Entertainment on Parade

It looks as if this past season of “Flavor of Love” will be the last – Flavor has proposed!  But, it wasn’t to one of the girls on the show, but one of the mother’s of his children.  Flav has seven children and in the past, as said he wants a total of ten. 

When it was confirmed in November 2006 that Flav was to be a dad for the seventh time, he said “I’m not marrying anybody. I’m too young to die.”  Apparently, he has changed his mind.

In the recent reunion show of the third season of “Flavor of Love,” Flav decided to do the right thing and dropped to his knees to propose to Liz, the mom of his youngest child, Karma.  Liz’s reply?  “Finally!”  Flavor said, “The best gift you can give your child is to love his mother.

I wouldn’t count Flav out of the reality business just yet.  After three seasons on “Flavor of Love,” one season on “The Surreal Life,” and one season on “Strange Love,” I am sure VH1 will find some reason to continue to follow Flav around with the camera.

Comedian Harvey Korman, who won four Emmys for his appearances on “The Carol Burnett show”, had died at the age of 81 due to complications due to an aortic aneurysm.

Harvey gained attention when he first appeared on “The Danny Kaye Show” back in 1964. He also appeared in the 1974 Mel Brooks’ film “Blazing Saddles” as the character Hedley Lamarr. But, it was his stint on “The Carol Burnett Show” that started in 1967 that would seal his place in comedy history. On the show, Harvey starred in such classic skits as “Gone with the Wind,” “As the Stomach Turns,” and “Ed and Eunice.” The latter would be made into the sitcom “Mama’s Family” in which fellow Carol Burnett Show alum Vickie Lawrence starred as Mama. Harvey occasionally reprised his role as Ed, her daughter Eunice’s husband, with Eunice being played by Carol Burnett.

It is sad that today’s generation will probably never know what a true comic genius Harvey Korman was. If you have never seen him before, rent “Blazing Saddles” or watch a few episodes of “The Carol Burnett Show” and you will understand why the comedy world suffered a great loss this week.

Actor Patrick Swayze, who announced earlier this year that he is battling pancreatic cancer, says the treatment he is receiving at Stanford University Medical Center for the cancer is going well and allows him to lead a busy life. He and wife Lisa Niemi were seen at a Lakers game this past weekend and Swayze went shopping in Nevada for his wife’s birthday.

Patrick released a statement today that reads, “Thought I’d give you guys a little update. Lisa and I have been back and forth from New Mexico enjoying the arrival of spring and new baby calves. This past weekend, we spent a fun time with friends in Reno for Lisa’s birthday, where I took her jewelry shopping at Kenny G & Company and (we) were able to find her something really special and much deserved! In the meantime, I am continuing treatment at Stanford and the great news is I continue to respond well.”

Despite claims that he is doing well, the press continues to hound him, snapping photos of the star smoking and reporting that he transferred all his property to his wife in his will. Well, duh – he DOES have cancer and she IS his wife. I am sure he just wants to make sure everything is set just in case. And, as for the smoking – the doctors may have advised him that in his current state, stopping smoking might be too taxing. After all, he is a long time smoker and quitting can be stressful. Perhaps he would do better if people would just quit speculating on his health and wish him well.

The film world has lost a great asset as director/actor Sydney Pollack has succumbed to cancer at the age of 73. He was nominated for his first Best Director Academy Award for 1969’s They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? He would also receive Best Director nominations for 1984’s Tootsie and 2007’s Michael Clayton, but he would only see one win – for 1985’s Out of Africa. He would direct two actors to Oscars – Jessica Lange for her performance in Tootsie and Gig Young in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

Pollack was also a good actor. He appeared in Tootsie, Eyes Wide Shut, Michael Clayton, and many more films, with his appearance in Made of Honor being his last. He was a lifelong friend of Robert Redford (whom he met when he made his screen debut in 1962’s War Hunt) and was also a good friend of George Clooney, having directed both Michael Clayton and Leatherheads.

He was awarded the John Huston Award by the Directors Guild of America in 2000. When the American Film Institute ranked the 100 Best American Love Movies in 2002, he was the only director with two films near the top, with The Way We Were coming in at #6 and Out of Africa coming in at #13.

While the Cannes Film Festival is typically known for its prestigious films, this year, the awards ceremony was upstaged by a certain celebrity couple who were caught canoodling at a party. Championship cyclist Lance Armstrong seems to have taken a liking to actresses after breaking up with songstress Sheryl Crow.

