John Barrowman to appear on Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special

Actor John Barrowman looking forward to challenge

John Barrowman is getting his dancing shoes on

John Barrowman will take part in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special.

The Torchwood star is delighted he's been asked to appear on the BBC show.
'I'm ecstatic - I've watched Strictly since the first series,' John, 43, tells The Sun.

'I am looking forward to the challenge as it's so different to any of the dancing I've done in musicals.

'But more than anything I am so looking forward to the costumes. I can guarantee this - there will be sequins.'
John will be joined by Fern Britton, 53, and 4 other celebs on the one-off show.
This year, for the first time, the contestants won't have taken part in Strictly before. 
The special will air on Christmas Day. 

Storm Lee: Cher Lloyd and Katie Waissel are only on The X Factor to be famous

Axed X Factor finalist Storm Lee says all the contestants have huge egos

Storm Lee was mentored by Louis Walsh

Storm Lee has accused X Factor finalists Cher Lloyd and Katie Waissel of being fame-hungry.
The red-haired rocker thinks Cheryl Cole's girls aren't interested in honing their musical skills on the ITV show. 
'I feel Katie and Cher are there just to be famous, not to be singers,' says Storm, 37.
'I wish I hadn't spent so much time with Katie.'
Storm - who was mentored by Louis Walsh - claims all the contestants at The X Factor house in north London were only looking out for themselves. 
'Living in a house with 20-odd people is hard enough - but when you're competing to win a show, tensions rise,' he adds.
'Every one of us has a big ego and they're lying if they tell you otherwise.' 

Coleen Rooney shows off post-baby boobs

Coleen's curvy bikini body attracts attention poolside in Dubai

Coleen shows off her curves on the beach earlier this year

Coleen Rooney's been causing a stir poolside while on holiday in Dubai with husband Wayne Rooney.
Dressing for the heat in a series of chic bikinis, the curvy WAG, 24, has been showing off her trim post-baby body while sunbathing at the Burj Al Arab hotel.
'She looked toned but thin, which is to be expected after what she's been through the past few weeks,' one onlooker reveals.
'But her boobs looked a hell of a lot bigger than normal.' 
Coleen fans are now wondering if she's had a boob job, but the young mum only gave birth to son Kai 11 months ago and her breasts will have changed shape.
Despite her gorgeous body, apparently Coleen didn't look happy. She and Wayne, 24, who have been arguing during their vacation, are still trying to patch up their marriage.
'They sat apart from each other on separate loungers and hardly spoke,' a source tells the Daily Mail.
Coleen and Wayne are in Dubai on a mini-break to celebrate the footballer's 25th birthday.
In September it was alleged that the Manchester United striker had had sex with 2 prostitutes while Coleen was pregnant. 

Kym Marsh and Jamie Lomas expecting baby

Coronation Street star Kym thrilled at happy news

Kym Marsh and Jamie Marsh are delighted that Kym is pregnant again

Kym Marsh is pregnant.
The 34-year-old Coronation Street star's rep has confirmed the wonderful news.
'Kym Marsh and Jamie Lomas are delighted to announce they are expecting a baby together,' says the statement.
'They are very appreciative of the love and support that has come their way in the last 12 months, but they won't be saying anything further about Kym's pregnancy for the moment.

'They have confirmed this news now as both Kym and Jamie feel they'd like to be able to share their happiness with family, friends and colleagues.'
Kym and Jamie's son Archie, who was 18 weeks premature, died moments after he was born in February last year.
'It's hard to give birth and never hear those precious moments - the first cries a mother cherishes when their child enters the world,' Kym, 34, revealed.
'To leave the hospital without your baby is even harder. It was the most painful experience I have ever gone through. Not a day goes by when I don't think of my beautiful son.'
Kym has two other children - David, 15, and Emily, 13 - from a previous relationship with Dave Cunliffe.

