By Joel Hanek
Here at MTV News, we are obsessed with celebrity Twitter. And why wouldn't we be? Not only do you get first row seats to celebrity stream-of-consciousness without the restraint of a publicist/muzzle, you also get a delightful little package of reality entertainment and voyeurism rolled into one!
That's why the scientists here at MTV News laboratories came up with Tweet Beat. Hosted by MTV News' resident pop-culture expert, Jim Cantiello, Tweet Beat fills you in on all the best celebrity tweets of the week. We've got you covered with everything from "American Idol" stars past and present (Archuleta to Allen) to MTV royalty (King Spencer and Queen Heidi). After all, somebody's gotta do it, right? Wait, don't answer that.
So what's happening in Twitter this week? It appears that the VMA shockwaves have finally subsided and Kanye West has retreated back into the darkness, leaving the residents of the Twitterverse to once again tweet freely and openly. In this episode, we check in on Jessica Simpson and her ongoing battle with sleeping arrangements, the pithy smarm of Diablo Cody and the eternal high schooler Ashley Tisdale.
Remember kids, Tweet Beat comes from a place of love, and we always love to hear what celebrities you love to follow, so sound off in the comments below or follow our beloved host on Twitter!
Things haven't been looking up for Jessica Simpson for a long time. Her relationship with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (which, unfortunately for Cowboys fans, hasn't helped steady Romo's throwing arm), her dog was probably devoured by coyotes (which Martha Stewart apparently thought was Simpson's fault) and ex-husband Nick Lachey is now back with his old girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo. Now her career has taken her to Uganda, where she is working on a new reality show called "The Price of Beauty," a VH1 show that actually sounds pretty interesting (it will take Simpson all over the world to meet women and explore what the meaning of "beauty" is in different cultures). But so far, she is not quite getting used to her sleeping arrangements. Simpson ,a target="blank" href="http://twitter.com/Jessicasimpson">headed to Twitter to complain about the sleeping arrangements. "Bedtime in the tent is questionable," she wrote. She then posted a picture of herself wrapped up in a mosquito net, which sort of gives the impression that she has spun a web.
Still, she is enjoying her time in Africa. "Loved my first day in Uganda, meeting incredible women filled with spirit," she wrote after a night of sleeping beneath the gauze of the mosquito net. Her travels will continue throughout the rest of the year, and "The Price of Beauty" will air some time in 2010. Simpson hasn't yet announced where else the show will take her to investigate diet fads and learn about make-up tips, but she'll no doubt keep us up to date and drop in pictures from around the world.
Every day a multitude of stars wanders through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with staff members. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.
Chris Brown arrived at the Los Angeles County Courthouse for sentencing on Wednesday (August 5), only to hear that his sentencing was postponed. While Brown was busy dealing with his legal issues, newly single ladies Jessica Simpson and Kim Kardashian enjoyed their night by partying at Eva Longoria's restaurant, Beso, in Los Angeles. Simpson was there to celebrate her stylist Ken Paves' birthday.
Check out our photos of Chris and Jessica, and also follow the link below to see who else MTV News spotted, including the "Gossip Girl" cast, Mary J. Blige and the All-American Rejects.
(Click here for more "Spotted!" photos of Jessica Simpson, Eva Longoria, the All-American Rejects and more!)
By Cara Alwill
She's taken a stab at singing, reality television, movies ... and now, swimwear? After taking quite a bit of heat over her size, Jessica Simpson is now designing bikinis — and they're a far cry from her much-criticized "mom jeans."
According to the New York Daily News, contestants in the Miss USA pageant will don the singer's latest creations this Sunday as they take the stage. The $104 white-and-gold string bikinis were created specifically for the pageant, as were the $88 bright-green string bikinis modeled by the crown-chasers during a pre-pageant photo shoot in Vegas. While Jess has been dressing herself in more flattering outfits as of late (fine, she's draping herself in muumuus, but I'm trying to be nice), her swimsuit collection leaves little to the imagination. Read more...
By Nicole Tahan
Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz approves of the Obamas' first-dog choice. Portuguese water dog it is!
Jessica Simpson surprises her fans with her hot new bod while performing in Daisy Dukes but forgets her lyrics yet again! Find out what's going on with the country/pop star.
"Gossip Girl" will rock out with No Doubt. Check out the highly anticipated Gwen Stefani/ Blair Waldorf face-off, airing May 11.
If you live in Japan, "Twilight" fever is just heating up! Check out pics from the red-carpet premiere of "Twilight" in Japan.
Who's up for "Sin City 2"? Michael Clarke Duncan says he's game to come back as Manute if the movie happens.
