Author Archives: Catherine Balavage

Alicia Keys saved by 'tough' mother

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Alicia Keys’ “tough mama” stopped her falling in with a bad crowd.

The ‘Empire State of Mind’ hitmaker – whose father walked out on her mother when she was two years old – admits she has seen a lot of people she grew up with in the tough Hell’s Kitchen area of New York end up in prison, and knew she had to make the right choices to avoid going down the wrong path.

She said: “I had to decide if I was going to do the right thing or the wrong thing, take drugs or not take drugs, or end up getting in the wrong scenario.

“So many people I knew ended up in jail.

“How did I avoid it? I had a really tough mama.”

Alicia – who has a nine-month-old son Egypt with husband Swizz Beatz – admits she has had to work hard to reach her goals, but insists she has always accepted that is what she needed to do because of her upbringing.

She explained in an interview with The Guardian newspaper: “I just see it as having to do what I had to do to be heard. Growing up in New York City, everybody wanted to be heard, so you had to do the work.”

David Beckham to be a delicate dad

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David Beckham is learning to be more “delicate” with his newborn daughter.

The soccer star and fashion designer wife Victoria – who already have three sons, Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, eight and six-year-old Cruz together – welcomed little Harper Seven into the world on Sunday and he admits having a girl is different to having boys.

In a video on his Facebook page, he said: “To have another girl in the family is really incredible. We’ve got three beautiful, healthy boys already and we’re so lucky to have that and now to have a beautiful little girl, it’s amazing.

“Having a daughter is a whole new thing. Having pink in the house and lilac in the house. And you have to be a lot more delicate with girls than with boys and I’m not used to that so it’s a whole new experience but it’s an amazing experience. To have that little bundle of joy and your hands and her making her little noises and opening her eyes – it really is an incredible moment for us.”

The British athlete – who wore the number seven on the back of his shirt for many years – also spoke about the reasons behind Harper’s name.

He said: “A lot of thought goes into our children’s names and Harper was a name we’ve loved for a long time for a couple of reasons.

“One is them was because Harper is an old English name which we loved and one of the other reasons is because Victoria’s favourite book is ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ and the author was Harper Lee. And it’s a very strong passionate book so that’s where Harper came from.

“And Seven is partly because of the shirt number I wore for many years because I had so much luck around wearing that number and it was such an influential number throughout my career and a lucky number but that wasn’t the main reason. The reason behind Seven is that it symbolises spiritual perfection and is a lucky number around the world. We love the name. We love Harper Seven and we’re very proud of having her in our family.”

Ryan Seacrest launches charity broadcast centre

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Ryan Seacrest has opened a new broadcast centre at a children’s hospital.

The ‘American Idol’ host’s charity, The Ryan Seacrest Foundation, launched The Voice at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia today and he was accompanied by Selena Gomez as he cut the red ribbon.

He told E!: “I’m excited to bring The Voice to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is a leading paediatric clinical and research facility and a national leader in developing techniques to support the patient’s emotional well-being. The Voice closed-circuit broadcast centre is a new addition to their existing Child Life programmes and provides creative, interactive entertainment.”

The Voice – an interactive, closed-circuit broadcast multimedia centre housed in the hospital – will allow patients to engage in lots of activities relating to radio, TV and new media, including broadcasting, acting as a DJ and watching live artists perform.

The Ryan Seacrest Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for seriously ill and injured children through unique programs that utilise multimedia and interactive platforms to enlighten, entertain and educate.

 

 

 

Man charged with stalking Paris Hilton

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A man arrested outside Paris Hilton’s Malibu home has been charged with felony stalking.

James Rainford – who already had a restraining order, in which he had to stay at least 200 yards away from the hotel heiress and her properties – appeared in a Californian court today (15.07.11) after he was found by police standing on the beach looking into Paris’ home on July 4.

Prosecutor Wendy Segall said Rainford, 36, is facing two felony stalking counts and three misdemeanour counts of disobeying a court order.

Rainford is currently in jail with bail set at $150,000.

In April, Rainford attacked Paris’ then-boyfriend Cy Waits outside a Los Angeles courthouse and was arrested last April after sneaking into her Hollywood property, but pleaded no contest to both charges.

The news of Rainford’s arrest came days after an intruder who tried to break into Paris’ home was sentenced to two years in prison.

Nathan Lee Parada – who was wielding a knife when he attempted to get into her Los Angeles house – was found guilty of first degree residential burglary in April, and at the hearing Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Kellogg also recommended he undergo mental health counselling.

