JOHN HAMM WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND AT THE 2010 EMMYS

I got to see the new Mad Men episode plus watch the show win its 3rd Prime Time Emmy for Best Drama Series last night. John Hamm, who of course is soooo dreammyyy as the dashing Don Draper – and as himself – attended with his girlfriend, Jennifer Westfeldt. That’s them together in the photo above on the red carpet – both dressed to the max in Armani. Her dress is a delicate, water-colored silk with lace and Swarovski crystals!

Have you ever seen any man look better in a bow tie than John Hamm? (Did anyone else notice those sparkling blue eyes during the Emmys when the camera found him in it? Of course it found him, smart camera!) Yeah, well, in case my crush isn’t blatantly obvious enough, before I move away from this topic can I just say the Mad Men episode last night had a beautifully bare-chested Don Draper in nothing but boxer shorts. (Swoon. Faint.)

All hotness aside, this is as interesting a main character as there can ever be in a drama, don’t you think? It’s not just the looks and all that really. It’s always something more. I mean, he doesn’t have to say anything, we can always seem to know what Draper is thinking and feeling.  I find it realistic cuz isn’t he supposed to be the intense, quiet type of character?

And of course the whole cast is amazing! It was so great to see both an episode of the show and the cast of Mad Men last night. I think most of them were up on the Emmy stage at LA’s Nokia Theater to win their 3rd Best Drama award, weren’t they? I just know Don Draper/John Hamm was there, sigh…I’m sooooo pathetic!

KARA TRIED TO QUIT ‘IDOL’ MONTHS AGO

According to reports from, well, just about everywhere, American Idol judge, Kara DioGuardi tried to lose her job months ago. At first it kinda sounds like a saving face thing like I’m quitting before I’m fired, since the buzz about ‘Idol’ firing all 3 remaining judges and getting all new ones with superstar names like Steven Tyler, Brett Michaels (my pick!!!), Harry Connick Jr. (my least fav) and Shania Twain.

You just wonder how many names they need to toss around, but apparently Simon Cowell was getting like millions a year (anywhere from 36 – 144 million depending on which reports are true or not) so who wouldn’t want his job? I just wish they would keep Randy – Kara, I don’t know… I ‘m not a big fan of hers, but I’m not a hater either.. She was passionate and seemed to try and genuinely want to help the AI contestants, but I don’t know…

What was up with her and Ellen? I mean, was it just me or did those two hate each others’ guts? And near the end of the last season, she was like practically wrapped around Simon like a coat and totally ignoring Ellen on her other side. Speaking of Ellen Degeneres, I think she’s awesome, but agree with those who say she’s just not right as an American Idol Judge.

Anyway, if Kara DioGaurdi tried to quit a few months ago why didn’t the powers that be at American Idol just let her? Aren’t they cleaning house or what?

AI is reportedly keeping Kara hanging due to something in her contract and won’t give her an answer until they decide on their whole judging situation. That must be aggravating to Kara DioGaurdi to be in career limbo like that!

OPRAH’S NEW TV ENVIRONMENT DEEMED “HOSTILE”

The OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) has had it’s launch date pushed ahead a few times with the latest one being January 2011. It’s sure not completely clear for take off yet with the recent scandal of OWN cable channel ex-employee, Catherine Dunn, suing Oprah’s new TV home for discrimination in a “hostile work environment.” The lawsuit was filed on Friday, August 13. (Ooooh, I frickin’ wonder if Oprah now has Friggatriskaidekaphobia! (a fear of Friday the 13th)

Dunn, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), began working for OWN in Autumn, 2008. She claims she was let go for wrongful dismissal because of her MS. Okay, off the top, you wouldn’t think someone with Oprah’s apparent values would allow that, but you know it’s probably not like she was running that department herself or anything. Still.. It makes you wonder and discrimination does happen for all kinds of reasons, so who knows for sure?

Catherine Dunn alleges her wrongful dismissal from the Oprah Winfrey Network occurred when she was forced to take a leave of absence, then was replaced during that time. (You know, that same thing happened to me on my scheduled legal mat leave, and moi sued and won!) If she and her lawyers can prove the reason was actually discrimination due to her MS, she might damn well win her case. Guess Oprah can afford to lawyer up, though.

