Kate Winslet
Photo: Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Friday, October 5th
Kate Winslet (actress) is 32
Richard Street (singer, The Temptations) is 65
Steve Miller (singer-guitarist) is 64
Brian Johnson (singer, AC/DC) is 60
Jeff Conaway (actor, "Kenickie" in Grease) is 57
Karen Allen (actress, "Katy" in Animal House) is 56
Clive Barker (writer-director, Hellraiser) is 55
David Bryson (guitarist, Counting Crows) is 53
Bob Geldof (singer, Live Aid and Live 8 organizer) is 53
Bernie Mac (comedian) is 50
Daniel Baldwin (actor, Homicide: Life on the Streets) is 47
Guy Pearce (actor, "Leonard" in Memento) is 40
Fabian Estay (soccer midfielder) is 39
Grant Hill (professional basketball player) is 35
Parminder Nagra (actress, "Jess" in Bend it Like Beckham) is 32
Scott Weinger (actor, "Steve" on Full House) is 32
Kate Winslet (actress) is 32
James Valentine (guitarist, Maroon 5) is 29
Paul Thomas (bassist, Good Charlotte) is 27
Nicky Hilton(socialite) is 24
Saturday, October 6th
Britt Ekland (actress) is 65
Kevin Cronin (singer, REO Speedwagon) is 56
David Hidalgo (guitarist, Los Lobos) is 53
Elisabeth Shue (actress) is 44
Matthew Sweet (singer-songwriter, "Girlfriend") is 43
Jacqueline Obradors (actress, "Rita" on NYPD Blue) is 41
Tommy Stinson (bassist, The Replacements) is 41
Lola Duenas (actress, "Dolores" in Lo que se de Lola) is 36
Ioan Gruffudd (actor, "Reed" in Fantastic Four) is 34
Jeremy Sisto (actor, "Billy" on Six Feet Under) is 33
Sunday, October 7th
Al Martino (singer) is 80
John Mellencamp (musician) is 56
Ricky Phillips (guitarist, Styx) is 56
Christopher Norris (actress, "Gloria 'Ripples' Brancusi" on Trapper John, M.D.) is 54
Yo-Yo Ma (cellist) is 52
Tico Torres (drummer, Bon Jovi) is 54
Simon Cowell (judge, American Idol) is 48
Toni Braxton (singer) is 40
Thom Yorke (singer, Radiohead) is 39
Damian Kulash (singer, OK Go) is 32
Rachel McAdams (actress) is 31
Taylor Hicks (American Idol winner) is 31
Santiago Solari (soccer midfielder, Internazionale) is 31
PAST WEEKEND EVENTS
ON OCTOBER 5th...
In 1968...The Who, Small Faces, Joe Cocker and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown began their tour of the British Isles in London.
In 1969...The Who appeared on the The Ed Sullivan Show.
In 1970...Violinist Papa John Creach joined Jefferson Airplane.
In 1970...Prince Rupert Lowenstein was made The Rolling Stones' financial advisor.
In 1991...Guns N' Roses entered the album charts with not one, but two albums. Use Your Illusion II grabbed the number-one spot, with Use Your Illusion I charting second.
In 1992...The Temptations' Eddie Kendricks died of lung cancer in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. He was 52.
In 1993...The Beatles two hits compilations, 1962-1966 and 1967-1970, popularly known as the red album and the blue album, were released on CD.
In 1999...Paul McCartney released Run Devil Run. The collection of rock 'n' roll covers, originally recorded by artists like Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley, was his first album since the death of his wife, Linda McCartney, in 1998.
In 2003...Ted Nugent became the star of his own reality show, Surviving Nugent, which aired on Vh1. On the program, "The Nuge" introduced a bunch of city slickers to his outdoor lifestyle.
In 2004...The man who shot John Lennon was denied parole for a third time. The New York State Division of Parole said that Mark David Chapman showed "extreme malicious intent" in killing the former Beatle in December 1980.
In 2005...R&B star Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and his wife Tracey announced they were splitting. The pair married in 1992.
In 2006...Madonna visited an orphanage in Malawi.
ON OCTOBER 6TH...
