A few people in New York talked about the earthquake after evacuating their office buildings. One woman said she thought she was going to pass out, and another guy said it shook his computer monitor and the lights in his office.  A seismologist from U.C. Berkley named Richard Allen was on Fox News yesterday, and explained that the earthquake in Japan back in March was more than 1,000 times stronger than the one on the East Coast.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith just released a joint statement saying that they have NOT separated.  The statement reads, “Although we are reluctant to respond to these types of press reports, the rumors circulating about our relationship are completely false.” The two add, “We are still together, and our marriage is intact.”  Early Tuesday morning, In Touch Weekly reported that the two had separated.  The mag had mentioned the name Marc Anthony as a reason for the breakup.  Will and Jada have been married for 13 years and have 2 children together.

The toxicology report on singer Amy Winehouse says there were no illegal drugs in her system when she died in July.  The report did mention there was alcohol present.  However, no mention is made of any prescription drugs. Winehouse, 27, was found dead in her London apartment on July 23rd.  She had been to rehab several times to deal with drug and alcohol addiction, but at her funeral her father, Mitch Winehouse, said she had overcome her drug problem and curtailed her drinking.

Tony Bennett will pay tribute to Amy Winehouse on the MTV Video Music Awards stage Sunday night.  The two teamed up to record “Body and Soul” for his Duets II album, which will come out September 20th.  Bennett will introduce video footage from the pair’s recording session this past March in London.  Proceeds from the track, which will be released as both a single and video September 14th, Winehouse’s birthday, will go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation.

Lady Gaga recorded a guest appearance for “The Simpsons” on Monday.  The episode has Gaga coming to Springfield, a town suffering with a very low self-esteem index, and giving Lisa’s spirits a boost.  The singer told Entertainment Weekly that doing the show is one of the coolest things she’s ever done and that her dad is really excited about it.  No exact air date has been announced, but “The Simpsons” begins its 23rd season on FOX Sunday, September 25th.

“Hot In Cleveland” star, Valerie Bertinelli, will release her first cookbook in fall 2012.  The book will be called, “One Dish at a Time” and will be a mix of Bertinelli’s family recipes and healthier recipes that have helped her maintain her weight loss. The book will also contain lifestyle tips on portion control and sensible eating guidelines

Nick Ashford, of the songwriting team of Ashford and Simpson, died Monday at age 70 from throat cancer.  Ashford and his wife Valerie Simpson wrote some of Motown’s biggest hits such as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Reach Out And Touch Somebody’s Hand” by Ross and “You’re All I Need To Get By” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan along with their 1980s hit “Solid As A Rock.”  They are credited as co-writers on Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own”.  In 2002, Ashford & Simpson were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The couple were married for 38 years.   Ashford is survived by his wife and two daughters.

The new “Muppets” movie comes out November 23RD.  And to go with it, they released an album of famous Muppet songs, performed by famous musicians.  It’s called “The Green Album”,  and the band OK Go covers “The Muppet Show” theme song.

Everyone is talking about the earthquake in Virginia and Hurricane Irene in the Caribbean.  But last night, Jimmy Kimmel’s Uncle Frank explained how to survive a TORNADO.  He said if you get low enough, it can pass right over you.

“Uncle Frank” Potenza, Jimmy Kimmel’s real life uncle who appeared with him on the show has died.  Uncle Frank was a NYC police officer for 20 years before becoming a staple on Kimmel’s late night show in 2003.  The official statement, saying his “kindness and humor” will be missed, did not mention Frank’s cause of death.  He was 77.

  This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 at 8:38 AM and is filed under The Jane Report. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.