Sharm On The Scene

By SHARMILA NAIR
alltherage@thestar.com.my

WE love reading about celebrities and the gossip backstage. Here’s this week’s buzz on the glitz and glamour gang.

Beyonce and Jay-Z

Mackin’ no more
Remember that line from Jay-Z’s Big Pimpin’ song where he goes “I’ll be forever mackin’”? Well, the world kind of knew that he didn’t keep to his words when he dated, married and then had a kid with the oh-so-gorgeous Beyonce Knowles.

He knows that as well, which is why the rapper – who recently joined Instagram – uploaded a photograph of him and Bey, with this caption:

“The way she has changed my life … If I didn’t have her? Where would I be? Who would I be? Sometimes I wonder if I would still be Jay-Z. It’s so surreal. First time I laid eyes on her she was 16. I had thought in my head ‘she will be mine’, became my best friend … 20 years old, it was time … before you knew it she made me swallow my pride and my own words bit me in the a** … ‘Forever mackin’’ – eight years later, married, one kid. She saved me.”

Sharm says: Okay, it sounds all lovey dovey and what not … but I’m still creeped out by the fact that he knew Beyonce would end with him when she was 16? That would have made him 31 back then.

Christina Aguilera

All new X-tina
Christina Aguilera is ready to rock the world … like she did when she was at least 25kg lighter, ages ago. The powerhouse singer had just hinted that she has plans to make new music right after she returns from a long deserved break.

Aguilera is not returning as a judge for the successful talent competition The Voice and had said last week at the show’s new series premiere that she wants to get “re-inspired” before hitting the studio.

“I’m going on vacation next week with my son, first time in Japan, which is such an inspirational place for me (to) get re-inspired, rejuvenated for what’s to come … I can’t say everything!”

And when asked about her plan on producing new material, she said, “We’ll see, yeah, if it feels right.”

Sharm says: Does anyone actually care if Christina makes new music? Yeah, she’s talented … but she’ll never replace Britney Spears. Crazy or not, Spears FTW!

Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus

Still together
For those who have been crying their hearts out thinking that Miley Cyrus and her fiance Liam Hemsworth are going to break up … fret not, they’re still together. At least for now. The couple took a break in their relationship, Cyrus was also seen without her engagement ring for a few weeks, after reports surfaced that Hemsworth had cheated on her with actress January Jones.

E! News reported that a source told them that the couple, who are apparently very much in love, are working to get over the rough patch in their relationship. The source said, “There are some serious problems going on, but seeing them together, they do genuinely love each other, and they really do want to work it out.”

Hemsworth was recently back in Australia but was seen at Cyrus’ home last weekend. The source also added that Hemsworth’s trip “was a way for then to figure out what they wanted to do and have time to think for themselves.”

It was also reported that the small-scale wedding Cyrus’ been planning is still on, and there are no changes to that that possible union as of now.

Sharm says: I’m not sure if this marriage will work out after all these allegations, but I hope that it’ll at least last longer than Kim Kardashian’s last marriage.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

Something unique
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are known for their penchant for anything and everything extravagant, so it’s no surprise that they want the same thing when it comes to their baby’s name.
Kardashian told Extra TV host Maria Menounos that they might keep up the family tradition of giving the baby a name beginning with ‘K’.

“I think it would be really cute ‘cause Kanye and I are both K’s … but half the names on our list aren’t K’s … we still have time, whatever feels right … Kanye, being the father, wants something that’s unique.”

Kardashian, who has been seen squeezing her growing figure into Spanx and tight-fitting dresses also told Menounos that she’s accepting her pregnancy weight gain.

“It wouldn’t even bother me if I gained all the weight. And I have the biggest sweet tooth and I love junk food. Being pregnant, I don’t like any of it.”

Sharm says: Imma’ let you finish Kanye … but Beyonce’s baby has the best name of all time.

Rihanna

Stop partying!
Rihanna, who recently fell ill with laryngitis, has been told to stop partying or risk becoming ill again. The singer was forced to cancel two dates on her Diamond world tour earlier this month.

