• Timbaland^W is turning his attention from the music business to the movies–he’s working with another outfit to co-produce a film called Vinyl, which is, surprise, about a band.  So, let’s see if we can figure this out–he’ll make the movie a big success, then take all the stars from the movie and produce films for them that will make them big successes, and then he’ll mix and match them with other stars to make even more successful movies–any questions?
• Kanye West^W talked to People magazine on the anniversary of his mom Donda West’s death, and told them that he feels responsible for what happened to her, explaining, "I feel like I moved to California, and then my mom [did too], and she did stuff she wouldn’t have done if we’d stayed in Chicago."  I rarely dispense advice, but maybe some is in order here:  dude, all you’re responsible for is what you do with the life you have now that she’s gone–if what you do and who you are can honor what she saw in you, not only will she live on, but she’ll live in you…
• NBC’s annual Christmas In Rockerfeller Center special includes some pretty special music when it airs December 3, including Beyonce, The Jonas Brothers, Idol’s David Cook, plus Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts and that amazing opera singer who won America’s Got Talent.  Al Roker^W from The Today Show will host again, and the live show will again conclude with the lighting of the big tree just off 49th and 5th–and about the only thing that can outshine that old peacock…
• Michael Jackson^W has turned over Neverland Ranch^W to the company who helped keep it from foreclosure, although it will be a joint venture between Jacko and the real estate investment company affiliate who’s taking control of it.  Whatever tlheir plans for the place, there is definitely some de-creepiness that has to be done first…
• Jennifer Aniston^W is still answering questions about comments she made in a Vogue interview about her ex Brad Pitt^W and Angelina Jolie^W–she told Oprah on today’s show that she was just answering the reporter’s question about how it made her feel to hear Jolie describe the way she and Pitt fell in love in 2004, saying the remarks "were really uncool".  Personally, the only thing she really needs to answer is how she learned to behave like such a grown-up in a town so full of overgrown babies…
• A former executive producer of American Idol isn’t a fan of the new season’s plans to include a fourth judge–songwriter Kara Dioguardi^W–to the additional mix of Simon, Paula and Randy, saying, "I think once you’ve been told, ‘You suck,’ you don’t need to be told another three times."  No worries–I’m sure Paula will make up for it by trying to date as many of the contestants as possible…

Christina Aguilera is posing for commemorative photos to help mark the 150th anniversary of department store giant Macy’s in October–others include Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.  What a beautiful picture–and she didn’t even have to leave off her underwear…

Another edition of Fashion Rocks will be airing on CBS September 9, and they’ve added music from the Pussycat Dolls plus Timbaland with special guests Lynyrd Skynyrd. The lineup for the 5th annual fashion/music event already includes Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Rihanna and more. 

Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch claims her recent visit to the hospital was caused by a friend or hanger-on who spiked her drink with Ecstacy.  I gotta believe the entire rehab-happy celebrity community are so grateful for her–she is totally carrying the mail for them…

Attorneys for Britney Spears were back in court Thursday, this time to revisit the conservatorship established to put her father Jamie in charge of her affairs.  As expected, he will remain in charge through the end of the year–which should give ex-manager Sam Lufti enough time to find another helpless celebrity to try and control…

Convicted boy-band impressario Lou Pearlman has ratted out a fellow federal prison inmate accused of murder, after Pearlman overheard him admit to the crime. Pearlman is likely hoping to have his sentence reduced–which likely will happen once the prison population hears the news…

A new TV ad by John McCain tries to compare Barack Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, flashing pictures of them while the ad refers to Obama as "the biggest celebrity in the world".  Now that’s just silly–everybody knows it’s that guy on Lost…

Chris Brown is working with Survivor creator Mark Burnett on a new dance competition series based on street dancing, with Chris in every episode to help determine which dancers move on to later rounds.  So will this mean that contestants will get voted off the corner?

