Journeys with John: Glasgow/Edinburgh

September 21-23

Sherri Shepherd is a Half-wit

The new host Sherri Shepard was on "The View" today. No I don't watch the show but I do love video clips of people making idiots out of themselves. Here's Sherri unsure whether the Earth is flat or not.

Photo courtesy of dlisted.com

Evel Dick Wins Big Brother 8

Although our obsession with Big Brother 8 has decreased considerably since we all went off to school for the semester, I've still been checking out the blogs to see who would win this season. And the votes are in: "Evel" Dick Donato won the $500,000 over his 20 year-old daughter Danielle, who walked off with $50,000. Despite coming into the Big Brother house as an estranged father and daughter , Dick always made it clear that his goal was to bring Danielle with him into the final 2, and make sure she got some money out of the deal. While I can't agree with his antics on the show, I can at least say that his intentions toward his daughter seem to have been good.

Thanks EW for the photo.

Sex and the City Begins Filming

The first shot of Sex and the City's big screen debut is here! The movie will star Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Chris Noth, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler and Jason Lewis in reprisals of their tv roles. A newcomer to the cast is Jennifer Hudson. See ETOnline for more.

I'm loving this picture of Big and Carrie. They both look great, and I love the dress. I was never a fan of these two together (how could anyone cheat on Aidan??) but in the end, even I agreed they were right for each other. We'll see how they do on the big screens...

Journeys with John: Rotterdam/Amsterdam

Rotterdam/Amsterdam, Netherlands

September 14-16, 2007

Emmy Winners

And the Emmys go to...

Supporting Actor (Comedy): Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Supporting Actor (Drama): Terry O'Quinn, Lost
Supporting Actress (Comedy): Jaime Pressly, My Name is Earl
Supporting Actress (Drama): Katherine Heigl, Gray's Anatomy
Series (Variety, Musical or Comedy): The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Lead Actor (Comedy): Rickey Gervais, Extras
Lead Actress (Comedy): America Ferrara, Ugly Betty
Lead Actress (Drama): Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters
Lead Actor (Drama): James Spader, Boston Legal
Comedy Series: 30 Rock
Drama Series: The Sopranos

No major surprises here, in my opinion. There was no one show that swept the awards this year, although ABC did very well with awards for Lost, Ugly Betty, Gray's Anatomy and others.

For a complete list of winners, check out the official Emmy Awards website.

In Theatres Now

There is a huge variety of movies in theatres right now. Sadly, I've been too busy making s'mores using a candle in my apartment to see them. Check these out and let me know how they are:

3:10 To Yuma: Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Yum.
Across the Universe: Evan Rachel Wood stars in this Beatles musical, which looks innovative and interesting.
Mr. Woodcock: Why, Susan Sarandon, why???
Silk: East meets West story of a man who falls in love with a Japanese concubine, starring Kiera Knightly and Alfred Molina.
December Boys: I'll keep talking about this movie until I finally see it, which will probably be on DVD. Daniel Radcliff plays another orphaned boy looking for replacement parents.
The Brave One: Jodie Foster plays a wounded woman on a mission to find her fiance's killer.

Happy movie watching!

New Legislature By Dems Could Shift Iraq Plans Starting Now

According to the New York Times, Democrats in the Senate are pushing for new legislature which would require that soldiers spend as much time at home as they did overseas before they are redeployed. This strategy, proposed by Senator Jim Webb of Virgina, would force President Bush to begin bringing troops home from Iraq earlier than planned, and would reduce the stress and fatigue soldiers face. Democrats say they are close to having enough Republican support for this proposal to pass. For more info, see the full article.

Journeys with John: Kasteel Well

Kasteel Well is a Dutch landmark located in Well, Netherlands about 2 hours from Amsterdam. It's truly a beautiful place in a tiny village. Emerson College owns Kasteel Well and sends around 80 students each semester for the study abroad experience.