Brian Friedman: I told Katie Waissel to audition for The X Factor years ago

X Factor's creative director met Katie in LA

Brian Friedman knew Katie Waissel had potential

Brian Friedman has revealed that he met Katie Waissel years ago in California when she was trying to make it in the US.
He saw her performing at a club in LA, singing with Daniel Bedingfield, and knew she'd do well on The X Factor. 
'I was totally blown away. She was incredible,' Brian, 33, recalls.
'I suggested she ought to audition for the show. She said she wasn't sure whether she should but I thought she was great.'
When Katie, 24, turned up at this year's boot camp, though, Brian didn't recognise her.
'When I first met her she looked completely different,' he tells The Sunday Mirror. 'She had dark hair to start with and now she's platinum. It was like a totally different person.' 
Katie signed a record deal under the name Lola Fontaine in America, which should have automatically disqualified her from competing on the reality show.
But lawyers sorted out the contract so she could continue as a contestant.

It's over for Blake Lively and Penn Badgley

It's over for Gossip Girl stunner Blake and co-star

Blake Lively is now single

Gossip Girl's Blake Lively and Penn Badgley have broken up.
The couple, both 23, who split in September, have kept the news to themselves - until now.
'They're professionals,' an insider tells Us Weekly. 'They're still good friends and hang out on the set.'
Blake - who plays sexy Serena van der Woodsen - met Penn when she was 12 but only got together with him in 2007. She didn't get on with the hottie when she was a teenager.
'We didn't like each other at all
then...but we've become
very close,' she revealed last year.
'It's mad when we go out - it feels like being Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
'We didn't set out to be a celebrity couple, but when you work opposite someone you develop chemistry.'

Celebrity Fashion Face-Off: Katherine Heigl vs. Jessica Simpson

Katherine Heigl vs. Jessica Simpson. It's a battle of the bags ... and celebrities with considerable baggage, as well. One's mouthy and the other clingy. Just saying.
Both are drop-dead gorgeous and have great style, though. Recently, each blonde showed off a functional tote bag a wild twist - bold leopard prints. Rawwr!
Whose style do you like better? Vote in our survey below!

Jessica Biel: Prettier as a Blonde or Brunette?

Jessica Biel has been a blonde, and looked great. No surprise there. But recently, she joined a growing list of stars (Demi Lovato comes to mind) in going dark.
The other night at a Glamour Reel Moments event, Jessica showed up with her locks dyed a chocolate color so deep they bordered on black. Quite a change!
Tough as it is for many women to pull off such a shift, we'd say she did so with flying (darker) colors. But does she look better as a blonde or a brunette? Vote:

Did Robert Pattinson Nix an Offer from Simon Cowell?

We already know Robert Pattinson can act, and look extremely handsome.
But did you know the Twilight Saga star can also sing? It's true, but if Pattinson is ever going to release an album, he recently said it would not be under Simon Cowell's guidance.
"He is a clever guy, and he's created artists that he knows the public will like," E! News quotes Rob as saying to Great Britain's The Sun, an unreliable source. "That's why I don't think he could ever launch my music career."

In other words: the man who made Edward Cullen come to life doesn't think his music would catch on.

"I don't think many other people would like it," he says. "I see myself playing in a rundown blues bar, with about three people drowning their sorrows. I play according to my mood, and sometimes that can come across as very depressing in music."

** UPDATE: Rob's manager says this story is untrue, labeling it as just "another headline generated by the Internet."

Audrina Patridge Eliminated in Dancing With the Stars Shocker: WTF?!

There were a few competitors we could have seen being voted off Dancing With the Stars this week. Audrina Patridge was not on that list, but she's headed home.
As such, Rock Week left the field all shook up.
With 24 points in her individual routine and another eight in the group marathon, Audrina's total of 32 was the second HIGHEST of the week behind Brandy.

Audrina and Tony are out. Go figure that.