In a pre-Super Bowl interview with President Obama, Matt Lauer pointed out that the new president was "[taken] out of Us Weekly's cover shot of his wife and daughters in order to make room for last week's hot topic, which was Jessica Simpson's weight.
In reaction, Obama dryly commented on Jessica being "in a weight battle, apparently." As a result, blogs and magazines and talk shows are asking if the president is making fun of Jessica's weight. Really, guys? From watching the video, it seems clear that Obama's dryness is poking fun at media coverage, rather than Jessica's weight.
Read more...
By Emily Donahue
Dear Jessica,
I want to start this letter off by saying that despite the past few years, I remain a fan of yours. I buy the rare magazines you grace the covers of, I can disappear for days watching "Newlyweds" marathons and, yes, I even have a copy of "Jessica Simpson I Do: Achieving Your Dream Wedding" — although I have to admit, it has been gathering dust since you announced your split from Nick. It goes without saying that I root for your comeback with the same intensity as a Britney fan, but I have to ask: What were you wearing yesterday?
I admire anyone that boldly embraces new fashion trends, but as you demonstrated, high-waisted denim just isn't for all body types, so I have been thinking about why you might not have noticed this too. Maybe Tony Romo is the kind of boyfriend that says everything looks good on you? Maybe it is stressful being a new aunt to Ashlee and Pete's new baby, Bronx Mowgli? Maybe your personal trainer has been too busy helping Jessica Alba lose her baby weight? Maybe it just doesn't really matter what you wear to a local-radio-sponsored chili cook off, even if you are performing and being photographed?
Read more...
OK already, Jess, we get it — you're, like, totally country now. You're dating the Dallas Cowboys quarterback, you had a country chart hit, you wear cowboy boots unironically, you're about to release your first country album, and now we hear you're endorsing some Dallas-brewed beer called Stampede Light Plus. Apparently it bills itself as a "beer for active people," because it's loaded with vitamins and daggumit, the one thing you want to do after you drink a bunch of beer is go be active.
You are the countriest country girl ever. Congrats.
But, if you have doubts, here are some other way country products you might consider signing up to shill: Hillbilly Camping Gear, Jethro's Mansion and Casino and our personal favorite, Bumper Nutz.
Jessica Simpson's no stranger to the perfume counter. With all the products she's put out over the years, including the Dessert line, you'd think she'd be an expert on fragrances by now — well, at least when it comes to kids' stuff. Her first foray into an adult line — called Fancy — launches in department stories August 15.
"With Fancy, I wanted to create a pretty fragrance, one that I could be just as comfortable wearing on the red carpet or every day with my favorite jeans," the singer said in a statement. (Jessica already has a jeans line, but she recently announced she's branching out with contemporary dresses and lingerie to launch next spring.)
Fancy includes notes of pear, apricot nectar, red berries, night blooming jasmine, gardenia, toasted almonds, caramel, amber crystal, sandlewood and vanilla crème.
Read more...
· Sadly, there will be no Emmy night out for Britney Spears. Though she got good notices for her two-episode arc on "How I Met Your Mother," the singer didn't make it onto the semifinal list in the Guest Actress on a Comedy Series category.
· Jessica Simpson is taking this whole goin' country thing seriously. The pop singer will showcase material from her upcoming roots album at fairs and festivals this summer.
· Classic rock roundup: ZZ Top are hoping Rick Rubin has some of that same magic left in his bag that helped revive the careers of Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond. ... Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are auctioning premium seats to the rest of their summer tour dates to help raise money for people affected by Midwest flooding. ... New Jersey fortune-teller Marie Castello, immortalized in the Bruce Springsteen song "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," died on Friday at age 93. ... The three original living members of Bad Company will reunite for a one-off show in Hollywood, Florida, on August 8, mostly to block knockoff bands from touring under that name.
· Singer Natasha Shneider, a member of the band Eleven who collaborated with Chris Cornell and Queens of the Stone Age, died on Tuesday of cancer.
· Apparently the romance has ended between actress Mandy Moore and rocker Ryan Adams. We know this because Adams issued a statement to a tabloid explaining, "I am grateful for our friendship and how it allowed us both to grow and learn more. ... Unfortunately I am allergic to paparazzi and have found the best antidote to that sort of nonsense is staying behind the guitar and typewriter, staying close to my support group of friends and bandmates and not engaging in activities that prevent me from taking care of myself or others."
· Someone has stolen the grave marker for Joy Division singer Ian Curtis. At some point earlier this week the marker — which reads "Ian Curtis 18-5-80" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart" — was removed from the Macclesfield Cemetery in Curtis' hometown of Macclesfield, England, and authorities currently have no leads.