I've been in the Netherlands for nearly a week now. It's been busy but I managed to put together a quick (and very unprofessional) video of the Castle. I didn't bother doing voice overs because I'll just let the Castle speak for itself. I really do apologize for my lack of camera abilities but I'll get better. Coming soon will be more videos from Well, Netherlands but the next Journey with John is Rotterdam/Amsterdam.

Sources Confirm Israeli Airstrike on Syria

It has been confirmed that Israel carried out an airstrike inside Syria last week. Sources say Israeli forces may have been targeting weapons on their way to Hezbollah militants. For the full story, see CNN.com.

Jennifer Hudson Joins SATC

Image courtesy of People

Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson has joined the cast of the much anticipated Sex and the City motion picture. She will be playing Carrie Bradshaw's (Sarah Jessica Parker) secretary.

It's Official: Sherri on the View

Barbara Walters has made it official that Sherri Shepherd will be the new permanent panelist on The View. A great addition. I was still rooting for Kathy Griffin.

Pollspot: Clinton and Giuliani Still On Top

From Political Wire:

The new USA Today/Gallup Poll shows Rudy Giuliani leading the Republican presidential field with 34%, followed by Fred Thompson at 22%, Sen. John McCain at 15%, and Mitt Romney at 10%.

For the Democrats, Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to lead with 45% support, trailed by Sen. Barack Obama at 24% and John Edwards at 16%.

Key finding: Republican voters are somewhat more satisfied with their candidates: 70% say they're pleased with the choice; 26% would like a new candidate. In April, a third wanted additional choices.

A nice 21 point lead for Hillary!

Pollspot: New Mexico

Political Wire brings us a poll from New Mexico.

According to a new Albuquerque Journal poll, Gov. Bill Richardson leads the Democratic presidential race in his native New Mexico with 44% support, followed by Sen. Hillary Clinton at 17 percent, John Edwards at 8% and Sen. Barack Obama at 8%.

However, 52% of those surveyed thought Sen. Hillary Clinton would eventually win the Democratic nomination.

Clearly...he's a popular governor.

HSM Rules Supreme

Even though Vanessa Hudgens is taking her clothes off, the soundtrack to High School Musical 2 continues to dominate the charts. It is number 1 on the Billboard 200 for a 3rd week selling around 219,000 copies pushing it well past a million units.

Foxy Headed to the Slammer

Foxy Brown is following in the footsteps of her rap rival, Lil' Kim. Foxy Brown was sentenced to a year in prison for probation violation. She will be eligible for parole after 8 months.

Pavarotti Passes

World renowned Opera singer Luciano Pavorotti has died. This might be old news but I'm just reading about it now that I'm settling in. May he rest in peace. He was 72.

Pollspot: PA, NC, SC

Here are some polls courtesy of Political Wire:

Pennsylvania:

A new Keystone poll shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 38%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 21% and John Edwards at 17%.

On the GOP side, Rudy Giuliani leads with 32%, followed by Sen. John McCain at 19%, Mitt Romney at 12% and Fred Thompson at 11%.

Key finding: Like an earlier Ohio poll found, Pennsylvania is trending blue with the leading Democrats beating the leading Republicans.

Solid lead for Hill!

North Carolina:

In North Carolina, a new Public Policy Polling survey finds Fred Thompson leading the GOP presidential race with 34%, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 16%, Mitt Romney at 13% and Sen. John McCain at 7%.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to provide a good challenge to John Edwards in his home state, edging him by two points, 30% to 28%, with Sen. Barack Obama coming in at 21%.

Fred Thompson is whooping ass there for some reason. Hillary and Edwards in a lock.

South Carolina:

In South Carolina, a new Clemson University Palmetto Poll shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 26%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 16%, John Edwards at 10% and Al Gore at 8%.

On the Republican side, Fred Thompson leads with 19%, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 18%, Sen.John McCain at 15%, Mitt Romney at 11%, Newt Gingrich at 9% and Mike Huckabee at 6%.

Solid 10 point lead for Hill in a key early primary state.

Early Polls Don't Mean What?

Just because I am in the Netherlands now it doesn't mean I won't stop following US politics, preaching about how Hillary Clinton should be the next president, and why Barack Obama should not.

