andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Ashley Greene, who plays Alice Cullen in the Twilight films thanks her hectic work schedule for her figure, reports Perez Hilton.

“We were working 12 hours a day,” said the 22-year-old, “so it didn’t leave too much time to eat. We had a personal trainer and then we also had fight training. It was a good four hours a day of training.”

She said when she did eat on-set, it was really healthy stuff, and she also takes the time to do Pilates. “I do it early in the morning. It wakes you up and it’s kind of refreshing. And that is basically it. Sometimes cardio. I am not a big weight person because when I do weights I build muscle mass.”

Jon Gosselin showed up to Saturday’s arbitration with roses for his estranged wife and Jon and Kate Plus Eight co-star, Kate Gosselin, reports Perez Hilton. But she was not impressed with the gesture.

“She was disgusted by Jon’s actions,” said a source. “She sees right through him. He told the press he brought the flowers as a peace offering but Kate knows he just did it for attention. You can’t go on TV and say you despise someone and then bring them roses. Kate is keeping her focus on pushing this divorce through as fast as possible.”

READ MORE »

Former American Idol judge Paula Abdul needed three assistants to help her walk the red carpet at the American Music Awards, reports TMZ. The 47-year-old had trouble maneuvering in her gown, which featured an enormous train.

The American Music Awards had all the ingredients for success this year: Taylor Swift beating out a pop mogul for a major award, lots and lots of Michael Jackson shout-outs, a Whitney Houston comeback performance and both Lady Gaga and Rihanna wearing next to nothing.

The major shock of the evening was Taylor Swift’s award for Artist of the Year, snagging the posthumous nomination from the King of Pop himself.

“I just want to say that music has never been ultimately about competition,” Swift said in her acceptance speech via video from London, England. “To even be mentioned in a category with Michael Jackson, who will be missed and loved forever, is an unimaginable honour.”

Swift won four other awards, of six nominations, including Pop/Rock Female Artist, Adult Contemporary Artist, Country Female Artist, and Favourite Country Album.

READ MORE »

Due to circumstances in Cougar Town star, Courteney Cox’s personal life, fans of the ABC comedy will be left hanging as they wait to learn whether Cox’s Jules Cobb can land a younger man, reports E! News.

“We can confirm production on Cougar Town has been temporarily shut down in order for Courteney to deal with a private family matter,” said a statement released by ABC.

No word on the nature of the problem or when production is expected to resume.

As if the line-ups outside movie theatres didn’t give it away, the official reports are in: The Twilight Saga: New Moon topped the box office this weekend with $140. 7 million. New Moon now sits at number three in the list of highest ranking box office weekends of all time, alongside The Dark Knight ($158.4 million) and Spider-Man 3 ($151.1 million).

“New Moon proves not only that the importance of teen girls at the box-office cannot be overstated, but also that going out to see a movie like this in a theater creates a communal event that can become a cultural phenomenon,” Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office division of Hollywood.com, told The Wall Street Journal.

New Moon posted the largest opening-day box office record with $72.7 million, beating out The Dark Knight’s first day.

When Twilight opened in 2008, it grossed $192.8 million after about 19 weeks in theatres, but as the Thanksgiving weekend approaches, critics are speculating New Moon will beat those numbers within a few days. More than 2,000 theatres in the US re-screened Twilight for a one-day teaser for fans, and grossed a total of $1.3 million.

READ MORE »

Country singer Taylor Swift topped the American Music Awards leader-board with five wins, including Artist of the Year, reports E! News. However, the 19-year-old was not present at Sunday’s ceremony in Los Angeles because she was rehearsing for a show at London’s Wembley Arena .

Michael Jackson received four posthumous awards, rounding out his career total to 25. His brother, Jermaine Jackson, was present to accept on his behalf.

“We love you, Michael,” said Jermaine, who sported a sequined glove for the event. “It’s not just about the winnings, the awards, it’s mainly the message. The message that Michael had will live on forever and he saw good in everyone and he wanted them to do good. To start with love and let’s love each other.”

READ MORE »

The hosts of radio show “Jojo, Reagan and the Mix Morning Show,” are asking Spencer Pratt to put his money where his mouth is and pay them the $1,000 he bet them Friday morning, reports TMZ. Pratt claimed his wife, Heidi Montag’s performance on the Miss Universe pageant was the most-watched television event in the history of time and space.

While one billion people tuned in to the pageant Aug. 23, Princess Diana’s funeral had 2.5 billion viewers. The radio hosts are waiting for their cheque.

A settlement has been reached in Howard K. Stern’s $60 million defamation lawsuit against Rita Cosby, reports TMZ.

In her book Blonde Ambition, Cosby alleges Stern and Larry Birkhead had a sexual encounter that was caught on tape. Both men deny the allegations, however, only Stern pursued legal action.

Director Steven Spielberg is planning to bring Stephen King’s latest novel, Under the Dome, to television, reports CBC. DreamWorks TV announced Spielberg will be executive producer for a mini-series based on the novel, which hit stores Nov. 10.

Under the Dome is the story of a town that has an invisible force field descend around it, making it impossible to go in or out. The townspeople then divide into two warring camps as they struggle for survival.