Ryan Reynolds Engaged to Scarlett Johansson

Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson are engaged, it's been reported by the Associated Press and other sources, quoting the actress's publicist.

It will be the first marriage for both Johansson (23 years old) and Reynolds (who is 31). Ryan Reynolds was previously engaged to singer Alanis Morissette, whom he had been dating for several years. Their engagement was ended early in 2007, it's been said.

Ryan Reynolds was in the ABC sitcom "Two Guys and a Girl" and films including the comedy "Van Wilder" and the action flick "Blade: Trinity."

Jane Fonda Drops the "C Word" Live on the Today Show

Jane Fonda is no stranger to controversy, but many viewers of the Today Show were no doubt surprised Thursday morning when she casually said the "C word" in an interview.

The 70-year-old Fonda was being asked about the place "The Vagina Monologues," which is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and was appearing on the show with the play's author, Eve Ensler. Fonda was talking about how she heard about the show when she let the word "cu*t" slip.

The "F" word gets on the air occasionally, but I bet a lot of people were surprised to hear the "C word" on TV... especially uttered by a woman... while having their morning corn flakes and coffee.

You can see a clip of the controversial part of the interview (with the offending word bleeped out) below.

How did this happen to get on the air? I thought that ever since Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl a few years back live programming was on a delay, so that such slips of the tongue, etc. could be edited out of events?

Actor Roy Scheider Dies at Age 75

Actor Roy Scheider, best known as the police chief in the killer-shark movie "Jaws," died Sunday at age 75 at a hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. The hospital didn't release a cause of death, but someone at the hospital said that Scheider had been treated at the hospital for multiple myeloma for the last two years.

The 1975 blockbuster "Jaws," the first movie to earn $100 million at the box office, was an unforgettable role for Schieder. But he was also nominated for the golden statue for his role in 1971's "The French Connection." I'll always remember him for his role in 1979's "All That Jazz," an autobiographical film about dance director Bob Fosse, and I can still picture him getting out of bed in the morning, popping a bunch of pills, looking into the mirror, and saying, "It's showtime!" Scheider was nominated for best actor for that film.

According to an article from the Associated Press, "In 2005, one of Scheider's most famous lines in the movie — "You're gonna need a bigger boat" — was voted No. 35 on the American Film Institute's list of best quotes from U.S. movies."

Britney Spears Back in the Hospital: There She Goes Again

Troubled pop star Britney Spears was taken from her home to a hospital early Thursday morning and placed on what authorities termed a "mental health evaluation hold," according to the Los Angeles Times.

This is the second time in a month that Spears was removed from her home and brought to a hospital for mental-health reasons. ABC News reported that terms such as "Britney unconscious" and "suicide attempt" were heard during the discussions, though it's not clear who said them and whether they wre just speculation on the part of officers or paramedics.

The Spears removal was apparently sparked by a call from her psychiatrist. The entourage removing Spears included an L.A. fire department ambulance as well as more than a dozen motorcycle cops, and it's said the entire escort stretched longer than a football field.

Spears was said to be taken to UCLA Medical Center and a judge signed an order to put her on a 5150 hold, which allows her to be held for three days for evaluation.

Ryan Shawhughes, From Ethan Hawke's Nanny to Mother of His Child

Ryan Shawhughes, girlfriend of Ethan Hawke, is expecting a baby, his publicist has announced. Ryan Shawhughes met Hawke when she was the nanny to Hawke and his former wife, Uma Thurman. Hawke and Thurman have two children.

Shawhughes is 28 and Ethan Hawke is 37. His publicist said to the AP regarding the pregnancy, "I can confirm and they are thrilled," adding that no further details would be issued.

The Huffington Post claims that "the two have been together on the down-low for years."
I hope this won't lead to a rash of young women becoming nannies in hopes of becoming their client's eventual girlfriend...

Cora Skinner MySpace Page - Dozens of Photos

Brody Jenner is one lucky guy. The star of The Hills has a new girlfriend, and it's the sexy brunette model Cora Skinner. Jenner has said that his family has met Cora and his parents approve. Well, that's good to know, right? Yeah, sure.

As you can imagine, people are dying to see photos of Cora Skinner, but her Web site seems to be under construction and has just one page, with a photo of her on it. Fortunately, you can head to Cora Skinner's MySpace page, which has dozens of photos, conveniently arranged into different albums. So if you happen to like how a particular photographer captures the beauty of Cora Skinner, you can head straight for those pictures.

Chickipedia: An Online Reference of... Well, You Can Guess

You knew it had to happen. Ever since Wikipedia first appeared on the Web, we've seen wiki-style, user-edited online references on just about every topic imaginable. There's WikiHow, where people can submit all kinds of how-to articles, and even MicrobeWiki, a Web site about microscopic critters like protozoa.

