The Jane Report 1-29-09
Drew Barrymore says she’s single because she can’t find a man who deserves her. “I believe there are no rules. I think, at a certain point something clicks, and you’re just not willing to accept or give less than what your heart desires or less than what you deserve,” she says. “My priorities have changed so much. I’ve been single for months now and I’ve turned my attention toward my passions, my friends and the causes I believe in. It’s been about learning who I am, not through a man, but for myself.” …
Miley Cyrus‘ mother is a “nervous wreck” when her daughter drives. Miley recently passed her driving test, but admits her mom Leticia Finley is still scared to get in a car if she is behind the wheel. “I’m a good driver but I make my mom a nervous wreck, which makes me nervous,” she reveals.
There’s a writer who is claiming he came up with “Hannah Montana” in 1990. A screenwriter named Richard Fronduto filed a lawsuit against Disney yesterday, claiming he pitched the idea of a teen girl living a double life to Disney two decades ago.
It will be crowded in the NBC studio on Super Bowl Sunday. Bob Costas will be joined Sunday by Cris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis, Tiki Barber, Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick, Peter King, Matt Millen, Mike Holmgren, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison.
An hour-long episode of “The Office” will air right after the Super Bowl on Sunday night. Steve Carell says he’s feeling the pressure.
Warner Bros. has confirmed plans to re-launch the “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” franchise. It looks like Megan Fox will be taking over the lead role from Angelina Jolie.
Billy the elephant is staying put, and Bob Barker isn’t happy about it. The City Council voted Wednesday to finish a $42 million elephant exhibit and keep its lone pachyderm at the zoo, despite pleas by the “Price is Right” host and other celebrity opponents to scrap the project. The decision came after an emotional hearing attended by several hundred people. Barker, actress-singer Cher and actress Lily Tomlin were among them after Barker pledged $1.5 million earlier this week to move Billy to a sanctuary in Northern California.
“They say it’s always been done this way, there’s always been elephants in zoos,” Cher said. “But it doesn’t make it right because we’ve had other things we’re ashamed of, like slavery.” But zoo employee Karen Foley, backed by scores of high school science students wearing green “Save Pachyderm Forest” T-shirts, begged the council to “keep Billy where he belongs, with the family he already has.”
Actress Betty White, a longtime zoo volunteer, also had spoken at an earlier hearing in favor of keeping Billy at the zoo.
Supporters of the zoo project cheered after the council vote. Barker, a longtime animal rights activist, said he was “terribly disappointed” and hoped Billy fared better than other elephants at the zoo. Officials have said about a dozen have died there since 1968, but the zoo and its supporters contend many of those succumbed to old age and that it has vastly improved its elephant program.
The new, six-acre “Pachyderm Forest” will be seven times larger than the current enclosure and will feature nearly four acres of open space with pools, mud holes and a waterfall. It’s one of the largest planned elephant enclosures in the country.
A new poll finds Jay Leno to be America’s favorite TV personality. The Harris Poll surveyed 2,388 adults and found that Leno was the nation’s top television personality. Hugh Laurie came in 2nd place, while Ellen DeGeneres was No. 3. Also making the list were Oprah at No. 4, David Letterman at No. 5 and Jon Stewart at No. 6. Rounding out the Top 10 are Charlie Sheen, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert and Mark Harmon.
BIRTHDAYS
Actor Edward Burns: 41
Actress Katherine Ross: 69
Tom Selleck: 64
Actress Sara Gilbert: 34
Guitarist Jonny Lang: 28
Oprah: 55
Actor Nicholas Turturro: 47
Heather Graham: 39
Actor Andrew Keegan: 30
Actress Ann Jillian: 59
Kelly Clarkson will make history on this week’s singles when it’s released today. Her new single, “My Life Would Suck Without You,” bolts from No. 97 to No. 1. That’s the largest leap to No. 1 in the singles chart’s 50-year history. The song sold 280,000 digital downloads in its first week of availability.
Matthew Knowles, Beyoncé’s father and longtime manager, will no longer manage the career of Kelly Rowland. He’s guided Rowland’s career since hooking her up with Destiny’s Child. Both Rowland and Knowles call the split amicable.
Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player Billy Powell died yesterday. He was 56. He called 911 in Jacksonville, Florida, saying he was having trouble breathing. Rescue crews performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead about an hour later.
Modest Mouse is returning to the road next month. Here are the first several stops:
February 22: Oakland, Calif. (Fox Theater)
February 23: Visalia, Calif. (Fox Theater)
February 24: Los Angeles (Hollywood Palladium)
February 25: Tempe, Ariz. (Marquee)
February 26: Albuquerque, N.M. (Convention Center)
February 28: Boulder, Colo. (Balch Fieldhouse)
March 2: Kansas City, Mo. (Uptown Theater)