Anyway, since there were several delays since the Oprah Winfrey Network started up about 3 years ago, and now this glitch, the January 2011 date may end up being moved again – or not. If it does ever get on the air, the OWN cable channel is supposed to hit about 80 million TV sets and feature shows with Oprah herself as well as Shania Twain and Donald Trump’s favorite gal ( ha!), Rosie O’Donnell.

LEVI JOHNSTON TO FOLLOW SARAH PALIN?

I’m sorry to report that apparently Levi Johnston finally got a reality show like he and Bristol Palin were rumored to have been trying for. (Well, except Bristol really wanted to live a “quiet life” reportedly out of the media — something that Johnston is definitely allergic to!)

According to TMZ, Johnston and his producers are set for the filming of his own reality show soon — probably as we speak. Apparently, several networks are interested in the show which is thought to be (ridiculously) titled: “Loving Levi: The Road to the Mayor’s Office.” The premise is not the same as what Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston were originally going to have – a focus on their relationship and raising son, Tripp.

The producers wanted the show to include Levi running for mayor in his (and Sarah Palin’s) hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. Bristol’s famous (or infamous depending on your political viewpoint!) mom, Sarah Palin, was first on the City Council, before becoming Mayor of Wasilla. The other focus of “Loving Levi” is said to be Johnston’s pursuit of a career in Hollywood. (Oh barf! There goes my lunch…)

Okay, I’ll admit the guy is amazingly good looking (like a Donny Osmond/Nick Lachey cross), but isn’t he missing… I don’t know… A PERSONALITY? Just sayin…

Well, if Sarah Palin didn’t hate his guts enough already I’d say this new show following her footsteps running for mayor, along with cheating on her daughter would just about tighten the noose. After their on again, off again, engagement, I guess Bristol Palin just had enough after Levi Johnston confessed to her that he may be the father of his currently pregnant ex-girlfriend!

BTW, Media hog Levi Johnston showed up with his co-star in an upcoming music video (and fairly close Bristol Palin look-alike), Brittani Senser, at the Teen Choice Awards on Monday, August 9.

WHOOPI’S “ARM TAP” VERSUS MICHAELE’S “ARM GRAB”

Some people just can’t (or won’t!) do anything without making a scandal out of it – even appearing on a morning show to promote another TV show. So is the case for Michaele Salahi – the female half of the infamous party crashing pair who made news last November for attending the White House State Dinner without an invite.

Salahi appeared on The View recently with other women who’ll be starring (ha) on the latest of the “Real Housewives” series, The Real Housewives of DC. (This Michaele Salahi is so fake and unlikable that, no, I won’t be watching that show although I loved Vicki Gunvalson on the Orange County version and Jill Zarin on the New York one!) Anyway, as anyone who has ever watched The View even once knows, the moderator or stage director guides everyone back on topic.

Well, Whoopi Goldberg is the moderator. As she wasn’t in the segment with Michaele Salahi and the other DC Housewives, Goldberg came up to her side and touched Salahi’s arm while telling her to get back on the White House topic. Then, after the show, a huge brouhaha (oh yay! I got to use that word!) erupted about hitting/grabbing/hurting the arm. I think Salahi was just pissed about being noticed for not answering questions about the Obama dinner party crashing – she’s not too bright at all this woman IMHO.

I mean, as if avoiding the questions while still insisting you were invited when it’s clear she and her husband weren’t (The Secret Service have evidence!) wasn’t bad enough, how stupid is it to pick a fight with Goldberg that can plainly be resolved by viewing the tape of The View segment? Yeah, if you watch it, you can see that it wasn’t an aggressive thing on Whoopi’s part. It was kind of a power thing since Whoopi is the moderator; Salahi shouldn’t have been so stupid as to try and make any kind of deal about it!

Anyway, while I certainly don’t appreciate Whoopi Goldberg jumping to Mel Gibson’s defence by saying he isn’t a racist when clearly, yes, the man is and has a big problem in that area, I do appreciate her standing up for herself against Salahi. Whoopi gets in her face and tells her “You know I didn’t f***ing hit you” to which Salahi says she cried and was offended by the profanity. (Oh give me a break, did you think Whoopi Goldberg was a delicate flower? LOL!)

