The Insider Featured News

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.

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The Insider on TV: Tonight

TheInsider — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:21:00 GMT

Watch "The Insider" on TV tonight to see Jon Gosselin on our New York City panel! Then, Niecy Nash speaks out on the heartbreaking murder of her brother. Plus, Levi Johnston gets a Manhattan makeover! See his transformation -- and sexy Central Park photo shoot -- tonight on "The Insider" on TV!

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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!

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Taylor Lautner on Getting Buff for 'New Moon'

TheInsider — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:05:00 GMT

In 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon,' Taylor Lautner's character comes into his own as werewolf Jacob Black -- and "The Insider" has the 411 directly from Taylor on what to expect in the highly anticipated 'Twilight' sequel! The 17-year-old bulked up for the part, gaining 30 pounds in order to play a growing Jacob, who discovers that he has some mysterious new powers in 'New Moon.' Meanwhile, Jacob also becomes a major part of his pal Bella Swan's (Kristen Stewart) life as she deals with a separation from her vampire love Edward Cullen (Rob Pattinson). Come back tomorrow to see "The Insider"'s extended interview with Kristen, and come back every weekday until 'New Moon' premieres in theaters on Friday, November 20 to see a new "The Insider" video with the cast.

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'Dancing with the Stars''s Final Five Battle for a Place in the Semi-Finals

