When I first heard the news on ESPN yesterday, my heart sank.  The voice of NFL, the guy who IS football, John Madden has retired.  After 30 years in the booth, he’s stepping away.

“You know at some point you have to do this — I got to that point,” Madden said on his Bay Area radio show Thursday. “The thing that made it hard is not because I’m second-guessing, ‘Is it the right decision?’ But I enjoyed it so damn much.

“I enjoyed the game and the players and the coaches and the film and the travel and everything.”

WOW.  I am still in a little shock.  I guess that I will just have to enjoy hearing John’s voice on all his Madden video games…..

Source: ESPN

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Tatted up single mom Fantasia Barrino has found relative success in the music industry since her season 3 win of American Idol. Now VH1 is looking to chronicle her life in the business as well as her struggles as a mother in a new reality series.

“Fantasia has one of the most fascinating stories in show business, from her tough upbringing to her meteoric rise on the national scene thanks to American Idol, ” said Jeff Olde, VH1′s executive vice president of original programming. “Her challenges from fame and her unwillingness to fail have combined to create a larger-than-life talent who appeals to music lovers around the world. So many people wanted to work with her on this, but Fantasia is now part of the VH1 family, and we’re so happy to have her.”

“Fantasia’s life has been an open book, but at 24 years old, her story has just begun,” added executive producer Randy Barbato. “We look forward to smashing expectations and revealing the fresh, funny and unexpected side of this one-of-a-kind country girl and superstar.”

Don’t think I’ll be tuning in for this one, but best of luck to Fantasia in her reality tv efforts!

[image: WENN]

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Matt Giraud will go down in the record books as the first contestant ever on American Idol to receive the judges’ save. But Paula Abdul revealed to Ryan Seacrest on his radio show yesterday that it almost didn’t happen.

“For a minute there I thought we were gonna have to duke it out because it seemed as though Simon had trepidation about the whole thing.” … “I don’t know if Randy was kinda on the fence,” said Abdul, who also seemed to believe — incorrectly based on the twist’s previously announced rules – that the decision only needed to be a “majority” decision from the judges.

“It seemed that way and it was so frustrating and nerve racking and exciting at the same time because at one point I didn’t even know what was gonna happen there,” she continued. “But man it was the most exciting thing.”

I totally forgot it had to be unanimous. I cannot believe Simon used the save on Matt if he thought there was no chance of him winning, but it does have to be used before final 5 so I guess there wasn’t much to worry about… as long as Anoop Desai or Lil Rounds go home next week in the double elimination.

[image: WENN]

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Maksim Chmerkovskiy drives me absolutely nuts, but when partnered with fiance Karina Smirnoff, they make one freakishly beautiful- and busy- pair. Since announcing their engagement earlier this year, there really hasn’t been much talk about the wedding. But the duo revealed to Life & Style that though their crazy schedules make it hard, wedding plans are coming along slowly.

”We need a break for a couple of days to sit down and talk about stuff. It’s so hard.  Karina’s so business-oriented, and so am I. If I catch her in the moment, I’m like, ‘Baby can we talk about this?’ and she’s like, ‘Yeah, one second. Let me send this e-mail and answer this phone call.’”

They also admitted that their families are jumping in to help – whether they want them to or not.  He continues, “It’s not about what we want – it’s about what the Russian parents want. I honestly would take her, our parents, our immediate family and go to the islands to do our thing and stay for a couple of weeks and relax and enjoy, but there’s no way.”

Maks also revealed that though Steve Wozniak is a close friend and will be at the wedding, he will not be walking Karina down the aisle. Aw, sad!

[image: WENN]

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Jason Castro was the cute hippie with killer chops, a cool vibe, and terrible hair on last season’s American Idol. Now he has scored a record deal with a HUGE label, Atlantic Records, and will be collaborating with none other than new judge and amazing songwriter, Kara DioGuardi!

Jason is already hard at work on his debut album, which should be out in stores by this summer.  In case you’re wondering, there will be a version of Hallelujah on the album, which Simon dubbed “brilliant.”   The brilliant song will also be featured on the upcoming movie “Amar A Morir,” also to be released this summer.