By the way, Michaele Salahi and her husband, Tareq, aren’t only still under investigation for the White House party crashing incident, but also reportedly have at least 30 lawsuits filed against them including not paying vendors for lavish parties/fundraisers. Michaele is also alleged to have a big habit of buying dresses to wear once, then return.

JULIE CHEN WILL BE ON CBS DAILY, “THE TALK”

Imagine a new, daily parenting show with a bunch of women hosts that’s like The View, but hopefully a lot less annoying. Well, that’s the premise of the hour long, The Talk, that CBS has scheduled to replace the demise of the long running serial, As The World Turns. I’m intrigued because the idea for the show is said to be Sara Gilbert’s (Darlene Conner from the Roseanne sitcom) and she specifically wanted Julie Chen. I think these two alone will be way more interesting than any of the women on The View (Joy Behar being the exception! Love her!) Anyway, as if Julie Chen and Sara Gilbert aren’t enough, Celebrity Apprentice alums, Sharon Osbourne and Holly Robinson Peete will join them.
(There are two others too, but frankly I don’t give a damn!)

I’ve only seen Julie Chen on Big Brother (glued to that show!) but she’s apparently been on CBS’ The Early Show for like 8 years. Chen’s a stepmom to 3 older kids, but her son, Charlie, will be turning 1 year old in September. I just find her so intriguing on Big Brother because she’s always so controlled, yet somehow really awesome. I don’t think too many people can pull that combo off well!

That particular blend has earned Julie Chen the nickname “Chenbot.” What’s really cool is that it doesn’t faze her in the least. She owned it, which impresses the hell out of me for some reason (guess I’m not all that hard to impress!). But come on, she’s actually said “I am the Chenbot” and she knows the reason why. It’s her “precise on-air style” she’ll tell you.

Go Julie Chen! I don’t want the Summer to end, but at least when it does and the chill of fall is faintly in the air I’ll have The Talk to look forward to!

BRITNEY PAYS BACK MEL GIBSON

Well there’s someone who appreciates Mel Gibson’s phone calls – Britney Spears. She and Gibson have been exchanging late night telephone calls recently. Apparently Mel’s been confiding in Britney that he’s worried his career is over (hopefully it is!) It seems it’s just like the story of the mouse who pulls the thorn from the lion’s paw and the grateful lion says he will pay back the mouse… Only Britney Spears is the Lion and Mel Gibson is the Mouse (yeah, The Mouse Who Roared!!!)

In February of 2009, Gibson “reached out” to Spears during one of her scandals. Gibson appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show saying that Spears was “a nice kid” who succumbed to drugs. Mel Gibson said: “She’s lining up to be stoned. I just thought ‘Is anyone reaching out to her?” So, I just called her. She’s doing great now.” This was during the time after his earlier scandals when he was doing what he could to adjust his image. (The guy can be really charming, but if you look close you can see the crazy eyes!)

It was Britney’s father who did a lot at that time to get her back on track. I wonder if Mel Gibson’s parents are still alive or if any of his relatives – even back in Australia could “reach out” to him and get him to check in to get some professional mental help. I wish Mel Gibson would be on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew which is the only thing I’d ever watch him in again anyway. Drew could tackle Gibson’s addiction to racist, sexist, threatening, panting phone rants!

Anyway, I guess Britney feels obligated to help Gibson as he helped her, but really just phone calls like that isn’t the help this loony tune ranting sicko needs!

MICHAEL LOHAN:  SHAMELESS MEDIA HOG OR DOMESTIC ABUSER?

Oh man! You know how psychologists always say that if kids who are starving for attention can’t get the positive kind, they’ll go for the negative? Well, Michael Lohan may have Peter Pan Syndrome (among other problems!) because he just can’t stop trying for as much media attention as humanly possible. Even his past partner in (starved for media attention) crime, Jon Gosselin, seems to have stopped begging for a talk show or interviews or the chance to publicly dis Kate ever single chance he could!

But Michael Lohan never stopped. I was almost (I said almost!) even starting to think that his primary motive was caring about his daughter, Lindsay Lohan, as he brought her water in court when no one else would and called out “We love you, Lindsay” as she was cuffed and ready to be taken to her jail cell. But very, very soon after that…which was just after appearing on every talk show he could (with his lawyer, Lisa Bloom, WTF did he need a lawyer for other than to add more drama?) to talk about his daughter going to jail…

Michael Lohan is in the news right away again in a story that his fiance, Kate Major, was now his ex-fiance because she was charging him with domestic abuse. According to Major, Lohan threw a shoe at her which caused her to hit her head on a wall and he pushed her off her chair, then kicked her when she was on the floor. (Oh Lordy! WTF?)

