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Despite the fact that during the entire season of "The Bachelorette" 29-year-old Graham Bunn was portrayed as aloof, cold and commitment phobic, he says he came on the show because he was looking to find a potential wife,
"It was totally my goal."
In a conference call with reporters this morning Graham admitted with Deanna it really was just a case of he just wasn't that into her. Graham had difficulties opening up to her about his feelings, something the other guys were perfectly willing to do.
"I opened up as much as I could in an honest genuine manner. I was never going to tell her something that she just wanted to hear. She was dating people that were willing to say to her what she needed to hear."
Graham stressed that he felt pressure to talk marriage with Deanna in the time frame the show provided, a time frame he wasn't comfortable with to get to know someone. However, when I posed the question to Graham about whether or not if there were no cameras, no time frame, no television show could he fall in love with Deanna his answer said it all,
"No, I don’t think I could have fallen in love with her. I don’t think we were right for each other."
After selling over a million records in his first week, Lil Wayne is now fast becoming a household name. Going platinum the first week is something that Mariah, Kanye, Madonna, and recently Coldplay were not able to do.
All of the artists above were in or on every newspaper, magazine, television show, or whatever promoting their albums. Yet they did not sell a "milli" in the first week. Why Wayne? Because he's got 10 years in the game and hip-hop is not dead.
I went to his show at the House Of Blues in Hollywood and there where white, black, brown, and Asian people reciting every song word for word together with no issues. Whether people want to admit it or not hip-hop is a medium that bridges the cultural divide. Real artists get support whether they get the media hype or not.
Unfortunately, you won't hear any glimpses of what Idol winner David Cook is cooking up for his first album at the show, but you will get plenty of originality from the rocker he says,
"Some calypso, a little bit of free-formed jazz. I actually got a seven minute interpretive dance routine in the middle of my set."
He's kidding (if you haven't figured that out yet). Although, I’m sure he would look good in tights! I mean he is one of People Magazine's Sexiest Bachelors, right? Except he’s not technically a bachelor as he is still dating TV Guide Channel host and former Idol alumna, Kimberly Caldwell. David says their relationship is "good" but he's now trying to stay out of the radar with it,
"I think for me, it sounds cliché to say, but I got into music to make music and it's so funny now because people ask me about my personal life and there is such an absurdity associated with everybody just from all corners asking about it. I am stoked about this tour because I feel like to some degree it is a bit of an escape. I can get onto the road and concentrate on music."
It's now down to the final four on "The Bachelorette." Deanna Pappas has four potential husbands left in the running - Graham, Jeremy, Jason and Jesse. Anyone watching the show can see the obvious romantic chemistry she has with the first three guys, but snow boarder Jesse has yet to even kiss her. So, it was a total shock this morning when on a conference call with reporters one of this week’s eliminated Bachelor’s, Twilley, told me he thinks Jesse might be Deanna's final pick,
"They have a really unusual connection. It’s just going to be unexpected. It’s going to happen during the fantasy date I think. Of the four left, I think they are the best fit. There is a lot of stuff that you didn’t see behind the edit. They just were kind of inseparable. I just see a lot of sparks between them that’s all."
Now, I’m not sure if Twilley has any inside scoop, but he mentions that Jesse ends up on the fantasy dates with Deanna, which means one of the other three is going home next week. This makes sense, though, based on next week’s promos, where it looks like Deanna sends someone home because she is afraid he will ultimately reject her like Brad Womack did. I personally think it will be Graham who has continually had issues with the fact that Deanna has connections with other guys. Plus, he has never had a long-term relationship. Twilley backed up this theory explaining,
"She told me that there was one guy who really blew her away and I really feel like that was Graham. Talking to Graham I think he was really intimidated by the whole marriage thing. I think she’s gonna really identify with Brad Womack and in the end she is going to realize how hard this really is."
It's been awhile since my last Blog. That's because I've just returned from vacation. Although it's hard to call it a "vacation" when you are just visiting family. I think I'd call that more of an anti-vacation. Don't get me wrong -- seeing family is great -- but it's more work than relaxation.
In order to regain my celeb-sanity while away from my job, I chose not to watch TV, read any magazines or look at any celebrity related Web sites this week. Not an easy task in this celebrity obsessed society. Those are my three little stars in the photo! My nieces Emma, Hannah and Rachel.
Instead of talking about anything celebrity related today, I've chosen to offer my thoughts on something that really bugged me this week - airplane travel. I was on seven (yep, seven) airplanes in the span of nine days, not even to mention the hundreds of thousands of miles I've logged over the years. So, I'm going to consider myself somewhat of a travel expert and offer up this advice to my fellow passengers. While there are some things you can't really control -- like crying kids -- other things, you can. I'll call them the seven cardinal rules of air travel.
1. Brush your Teeth - Isn't it only common sense that when you are sitting next to strangers in a confined space you should have minty fresh breath? Sure, once they hand out the peanuts, all bets are off, but at least make the original effort so we don't have to spend the whole flight holding our breath.
2. Keep Your Shoes On - Just because they ask you to remove your shoes at the security line does not mean you should take them off anywhere else. Even if you have the best smelling tootsies or are wearing your favorite new argyle socks, your fellow passengers don't want to see them.