Good for you, Jason! We wish you the best of luck. I’ll definitely be buying the album when it hits the shelves in a few months.

[image: WENN]

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Seriously, Heidi? All you write on your twitter page is how much you love Jesus, then you dress like a tramp and make out with your boyfriend in bed at a furniture store for all the world to see? Really?

Attention whores Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt were our in Los Angeles yesterday and made great use of their time by stopping into Grange furniture store on Melrose and jumping in bed together. After mugging down, they seductively posed for the paparazzi. Classic!

As far as their big The Hills season finale wedding, here are the details:

Before the ceremony takes place in Pasadena, California, E! News reports that Spencer and Heidi will host a rehearsal dinner on Friday, April 24, at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant Cut in Beverly Hills.

They are committed to each other,” said a source. “They have been going to prewedding couple’s counseling [with] a pastor.”

I just think it’s hilarious that just a couple months ago Heidi and Spencer were broken up, he was out partying with other girls, and now they’re visiting a pastor. This is a match made in Hollywood Hell. They’ve sold their souls to the devil for fame, and they’ll end up regretting it. Oh well, at least it’s good television!

[images: WENN]

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When I first saw these pics, my heart stopped….I thought it was for real.  I thought it was real life.  Cameron Diaz is gorgeous, but I prefer her with hair.

Cameron is seen here, shaving her head in dramatic role in, My Sister’s Keeper.

The actress appears as you have never seen before, playing the mother of three in a moving story about a family living with cancer.

In My Sister’s Keeper, adapted from Jodi Picault’s best-selling book, Cameron’s character Sara shaves off her famous blonde locks in a show of solidarity with her eldest daughter Kate, who is suffering from leukemia.

Wow.  This is such a stretch from Cameron’s usual comedic roles.  I think this looks like an intense, tear jerker.  Check out the trailer below, then drop a comment to let me know what  you think of Cameron’s latest flick…..

Source: Daily Mail , New Line Cinema

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Holly Madison posed for pics on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of Into the Blue 2: The Reef, and all I can say is eeewww.

NOTHING is right about her outfit.  I like the cut and the hippie tie-dye/batik design of her dress, but her boobs must hate it, because they are obviously trying to escape.   Nonetheless, she might have pulled it off if she hadn’t paired it with gladiator sandal… stilettos??  What?    These shoes look like electrical tape shackles around her ankles.  They disturb me, deeply.  This is fug – pure, unadulterated fug.

[ Images by Apega/WENN.com ]

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We’ve already brought you photos of Kim Kardashian looking stunning at last week’s Knicks-Pistons game.  She was also caught at halftime for a quick interview with Jill Martin. Here are the highlights:

Best and worst part of living on a reality show?

The best part is that I get to work with my family everyday and the worst part is privacy issues… everything is so public.

How many times do she and boyfriend Reggie Bush text each other in a day?

At least 20!

Something about Reggie we wouldn’t know?

He loves dogs and he wants one so badly…but we can’t have one right now.

Make sure to watch the video and find out who Kim’s favorite NFL star is (besides Reggie Bush, of course), and what she says is the best part about being Kim Kardashian!

Video Source:  MSG.com

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Mandy Moore gives this month’s Details readers a chance to imagine what her new husband Ryan Adams enjoys at home.  The singer is all black lace, tousled hair, and va-voom stilettos in this new photoshooot.  Oh yeah, and she says some stuff in the interview, too.

On her upcoming album, Amanda Leigh:

“The music is all a reflection of me now, not somebody else’s choices…If people don’t like the music, then they don’t like me—and that’s quite all right.”

On whether she and Ryan will ever collaborate on music:

“When it comes to the possibility and potential to collaborate, or to be able to run decisions or ideas by someone . . . it’s nice to have that. I feel very lucky, you know?”

On hygiene:

“I’m a germ-phobe when I meet a lot of people or shake a lot of hands. I always have hand sanitizer and alcohol swabs, so I can sort of go back and forth between the two.”

Check out the entire story here.

Photo Source:  men.style.com

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