In 1958...In a special report, Billboard claimed that payola was "fast growing into a monster that may yet destroy its creators. According to key record execs, jockey payola is so widespread that it's no longer possible to measure its effectiveness."
In 1966...Big Brother & The Holding Company performed at the Love Pageant Rally in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
In 1967...California police closed down San Francisco's Matrix club during a performance by Big Brother & The Holding Company.
In 1968...The Doors documentary The Doors Are Open was screened on British TV.
In 1969...The Beatles released their first single written by George Harrison. "Something" went to number three in the United States.
In 1978...Mick Jagger issued an apology to the Reverend Jesse Jackson for the lyrics to the song "Some Girls." Jackson said they were racist.
In 1979...Fleetwood Mac rush-released their double album Tusk as tracks began being leaked to radio stations.
In 1980...In Dublin, former Sex Pistols singer John Lydon (a-k-a Johnny Rotten) was arrested after getting involved in a barroom brawl. He was later acquitted on appeal.
In 1985...Jimmy Page started work on The Firm's second and final album.
In 1998...Bruce Springsteen was in British court in an attempt to prevent Masquerade Music from selling a CD called Before the Fame. As the title implied, the album contained recordings made before Bruce signed to Columbia Records. He later won the case.
In 2003...One-time Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth dropped his lawsuit against the band. Roth was seeking more than 200-thousand dollars in unpaid royalties.
In 2003...School of Rock, starring burly Tenacious D comic Jack Black as a metalhead-turned-substitute teacher, topped the U-S box office.
In 2004...Incubus singer Brandon Boyd was arrested at LaGuardia Airport in New York after screeners found a knife in his carry-on bag. Boyd later said, "I totally forgot it was at the bottom of my bag, and when the security person pulled it out, I thought, 'Oh, no.'"
In 2005...A Rolling Stones concert at the University of Virginia was stopped after the venue received a bomb threat. The concert continued after bomb-sniffing dogs surveyed the stage.
ON OCTOBER 7TH...
In 1967..."Mama" Cass Elliott spent the night in a London prison after not paying her hotel bill.
In 1967...The Beatles turned down their second million-dollar offer to play New York's Shea Stadium.
In 1970...Janis Joplin's body was cremated in Los Angeles. Her ashes were later scattered along the Californian coastline from a plane.
In 1975...John Lennon was allowed to stay in the United States. The U-S Court of Appeals in New York ruled that his 1968 pot bust was an invalid excuse for forcing him to leave America.
In 1977...David Bowie released Heroes, the second album in his trilogy recorded with Brian Eno. It peaked at number 35.
In 1978...The Rolling Stones appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed "Beast of Burden" and "Respectable."
In 1980..."Son of a Preacher Man" singer Dusty Springfield played New York's Grand Finale club. It was the first time she'd played Manhattan since 1972.
In 1980...A court ruled that the death of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham was accidental.
In 1982...Jimmy Page was found guilty of cocaine possession. He was given a 12-month conditional discharge.
In 1986...The rap trio Run DMC performed an anti-crack concert in New York City, where they lectured an audience of four-thousand school kids on the evils of the drug.
In 1989...Jefferson Airplane performed a benefit for the San Francisco Food Bank, with fans gaining free entrance by donating a can of food.
In 1995...David Bowie released Outside. It was his first collaboration with Brian Eno since the Berlin trilogy.
In 1996...Bruce Springsteen's solo show at Charlotte's Ovens Auditorium sold out in eight minutes.
In 2003...A judge ordered a Japanese businessman to stay away from Britney Spears after declaring that the man was "abnormally obsessed and fixated with Spears."
In 2003...The FCC declared that U2 singer Bono's use of an obscenity during the Golden Globe Awards did not violate broadcast indecency rules.
In 2003...'80s pop duo Tears for Fears announced they were reforming. The "Shout" hit-makers Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith last recorded together in 1989.
In 2004...Melissa Etheridge revealed that she had breast cancer. She was forced to cancel her autumn tour in order to undergo treatment.
In 2004...Britney Spears and Kevin Federline filed their marriage license. This formalized the secret marriage ceremony they held the previous month.
