The Insider Featured News

Letterman's Alleged Extortionist Claims He was Only Trying to Sell Screenplay

TheInsider — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:28:00 GMT

Robert J. Halderman -- the TV news producer accused of attempting to extort over $2 million from David Letterman -- asked the courts to drop the case, claiming he was only trying to sell a screenplay to the "Late Show" host. In a New York courtroom on Tuesday, Halderman's attorney requested that the attempted first-degree grand larceny charge against his client be dismissed, the Associated Press reports. "There was no extortion. There was a screenplay for sale," Halderman's lawyer Gerald Shargel told the court, according to AP. Prosecutors are claiming that on Sept. 9, Halderman demanded $2 million from Letterman in exchange to keeping quiet about some of the talk show host's prior romantic relationships. Halderman is pleading not guilty to the charge. Keep checking "The Insider" as this story develops...

[Read full story on The Insider]

Hollywood Hunks Battle for People's Choice Award

TheInsider — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:01:00 GMT

Five of the hottest guys in Hollywood are up for Favorite Movie Actor at this year's People's Choice Awards. See all the nominations here: This morning at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, Kris Allen, Cat Deeley, Johnny Galecki, Jeff Probst and Sofia Vergara announced the nominations. For the first time, viewers voted to determine the nominees in the various categories. To select a winner, voting begins today at www.peopleschoice.com for all 35 categories. PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS 2010 Nominees: MOVIES: FAVORITE MOVIE ACTOR Brad Pitt Hugh Jackman Johnny Depp Robert Pattinson Ryan Reynolds FAVORITE MOVIE ACTRESS Anne Hathaway Drew Barrymore Jennifer Aniston Kristen Stewart Sandra Bullock FAVORITE ACTION STAR Christian Bale Gerard Butler Hugh Jackman Shia LaBeouf Vin Diesel FAVORITE COMEDIC STAR Adam Sandler Ben Stiller Jim Carrey Ryan Reynolds Vince Vaughn FAVORITE BREAKOUT MOVIE ACTRESS Anna Kendrick Emily Osment Ginnifer Goodwin Miley Cyrus Zoe Saldana FAVORITE BREAKOUT MOVIE ACTOR Chris Pine Joseph Gordon-Levitt Sam Worthington Taylor Lautner Zachary Quinto FAVORITE ON-SCREEN TEAM Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint & Emma Watson The Proposal - Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Shia LaBeouf & Megan Fox The Twilight Saga - Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart & Taylor Lautner X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Hugh Jackman, Liev Shreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Will.i.am, Dominic Monaghan & Daniel Henney FAVORITE INDEPENDENT MOVIE (500) Days of Summer District 9 Inglourious Basterds Paranormal Activity Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail FAVORITE COMEDY MOVIE 17 Again Bride Wars The Hangover He's Just Not That Into You The Proposal FAVORITE MOVIE The Hangover Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince The Proposal Star Trek Twilight FAVORITE FAMILY MOVIE (mobile voting) Hannah Montana: The Movie Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Up Where the Wild Things Are FAVORITE FRANCHISE (mobile voting) Harry Potter Star Trek The Twilight Saga Transformers X-Men TELEVISION: FAVORITE TV DRAMA CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Grey's Anatomy House Lost NCIS FAVORITE TV COMEDY The Big Bang Theory Desperate Housewives How I Met Your Mother The Office Two and a Half Men FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR Hugh Laurie Kiefer Sutherland Mark Harmon Matthew Fox Patrick Dempsey FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS Anna Paquin Blake Lively Jennifer Love Hewitt Katherine Heigl Mariska Hargitay FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR Alec Baldwin Charlie Sheen Jim Parsons Neil Patrick Harris Steve Carell FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS Alyson Hannigan America Ferrera Amy Poehler Eva Longoria Parker Tina Fey FAVORITE TV OBSESSION Dexter Gossip Girl The Hills The Secret Life of the American Teenager True Blood FAVORITE COMPETITION SHOW American Idol Dancing with the Stars Project Runway So You Think You Can Dance Survivor: Samoa FAVORITE ANIMAL SHOW Animal Cops Dog Whisperer DogTown It's Me or the Dog Rescue Ink Unleashed FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA Eastwick FlashForward The Forgotten The Good Wife Melrose Place Mercy NCIS: Los Angeles Three Rivers V The Vampire Diaries FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY Accidentally on Purpose Brothers The Cleveland Show Community Cougar Town Glee Hank The Middle Modern Family FAVORITE TALK SHOW (mobile voting) Chelsea Lately The Ellen DeGeneres Show Live with Regis & Kelly The Oprah Winfrey Show The Tyra Banks Show FAVORITE SCI-FI/FANTASY TV SHOW (mobile voting) Heroes Lost Supernatural True Blood The Vampire Diaries MUSIC: FAVORITE MALE ARTIST Eminem Jason Mraz John Mayer Keith Urban Tim McGraw FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST Beyoncé Britney Spears Carrie Underwood P!nk Taylor Swift FAVORITE COUNTRY ARTIST Brad Paisley Carrie Underwood Keith Urban Rascal Flatts Taylor Swift FAVORITE BREAKOUT MUSIC ARTIST Adam Lambert Demi Lovato Kris Allen Lady Gaga Susan Boyle FAVORITE ROCK BAND Daughtry Green Day Kings of Leon Muse Paramore FAVORITE MUSIC COLLABORATION Good Girls Go Bad - Cobra Starship & Leighton Meester I'm On a Boat - The Lonely Island & T-Pain Live Your Life - T.I. & Rihanna Lucky - Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat Run This Town - Jay-Z: Rihanna & Kanye West FAVORITE R&B ARTIST Alicia Keys Beyoncé Jennifer Hudson Mariah Carey Usher FAVORITE POP ARTIST The Black Eyed Peas Britney Spears Katy Perry Lady Gaga Taylor Swift FAVORITE HIP-HOP ARTIST (mobile voting) Eminem Flo Rida Jay-Z Lil' Wayne T.I. ONLINE: FAVORITE WEB CELEB Andy Samberg – Master of Viral Videos (SNL Digital Shorts) Ashton Kutcher – Beats CNN to 1 million Twitter followers Miley Cyrus - Quits Twitter by posting a hilarious YouTube rap video P. Diddy - Exuberant Tweets and YouTube videos Will Ferrell - Healthcare spoof PSA on Funny or Die

