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.