Here's a quote from Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, about early polls not meaning anything.

"In mid-September 2003, national polls showed Joe Lieberman to be the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Then John Kerry won the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, and the shift in momentum carried him to a decisive victory. The lesson: early polls don't mean a thing and success in crucial early-state contests will win the Democratic nomination."

Why do I disagree? First and foremost because it's NOT early anymore. The Iowa caucus is in just under 4 months and in super Tuesday is less than 5 months away. So it is most definitely NOT early anymore. Also, to use Joe Lieberman as an example doesn't mean much. He is not as well known as Senator Hillary Clinton. This is a completely different race than 2004 and the Barack Obama campaign is doing everything to gain back the momentum they lost from John Edwards.

America, Is That You?

What have they done to America Ferrera? Not only is she a fantastic actress on Ugly Betty but she's also leading the charge for real beauty in Hollywood. So why would Glamour photoshop her so obviously on the cover of their "1st Annual Figure Flattery Issue"?? Is that their secret? Hire someone to photoshop your figure to make it more flattering? The biggest irony of it all is that a great episode of Ugly Betty involved America's character convincing a pop star to stand up for herself and say no to the editors of the magazine who wanted to "enhance" her photos. Is this life immitating art? Please.

Nude School Musical?

Vanessa Hudgens, star of the Disney High School Musical movies, has confirmed that a nude photo of her that's been floating around the internet since Thursday is real. Hudgens, 18, issued a statement that said, "This was a photo which was taken privately. It is a personal matter and it is unfortunate that this has become public." Supposedly the photo is one of a series she took with boyfriend and fellow costar Zac Efron. I wonder what Disney thinks about its latest princess being in such a compromising position... If you search hard enough, I'm sure you can find this photo somewhere on the web, but Hudgens' lawyers have done a pretty good job of getting it taken down.

Sherri Shepherd Set to Sit on the View

Although Barbara Walters won't make the official announcement until Monday, Sherri Shepherd is set to join the panal on the View. This comedian and former guest host of the show will make a great addition to the cast. I know John has been rooting for Kathy Griffen, but I loved watching Sherri Shepherd interact with the rest of the panal, and I think the show will be funny and interesting from now on.

Oprah Hosts Fundraiser for Obama

This coming weekend on September 8th, Oprah Winfrey will be holding a large fundraiser at her Santa-Barbara estate in California for Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Tickets are selling at $2,300 each (the maximum amount allowed by campaign finance laws). Oprah has never endorsed a political candidate before, but says that she truly believes Senator Obama. For more on this, click here.

Republican Congressmen Found Dead

Republican Congressmen Paul Gilmore of Ohio was found dead last night. He was 68 years old. For more on this story and how they will replace his seat, click here.

Pollspot: Most Respected Candidate

Courtesy of Political Wire:

In a nationwide survey, SurveyUSA asked adults how much respect they have for the candidates for the White House, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 means "highest possible respect" and 1 means "no respect whatsoever." Here's how the candidates measured up:

Rudy Giuliani = 5.5
Hillary Clinton = 5.3
Barack Obama = 5.2
John McCain = 5.2
John Edwards 5.0
Fred Thompson = 4.8
Mike Huckabee = 4.5
Mitt Romney = 4.5
Bill Richardson = 4.3
Joe Biden = 4.3
Ron Paul = 4.0
Tom Tancredo = 4.0
Sam Brownback = 3.7
Chris Dodd = 3.6
Duncan Hunter = 3.5

I'm glad to see Hillary leading the Democrats! Not too crazy about Giuliani in first.

Academy Award nominee Jude Law was arrested outside his London home for attacking a member of the papparazzi.

New View Co-Host is Coming

Barbara Walters announced today that they will announce who the new View co-host will be on Monday, September 10th during the show. The new co-host will join Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and Joy Behar. Here's hoping it's Kathy Griffin!

Kelly Clarkson to Try Again...

Kelly Clarkson has unveiled plans to try her hand at touring once again. She'll kick off a Fall tour based on her new album "My December" in Verona, New York. Kelly will hit 23 cities in the US and one in Canada. Her summer tour was cancelled amidst poor ticket sales and reports of a fallout between Kelly and her record company.