[Read full story on The Insider]

Ella Bleu Travolta Makes Her Old Man Proud in 'Old Dogs'

TheInsider — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:34:00 GMT

The young daughter of superstar couple John Travolta and Kelly Preston, Ella Bleu Travolta, emerges as an aspiring actress in the film 'Old Dogs.' ET spoke to their co-stars at the red carpet premiere on Monday night about the family's dynamic on set. Robin Williams recalled, "It was fun to watch them watch her because it was her first movie." One of Robin's children, daughter Zelda, is also an up-and-coming actress, making him compassionate for the emotions John is likely feeling. He said, "I think John probably has the same feeling about watching Ella. She's got the chops." Actor Seth Green said the movie is "genetically engineered to make you laugh." He called it a "dream" to work with such an acclaimed cast, saying, "If you were a musician, you dream of playing with the best musicians. I'm an actor and I got to play with these guys." The premiere made it apparent that 'Old Dogs' is truly a family film. Not only were Ella Bleu and Zelda in attendance, but actress Lori Loughlin brought along her children as well. Spoken like a mother, Lori said, "I think it's just exciting for John to be in a film and Kelly to be in a film with Ella and I know it was really exciting for Ella to make her film debut with both of her parents." "Accidentally on Purpose" star Jenna Elfman showed off her baby bump and told ET a funny story about visiting the Connecticut set of 'Old Dogs' while the movie was in production. Watch the video to hear her comic tale and to see Tom Hanks' "golden girl" Rita Wilson talk about her role in the film. 'Old Dogs' is released in theaters on November 25.

[Read full story on The Insider]

'New Moon' Love Triangle Ignites in City of Lights

TheInsider — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:48:00 GMT

'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' is on the rise and Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner are in the romantic city of Paris, France promoting the highly anticipated film and ET has the pics of the actors, who are involved in one of the most talked about on-screen love triangles! Edward Cullen, Bella Swan and Jacob Black return to the big screen Nov. 20.

[Read full story on The Insider]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Reveals Cancer Battle

TheInsider — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:56:00 GMT

Basketball superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced this morning that he has a rare form of cancer. The all-star player, who has also had numerous television and movie roles, was diagnosed last year with a rare type of blood cancer known as Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. He has not spoken about his battle publicly until now, and hopes to inspire others as new treatments are available to patients with the disease. The type of cancer Kareem faces affects the blood and bone marrow. Until recently, diagnosis often meant only years or a few months to live. Kareem is being treated with a medicine that specifically targets this type of cancer. He is breaking his silence to team up with world-leading research and resource centers to spread the word to others who suffer from the disease. Kareem is encouraging fellow patients and families to visit www.CMLAlliance.com for disease education, treatment information, testing and reimbursement support.

[Read full story on The Insider]

Behind the Scenes: 'The Insider' in New York!

TheInsider — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:10:00 GMT

"The Insider"'s Lara Spencer, Chris Jacobs and Niecy Nash are taking over New York's Times Square this week and with the help of guest panelists Star Jones, Jon Gosselin and Levi Johnston, "The Insider" arguments are sure to heat up the chilly Big Apple! Check out our all-new video to get a sneak peek at the behind-the-scenes action as the team gets prepared to take on the bustling city!

[Read full story on The Insider]