Despite besting Kurt Warner (22), Bristol Palin (28) and even favorite Jennifer Grey (29) fell from grace, the former Hills star apparently didn't do it for voters.
Too bad, because she's actually one of the better dancers this fall. What she lacked in passion, she more than made up for in technique, effort and consistency.
"I've had so much fun this entire experience," said Audrina Patridge. "Tony has been such an amazing teacher ... Thank you for all the comments and support."
Judge Len Goodman was less diplomatic.
"I'm almost at a loss for words," he said of Audrina and Jennifer landing in the bottom two. "It's ludicrous. For one of these two to be going home is absolute nonsense. We like the underdog but we like justice more, and there is no justice here."
What do you think? Pretty hard to argue that the voters got this wrong. How do you not send Kurt home after Monday night? How does Bristol outlast Audrina?

Charlie Sheen: Going Back to Work

What drunken, half-naked, prostitute and cocaine-based New York City hotel escapade?!?
In a couple days, it will seem like such an incident never took place for Charlie Sheen, as sources confirm the actor is simply headed back to work this week.
"Charlie will be working this week doing a cameo role, playing himself, in a small movie as a favor to a friend and has every intention of going back to work on Two and a Half Men on Tuesday," his manager Mark Burg told People. "He's looking forward to working."

Charlie Sheen gives new meaning to the nickname Wild Thing...

Sheen was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon, hours after police responded to a call from a frightened hooked who locked herself in the bathroom because the allegedly high actor went berzerk in the face of a lost wallet. Cops found Sheen passed out in bed.

Oh, and his two daughter were staying next door.

Note to readers: if you won't stop watching Sheen's sitcom because it's painfully unfunny, perhaps you'll stop watching it to send a message to someone who clearly needs help.

Ellen Ross Launches Advice Column

Jon Gosselin's girlfriend, Ellen Ross, has a new blog in which readers ask her for advice on everything from wedding politics to breakups to school bullying.
"I am notorious for being able to hold my own and make excellent decisions," Ross writes. "I like to think I have a pretty good head on my shoulders."
On the website, Ellen Ross indirectly references her (in)famous boyfriend, warning readers that "this is not a site to discuss my relationship and critique it."

Ellen Ross gives out the advice, people. Keep your own to yourself!

"Only I know the truth and reality with what's going on in my life so please don't try to send me any emails or comments warning me of what could happen."
Jon and Ellen met in April on a blind date. Can you imagine being set up on a blind date, only to have it be Jon Gosselin? Hey, I know this great unemployed, overweight guy with eight kids and bad hair plugs! You should TOTALLY meet him!
To her credit, the 24-year-old Pennsylvania government worker has been dating Gosselin since this past spring, and has been a stabilizing influence on him.
He recently apologized on Twitter for all his past decisions and seems more focused, relatively speaking at least, on living a quiet life and focusing on his kids.

Is Jon Stewart the Most Influential Man in the World?

Days before he hosts a Rally to Restore Sanity in the nation's capital, Jon Stewart has been honored as the most influential man of 2010.
"Despite his innumerable enemies, Stewart's acerbic take on the madness around him continues to draw audiences who look to the funnyman as a voice of reason," wrote AskMen, the website that conducted this survey. "Stewart's show was once dubbed the 'fake news,' but these days it's become our youths' most trusted source of information."

Rounding out the top five in the poll: Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Kanye West. President Barack Obama? All the way down at number-21. Ouch. Writes the site:

"Nearly two years into his presidency, Barack Obama's rallying cry of 'Yes we can' is starting to look like a bitter joke. America's chief executive has faced one formidable roadblock after another as he's attempted to get the country back on its feet."

Family of Victim Calls BS on Joe Finley, America's Got Talent Contestant's Story

Joe Finley says he is innocent.
The America's Got Talent contestant claims he saw wife Laura alive at 3 a.m. last Saturday, awoke to her missing, reported that fact to the Millennium Biltmore Hotel staff in Las Vegas and then went to audition for the NBC reality show.
Considered a person of interest in the case, Joe swears someone else killed his wife.