Joss Stone speaks about kidnappers

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Joss Stone says the two men who allegedly tried to kidnap her were “completely off their Charlie”.

Junior Bradshaw, 30, and Kevin Liverpool, 33, were arrested near the British singer’s home in Devon, Southern England, in June and charged with planning to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm but Joss refuses to let it affect her life in a negative way.

She told ‘E! News’: “It’s a lot of crazies in the world. Isn’t it weird? I mean, what an awful thing to do. But, no, it’s fine, they’re just completely off their Charlie.”

Despite the terrifying plans, Joss says she still feels safe in her home.

She added: “It’s weird because I live in the middle of nowhere, well that’s why they got lost, which is good.

“I do feel very safe where I live. I live in the house that I grew up in and I don’t ever plan on moving. I love my home because there’s an extended family. I have four neighbours, one’s a neighbour with a shotgun and I’ve got a great Rottweiler. It’s silly to worry about things that didn’t happen. Just gives me more lyrics, more stories to tell.”

At the time of the arrests, the ‘Fell in Love With a Boy’ hitmaker said: “I’d like to thank everyone for their concern but I’m absolutely fine and getting on with life as normal while the police continue with their inquiries.”

Nick Lachey marries Vanessa

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Nick Lachey has married Vanessa Minnillo.

The couple – who have been dating since 2006 – tied the knot in front of just 35 friends and family in a romantic tropical island ceremony today.

TV host Vanessa – who wore a two-piece Monique Lhuillier ensemble – told People magazine: “For us, this is just a stepping stone to do what we ultimately want and that’s to start a family together.”

Speaking about the nuptials, singer Nick added: “Our wedding invitations were in the form of a plane ticket. We told them they were going away and the attire was ‘island chic.’ It was all very vague.”

Following the announcement of their engagement last year, Nick – who was formerly married to Jessica Simpson – said they were taking their time at planning the wedding.

He said: “We’re still basking in the glow of our very recent engagement and enjoying that. I’m sure we’ll get on with the planning and what-not shortly, but we’re just enjoying this experience.

“We’re very excited. We’re obviously extremely happy and looking forward to everything that the future brings for us, so we are very excited and just enjoying the moment.”

Beyonce Knowles 'can't wait' for family

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Beyonce Knowles “can’t wait” to start a family.

The 29-year-old singer – who has previously hinted she would like to have children with husband Jay-Z in the near future – will be a “natural” mother, according to her sister Solange, who has six-year-old son Daniel.

Solange said: “She will be a great mother, a natural. She will love to start a family. I can’t wait, they will be beautiful.”

However, while waiting to become a mother of her own, 25-year-old Solange admits Beyonce has a great time as an auntie to her child.

She added to the Daily Mirror: “Beyonce adores my little boy. She takes him everywhere. We were in Europe a couple of months ago and he loved being with his auntie.”

Meanwhile the ‘Best Thing I Never Had’ hitmaker – who is currently in the UK on a promotional tour of her new album ‘4’ – is said to have become obsessed with British TV shows, in particular the BBC London-based soap ‘EastEnders’.

A source said: “Beyonce finds the accents on ‘EastEnders’ really funny. She spends half the time mimicking what they’re saying in her fake British accent.”

 

 

 

Jennifer Aniston developed an attitude with age

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Jennifer Aniston has developed a “f**k it attitude”.

The 42-year-old star – who is currently dating ‘Your Highness’ actor Justin Theroux – admits she has become more comfortable with herself as she has grown older because she was a lot more “controlled” when she was younger.

She said: “Getting older, you get more comfortable in your body and in your skin and who you are and you have more of a f**k it attidue.

“You’re so careful and controlled in your 20s and you’re just more aware of your every move. Now, I think there’s more freedom and comfort and none of it really matters, as long as you are enjoying yourself and having a really good time. Not hurting other people – of course, that goes without saying.”

The former ‘Friends’ actress – who was formerly married to Brad Pitt – is now starring in comedy movie ‘Horrible Bosses’ as nymphomaniac blackmailer Dr. Julia Harris, and she admits she loved getting to explore her “kinkiest” side on the film.

She told The Sun newspaper: “It was great fun and very liberating to throw myself into this character. You feel totally uninhibited and get to explore your weirdest and kinkiest psychological quirks and just exaggerate all the kinds of flirtatious ideas and fantasies you’ve ever had.

“You get to enjoy being fearless when you play a character that is so brazen and domineering.”