Beyonce's mother is about to become a single lady.According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Tina Knowles filed for divorce from Matthew Knowles ( who managed Beyonce during her Destiny's Child days ) last month, and the couple has released a statement saying that the split is being handled amicably. The couple married in 1980.
Out actor Neil Patrick Harris shared his holiday doings on Twitter, according to People.com . "Happy Harlem Holidays!!" the actor typed. "Finally arrived ( layover in Vegas—won $9.50 in slots! ) , got us a tree, about to trim." After decorating the tree, he stated, "Tree trimmed. Balls hung. Good times." That evening, he saw the Broadway play Next to Normal, which he deemed "fan-frigging-tastic!"
The FBI investigated a possible terror attack and an alleged assassination plot against the late singer Michael Jackson during the years 1992-2005, according to an MTV.com item. Among the revelations was that the 1993 sentencing of Frank Paul Jones—a man allegedly obsessed with Janet Jackson, Michael's sister—was connected to death threats he made against Michael, late mob boss John Gotti and then-President George H.W. Bush. The FBI also took part in a 1993 probe of Michael Jackson after the Los Angeles Police Department asked the bureau if it wanted to work on a possible case against him for transporting a minor across state lines for immoral intentions.
Lady Gaga has named her favorite artists and song of 2009. According to MTV.com, the "Poker Face" singer said that her "favorite artists of 2009 were [ her ] fans. [ E ] very song I did, they remade on their own, and every photograph that I took, they took their own version of it." As for album of the year, she selected Morrissey's Years of Refusal; her choice for song of the year was Grace Jones' "Corporate Cannibal," which is off Jones' 2008 album, Hurricane.
Similarly, gay singer Adam Lambert has named his favorites of the year. The former American Idol runner-up named Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow," Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and Pink's "Sober" among his top song choices, according to MTV.com . Lambert named Lady Gaga as woman of the year and her CD, The Fame, as album of the year. As for man of the year, he said, "Obama's a good one. Tiger Woods, not so much for me?"
Speaking of Lady Gaga, Kansas' notoriously anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church—headed by the Rev. Fred Phelps—plans to protest outside her St. Louis, Mo., concert Jan. 7, according to Advocate.com . A press release from the church read, in part, "'Art' and 'fashion' are the euphemisms, the guise under which proud whore Lady Gaga teaches rebellion against God."
Longtime celebrity couple Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have split, People.com has reported. The twosome—known for their liberal political leanings as well as their acting talent—were together more than two decades but broke up over the summer. The couple—who have two sons together: Jack, 20, and Miles, 17—met on the set of the 1988 movie Bull Durham. Sarandon and Robbins never married.
British singer Amy Winehouse is seemingly up to her old tricks: She was recently arrested, charged with allegedly committing assault at England's Milton Keynes Theatre, MTV.com reported. Winehouse reportedly struggled with a member of the theater's staff after she began to heckle a performance of Cinderella, which stars U.S. acting legend Mickey Rooney. Although Winehouse divorced husband Blake Fielder-Civil in July, she was booked under the name Amy Civil.
Political conservatives are upset over Christmas tree ornaments at the White House that feature people such as drag queen Hedda Lettuce and the late Chinese Communist dictator Mao Tse-tung, according to EDGE Boston. Simon Doonan, an out writer and creative director of Barney's department store in New York, supervised the decorations. Right-wing Web site Big Government has noted that Doonan has been behind displays showing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as "a dowdy dominatrix" and ex-Vice President Dan Quayle as "a ventriloquist's dummy."
Cher is selling her 8,821-square-foot residence at the Hualalai Resort on the island of Hawaii for $8 million-$12 million, according to X17 Online. An auction is slated to take place Jan. 18. Concierge Auctions, which is handling the deal, stated, "The property is an elegant take on Island living and a true reflection of Cher's refined personality and taste."
Singer Ricky Martin is condemning anti-gay hate crimes, according to an Advocate.com item. In a statement published in the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia, Martin criticized recent anti-gay murders and urged people to "accept diversity." Martin is from Puerto Rico, the site of the November killing of gay teen Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado.
Singer and gay fave Mary J. Blige punched her husband, Kendu Isaacs, in the face at a record-release party recently, according to Page Six. Blige hit Isaacs, drawing blood, after she thought he was flirting with a waitress. According to a witness, Blige "turned to him and was screaming, 'You're not going to ruin my night.' ... 'What are you gonna do, Chris Brown me?'" Her rep said, "People lie and don't know what they're talking about."
Tyra Banks has announced that this will be the last season of her talk show, according to a New York Times item. In an interview with People.com, Banks said, "I've been loving having fun, coming into your living rooms, bedrooms, hair salons for the past five years." On The Tyra Banks show, the Emmy-winning supermodel-turned-mogul did everything from don a fat suit to talk with then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. Banks plans to focus on a new film-production company, Bankable Studios, and will stay involved with her show America's Next Top Model.