Kate Major insists that Michael Lohan then said “I am going to go back to jail because I’m going to kill you.” Whether he’s a bad domestic abuser or doing it to try to get more media attention by trying to pull a fake Mel Gibson and then be faced with jail to keep being tied to his daughter for media fame, it doesn’t matter cuz either way, the guy’s a total jerk!!!

What is wrong with this Kate Major? She dated Jon Gosselin then gets engaged to Michael Lohan? BTW, Major was pissed when Gosselin denied he ever dated her. “Jon is a liar!”  Major insisted. “I would love Jon to take a lie detector test.” Yeah, well I would love for Kate Major to take a jerk detector test to help her figure out why she keeps dating total losers like Jon Gosselin and Michael Lohan!

(BTW, on the off chance that anyone gives a flyin’ damn, Michael Lohan’s court date for the domestic violence harassment charge is set for August 18 in Southampton, New York.)

JESSICA SIMPSON AND ERIC JOHNSON IN ITALY

What a way to spend your 30th birthday – all low-key and lovey-dovey with your new boyfriend in Italy as well as in the company of a few old friends. That’s how Jessica Simpson did it as she turned the big 3 Oh on Saturday, July 10. Her friends and sweetie, Eric Johnson, surprised Simpson with a cake and the tone for the Italian trip was laid back just the way Jessica wanted it. She had commented to press that she wanted to get away to Italy to relax and apparently it was mission accomplished.

I guess she needed a break from filming the second season of her reality show, The Price Of Beauty. (I have to fess up that I haven’t seen the show yet. The one time I had the chance to catch it I passed on it for something else and I can’t even remember what!) Hey, though, I admire the woman! I’ve seen the way she stands up for herself and admire her for the way she handled the “chubby” remarks she so rudely received.  People can just be so judgmental and just mental..

Simpson’s fallen for another footballer this time, so hopefully the romance will end better than it did with Tony Romo. Interestingly, Romo broke up with Jessica on her birthday last year and now here she is on her birthday this year with a new football guy.

Eric Johnson, 30, hasn’t actually played football officially since 2008 due to an ankle injury the free agent suffered. Johnson’s played for the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints. Apparently the word on the street is that Johnson is a nice guy who won’t hurt Jessica… (hopefully, he won’t embarrass her by announcing she’s “sexual napalm” either like that ass clown John Mayer did!)

TORI SPELLING PENS HER FEARS IN NEW BOOK

Tori Spelling is promoting her third book, the stupidly named, IMHO, “Uncharted Territori” (It’s like oh let’s find any word with “Tori” in it for the title – what’s next, V for Victori? Or a cookbook, Chicken Cacciatori?) Anyway, she looked great (other than appearing almost alarmingly too thin) in her yellow dress that matches the book’s cover when she appeared at the Warner Center’s Borders bookstore in NYC recently.

I have to say that I think she has many good qualities and loved both her shows, “Tori and Dean Inn Love” and “Tori and Dean; Home Sweet Hollywood” even though I loathed her Donna character on the original Beverly Hills 90210. In “Uncharted Territori,” Tori says she is worried that her husband, Dean, will “cheat.” In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, she explained “I’m a normal girl and I worry about that stuff. You know how girls are.”

Well, let’s get real. Dean was married (to Mary Jo Eustace, the former host of the tongue in cheek Canadian cooking show, What’s For Dinner) and had a child when he dumped his wife to be with Tori. She wouldn’t be “normal” (or sane) if she didn’t realize that he could do the same thing to her that he did to his first wife.

What I really like about Tori Spelling though is that she’s aware of how important fans and marketing are when you’re in show biz (not like scowl faced, frequent complainer, Kristen Stewart). When more fans than expected turned up at the NYC Borders book signing, Tori stayed to make sure she signed her books for all 500 people in line even if it meant skipping dinner (not what she needs!) and missing a book party.

She ended up getting to her party at about midnight – about an hour and a half after it was originally supposed to end. (I ‘m glad to hear she ordered pizza as soon as she got there and ate 3 pieces.)