Sidenote: I hate when artists add one show in Canada and call it a "North America" tour! What about the rest of Canada? What about Mexico? Might as well just keep it all in the States... But I love Kelly Clarkson, and she puts on a great (if short) show, so I wish her good luck with this tour.

For a full list of tour dates, see Billboard

Craig May Not Resign

Image courtesy of The Washington Post

This past Saturday, Senator Larry Craig resigned from the US Senate after he pled guilty to lewd conduct for a men's room incident. Now, the Senator might be having a change of heart. Just what the GOP needs...more controversy and unrest. No complaints from me! For more on Senator Craig the flip flopper who might not resign, go here.

Mr. and Mrs. Maguire

Image courtesy of NY Mag

Spiderman Tobey Maguire married his longtime girlfriend Jennifer Meyer in a secret ceremony Monday night. Not a big fan of Tobey but congrats!

Halle Berry Expecting

Image courtesy of People

Halle Berry revealed to Access Hollywood that she is 3 months pregnant. All the best to her!

Shaq Files For Divorce

Can no one stay together these days? Shaquille O'Neal filed for divorce from his wife of five years Shaunie. The couple have 4 children together.

Republicans Want Hillary But I Don't

In today's New York Times, the article "For Democrats, Primary Field Gives Confidence" says "Democratic voters appear as energized about this election as Republican voters are subdued, though that could change once the Republicans rally around a candidate and if Mrs. Clinton is nominated and turns out to be as polarizing a candidate as Republicans are hoping."

The article went on further to say "Some expressed concern that Mrs. Clinton, as a general-election candidate, would be hurt by voter animosity that has accumulated over the years. 'Hillary has the baggage from the Bill years, and all the various scandals they have been through,' said Ken Purington, 50, of Rollinsford, N.H."

This is why I don't want Hillary to get the nomination. People's minds are already made up about her. It's not even October yet and her unfavorables are already higher than Kerry's and Gore's were on their respective elections days. Anyone who doesn't like Bill Clinton already doesn't like Hillary just by association. "Two for one deal" will be no benefit for Hillary. The Republicans are deflated. Hillary will ignite the hatred the religious right has for her marriage-cheating husband.

I sympathize (to a degree) with all the Hillary fans out there. She is in an unfair situation and it sucks. But unfair or not, this is how it is. For once the Democrats have an easy win, please don't mess it up by nominating Clinton.

Whoopi Starts New View Season

Image courtesy of BuddyTV

Whoopi Goldberg officially joined the panel of The View today as the show began it's 11th season. Goldberg joins Barbara Walters, very pregnant Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and Joy Behar. No mention on if or when the final panelist chair will be filled.

Nicole Kidman Bares All to Vanity Fair

Image courtesy of Dlisted

Academy Award winning actress Nicole Kidman told Vanity Fair that she suffered a miscarriage shortly after marrying Tom Cruise at the age of 23. She said the traumatic experience caused her to adopt first daughter Bella. Kidman suffered a second miscarriage in 2001 a month after she filed divorce from Tom Cruise. I really feel for Nicole. I think she's immensely talented and much better off without Tom Cruise.

Pollspot: Experience or Change

Political Wire had this new Gallup Poll up today:

A new Gallup Poll consulted voters on their preferences for change versus experience in the upcoming Presidential election. Almost 3 in 4 respondents said they preferred a candidate wanting to make change rather than one with experience in Washington when forced to choose one over the other. While this may seem problematic for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign for President, when given further options voters seemed to want both an eagerness for change and exceptional experience in their candidate. 96% said change was a desirable characteristic and 59% said experience was also important. However, only 18% seemed to think being an outsider with limited Washington experience was a desirable characteristic -- making it less of a draw for candidates like Sen. Barack Obama.

I think Hillary Clinton represents both change and experience. I think I would choose experience slightly...just slightly...over change. Change isn't always a good thing.