In 2004...Poison's C. C. DeVille was named the worst guitar soloist of all time by Guitar World magazine. He garnered the award because of his nine-minute solo from Swallow This ... Live! Carlos Santana was a runner-up for his work on "Game of Love."
In 2005...Boy George was arrested and charged with drug possession after police found over 3.5 grams of cocaine in his New York apartment. He faced up to 15 years in prison.
In 2006...Rapper Jadakiss was arrested in his hometown of Yonkers, New York, for gun and drugs possession. Police allegedly found marijuana and a stolen .38 revolver in his Toyota Camri.
In 2006...U-K band Babyshambles were forced to postpone their British tour when leader Pete Doherty decided to return to rehab.
MARK RONSON GETS THE STAR TREATMENT. DJ Mark Ronson played his first ever headlining gig in Los Angeles on Wednesday and the stars turned up for his show. According to NME.com, Ronson was joined on stage by rapper Tiggers as well as members of Phantom Planet who performed their OC theme tune "California." Next up, came English superstar Robbie Williams who performed The Charlatans track "The Only One I Know." Also to join Ronson, Nikka Costa and Daniel Merriweather, who sings on Ronson's cover of The Smiths "Stop Me if You Think You've Heard This One Before." Nicole Richie and boyfriend Joel Madden of Good Charlotte stopped by to see the show as well.
JADAKISS MAY NOT FACE CHARGES. According to XXL Magazine, New York rapper Jadakiss may not be facing weapons and drug charges. The Westchester County District Attorney's office has filed a motion to dismiss the charges, but the ruling won't become official until a judge grants the motion. Jadakiss and two of his friends were arrested a year ago this month in Yonkers after police said they smelled marijuana coming from his car. The arresting officer also found an illegal firearm in the vehicle. One of the men was cleared after DNA tests could not link him to the weapon, and the second man is also seeking dismissal.
SONGS OFF JAY-Z'S AMERICAN GANGSTER ALBUM REVEALED. Jay-Z was so inspired by the upcoming flick American Gangster that he went out and recorded a musical accompaniment for the flick. His album shares the same title as the film and will feature tracks like "And the Winner Is," "Welcome" and "Demise." The film's actual soundtrack features new tunes from Anthony Hamilton as well as classic songs by Public Enemy, John Lee Hooker and more. American Gangster stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe and it hits theatres on November 2nd.
CHEAP TRICK MAN TO OPEN HOTEL AND MUSEUM. For Cheap Trick's Rick Nielson, playing the guitar wasn't enough. Nielson is planning to open Rick's, a hotel/restaurant/museum in Rockford, Illinois. WREX-TV reports that construction on the building hasn't yet begun, but once complete, the structure will be home to many guitars from Rick's collection, including some he played and some played by the likes of Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townsend and Eric Clapton. In addition to the museum, Nielson hopes to hold classes at the hotel, where he also expects to host weddings and conferences. He may even get ordained so that he can officiate some weddings. Rick also said that he is in talks about getting a reality show that might detail the construction project.
ROLLING STONES SONG IN CREATIVE NEW AD. The advertisers of Sony's high definition television the Bravia have become hits on the Internet by creating commercials that go viral. They're the ones behind the ad with all the superballs bouncing down San Francisco's hills. Their latest commercial has claymation rabbits hopping through New York City to the sweet sounds of the Rolling Stone's "She's A Rainbow." Check it out at Creativity-Online.com.
FINAL TRACK LISTING OUT FOR GUITAR HERO III. The final track listing for Guitar Hero III is out and it includes a long list of big names. Included in the game are songs from Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Cream, Foghat, Guns N' Roses and Heart. You can also play along to music from Iron Maiden, Santana, the Scorpions, Slayer, Metallica, Kiss, Pearl Jam, Poison, the Rolling Stones, The Who and ZZ Top. The game is due out on the 28th. For more info, check out GuitarHero.com.