Producer extraordinare Timbaland plans another Shock Value CD and says he has another group of superstars lined up to contribute, as Tim elaborates: "Right now, I have a song with MADONNA that I didn’t put on her album. I saved [it]…of course, I’m [gonna] do [a song] with BEYONCÉ. Of course, I’m [gonna] do one with JORDIN SPARKS, RIHANNA…THE JONAS BROTHERS. I’m [gonna] try to have 10 major ones."  The only thing he left out:  of course it’s gonna be huge…

Katy Perry’s I Kissed A Girl has spent 5 weeks atop Billboard’s Hot 100.  And no, that does not mean she spent 5 weeks on top of the chart kissing a girl…

After anti-smoking advocacy groups informed Alicia Keys that there was a tobacco sponsor for her July 31 concert in Indonesia, she announced that she was able to have, "corrective actions be taken," adding, "I’m an unyielding advocate for the well-being and health of children around the world and do not condone or endorse smoking…I look forward to spreading my positive message to my wonderful fans in [Indonesia]."  So does your butt hurt more or less after a "corrective action"?

The Jonas Brothers have set a digital download record by being the first act with 3 consecutive songs that have sold more than 100,000 downloads each. I just want to know how many are their fans and how many are their fans’ moms…

The natives are restless at the Screen Actors Guild, currently at a standstill in negotiabtions over a new contract with producers, with a number of unhappy members working to get a majority of the union’s national board seats which will be elected in September.  I’m guessing there are a few folks hoping this will keep them all quite busy–and far away from other elections…

• Madonna put up for auction her purse and all its contents–including a makeup mirror, hair clips, tissues and lip gloss–at an AIDS charity gala late last week in Paris.  The whole package sold for just under a half-million bucks–only the winning bidder was upset because he got the wrong color gloss…
• American Idol winner David Cook wasted no time making his mark on music buyers, grabbing the top 4 spots on iTunes’ sales chart since his win last week.  It’s still early, but I think he’s already sold more than Fantasia and Taylor Hicks combined…
• OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder is a little upset about how Timbaland got credit for their hit Apologize, since Ryan wrote the song 5 years ago and the band co-produced it.  But Ryan definitely isn’t upset about the money that the song has brought the group–which likely wouldn’t have come along without that Timba-brand…
• After a four-year wait, Usher returns with his new CD Here I Stand, in stores today.  It features talents like Jay-Z and his new bride Beyonce, Will I. Am of Black Eyed Peas, and Usher Raymond the Fifth–that’s right, Usher’s 6-month-old baby boy can be heard gurgling on one track…
• Nickelback lead singer Chad Kroeger has appealed his recent drunk driving conviction in Canada, claiming that the breathalyzer test he was forced to take shouldn’t have happened because the arresting officer didn’t have a reasonable suspicion that he was drunk.  In other words, it was a lucky guess that Chad was blitzed out of his mind…
• Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull may be a huge box-office success, but it has upset members of Russia’s Communist Party, claiming the film is historically inaccurate and paints a negative picture of Communism.  They may have a point–Cate Blanchett’s "Boris And Natasha" haircut was a little extreme…

• Colbie Caillat reveals that she twice auditioned for American Idol–once performing her huge hit Bubbly–but was rejected both times.  She found another place for her music with a pretty big audience–MySpace, where record execs found her and the rest, as they say, is music history…
• Britney Spears’ appearance on How I Met Your Mother got her a job offer–from the head of PETA, who wants her to be their receiptionist for just an hour in return for a thousand dollar donation to a children’s charity.  They’d like Brit to talk about animal cruelty–in other words, ex Kevin Federline…
• The video for Madonna’s new hit 4 Minutes will debut Thursday on iTunes, featuring her with both Justin Timberlake and Timbaland.  With all the buzz surrounding it, it’ll probably take 4 minutes to break a sales record…
• Kathie Lee Gifford returns to daytime television starting Monday as co-host of The Today Show’s fourth hour.  Husband Frank is escatic–he can go back to playing dress-up…
• ABC’s General Hospital celebrates its 45th anniversary on TV today.  It’s hard to believe that this show has been on for almost a half-century, and the lives of the characters have advanced just about six months…
• The rumors about American Idol finalist David Archuleta’s father Jeff being a pushy "stage dad" are true according to an exec from Star Search, who says David was a junior contestant and his dad’s time on the set was restricted because of how he tried to intimidate other children.  This jerk needs to be taught a lesson–have Paula Addul date him…