Wise Words from Fitty

This is just comical to me, but for once 50 Cent are on the same page. Here's what he had to say about the 2008 election.

"I'd like to see Hillary Clinton be president. It would be nice to see a woman be the actual president and ... this is a way for us to have Bill Clinton be president again, and he did a great job during his term." - 50 Cent

Bellatrix is Back

Image courtesy of Film Fetish

Helena Bonham Carter will reprise her role as Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. She's not due back on the movie's set until Spring. The next Harry Potter movie has a targeted release for November 21,2008.

John Edwards Picks Up Two More

Image courtesy of After W

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is leading the pack with the most union endorsements. Today, he picked up two more big ones. The Steelworkers and the Mine Workers both are throwing their support behind John Edwards. Senators Hillary Clinton and Chris Dodd have also picked up a few union endorsements.

Owen Wilson Discharged

Image courtesy of Fox News

Owen Wilson was discharged from the hospital this past weekend following his alleged suicide attempt.

Box Office Report

Halloween takes over Labor Day setting a new record. Here's the Box Office report from Box Office Mojo:

1. Halloween - $26,503,000
2. Superbad - $12,200,000
3. Balls of Fury - $11,604,795
4. The Bourne Ultimatum - $10,183,000
5. Rush Hour 3 - $8,560,000

Rumorville: Heath and Michelle

Image courtesy of Yahoo

Rumors started by US Weekly are circulating that Academy Award nominees Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams have broken off their relationship. The couple has a two year old daughter, Mathilde.

Dr. Shepherd Gets Married

Image courtesy of People

Grey's Anatomy alum and Private Practice star Kate Walsh got married yesterday to producer Alex Young.

Hillary Signs Four State Pledge

In an update to this post, Senator Hillary Clinton has also joined with the other Democratic presidential candidates in signing the four state pledge.

In a statement from Patti Solis Doyle from Hillary's campaign:

"We believe Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina play a unique and special role in the nominating process.And we believe the DNC’s rules and its calendar provide the necessary structure to respect and honor that role. Thus, we will be signing the pledge to adhere to the DNC approved nominating calendar."

Ah well...this could come back and bite everyone later on. I hope Hillary isn't affected.

A D-List Wedding

Image courtesy of The Hollywood Gossip

E! News host Giuliana DePandi tied the knot with The Apprentice season 1 winner Bill Rancic today on the island of Capri.

Democratic Candidates Sign Pledge

According to Political Wire, "John Edwards, Sen. Barack Obama, Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Chris Dodd and Sen. Joe Biden promised not to campaign in states that hold early nominating contests in violation of Democratic party rules, the AP reports.

They agreed to a pledge circulated by the Democratic Party chairs of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Sen. Hillary Clinton's staff said she is still reviewing the matter. "

This is a tough one. While it is annoying that many states are trying to push up their primaries to get more play, is it entirely smart to ignore all but four states for the time being? Don't forget we have a general election coming up after the primaries. I'm not sure how I feel about this pledge, Hillary needs to think this through.

Halloween Sets Record

Image courtesy of Film Edge

Rob Zombie's reimagining of Halloween broke records to become the highest Friday ever for Labor Day weekend according to Variety. The film took in roughly $11 million on Friday and is expected to be the number 1 movie this weekend.

Britney Sets New Release Date

Image courtesy of Teen Hollywood

Britney Spears has set a release date for her fifth studio album now that the lead single "Gimme More" has been leaked to the internet. The still untitled album is slated for a November 13th release. Rumors are circulating that Britney will perform at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards next week to officially debut "Gimme More" along with magician Criss Angel.

50 Cent Added To VMA Line-Up

Image courtesy of 50 Cent Base

MTV has announced that 50 Cent will perform at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. Akon and Soulja Boy will also take to the stage. In addition to the performers, MTV announced that Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Nicole Scherzinger, Shia Labeouf, and Rosario Dawson will all present at the September 9th ceremony in Las Vegas.

Senator Craig Resigns

Image courtesy of CNN

Republican Idaho Senator Larry Craig has announced his resignation amid a sex scandal. For more on the story, visit CNN.