CLAPTON'S GUITAR FESTIVAL ON DVD. Eric Clapton's latest Crossroads Guitar Festival brought together some of the greatest axemen alive to help raise money for the musician's Crossroads Center rehab facility. Among the all-stars who took the stage were Steve Winwood, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Derek Trucks, John Mayer, Buddy Guy and more. Next month, the entire event will be available on DVD. The two-disc set includes four hours of jamming, impressive collaborations, as well as a ton of backstage footage. It's called Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 from Chicago and it hits shelves on November 20th.
KANYE BORROWS "COCA-COLA." In his latest single, "Can't Tell Me Nothing," Kanye West sampled Edwin Birdsong's song entitled "Coca-Cola Bottle Baby." Legally of course. Electronica group Daft Punk has also sampled the song. And Birdsong couldn't be happier. He said, "It's a great blessing to have such creatively diverse and exceptional artists as Kanye West and Daft Punk sample a song I wrote and recorded more than 25 years ago." Licensing "Coca-Cola Bottle Baby" seems to have been a great choice for 'Ye, as his song, "Can't Tell Me Nothing," has found success on the Billboard charts.
MOS DEF AND TALIB KWELI BRING THE BLACK STAR BACK TOGEHTER. Mos Def and Talib Kweli, also known as Black Star, will reunite on stage at the Esurance ICER AIR event in San Francisco, California on November 3rd. ICER Air is an action sports, music and lifestyle event that brings winter sports such as ski jumping and snowboarding to the warm city of San Francisco. The reunion of Black Star on stage is something that hip-hop fans demanded over the years. But as Talib explains it's the mastery of their craft that has fans anticipating new music from Black Star. "Me and Mos is real good friends, the Black Star thing came as a result of being friends. I think that's why with us it's not as a pressing thing as maybe a fan would like it to be. The reason people ask about it all the time is because we both are being prolific. If we weren't being prolific no one would care." Black Star is scheduled to perform on the main stage at the ICER Air event. Mos and Talib recently appeared together in Dave Chappelle's movie Block Party.
WU-TANG HIT'S THE ROAD THIS MONTH. Wu-Tang's upcoming album, 8 Diagrams marks the reunion Loud Records founder Steve Rifkind who launched the hip-hop icons' very first album, Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, nearly 15 years ago on his label. To capitalize on the reunion fans can expect the Clan to hit the road later this month. The band will begin a month-long U.S. tour on October 20th in Miami, which runs through Hawaii on November 23rd. 8 Diagrams, also named after a kung fu epic, will be the first group recording since the death of Ol' Dirty Bastard in November 2004. 8 Diagrams hits stores December 4th.
DAVE GROHL WANTS "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN" AT NUMBER ONE. The Foo Fighters new album Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace comes in at number three on next week's Billboard chart, but frontman Dave Grohl is gunning for a different band to make it to number one. According to NME.com, Grohl hopes that the Sex Pistols "God Save the Queen," which will be re-released next week, goes to the top spot on the U-K charts. The legendary track missed out on making it to number one when it was first released back in 1977 because authorities feared the punk anthem would spoil the Queen's Silver Jubilee. So, why is Grohl getting behind the campaign? He says, "Name one rock musician who doesn't consider that to be one of the greatest rock'n'roll records of all time... That's a classic and it inspired everybody to do what we're doing right now. Ah, yeah I'll be there. If you need me to picket or protest I'll be right behind you."
O.A.R. HAS A CLOSE CALL. O.A.R. had a somewhat near death experience recently. According to New York's Daily News, the band was in Iraq last month to play on a USO tour when some serious business went down.Bassist Benj Gershman said "We got to the first base, and it was attacked with missiles, and one soldier lost his life in the spot where we were all standing earlier... These soldiers do so much for us - the least we could do was take a week out of our lives to give them some entertainment."