But a relative of Laura's tells TMZ she thinks Joe's "whole story is BS," adding: "There are too many gaping holes for it to be true.”

This individual says the family plans to hold a memorial for Laura without Joe present.

“The family knows Laura was murdered and that Joe was the last to see her. They're having a hard time believing that he went so long under those circumstances without being concerned about her whereabouts."

Months before Laura's death, this person says, Joe and Laura exchanged heated words. The latter threatened to leave the former, which could speak to a motive for his alleged, violent actions.

When Will Mel Gibson Apologize?

Even the most sympathetic Mel Gibson fan knows it has to happen.
No, he hasn't been charged with a crime (yet). No, Oksana isn't some sweet, innocent victim. No, his firing from The Hangover 2 probably wasn't totally fair.
Still, the Mel Gibson rants are what they are. Repulsive, scary and unbecoming of any human being, let alone an all-time movie star. So where's the apology?

Mel Gibson will finally testify next week in his child custody case. But in the court of public opinion, the actor has more than a little explaining to do as well.

According to reports, the actor is starting to realize that remaining silent may be a smart legal strategy, but it's doing him no favors in the eyes of the public.
It's only a matter of time before the fallen star tells his side of the story, at least in part, if for no other reason than to begin resurrecting a tarnished image.
Since the second the tapes were released, every media outlet has been contacting Mel's people asking for an interview. No response. But that might change.
"Mel has finally realized if he doesn't say something, it might be too late," says a source. "The days of just hoping this whole ugly mess goes away are over."
Mel could pretty much hand-pick any media outlet, and everyone from Oprah to Letterman and The View, but insiders say he'll likely sit down with a male.
"Mel did an interview with Diane Sawyer after his anti-Semitic remarks several years ago, and that didn't go so well for him," a friend of the actor says.
"Now, with the stakes even higher, everyone thinks it would be better for a man to sit opposite another man to discuss everything that has been going on."
"I suppose the first choice would probably be Matt Lauer. It's certainly not going to be Oprah Winfrey after she almost got [Oksana Grigorieva] to tell all."
Matt's skill and integrity cannot be denied, but no matter what, unless Mel Gibson is willing to accept responsibility, this isn't going to end well for him.
There are details he can't or won't go into given the police investigation, but "Mel must be aware of what he needs to do. And that is to say, 'I'm sorry.'"
Should Mel sit down with Matt? Do you want to hear what he has to say? Should he stay silent and let Oksana ruin him - or self-destruct?

Blake Lively and Penn Badgley: It's Over!

Gossip Girl stars Penn Badgley and Blake Lively have ended their three-year romance, a rep for the twosome exclusively tells the new issue of Us. OMFG!
They called it quits in mid-September, amicably. "They’re professionals," an insider says of the pair. "They're still good friends and hang out on the set."
The duo, who met as preteen actors in L.A., then began dating as their characters were dating on Gossip Girl, "kept this news to themselves for a while."

Blake Lively and Penn Badgley have broken up after almost three years.

Indeed, they have always taken a drama-free approach to their relationship, and that includes the breakup aspect of it. They just go about their business.
Even those closest to the twosome may be shocked to hear the news. "Nobody on set had any idea," says the insider. "They're really just private."
We're sorry to hear about this breakup news, although it does put a new spin on Blake's rumored hookup with Ryan Gosling earlier this month.

Justin Timberlake: Cheating on Jessica Biel? With Olivia Munn?

Justin Timberlake abhors being the subject of tabloid speculation, even when the gossip is fairly vanilla. This latest report may send him into a rage.
According to Us, he cheated on girlfriend Jessica Biel - with Olivia Munn!
The two supposedly engaged in a three-night love tryst while his lady was far away. Is this story far away from the truth? Spot on? In between? We can't say.

