40,000.

 

Chad Lowe Marries Girlfriend

Chad Lowe and his film producer girlfriend, Kim Painter, were married on Saturday. The small seaside ceremony took place at Terranea Resort in Los Angeles in front of a handful of family and friends. Rob Lowe, Chad’s brother, served as best man. Chad, who was married to Hillary Swank from 1997 to 2006, has a 15-month-old daughter, Mabel, with his new wife.

Judge Questions Two Charges In Anna Nicole Trial

The judge in the Anna Nicole Smith drug trial is questioning whether the prosecution can prove two key conspiracy charges against the model’s two doctors and lawyer-boyfriend. The Los Angeles judge told lawyers outside the jury’s presence that he also has concerns about the propriety of at least eight overt acts listed to support the 11-count case against Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Howard K. Stern. Dozens of overt acts are cited in the document. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to all charges, including the two of conspiring to furnish excessive amounts of drugs to an addict and providing drugs by fraud. Smith died of a drug overdose in Florida in 2007.

Lohan Speaks

Lindsay Lohan says her career isn’t finished and blames bad company and her dad, Michael Lohan, for some of her troubles. “I think everyone has their own addictions and hopefully learns how to get past them,” Lohan told Vanity Fair for its October issue. “I think my biggest focus for myself is learning how to continue to get through the trauma that my father has caused in my life.” Lohan spent nearly two weeks in a solitary jail cell for violating probation in a 2007 DUI case. She left jail and went straight into an in-patient rehab center on August 2nd.

Ronson ‘Incredibly Sad’ About Dog Attack

Celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson said nothing she could do would alter the fact that her dog fatally attacked another dog. “There is absolutely nothing I can say that will alter one minute of today, nothing,” Ronson posted on her Twitter page Monday after her pet bulldog, Cadillac, attacked a neighbor’s Maltese, which later died from the injuries. “I feel incredibly sad and wish I could offer more than condolences, unfortunately there are no words to describe how sorry I am,” Ronson wrote. The incident occurred near Ronson’s West Hollywood apartment building. The case is under investigation by the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care & Control.

 

Rowling Donates $15.5 Million For MS Research

Author J.K. Rowling has donated $15.5 million to the University of Edinburgh to establish a multiple sclerosis research clinic. The creator of the “Harry Potter” series said the funds were to help attract top researchers to find a cure for the disease. Potter’s mother, Anne, had MS and died at age 45. A goal of the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic will be to put patients at the core of the research, she said. Work at the new clinic also will focus on other degenerative neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.

Sliwinska Leaving ‘DWTS’

Dancing pro Edyta Sliwinska has confirmed on her Twitter page that she is leaving ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” “I decided it’s time to move on with my life, pursue other projects and finish school,” Sliwinska tweeted. Reports that she and producers had a “major disagreement” about production of “Dancing with the Stars” are incorrect, Sliwinska said. TMZ said Sliwinska remains under contract, meaning she likely will return to the show when it begins its 11th season on September 20th.  

‘Virgin’ Co-Star On Trial For Stabbing

A “40-Year-Old” actor is on trial, accused of stabbing his former girlfriend repeatedly in the chest when he found her with another man at her home. Prosecutors said Monday the volatile relationship between Kendra Beebe and Shelley Malil, best known for his supporting role in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” exploded two years ago when he attacked her with two kitchen knives. Malil is charged with premeditated attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and residential burglary. Despite being stabbed more than 20 times and sustaining serious injuries, including a punctured lung, Beebe survived. A defense attorney told jurors Malil mistakenly believed he was fighting Beebe’s male companion in a dark side yard of the woman’s house. Malil was arrested on August 11, 2008.

Zsa Zsa Back In Hospital

Zsa Zsa Gabor was readmitted to a Los Angeles hospital yesterday. John Blanchette, publicist for Gabor, said her husband, Prince Frederic Von Anhalt, made an emergency call at 10:42 a.m. Gabor was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center by ambulance. Von Anhalt said Gabor, 93, was “unresponsive.” Gabor has been hospitalized several times in recent weeks after breaking a hip in a fall at her home. She had returned home from the hospital two weeks ago, saying she wanted to spend her final days there. Before going home she had asked to see a priest, who administered last rites.

Michael Douglas Optimistic About Cancer Recovery

Michael Douglas says he faces an “eight-week struggle” against throat cancer but is optimistic about his chances for recovery. During an appearance last night on David Letterman’s show, Douglas said he had just finished his first week of radiation and chemo. The disease was diagnosed three weeks ago, although he had complained of a very sore throat earlier this year and had undergone testing that failed to find the cause. Douglas said the cancer remains above the neck and that means expectations are good, with an 80% or better chance of recovery.

Emmy Winners

The 62nd Annual Primetime Academy Awards were handed out yesterday in Hollywood. See the full list of winners at www.emmys.com. Major winners included:

 

Drama Series: “Mad Men”

Comedy Series: “Modern Family”

Miniseries: “The Pacific”

Made-for-TV Movie: “Temple Grandin”

Actor, Drama Series: Bryan Cranston – “Breaking Bad”

Actress, Drama Series: Kyra Sedgwick – “The Closer”

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Aaron Paul – “Breaking Bad”

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Archie Panjabi – “The Good Wife”

Actor, Comedy Series: Jim Parsons – “The Big Bang Theory”

Actress, Comedy Series: Edie Falco – “Nurse Jackie”

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Eric Stonestreet – “Modern Family”

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Jane Lynch – “Glee”

Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Al Pacino – “You Don’t Know Jack”

Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Claire Danes – “Temple Grandin”

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: David Straithairn – “Temple Grandin”

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Julia Ormond – “Temple Grandin”

Outstanding Reality Show: “Top Chef”

Outstanding Varity Show, Music or Comedy Series: “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”

Bob Hope Humanitarian Award: George Clooney

‘Jersey Shore’ Cast Sued For Assault

A woman who claims she was assaulted by the “Jersey Shore” cast’s bodyguards last fall has filed a claim against Snooki, The Situation and the rest of the reality stars on the show. In addition to naming the cast of the MTV reality hit, the suit also names MTV and its parent company, Viacom, as well as 495 Productions, as defendants. The name of the woman filing the suit is listed on official documents only as “J.P.” The alleged incident took place in September 2009, on the same night “Jersey Shore” troublemaker Ronnie Magro was filmed in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, knocking out Stephen Izzo Jr. Magro was arrested for aggravated assault.

Joey Lawrence Injured

Joey Lawrence was reportedly injured on the set of his new TV show after he was hit in the eye with a script. Lawrence is currently working on “Melissa & Joey” with Melissa Joan Hart, but rehearsals came to an abrupt halt on Thursday when another actor accidentally poked him in the eye. Lawrence sought immediate medical treatment and was diagnosed with a ripped cornea. He is said to be recovering well and will be back at work soon.