I realize this subject may not be within the realm of a typical Access Hollywood blog but I feel compelled to share some thoughts about these 2008 Boston Celtics.
Yes, they are beating their life long rivals, the Lakers. But what impresses me, and, likewise, irks me most is what a dynamic group of thirteen. These Celtics are and how, even today, they are still not appreciated for their talents. This very morning, all I have heard is how the Lakers fell apart in game four and how the Lakers are playing soft and how Andrew Bynum will be here next year.
Instead, I should be hearing how this Celtic team is so deep in talent that they could lose two starters (Rondo and Perkins) and find a way to pull off the greatest comeback victory in NBA playoff history. People, this is the team that swept the dreaded Texas Triangle, beating San Antonio, Dallas and Houston on the road, stopping Houston’s near record breaking winning streak in the process.
All year long, as well, we heard that the Celtics had an easy schedule and that the Western Conference was so much stronger. Yet, at one point in the season, we were 16-0 against the west. Still, few paid attention. My boss here at Access, Rob Silverstein, is an amazing basketball player and part-time coach as well as a huge sports fanatic. I was positively stunned when he said the Lakers would win the series in four or five. He added a few more fragments of what has become a familiar argument: Celts don’t have a “go-to” guy, Kobe is an MVP whom they can’t stop and hey, they’re going against Phil Jackson.
Taking each point one at a time, we are a defense based team and have anyone of a Big Three go-to guys WHEN we need them, defense Coach Tom T. and the rest of the green disrupted Lebron James who is bigger and stronger than Kobe and Phil Jackson, per my father, is an amazing coach as long as he has Jordan and Pippen or Shaq and Kobe. Moreover, Jackson, at this point in his career, appears to lack Doc Rivers’ heart, too. For me, he was all too casual, joking and smiling, in his interview during the pre-fourth quarter break of game four. Doc, who I have not been afraid to criticize, has made creative and excellent substitutions. Like his team, he has improved as the season has transpired.
The recent comments made by Spike Lee at the Cannes Film Festival while promoting his new film “Miracle at St. Anna” have gotten him some serious attention. It’s not like the most influential black director in modern times is not used to getting attention for comments he’s made, but it’s who and what he made the comments about this time, that have him making headlines.
Who? Clint Eastwood. What? “Flags of our Fathers” and its historical accuracy. The conversation started with comments about different directors and their respect or lack of it when it comes to death in film. The war of words that ensued is as follows:
Spike’s quotes at the press conference, "Clint Eastwood made two films about Iwo Jima that ran for more than four hours total, and there was not one negro actor on the screen... But I know it was pointed out to him and that he could have changed it. It's not like he didn't know."
Clint’s response in an article to The Guardian, "The story is ‘Flags of Our Fathers,’ the famous flag-raising picture, and they didn't do that. If I go ahead and put an African American actor in there, people’d go, ‘This guy’s lost his mind.’ I mean, it’s not accurate.... A guy like him should shut his face.”
Every year Memorial Weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. As we pay respect to those who fought for our freedom, we can rejoice in the fact we are free to enjoy our lives because so many died to ensure it. There will be plenty of things to do, weather to enjoy, movies to see, and live music to hear.
Music Festivals are one of my favorite things about the summer. There is really nothing that can compare to listening to your favorite artist with thousands of your closest friends.
If you are a people watcher like myself, these are a haven of great material. Where else will you find some of the most liberal interpretations of style and public etiquette? That being said, the price of tickets for festivals is not going down anytime soon. Choosing the right festival and getting the most for your buck is the key.
Considering this latest incarnation of "High School Musical" has the added line of "Senior Year" to its title, I think we can all be pretty sure this is the last we will be seeing of Zac, Vanessa, Ashley, Lucas, Monique or Corbin in the halls of East High. Unless of course someone wants to make "College Musical." Instead, should this feature film version of "High School Musical" be a huge hit, I think Disney may keep its franchise alive by introducing us to a brand new class of kids.
That's exactly why I think such a big deal has been made about the three new cast members making their debut in HSM3. Disney held an international casting search involving over 1,000 teen actors across the United States, Canada, and the U.K. to find three sophomore Wildcats. Matt Prokop, Justin Martin, and Jemma McKenzie-Brown were the lucky three plucked out of near obscurity.
17-year-old Matt's biggest role to date was a small part in "Hannah Montana". 14-year-old Justin played Simba in "The Lion King" on Broadway. British born Jemma had a role in a BBC show called "The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard.” After this film comes out October 24th, I have no doubt their names will become as familiar to pre-teen and teenage girls everywhere as the rest of the HSM cast.
I traveled to the set and had a chance to sit down with the three newbie’s who seem to be fitting in with the group quite perfectly. Ashley Tisdale has taken Jemma under her wing. Vanessa Hudgens admits to whipping out her English accent around Jemma. Corbin Bleu has the gang over to his room almost every night to play video games. Everyone is giving the trio tips on how to stay grounded should fame strike. According to Matt their main advice was not let fame go to their heads,
"Be yourself mainly. That's the one thing they said. With all of the success, just don't change. Just be who you are and true to yourself."