MUNN AND DONE: Is TimberBiel's relationship on shaky ground?

For what it's worth, Jessica Biel, along with Eva Mendes and Rachel Weisz, premiered her short films in Hollywood last night at the Glamour Reel Moments event.
Justin was in town, but was a no-show at her big premiere.
A source close to the still-together duo explained that The Social Network star didn't want to the steal the thunder from Jess in front of the press on "her night."
We can buy that ... but you can't help but wonder if there's trouble in paradise. On the flip side, maybe Us is venturing into In Touch territory lately. Stay tuned.

Rihanna Calls Chris Brown Assault a Needed Wake-Up Call, Turning Point

Chris Brown's brutal assault on her shocked the world and rocked hers early last year. Not in a good way, either. But Rihanna says she has no regrets.
The 22-year-old singer tells the December issue of Marie Claire UK that "God has a crazy way of working" and that in a way, it was what she needed.
"Sometimes when stuff happens you feel like, 'What did I do to deserve this?' Why was it backfiring on me?'" she recalls. "But I needed that wake-up call."

"I needed a turning point, and that's what God was giving to me." - Rihanna

At the time, however, Rihanna says it was difficult to go through such a painful situation - and the end of the relationship - in the public eye.
"All this terrible stuff they say to you, it breaks you down," she says.
"[But] at the same time, once you're actually back on your feet - if you ever make it back on your feet - that's the ultimate achievement."
She says it wasn't easy to break up with Brown, but knew it was time.
Chris Brown pleaded guilty to a felony and accepted a plea deal that included more than 1,400 hours of community labor and five years probation.
Even so, it wasn't easy to call it quits with a person she loved. So how did Rihanna finally find the strength to end the toxic relationship?
"I remember I was in New York at the Trump Hotel and I woke up and I just knew I was over it. It was a different day. I felt different," she said.

"I didn't feel lonely," she recalls. "I felt like I wanted to get up and be in the world again. It was liberating. That was a great, great feeling."
She hasn't looked back since.
"I feel like I smile for real this time. The smiles come from inside, and it exudes in everything I do," she says. "People feel my energy is different. When I smile they can tell that it's pure bliss and not just a cover up."

Kim Zolciak: Pregnant... with a Twist!

According to the latest issue of Star, Kim Zolciak is pregnant - but there's a twist.
The magazine claims this Real Housewife of Atlanta did not want to raise the child with boyfriend Kroy Biermann at first. Tracy Young, the DJ who carried on a same-sex fling with Zolciak earlier this year, says Kim asked her to assist with the baby.
"She said she still loved me and wanted to tell me something important face to face,” says Young of a call she received from the reality star four months after their break-up.

Tracy goes on to recount Kim's words, saying her former partner stated: 'I want you to stay and raise the baby with me, because Kroy doesn't want to be involved.'"

But something apparently changed soon afterward, as Biermann re-entered the picture just two days after this request from Kim. He has 17 tackles for the Atlanta Falcons so far this season, along with one interception returned for a touchdown.

Kourtney Kardashian & Scott Disick: Broken Up... and Married!

We have bad news and good news for fans of Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick. Let's hope they are both reading this...
First, the bad: the rocky relationship between this couple is over, as In Touch Weekly confirms Kourtney took part in a REVENGE ROMANCE that included - gasp! - a "secret meeting" with a Miami model named Leandro Magno.

It's been a busy week for Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick.

Fortunately, there's this piece of good news: Kourtney and Scott are married! As Star makes clear, the pair went off to ELOPE recently, somehow avoiding the cameras that follow them around at all times.

We wonder if they consummated the marriage or not. Disick is reportedly embarrassed to have sex with Kardashian, after all.

Rachel Uchitel: I'm Just a Normal Girl!

Rachel Uchitel had affairs with Tiger Woods and David Boreanaz, but the professional mistress swears that the public has a completely incorrect perception of her.
Pretty sure we do not, but whatever helps you sleep, Rache.
"I am different than the cartoon character that people have made me out to be," she tells E! News. "I am just a normal girl. Like anybody you would know." LOL.

