Jessica Simpson has taken her fair share of grief from the people of Texas for distracting Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo during the playoffs, but an unlikely person has stepped in to defend Simpson.
Ex-boyfriend John Mayer posted the following on his blog:
“Dear Dallas and Surrounding Areas, I have never known anyone to have more pride in their home state and their upbringing in it than Jessica Simpson has in Texas … It’s one of her most defining traits as a person. So please don’t try and take that away from her. (You probably wouldn’t be able to, but it’s less work for all involved.)
“I just thought it would mean something coming from the guy who has the absolute least to gain from this. And if I’m out of line in having written it, too bad. I can spare a Wednesday’s worth of bad press if it means sticking up for a good soul.”
I take back anything snarky I’ve ever said about John Mayer, his stand-up comedy or his dating patterns. Classy move.
Is she or isn’t she?Here’s a rumor that will wake you up — or cause you to swear off celebrity news forever: Britney Spears might be pregnant. Paparazzi caught Spears perusing pregnancy tests Jan. 13 at an L.A.-area Rite Aid.
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Celebrity Sightings
The photos were snapped shortly after Spears left the L.A. country courthouse where her custody hearing was taking place. Also present in the photos was her companion Adnan Ghalib (his photo agency sold the pics, natch).
“Nothing surprises anyone in that family anymore,” said one person who knows Spears. “Remember, she still thinks of herself as a good mom, so she’s not thinking in terms of being incapable of caring for a kid.”
Despite the photos, “Access Hollywood” reports that Sam Lutfi, a former Spears hanger-on, said the Rite Aid trip was a joke. “They’re just toying with the paparazzi,” he told “Access.”
As for her trip to the hospital, Spears has put it behind her, according to a source, and doesn’t plan on reaching out to Dr. Phil McGraw — who visited her at about the same time she was being released from the hospital — for any help.
A point of interest regarding Dr. Phil’s visit: Dr. Phil apparently had his production team already taping the show he meant to air about Britney while he was at the hospital. However, he hadn’t notified his producers that he was attempting to visit Spears.
“They were going about their expert interviews and had no clue that Phil had gone to Cedars. He didn’t tell anyone, then all of a sudden there are press releases about his visit coming out. It was so strange,” said a source close to the production.
‘Idol’s’ ratings take a dive
The season premiere of “American Idol” delivered the show’s worst ratings in four years. Ratings were down 11 percent from last year, and were down 10 percent from 2006. That said, “Idol” still crushed the competition Jan. 15, but a decline wasn’t really expected given the dearth of programming available right now.
Here are some highlights from the Jan. 16 show:
8:02:23 p.m.Paula is missing. We’re off to a great start.
8:07:18 p.m.Jessica gets to go to Hollywood. Yikes. This is boring when people are good.
8:08:07 p.m.Seriously, what is up with Simon and the v-necks. Last night it was Hanes, tonight he’s upgraded to a sweater. But still, too much information.
8:09:49 p.m.Paul is about to be sacrificed. Is it possible that all the judges realize this is kind of mean? They’re actually having a hard time delivering the news this season.
8:18:18 p.m.A medley of shame. I’m actually missing Alexis, last night’s Willem Dafoe lookalike who bathed in glitter.
8:27:18 p.m.Meet Bruce. Meet Bruce’s dad. Bruce, 19, has never kissed a girl. His dad gave him a key on a necklace, which symbolizes his “promise” to his future wife (no specifics on what that promise is). Bruce’s dad has a heart (with a key cutout) on a necklace around his own neck, and we learn at some point, the heart necklace will be passed along to Bruce’s wife. That way, Bruce will have the key to her heart! (Except that technically, doesn’t Bruce already have the key to her heart, since it’s around his neck?)
8:28:43 p.m.Simon meets Bruce. Look on Simon’s face: priceless.
8:29:53 p.m.Bruce doesn’t make it, but asks for advice. Randy’s advice: Kiss some girls. Yeah, this season is pretty tame.
8:30:35 p.m.This girl has a face tattoo, if I’m not mistaken. And there’s a tattoo on her skull. And she can sing. Wait, maybe this show is kind of awesome.
8:38:10 p.m.Brandon from Mississippi reveals he has a collection of his clipped fingernails with him. I take back everything I said about this show being awesome. This is not fit for family television. The worst part? I like the song he sings, “Rich Girl,” by Hall and Oates. This show has put me in a terrible position.
8:51:56 p.m.Another shame medley.
9:02:55 p.m.It’s not right to mock this guy. He’s being taken to a “safe place” but I don’t think this was an act, which makes it all really awkward and sad. Back to my soul dying ...
9:08:21 p.m.Simon says “love is deaf.” Maybe I don’t give Simon enough credit ...
9:20:23 p.m.What I wrote at 9:02 p.m. — still applies. No “safe place” invoked, but the general idea is the same.
9:43 p.m.Another horrible medley that showcases a dearth of talent and self awareness.
9:54:55 p.m.The final audition. There are no words. “We’re brothers ’til the end of time,” he sings. I’m not sure who is in on the joke at this point, but I’ve had enough. Good night. I’m not sure If I’ll have it in me to do this next week.
9:57:38 p.m.OMG, I take it back. I so take it back. Paula is pretending to sing along with the song, and it looks like she’s wearing some sort of wedding gown? And Randy and Ryan have joined in. And now Paula is doing a dance from “Forever Your Girl” or something. Maybe we are brothers ’til the end of time. Good night.