All That Glitters - Celebrity news

Can I just say that I love the fact that President Obama called Kanye West was a "jackass" for the way he behaved at the VMAs on Sunday night?! That's awesome! I hate the fact that it's generating so much flack, though. What is the big deal? Kanye IS a jackass! Kudos to Obama for saying so.

In other celeb news, Jessica Simpson's dog, Daisy, was allegedly snatched by a coyote. Jessica is offering a reward for the safe return of her beloved pooch.

Patrick Swayze died of pancreatic cancer today at the age of 57.

I am so incredibly sad. Like most other little girls in the late 1980's, I had a massive crush on Patrick that began when I saw the movie "Dirty Dancing." It was my favorite movie back in the fourth grade. (My friends and I would have sleepovers and watch it after our parents had gone to bed...they would have disapproved of us watching all the "naughty" scenes.)

A few years later, Patrick lit up the screen again in "Ghost," another classic romantic film. He has always held a special place in my heart, and I admired how valiantly he battled this awful disease, and respected him for speaking out about his illness so publicly.

I still haven't seen "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," and I'm really in no hurry to do so, because everyone says that it sucks. However, I was pretty surprised to learn that Harrison Ford is planning to star in "Indy 5!" When will he learn that enough is enough?!

If you're looking for a decent movie trailer, check out this one for George Clooney's upcoming film, "Up in the Air." It looks good (and I'm not just saying that because George is my Hollywood BF)!

Yesterday, Nicole Ritchie and Joel Madden named their newborn son after Captain Jack Sparrow from "Pirates of the Caribbean." Today, Katherine Heigl announced that she and her husband are adopting a special needs baby girl from Korea. Katherine says her new daughter's name is Naleigh, because she wants to name her after her mother (Nancy) and her sister (Leigh). So she came up with "Naleigh."

I think Katherine has been reading the "Twilight" series a little too much. Naleigh...Renesmee...see a trend here?

If I ever have a daughter, I think I will name her after my two favorite cats, Muffin and Calpurnia...so her name will be Muffpurnia!

Nicole Ritchie and Joel Madden welcomed their latest spawn earlier today. It's a boy, and the poor kid's name is (drumroll)...

...Sparrow James Midnight Madden!

Sparrow? As in Captain Jack Sparrow? And Midnight? WTF is wrong with these people?! Is this a new celeb trend, to name your baby after a Disney character?

You know, Heidi Klum is preggers right now. I want to offer up some baby name suggestions to her, taking Nicole's lead on the Disney/time of day theme:

• Dumbo Jonathan Twilight Madden

• Ariel Emily Sunrise Madden
• Pinocchio Carl Dusk Madden
• Snow White Daybreak Madden
• Goofy Wilfried High Noon Madden

First of all, to everyone who gave me grief about blasting the Maksim Chmerkovskiy/Karina Smirnoff pairing....HA HA HA HA! The joke's on all of you, now. The "Dancing with the Stars" pair called off their engagement. (True love my ***!) Icky Karina is alone again, and studly Maks is back on the market...go get him, ladies!

Yesterday may have been Labor Day, but today is Oprah Winfrey Day here in Chicago!

I work downtown, and today's morning commute was a nightmare. Part of that can be attributed to the kiddies going back to school, and part of that is because Oprah's minions are all flocking down to Michigan Avenue for a chance to see their Queen Bee up close and personal.

It seems to me that there are two types of people in this world: those who love Oprah, and those who do not. Personally, I tend to fall into the second category. I'll admit that Oprah's done some admirable things in the past, but I do not understand the cultish fan following she has generated over the years, and it kind of freaks me out.

ABC News announced this morning that Charles Gibson will retire from his position as anchor of "World News" in January, and that Diane Sawyer will succeed him.

I am a news junkie, and ABC is my preferred news source. I grew up watching Peter Jennings and I absolutely adored him, and I was so sad when he died of lung cancer four years ago. Then ABC made Bob Woodruff and Elizabeth Vargas co-anchors of the nightly news. I always liked Vargas but was never too keen on Woodruff. However, that team didn't last very long because Woodruff was severely injured while reporting in the Middle East, and Vargas stepped down from the job after she got knocked up. (I still haven't forgiven her for that.)

When I first learned that Rod Blagojevich was getting his own Sunday afternoon radio show on WLS 890 AM, I rolled my eyes like the majority of other Chicagoans. However, a few weeks ago, my father forced me to listen to the broadcast at his house, and ever since then, if I'm in the car on a Sunday afternoon, I make it a point to tune in.

I was very sad to hear of the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy last night. Regardless of whether you agreed with his politics, you have to admit that this man devoted practically his entire life to serving his country, and that's very admirable. He wasn't a perfect man, but Senator Kennedy was one of the most influential politicians in all American history. My thoughts are with his family during this incredibly difficult time. (They just buried Eunice Kennedy Shriver last week...it seems like these poor people never get a break.)