Now we have Chickipedia, a user-edited wiki reference on, you guessed it, photos and info on women from all walks of life who could be loosely termed "hot chicks." With searches for pictures of female celebrities one of the most popular search terms in the 'Net, the only question is why it took so long for something like Chickipedia to appear.

As you'd expect from a site called Chickipedia, the emphasis is on sexy photos of the women, not on their college majors or their opinions on global warming. And the photos are good quality. While some are racy, there doesnt seem to be any overt porn on the site. While the text on each celeb is minimal, there are links to sites for more information, such as IMDB, the celeb's official site, etc., as well as to recent news items.

Here's something the more enthusiastic fans of the female form will like: not only arethe celeb's measurements are listed, but you can click a link to see a list of other celebs with the same measurements.

I'm sure for most guys, browsing through Chickipedia will be a hell of a lot easier than looking at pictures of amoebas.

Heath Ledger Death Sparks Frenetic Googling

The untimely death of actor Heath Ledger has sent many millions of people all over the world grabbing their computer mice to search not only for news about his death, but for anything and everything related to him.

Looking at the list of Google's top 100 search terms as of Tuesday night, I counted nearly 60 of those searches dedicated to topics related to Ledger, his work, or his family.

People are eager to learn about Heath Ledger... even if they aren't exactly sure of his hame. "Heath Ledger" has been the number-one search for several hours, but the number-two term being searched for is ... "Keith Ledger." We're also seeing Heath Legend and Keith Legend, and Keith Fletcher. Also on the top 100 are searches for his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child, Michelle Williams, as well as for the child herself, Matilda Ledger. And, of course, all of his movies, including the upcoming film in the Batman franchise.

Some people, though, not only can't get his name write, they haven't a clue of what it is, just that someone famous has passed away: one of the top 100 searches says simply, "dead actor."

J.R. Rotem Latest Fling for Britney Spears - Is She Pregnant?

Is Britney Spears pregnant from a tryst with record producer J.R. Rotem? Britney Spears's life continues to be like a car wreck: we know we shouldn't watch, and yet we can't help ourselves. The gossip Web sites are reporting that Rotem has bragged about his sexual exploits with everyone's favorite self-destructing pop tart to Blender magazine, and is claiming she is pregnant with his child.

The The Hollywood Gossip says that In Touch claims that Britney Spears confided to her friends via e-mail that she is four weeks pregnant, and that she's sure J.R. Rotem is the father. She supposedly even attached an ultrasound image to the e-mails.

Granted, these reports are a very long daisy chain of rumors... so-and-so reports that a second source heard from a third source that person X received an e-mail from whomever. But, if this is all true, it's just another collision for the former pop princess-turned-train-wreck.

Latest news: Perez Hilton says the rumors of Britney Spears being pregnant are false. Hmmm... who's less reliable, In Touch or Perez Hilton?

Well, things could be worse... Spears could be impregnated by some alien life form from a distant galaxy, or by the devil himself, a la "Rosemary's Baby."

One-Stop Shopping for Celebrity News

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that one of my favorite pasttimes is skewering the celebrities we all love to hate (or is it hate to love?). But making fun of celebrity hijinks isn't as easy as it looks, with so many Beautiful People doing so many idiotic things in public.

So my ears perked up when I heard about CelebrityGossip.com, a new Web site that collects all the hot celeb news and photos from around the world and presents it all in one tidy package. Tabs on the front page let you go immediately to hot topics, the latest news, and celebrity pictures (in case you're not the reading type).

Better yet, each story is followed by links to related stories, so you can get different perspectives on the celebrity hijinks in question. And, you can vote on each story, so you can see which items your fellow celebrity-mongers find the most interesting.

Today, for example, you'll find news on Larry David's wife filing for divorce, Lindsay Lohan and her sobriety ankle bracelet (she hasn't gnawed that thing off yet?), and Paris Hilton's latest project--a cartoon! That last one is almost too bizarre to be true...

Nick Nolte's Bad Day at the Airport

All of us have bad experiences regarding air travel, but usually it's airlines or airports who are at fault. But in the case of Nick Nolte's recent visit to Hawaii's Kauai Airport, it was a totally self-inflicted wound.

Nolte was said to be dripping with sweat and drifting in and out of consciousness for two hours while lying on the airport floor. His flight was delayed for more than two hours Monday night, and I guess maybe he had a few drinks--we've all been there, right?--but it sounds like he was really out of it.

Nolte was reportedly to be quite friendly despite his incoherent condition; fellow passengers said he was chatting with fans and even letting people snap pictures of him.

Nolte has been of AARP age for more than a decade, and yet he seems to be trying to prove that in terms of repeated incidents of embarrassing public behavior, those young whippersnappers Britney Spears and Paris Hilton have nothing on him!