Last November, he turned heads when he was seen out and about with the much younger Ashley Olsen. Now, he is closing the age gap a bit with actress Kate Hudson. Armstrong and Hudson were caught dancing and kissing at the Dolce & Gabbana party in Cannes yesterday. Also at the party were Natalie Portman and her beau Devendra Banhart, Lindsay Lohan, Rose McGowan, Kerry Washington, Naomi Campbell, Dita von Teese (apparently there was nothing else in town for the many exes of Marilyn Manson to do), and Diddy.

The romance of Armstrong and Hudson comes right on the heels of what appeared to be a reconciliation between Hudson and her ex, Owen Wilson.

The last real show is over for “American Idol’ and all that remains is the over-stuffed finale in which we will finally learn who won this season. It came down to a battle of the Davids and judge Simon Cowell declared one the clear winner last night. David Archuleta, the 17 year old from Utah, sang “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” “In This Moment,” and “Imagine.” David Cook sang “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,”"Dream Big,” and “The World I Know.”

Did David Cook make a mistake choosing some lesser known songs for the first part of the finale? He said, “If I had to choose between playing a song that not a whole lot of people know that I could get behind, or the opposite, I’ll choose the lesser-known every time.” But, it may cost him the title.

However, could he have purposefully not given his all for this one? I mean, the third best selling American Idol ever is Chris Daughtry who finished in fourth place in season five. He’s been all the other winners and runners up with the exception of first season winner Kelly Clarkson and fourth season winner Carrie Underwood. Simon told David Archuleta “David [Archuleta], you came out here tonight to win, and what we have witnessed is a knockout.” We will just have to wait until tonight to see.

What?  Is the Hoff trying to steal Simon Cowell’s girlfriend?  Not really, but he did really propose…well, sort of.

The propose came when the two were locked in a Las Vegas Hotel room as part of a reality show.  The experiment was staged by “Extra” and was for the Hoff and Terri, an Extra correspondent, to spent 12 hours in a room at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

The experiment started off innocently enough, with the couple playing video games and board games.  That moved to hosting such famous Vegas guests as illusionists Penn & Teller and Carrot Top.

It apparently was after the naked massages (yes, I said naked massages) that David decided to ask Terri to marry him.  Now surely David must know that Terri is spoke for - after all, her longtime boyfriend is none other than his “America’s Got Talent” boss, Simon Cowell!

You can catch the whole thing, including Terri’s reaction on a three part “Extra” series which will begin tonight.

After 14 years together, singer Shania Twain and her husband, music producer Robert “Mutt” Lange, have split. The unlikely couple married on December 28, 1993, right after Shania started hitting the country charts. Lange is best known as the producer for such rock acts as Def Leppard, AC/DC, Foreigner, The Cars, and Bryan Adams. He has produced three of Twain’s albums since the two married.

Many thought this was a odd couple to begin with – after all, Lange is 14 years older, into rock ‘n roll rather than country, and is – well – let’s just say less attractive than his beautiful wife. There had been rumors of trouble as early as 2000, but in 2001, Twain gave birth to their only child, son Eja. Now, Lange calls the split “unfortunate and said he and Twain simply grew apart. I hope that they will keep this one amicable for Eja’s sake.

On the heels of the California Supreme Court ruling that people have a right to marry the partner of their choice (thus ruling the previous ban on same sex marriages unconstitutional), Ellen DeGeneres has announced that she and girlfriend Portia de Rossi plan to marry.

The announcement came during the taping of her show Thursday.  Ellen told her audience “I’m very excited.”  Of Portia, Ellen said, “She’s taught me lessons about myself, and I feel like I’ve taught her.  We’ve both changed and grown, and we just feel like, ‘Oh, okay, this is completion.’” 

The couple began dating in December of 2004.  Portia de Rossi has most recently appeared on “Nip/Tuck” as Olivia Lord, the lesbian love interest of Dr. Sean McNamara’s ex wife, Julia (played by Joely Richardson).

Filmmaker Michael Moore is at it again.  The man who brought us such documentaries as “Roger and Me,” “Bowling for Columbine,” and “Sicko” plans to stir the pot again with a follow up to his 2004 Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm winning film “Fahrenheit 9/11.”  “Fahrenheit 9/11” has been the only documentary to earn more than $100 million domestically at the box office.

This new documentary will examine that state of the union since the September 11 attacks.  While “Fahrenheit 9/11” bashed President George Bush, Paramount Vantage president Nick Meyer says this new documentary will not bash anyone, but focus on where America is now and its role in the world.  The film is set to be released in spring 2009.