The Dish Rag

August 2008

By Denise Martin

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August 29, 2008 3:58 PM

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Jess Fans who attended Jessica Simpson's Ontario concert date -- for the price of $70 a ticket -- did not walk away empty handed. Sure, The Niagara Falls Review tore into the set. But get a load of these new fun facts about Ms. Simpson:

She considers her voice "a gift from God": Before the Dolly Parton-penned "Do You Know," Simpson talked about the night she screwed up the lyrics to "9 to 5" with Dolly in the audience. She was so bummed, "I told my daddy I'm never going to sing again ... I'm going to ignore this gift God gave me."

Tony Romo might soon be fathering an alien: Before the new song "Man Enough," Simpson said her man must be ready for anything -- including the possibility she's pregnant with an alien.

God speaks directly to her: Before "Remember That," a song about abuse, she said God wanted her to record it "so I could stand up here and be witness to you guys."

Her gas is pleasant: "I do pass gas a lot," she said. "I guarantee it smells like roses."

We here at Dish Rag encourage Jessica to print out this letter and keep it somewhere safe. Let it be an inspiration to you.

-- Denise Martin

Photo credit: EPA

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August 29, 2008 2:24 PM

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Frenemies Rivals? Pshaw. In this new must-read Entertainment Weekly interview, former frenemies Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth are thick as thieves.

"It's like going to a war together," Doherty said of her relationship with Garth. "You've already been in the trenches together. You learned so much from that first war. That second war, you know what you need to do to make the set the most peaceful environment you can possibly have."

Talk about burying the hatchet. Doherty even voted for Garth on "Dancing With the Stars!"

When asked about the actors playing the newest batch of West Beverly High students, Garth told Entertainment Weekly, "They are savvy. They know what they signed up for. They have all this knowledge about the business." Doherty agreed, saying, "They're far more prepared than we ever could have been. And they're amazing."

-- Stephanie Lysaght

By Denise Martin

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August 29, 2008 2:23 PM

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Jenan Nothing like a well-timed rebound.

Instead of drifting into the arms of a new man, newly single Jennifer Aniston might be seeking the girl power magic of one Tina Fey. E! Online reports that the actress could return to NBC this fall in an episode of workplace comedy "30 Rock."

"She is shooting now," a source tells E! "We are not giving any specifics on her character."

This news gives us faith that Jen's finally developing good taste. "30 Rock" is the smartest comedy on TV, better than her last movie, "The Break-Up," and certainly better than John Mayer, who recently spouted this bit of gobbledygook to gathered press members in defense of Aniston:

"If you guys are going to run stuff and run every lie under the sun, have somebody stand up for somebody. Have me as a man who ended a relationship stand here and write some truth. Have me stand up for somebody and write that Jennifer Aniston is the smartest, most sophisticated person I think I've ever met.... I don't do 'the taper.' I guarantee you [that] 20 percent of the people on this street right now who are in a relationship wish they could get out but they don't know how. And I'm going to be honest on the way into my relationships and I'm going to be honest on the way out of my relationships."

Thanks, John, but no thanks.

Aniston's appearance would follow the very funny role of her "Friends" alumni David Schwimmer, who played NBC's arrogant environmental mascot Greenzo last season.

It might even finally win her some Emmy love: This year, "30 Rock" is up for seven guest-acting nominations, including ones for Rip Torn, Will Arnett, Steve Buscemi, Tim Conway, Carrie Fisher, Edie Falco and Elaine Stritch.

-- Denise Martin

By Denise Martin

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August 29, 2008 2:23 PM

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Justmyluckposter In a new interview with Papa Lohan, Michael lashes out at daughter Lindsay's latest love Samantha Ronson, who he says is only interested in making money off of Lindsay.

*Yawn*
We already knew he wasn't a fan.

Here's the real newsflash: "She's gone from making $7 million to less than a million a movie," he mentions.

Wait, she still gets paid?

To act?

In film?

Someone's paying her to star in "Labor Pains"? I thought it was the other way around. A sort of penance for her former party ways. (I mean, her co-star is "American Idol" alum Kevin Covais, he of Chicken Little look-a-like fame.)

If you're not surprised by this new intel, you should be.

Refer to this handy chart of her box office performance over the years. Notice the six movies she made after Disney's 2005 family film "Herbie: Fully Loaded" did not make more than $20 million. (OK, "A Prairie Home Companion" did. Barely.)