A source told The Sun newspaper in Britain that “Rihanna’s illness was so severe that doctors warned it could take months for her to fully recover. There were worries that she’d have to cancel her entire tour.”

The source also noted that the singer realises that her illness was partly due to her erratic lifestyle.

Sharm says: Someone need to lock-up Rihanna and Lindsay Lohan in a house somewhere on a remote island and throw the keys away. Maybe then these two will start to get their acts together!

By SHARMILA NAIR
alltherage@thestar.com.my

WHERE does one find celebrities? In the limelight of course. And this week is no different, so here are some gossip and celeb news to get you through the day.

Sing, don’t write

Harry Styles

Award-winning songwriter Cathy Dennis, who has worked with Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry and Britney Spears, warned the One Direction boys that writing their own song would be a “kiss of death”.

The Sun in Britain quoted her as saying, “It will be expected that they will write their own songs at some point. Someone is going to say, ‘Hang on, the royalties coming in from just singing are not enough’.”

One Direction member Harry Styles was reported as saying that the boys are keen on writing their own material for the upcoming albums.

“For us it’s always been important that the music is going to be authentic and comes from us and doesn’t just sound like a 40-year-old man’s written it in an office and given it to us.”

Sharm says: Why fix something that’s not broken, boys? Stick to what you know best … standing there and looking pretty.

Look like Bey

Beyonce

It’s no lie that Beyonce Knowles has a body to die for. The “bootylicious” singer gained 25kg during her pregnancy with daughter Blue Ivy and recently, she told Shape Magazine how she lost all that baby-carrying weight.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to lose the weight because I scheduled a show three months after I gave birth, which I would never do again!”

The Love On Top performer consumed a low calorie diet, refrained from eating red meat, ate lots of fish and vegetables and removed pasta from her meals.

“I always have breakfast, say, scrambled egg whites, a vegetable smoothie, or whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk,” she said. “For lunch and dinner, I eat a lot of fish and vegetables.

And throughout the day, I try to stay hydrated … I always treat myself to one meal on Sundays when I can have whatever I want. Usually it’s pizza, which is my favourite indulgence.”

Sharm says: Okay, my Beyonce diet starts today … right after I finish this packet of nasi lemak with fried chicken.

Eternal love … not

Kirsten Stewart and Robert Pattinson in Twilight

If there is one person who is absolutely crushed by the Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart failed relationship, it’s Twilight author Stephenie Meyer.

The writer spoke about the duo’s relationship while promoting her new book and told The Times UK:
“Here’s the thing, there are some actors who are looking to be world famous … but that doesn’t apply to Kristen and Rob. That’s what makes it kind of ironic and tragic … I just don’t think they enjoy the parts (of fame) that other people would. I think this has all come at a heavy price.”

No one knows Robsten’s (the couple’s nickname) current relationship status, although Stewart has been seen hanging out a lot with her Twilight co-star Taylor Lautner recently.

Sharm says: I blame Stephenie Meyer and Twilight for everything that is wrong with the world today.

Natural colour

Victoria Beckham

Mother of four and fashion designer Victoria Beckham has been looking extremely good lately, and that may just be because she doesn’t fake tan any more. In her earlier days as a pop star with girl group Spice Girls, Beckham was often seen sporting a fake tan that unfortunately made her look older, and orange.

“I don’t wear fake tan any more,” Beckham recently shared with Hello Magazine.

“Sometimes I’ve been turned orange but that’s definitely a look from my past. Being overly tanned is very aging and, dare I say it, a bit footballer’s wife.”

Sharm says: Ladies, it’s okay to tan … as long as you don’t end up looking like Oompa Loompas.

Pic Source: AP Photo & Getty Images

By SHARMILA NAIR
alltherage@thestar.com.my

WILL there ever be a week during which we don’t get any celebrity news? Nope, don’t think so. Here’s a round-up of the things that have happened recently in Tinseltown.