Anne Heche & Hubby: Odd and Odder

Anne Heche's long, strange trip on Planet Earth seems to be getting stranger still. After the breakup of her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres years ago, she had a much publicized mental breakdown, which she wrote about in her book "Call Me Crazy." Her father apparently abused her and her siblings, and perhaps because of this Heche starting believing she was a daughter of God. At one point she was found wandering near a dirt road in Fresno waiting for a space ship to take her to heaven (even though everyone knows that spaceships didn't have regular service to Fresno until just recently).

Things seemed to be on the upswing when she got married and had a child, but now things are unraveling and getting, well, weird... and nasty. First off, her husband's name is Coley Laffoon (a celebrity should never marry someone who's name elicits laughs all by itself).

Second, he's a videographer who earned $6,000 last year (he's been staying home to be Mr. Mom to their son).

Third, their son's name is... Homer. (Another lesson: don't give your child the name of a laughably boorish cartoon TV character.)

Well, now Laffoon is criticizing Heche's skills as a mom, claiming that her "bizarre and delusional behavior" could be a problem is she wins custody of Homer (who is now five). He also claims she often swears in front of the child.

Heche has now hit back. When Homer stays in L.A. with Laffoon, "he sends the boy to preschool or leaves him with nannies and baby sitters while he “plays ping-pong, backgammon and poker and views pornography online,” Heche has stated.

“He holds a poker game at his home every Thursday night and allows Homer to participate,” Heche contended.

Laffoon is seeking joint custody and is asking for more than $30,000 a month in spousal support. Maybe he could earn a few bucks beating his five-year-old at poker?

Tracy Morgan Drinkin' & Gropin' in the A.M. -- Life Imitating Art?

Late last week Tracy Morgan of "30 Rock" was accused of groping a radio host at a station in Florida, where he was to be a guest on the host's show. The host claimed that Morgan smelled of alchol and in her police complaint said that he "inappropriately groped" her (now can someone explain to me what "appropriate" groping would be?)

Is this a case of life imitating art? I mean, Morgan's "30 Rock" character is an out-of-control entertainer who seems saddled with substance abuse problems and a tendency for bizarre behavior and outbursts. And just as the TV character has a team of handlers/bodyguards to keep him from going too far over the edge, Morgan apparently had a couple of staff members with him at the radio station to do damage control.

With all the odd goings-on with female celebrities--Britney, Paris, Lindsay, etc.--it almost seems like a relief to see the guys taking a turn at public self-humiliation.

Angelina Jolie Adopts Entire Nation of Vietnam

Serial child adopter Angelina Jolie has decided to streamline her child acquisition efforts by adopting the entire nation of Vietnam. Jolie has had to undergo a lengthy process in adopting her children, with the massive paperwork involved for each adoption and the endless scrutiny of the paparazzi at every turn.

So Jolie realized that she would need a new strategy for adoption if she had any hopes of catching up to Mia Farrow. Farrow, the former companion of filmmaking legend Woody Allen, has adopted at least a dozen children from different countries.

Adoption experts and relief officials were puzzled and skeptical about Jolie's mass adoption. They questioned why Jolie would seek legal custody of an entire country's population, most of which are adults, and wondered what she knew about being a "parent" to adults.

When asked about this the dazzling, puffy-lipped superstar snapped, "Hey, I was married to Billy Bob Thornton for three years, and he was, like, 20 years older than me. I know plenty about adopting adults."

Alec Baldwin Explains Phone Rant: "I Was Trying Out for Imus's Job!"

Yes, Alec Baldwin has caught a lot of flack for his phone tirade at his daugter, Ireland. He yelled at her a couple of weeks ago for not being available to talk with him at their pre-arranged time.

I've now come up with a reasonable explanation--Alec was just auditioning for Don Imus's old job! The I-Man has been ranting and raving on morning drive-time radio for decades, so Baldwin knew the bar was set pretty high for anyone seeking to fill Don's shoes (or his cowboy hat). So Alec channeled his angry, confrontational character from "Glengarry Glen Ross" (thankfully without the profanity).

Hmmm, let's picture this... "Ireland, put the Barbie doll DOWN! .... Barbie dolls are for closers only. You know what it takes to be my daughter?! It takes brass balls to be my daughter."

Hey, I'll always admire Baldwin for that great Glengarry role, and for his hilarious current turn on "30 Rock." I'd hate to see him denied visits with his kid just because of this one rant ... if this kind of blow-up is a recurring thing, well, that's another matter. He went on "The View" and said that he was considering giving up his role in "30 Rock" and even his acting career in general to spend more time concentrating on his family.

Shaving and losing some weight would do him some good. If nothing else, it would make him look less like a middle-aged crazy when he appears in court for a custody hearing.