Rachel Uchitel: The skanky, professional mistress next door.

"I am absolutely not the wicked witch people have made me out to be," she says. "It's hurtful. I am human. It's a hurtful thing to have people talk about you. There are a lot of things that I think people don't know because nobody has ever asked."
*Sniff* Anybody got a tissue?
Promoting her upcoming appearance on Celebrity Rehab, the former event planner, who was reportedly treated for "love addiction" on the reality show, wouldn't talk about Tiger Woods of course, since he paid her $10M to shut her yap.
David Boreanaz, however? Fair game!
"It was a situation where I was deeply in love with somebody and he was deeply in love with me," Rachel said of her sordid affair with the Bones leading man.
"You never really know what you're being told - no matter who you are, no matter what relationship you're in - you never really know if the person is really being honest with you. I took a chance and I bet on the wrong horse."
Asked if she knew his status - he married Jaime Bergman in 2001 and, during her affair with Boreanaz, Bergman was pregnant - Rachel said, "I did know David was married. But I also knew the kind of relationship that David was in."
What the hell does that mean? That it's okay because he was more into her than his wife at the time? As for whether she knew Tiger was married ...
"I understand it is a subject people are really interested in," she says. "It's something I have never spoken about ... something I don't wish to speak about at all."
Not that she could legally say otherwise anyway, but Rachel claims that not commenting about Tiger Woods is her own decision as part of moving on with life.
"I really changed my life in the last year," said Rachel, who is studying to be a detective and dating on Match.com. "I've changed all the people I speak to. I've changed what I do for a living. My entire way that I live is completely different."

Denise Richards Remains Mum on Details of Charlie Sheen Hospitilzation

We never thought we'd say this, but: way to go, Denise Richards!
The ex-wife of Charlie Sheen accompanied that mess of an actor to the hospital yesterday morning, soon after police found him passed out and allegedly high on cocaine. The former couple had spent the weekend together with their daughters, seeing NYC sights and getting along better than ever.
But in an interview with Joy Behar last night, Richards took the high road, refusing to gossip about the father of her children.

"I'd rather leave that for Charlie to discuss, if that's something he wants to do, because that's something very personal and private," she said. "The thing is that my daughters are 5 and 6, and they're at an age where they can start to understand. They have no idea what went on, and our stuff happened when they were much younger, which I'm so grateful for."

The actress has seen the violent side of Sheen first hand, but now says she has "a lot of faith" in her ex. She hopes he finds his way to sobriety.

"We're in an amazing place," Richards told Behar of their relationship. "We've been getting along great for the last year-and-a-half, and we're doing our best. So as far as that situation, I'm just trying to protect the girls from it as much as possible."

Just a Typical Night Out For Taylor Momsen

Taylor Momsen must love Halloween. Either that or she hates it, since for one brief period per year, her underage-goth-girl-rocker look isn't edgy or unusual!
The Gossip Girl Corpse Bride herself showed up a party in W. Hollywood last night, with no shortage of leather or lace. Did we mention she's 17 years old?
Hey, at compared to those topless concert pics, this is more or less tame. No word on whether The Pretty Reckless is renaming itself The Zombie Raccoons ...

Taylor Momsen readies for Halloween. Or just any Tuesday evening.

Batman 3 to Be Titled...

Are you ready for the The Dark Knight to rise?
Christopher Nolan has revealed the title for the third installment in his Batman series. Slated for a summer 2012 release, it will be called The Dark Knight Rises. The director has also revealed one more tidbit about the wildly-anticipated film: The Riddler will NOT be the villain.

"We’ll use many of the same characters as we have all along, and we’ll be introducing some new ones," Nolan said of the script.

The Dark Knight is considered one of the best movies in the history of Hollywood. It earned Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of The Joker.