Not dating … yet
Bradley Cooper recently broke up with his girlfriend Zoe Saldana and around the same time, Jennifer Lawrence split with her long time boyfie Nicholas Hoult. If they were any other people, it wouldn’t be news; but the fact that Cooper and Lawrence worked together on The Silver Linings Playbook, it means only one thing – they’re dating!

However, Cooper totally shot down the rumours during the Golden Globes when an ET reporter asked him to comment on their relationship status.

“No, my God. No. We’ve done two movies together. If it didn’t happen by now, it’s not going to happen.”

When the reporter insisted on another comment, the movie star declared that their relationship was nothing but platonic.

“First of all, I could be her father. No, I’m kidding. But no, not even close. I love her to death. She’s amazing, but no.”

Sharm says: Let’s hope they don’t end up dating because then the “I could be her father” comment would definitely come back to haunt him.

Just narcissistic
If you’re following Rihanna on Instagram, you’d know that the Bajan singer loves to post photos … of herself. She has actually received some flak for being too self-absorbed but the pop star just brushes it off saying it’s no one’s business what goes up on her account.

“It’s narcissistic, but whatever – everyone does it. I’m capturing personality … Everybody has their thing they like or don’t like to see. It’s all in your head. That’s why people take their own pictures, because it’s difficult for someone else to capture what you seek.”

Sharm says: Yeah, but it’s not cool when RiRi posts pictures of herself smoking marijuana like almost everyday!

Ain’t no Marilyn
Megan Fox doesn’t have that many movies coming out in the near future but that foxy lady sure knows how to stay in the limelight. In her recent interview with Esquire magazine, the new mum spoke about everything from fame to her infamous Marilyn Monroe tattoo.

“I don’t think people understand (about fame). They all think we should shut up and stop complaining because you live in a big house or you drive a Bentley. So your life must be so great. What people don’t realise is that fame, whatever your worst experience in high school, when you were being bullied by those ten kids in high school, fame is that, but on a global scale, where you’re being bullied by millions of people constantly.”

She also talked about why she decided to remove the iconic Monroe tattoo last year. “I started reading about her and realised that her life was incredibly difficult. It’s like when you visualise something for your future. I didn’t want to visualise something so negative … She wasn’t powerful at the time. She was sort of like Lindsay (Lohan). She was an actress who wasn’t reliable, who almost wasn’t insurable … She had all the potential in the world, and it was squandered. I’m not interested in following in those footsteps.”

Sharm says: Megan may not be the most talented actress out there, but it can’t be denied that she’s actually one of the smartest (at least in this case).

New lawyer, old troubles
Everyone’s favourite trouble maker Lindsay Lohan was scheduled to be arraigned in Los Angeles earlier this week for allegedly lying to police after crashing her Porsche last June. Even though she had fired her attorney Shawn Holley, Lilo’s former lawyer appeared on behalf of the actress to plead not guilty to the charges.

According to TMZ, Lohan fired Holley and hired New York attorney Mark Heller to handle her legal problems from now on.

Lohan wasn’t present in court on Monday, and Holley refused to comment on why the actress let her go during a crucial moment in her life. TMZ also reported that Heller is not licensed to practice law in California thus his absence from court on both arraignment days.

Sharm says: Will this Mark Heller fella make any positive difference in LiLo’s life?
Erm … most probably not

She has a what now?
Television just got stupider, folks. Jessica Simpson has a new television series which is apparently inspired by her crazy and wacky life. Ben Silverman, producer of Fashion Star (on which Simpson is a judge), said that “Jessica Simpson is truly a modern-day Lucy with incredible comedic chops. From running a fashion empire to wrangling her public image as a new mum, we see Jessica’s character approach a variety of ‘everyday’ circumstances that will get audiences laughing out loud.”

Simpson added, “I am so excited to work with Ben again, this time on a scripted comedy. I often find myself thinking that no one could ever make up the things that actually happen in my life — so between the real-life elements and a great team of writers, I think we’ll have people laughing!”

Sharm says: OMG, is anyone even ready for more “chicken or fish”-like arguments on television? I sure am not!