TheInsider — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The race for the mirror-ball trophy heated up on Monday night's "Dancing with the Stars" as the five remaining couples battled to land one of the four places in next week's semi-final round. In order to qualify, each of the couples had to perform both a ballroom dance and a Latin dance, which was set in a specific decade. Dancing first in the ballroom round were songstress Mya and her professional partner Dmitry Chaplin with the quickstep. Head judge Len Goodman teased them, saying, "My priority is how you dance. Your priority is the 'wow' factor. We got off with a sticky start with the Viennese Waltz on week one. I was a little disappointed tonight because I couldn't find anything to criticize!" Bruno Tonioli raved, "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is quality. This quickstep is like vintage champagne -- light, sparkling and full of flavor. After you taste it, nothing else will do." Carrie Ann Inaba enthused, "You made something so difficult and intricate look like it flowed out of your body." Mya and Dmitry wowed the judges into 29 out of 30 points. Next up were Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff dancing the foxtrot. Bruno commented, "I can see how much work went into this. You tried to get the style right, but it was a little tense. It didn't have the ease of flow to sell the foxtrot, and it wasn't as smooth as it could have been." Carrie Ann agreed, pointing out, "We are going to watch you like hawks this week. I do agree with Bruno. You were going for every detail, but there was a loss of fluidity." Len said, "Watching you is like watching my son in a toy shop. There are so many emotions. I am proud of you no matter what happens. You tried so hard. The judges awarded them a disappointing 23 points. Dancing third with the quickstep were Joanna Krupa and partner Derek Hough. Carrie Ann pointed out, "These routines are really long: a lot of content; a few out-of-sync [steps with Derek]. Your frame and character was nice. You forgot to point your toes." Len agreed, saying, "There was a lot of running about. This is not the standard for the quarter-finals." Bruno criticized, "It looked like you were running away from the scene of the crime. A difficult dance, you played it well, but downstairs there were a few issues. Not one of your best performances." The couple earned 23 points. Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel took to the ballroom floor with the foxtrot. Len told her, "It has been a long while since we've seen you do ballroom. You bring grace. Your posture was good. I liked the routine, but your footwork was a distraction." Bruno said, "Who would have known you could be so light and ethereal? When you keep your focus, it works. You sustained the performance. That is the way to go." Carrie Ann pointed out, "You have a secret weapon. The moment you have a breakthrough, the audience goes crazy for you, but if you are going to continue, you are going to need to work on your spots and your range of motion." Kelly and Louis were awarded 25 points. Last, but not least, in the ballroom round were Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson dancing the Viennese Waltz. Bruno enthused, "You can really play it. It was like watching a Lifetime movie, emotional and romantic." Carrie Ann raved, "I found it mesmerizing. There was something special about that dance. This time, you didn't over-perform it." Len admitted that there was improvement in Donny's posture, and he complimented him on a difficult step, but he criticized the dance as being "a bit arty-farty." They received 26 points. The fiery Latin round began with Mya and Dmitry pulling out all the stops with a '70s-themed samba. Carrie Ann raved, "I believe it! I believe that you want to win this competition. Your samba was beyond belief." Len agreed, adding, "You were absolutely on fire. Your hips were hypnotic. Tonight, you have produced two dances with the highest standards with no gimmicks." Bruno complimented, "You are unbelievable. You do a mean, mean samba." Mya and Dmitry earned the first perfect score of the season: 30 points. Aaron and Karina returned with a '90s-style samba. Len admitted, "That was tough. We had just seen somebody come out and do a samba and be awarded a perfect score, and you had to follow it straightaway. You came out, performed it, you sold it, and you worked your socks off." Bruno told Aaron, "All that energy is made good [in this dance]. It was a success." Carrie Ann said, "I could only think of all the difficult times you have had. I was hard on you in the beginning. You are now a great performer. You have smoothed out the edges. You were hitting it." They earned 27 points. Joanna and Derek flashed forward for a futuristic, robotic Paso Doble. Bruno complimented them, saying, "A masterful reinvention of a classic. Derek, you are a genius." Carrie Ann agreed, saying, "That was an outstanding execution of the theme. Derek, not only are you amazing, but Joanna you didn't miss a step. That was outstanding." Len said, "Bruno took my words. I wrote here: genius. I didn't know how you were going to [execute it], but not only was the theme great, the content of the Paso Doble was great." The praise was reflected in a score of 29 points. Kelly and Louis jittered to a '60s-themed jive. Len said, "You have been an absolute revelation to me. I thought the pressure would get to you, but you come in week after week, stronger and stronger." Bruno joked, "Groovy, baby. That was jiving all the way down to Carnaby Street." Carrie Ann complimented, "Definitely one of your best performances. I love the way you came alive. You were in your comfort zone, but there were a few little missteps." The judges awarded them 26 points. Donny and Kym wrapped up the night with an '80s-style, glam-rock Paso Doble. Len labeled it "the most crazy, bizarre Paso Doble that I have ever seen, but I liked it." Bruno said, "Donny, that had more camp in it than a drag queen's convention. No one could top this. It was like Donny doing Marie doing Donny." Carrie Ann told them, "I thought it was hysterical. I thought you did a great job on going back to that era. I think you may have stepped into insane." Despite the praise, the judges only gave them 24 points. On Tuesday night's results show, airing on ABC at 9 p.m., multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning artist Michael Buble will perform "Haven't Met You Yet," the first single from his just-released Crazy Love CD. Then Susan Boyle takes to the "DWTS" stage for a show-stopping performance of "I Dreamed a Dream," a cover of the famed Les Misérables song, from her forthcoming debut album of the same name to be released on November 23.

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Rihanna Brings 'Glamour' to Women of the Year Awards

TheInsider — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:40:00 GMT

Rihanna was ethereal in an elegant flowing gown on Monday at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York as she was honored at Glamour magazine's Women of the Year Awards. The singer spoke of how proud she was to receive the Glamour honor: "It means a lot, because I'm a woman and I represent a lot of things for women, and part of that is being strong and being confident and being comfortable with who you are. And, all the women on the list this year happen to have all those qualities, so it's an honor to be the Woman of the Year amongst all those great women." She also commented on her revealing interview with Diane Sawyer about being the victim of domestic violence. She told "The Insider," "It was like a weight lifted off my chest and now I don't have to talk about it anymore. I can talk about my music, things that I love." Other strong women who walked the red carpet included Maya Angelou, Gayle King, Serena Williams, Maria Shriver, Laura Ling, Amy Poehler, and Iman. Bill Clinton was also on hand for the festivities. Glamour's Women of the Year issue is on stands starting November 10.

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