PETER FARRELLY LOVES THE MPAA? Most filmmakers have a pretty big beef with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and their rules for their ratings. Bobby and Peter Farrelly, who have been pushing the comedic envelope for years with films like There's Something About Mary, Me, Myself and Irene and their latest, The Heartbreak Kid, are no different. Peter told us he just doesn't understand the MPAA. "It's insane what they do and to go the next step is you can chop somebody's head off put your hand down their throat and pull their liver out and get an 'R' rating. But if you show a vagina, you're getting an NC-17 rating and it's insane. You know, just the psychological damage you are doing to Americans with the first one compared to the second one." He explains the MPAA rules for dealing with sexual explicit scenes in comedies and dramas. "They differ between sex for humor and sex for titillation. If it's sex for humor it's 'R.' That's there ruling of the MPAA. If it's sex for titillation, which this clearly is not, we are not trying to arouse people, that's 'NC-17.' We were able to get the 'R' rating. That's the way it is not. That's insane... I don't know why that is." If you are into sex for humor, check out the new Farrelly brothers flick The Heartbreak Kid, which stars Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman and Michelle Monaghan. It pleasures theaters today.
AMERICA IS HISPANIC WOMAN OF THE YEAR. According to the Associated Press, America Ferrera has just been named the Hispanic Woman of the Year. The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard have given the Emmy-winning star of Ugly Betty that top accolade in their 25 Most Powerful Hispanic Women in Film, Television and Music list. Earlier this week, America told us how she felt about being such an inspiration to the Latin American community. "I think that it's great that the show can be a source of pride for the community and a vehicle to kind of start opening doors and more opportunities for a much more diverse cultural experience on television." Ferrera will be honored at the inaugural Hispanic Women in Entertainment breakfast this Tuesday in Hollywood.
SARAH SILVERMAN TALKS ABOUT PARIS HILTON'S APPEARANCE ON DAVID LETTERMAN. Sarah Silverman actually has something nice to say about Paris Hilton, believe it or not. The salty-tongued comedian who famously jabbed at Hilton at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, the 2007 MTV Movie Awards and, most recently, at the 2007 VMAs - complimented the heiress on her recent appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. On the show, Letterman questioned Paris repeatedly about her time in jail. Silverman told People that, "I thought she handled herself well," though she added that Letterman was "being a hilarious pain. I thought it was like old, classic Dave." She also reiterated that she doesn't regret her Britney Spears dis at this year's VMAs. She said, "We're not hanging out like we used to."
NATALIE PORTMAN TO STAR IN BROTHERS. According to Variety.com, Natalie Portman has signed on to star alongside Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal in Jim Sheridan's love-triangle drama Brothers. Based on Susanne Bier's 2004 Danish-language film, the story centers on a man, played by Maguire, who is sent to fight in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, his black-sheep brother, played by Gyllenhaal, cares for his wife (Portman) and child. Shooting is scheduled to begin in early November. Portman will also be starring in the upcoming films, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, The Other Boleyn Girl and My Blueberry Nights.
KEVIN DILLON TO STAR IN 301. Entourage star Kevin Dillon is set to play the title character in National Lampoon's 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus Wallace Leonidas. According to Variety.com, the flick spoofs the sword-and-sandal epics 300, Troy, Gladiator and Braveheart. Dillon plays the bumbling Spartan general who fails upward in his quest for greatness. Fans of Entourage will chuckle at Dillon's emergence as a period action hero, since his "Johnny 'Drama' Chase" character found his early glory days starring in a short-lived cult series called "Viking Quest." "Drama's" frequent cries of his signature line, "Victory!", are often replicated on ESPN's SportsCenter broadcasts, among other places. National Lampoon's 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus Wallace Leonidas is expected to start shooting by the end of the year.
SEAN CONNERY IS OLDER AND BETTER THAN YOU. Sean Connery has still got it, even at age 77. According to Movies.com, he has beaten out all the other actors over 60 to take the top spot as our favorite actor over 60. Robert De Niro, who's 64 years old, came in second, followed by 65-year-old Harrison Ford. 70-year-old Jack Nicolson landed at number four and Al Pacino rounded out the top five. Check out Movies.com to find out winners in different categories like Favorite Quote and Favorite Soundtrack.
SPECTOR SEEKING NEW LAWYERS. It's only a matter of time before record producer Phil Spector is brought back to court to be re-tried for murdering actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. In the meantime, Spector is seeking a new legal team. His lead defense attorney recently announced he won't be back for the second trial. It won't be the first time Phil has been on the hunt for lawyers. The team that defended him in the initial trial was his third. He fired the first set and the second resigned. No word on when the retrial is set to begin.
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