In her pre-partying days, "Freaky Friday" made over $110 million. "Mean Girls" did $86 million.

-- Denise Martin

Photo credit: 20th Century Fox

By Denise Martin

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August 29, 2008 1:48 PM

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Duch On Thursday, "Access Hollywood" broke the news that  David Duchovny was entering rehab for sex addiction.

"I have voluntarily entered a facility for the treatment of sex addiction," the actor said in a statement. "I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family."

Rumors about this potential problem have come up for Duchovny before. But he denied them to Playgirl magazine In 1997:

"I'm not a sex addict. I have never been to those meetings. It's hurtful to my family and if I was involved with a woman in a monogamous relationship, it would be hurtful to her. There was another story claiming I was a neat freak. If I had to choose one of the two, I think I'd rather be a sex addict. It's not funny and I'll be glad when it goes away."

Is this really an issue for him? Or more of a research project?

Yes, sex addiction is a real issue. But maybe, just maybe, could Duchovny simply be doing homework? Will he emerge victorious, a fooled-ya grin on his face, after he's finished his "character research"? Duchovny, after all, stars in the Showtime series "Californication," as Hank Moody, a writer and spun-out-of-control sex addict.

And Duchovny was left in the dust this year in the Emmys race, while a Showtime colleague, "Dexter" star Michael C. Hall, was nominated for lead actor.

-- Denise Martin

Photo: Getty Images

By Denise Martin

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August 28, 2008 5:26 PM

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Rubben Apparently "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard doesn't feel like he needs to pay his taxes. And the IRS is not happy.

He owes more than $193,000 in state and federal taxes. Much of it was due for 2003 -- the year he won "Idol" and signed a $1-million contract. He was also awarded $2 million a couple of years ago after he sued his former business manager for misappropriated funds.

Now's a bad time for Studdard. His label J Records dropped him in December after two of his three albums failed to ignite sales.

Where'd he go and spend all of it? How's he supporting new wife Surata?

Maybe he can earn some money on the road when he joins the cast of the touring production of "Ain't Misbehavin."

Because even the "Velvet Teddy Bear" has to answer to the tax man.

-- Denise Martin

Photo: Associated Press

By

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August 28, 2008 1:11 PM

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Hil2 Wow, maybe former frenemies Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan have more in common than they thought. 

Duff's father, Bob, was sentenced Wednesday to 10 days in jail for ignoring a court order and selling stocks last month without court approval.

At the time of the sentence, Hilary's mother and father, in the middle of years-long divorce proceedings, were in court, arguing over who would pay for Hilary's upcoming 21st birthday party.

Figure it out, guys.

Nothing puts a damper on a kid's birthday party quite like watching her father get cuffed and committed.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photo: WireImage

By Denise Martin

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August 28, 2008 12:32 PM

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Shannen_2 Well, it's a good thing that Donna Martin won't be back on "90210."

Things would have gotten ugly. US Weekly has the scoop on the storied fistfight that allegedly went down many moons ago between frenemies Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth during the glory days of "Beverly Hills, 90210."

Spelling, in her autobiography, "sTORI Telling," said the personalities of the two clashed in a big way. She writes:

"Shannen had everything, but she could be arrogant and carefree. Jennie was outspoken when she thought Shannen was out of line. Sometimes they got along, but there were explosions. Once they got into a fistfight."

"A night with [Shannen] meant going to the hottest club and drinking until the early hours. I knew she was a 'bad influence,' but I liked her anyway."

But now Doherty is crying foul. She tells US Weekly in this week's cover story that things never came to blows. "We never did," she said. "I think I would remember Jennie's fist connecting with a part of my body or a part of my face."

(Well, unless the fight happened after one of those nights on the town.)

"It just goes to show you how people will lie," Doherty said of Spelling.

Who do you think is telling the truth? Tell us.

-- Denise Martin

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Elizabeth Snead
Elizabeth Snead

Elizabeth Snead is the creator of the celebrity culture blog, The Dish Rag, and also pens the weekly "Red Carpet Rewind" fashion photo gallery.

She covered international fashion, entertainment and pop culture for USA Today for a decade and survived the film festival war zones from thermal undies Sundance to topless Cannes.