The video, posted Tuesday, had more than 45,000 views on YouTube as of 8:15 a.m. Thursday. It shows Christie enlisting the help of Baldwin, Bon Jovi, Bobby Moynihan of “Saturday Night Live” and others, including Democratic strategist James Carville, as he searches for the blue “Chris Christie — Governor” fleece he wore in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

The post VIDEO: Stars help Chris Christie poke fun at himself appeared first on Metro.us.

Despite being booed, Justin Bieber went on with the show at the O2 In London on Monday. [Credit: Getty Images]

Taylor Swift has some news for everyone keeping track of her love life. “If you want some big revelation, since 2010 I have dated exactly two people,” she tells Vanity Fair, referring to high schooler Conor Kennedy and One Direction member Harry Styles. “The fact that there are slide shows of a dozen guys that I either hugged on a red carpet or met for lunch or wrote a song with, it’s just kind of ridiculous.” But she doesn’t let all the talk get to her. “One of these things I say to myself to calm myself down when I feel like it’s all too much … if there’s a pregnancy rumor rumor, people will find out it’s not true when you wind up not pregnant,” she says. “And if there’s a house rumor, they’ll find out it’s not true when you are actively not ever spotted at that house.”

Kate Winslet says the period between her marriage to Sam Mendes — which ended in 2010 — and her December wedding with Ned Rocknroll has been a great period of self-discovery. “I’ve really learned a great deal about myself, in the last four years in particular,” she tells Harper’s Bazaar UK. “I think I can see more clearly now — about how the pattern of past experiences has shaped who I am, and the character I have played — and I’m grateful for that. I gave so much more material to draw on for work — rubble, bricks — and I know I can carry it now.”

Alec Baldwin‘s new wife, Hilaria Baldwin, is over the moon about being pregnant with the couple’s first child, but she’s learning already that there are some areas where she and her famous husband don’t see eye to eye — like when it comes to potential baby names. “[Alec] had the idea for Massimo the other day,” Hilaria tells Rachael Ray during a visit to her television show. “It’s a lovely name, I just don’t know. That’s a very big name for a little baby.” She’d rather wait until the tyke arrives before settling on something. “I think you actually have to look at it once it pops out and say, ‘Who are you? What is your name?’” she says.

Ten years after their films’ releases, Andy and Lana Wachowski are facing a lawsuit claiming the plots for the “Matrix” sequels, “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” were stolen, according to E! News. Hawaii-based writer Thomas Althouse is suing the Wachowskis along with producer Joel Silver and Warner Bros. for copyright infringement in federal court claiming, claiming the two films were “based and formulated in substantial part” upon his 1993 screenplay, “The Immortals,” which he claims was submitted through his attorney to the Hollywood studio at the time. Althouse says the delay in filing suit is because he did not actually see the sequels until 2010. Warner Bros. hasn’t responded to requests for comment.

The post Gossip: Justin Bieber is booed in London appeared first on Metro.us.

Though it tends to pull in a fifth of the audience that tunes in to the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards are still considered a television bohemoth. Some of you have even seen some of the nominated films. And though the snubs were nastier than usual this year — sorry, Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow and “Amour”’s Jean-Louis Trintignant — at least you get to see Seth MacFarlane in the flesh, not as a cartoon (though perhaps for longer than you’d like.) We look at the forthcoming ceremony from a number of fresh angles:

Rating the hosts

The choice of “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane may seem like yet another attempt by the older-skewing Oscars to appeal to the kids. The thing is, he actually has a surprising tendency toward Old Hollywood style. At parties thrown at his house, MacFarlane is even known to sing standards backed by a big band. While the jury’s still out on MacFarlane’s performance, we thought we’d see what he has to measure up to from the past few years’ shows:

2009: Hugh Jackman
Grade: 4 Globes
The Australian charmer — who happens to be a Best Actor nominee this year, for “Les Miserables” — turned in the hosting performance to beat the year “Slumdog Millionaire” won. His opening song-and-dance number was the standout, but Broadway veteran Jackman proved he’s an all-around talent.

2010: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin
Grade: 2 Globes
The likeable comic actors relied heavily on their own charm, but it wasn’t enough to save the show. With stale jokes and awkward delivery, their performance felt too much like an ad for their equally disappointing 2009 film, “It’s Complicated.”

2011: James Franco and Anne Hathaway
Grade: 1 Globe
As we remarked during this train wreck, “Apparently there is something James Franco can’t do.” This brazen attempt at pulling in younger viewers turned out to be a disaster, with current nominee Hathaway seemingly abandoned by Franco, who seemed to have given up on the endeavor before it began.

2012: Billy Crystal
Grade: 2 Globes
After the Franco/Hathaway disaster, the Academy went back to standby Crystal, hosting his ninth Oscars. But the funnyman’s schtick maybe went too old-fashioned, as his bits were generally panned as hokey and out of touch. Case in point: While many in that precious younger demographic might not necessarily know Crystal was dressing up as Sammy Davis Jr. in one bit, they do know what blackface looks like.

Daniel Day-Lewis may win his third Oscar for playing some president in “Lincoln.”
Credit: Reuters

The odds are …
With odds of 4 to 1, Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” is still the favorite to win the big prize of Best Picture at the Academy Awards Sunday, according to Gold Derby, which tracks the chances for Oscar nominees. That’s despite the surge of support — and wins at other awards shows — for Ben Affleck’s “Argo.” The surge started when Affleck was left out of the Best Director race, which Spielberg is also most likely to take, with 12 to 5 odds.

In the acting categories, it’s no surprise to anyone that “Lincoln” star Daniel Day-Lewis is most likely on his way to becoming the first three-time Best Actor winner in Oscar history, with a 39 percent chance of victory. The only nominee with better odds of scoring a trophy is Anne Hathaway, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for “Les Miserables.” The Best Actress race is much more interesting, with “Silver Linings Playbook” star Jennifer Lawrence (33 percent) edging out “Zero Dark Thirty”’s Jessica Chastain (30 percent).

“Life of Pi” made the most money out of all the Best Picture nominees.

Best Picture nominees by box office

It’s no secret in Hollywood that awards season accolades and box office success don’t always go hand in hand — though a high-profile nomination or win will generally boost a film’s gross. So how do the nine Best Picture nominees rank as far as their global ticket sales?

1. Life of Pi: $576 million
2. Les Miserables: $378.9 million
3. Django Unchained: $365.9 million
4. Lincoln: $235 million
5. Argo: $204 million
6. Silver Linings Playbook: $140 million
7. Zero Dark Thirty: $101.5 million
8. Amour: $17 million
9. Beasts of the Southern Wild: $12 million

On the flip side, we take a look at how the highest grossing films of 2012 stack up when it comes to Oscar nominations:

1. The Avengers ($1.5 billion) — 1 nomination
2. Skyfall ($1.1 billion) — 5 nominations
3. The Dark Knight Rises ($1.08 billion) — 0 nominations
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ($959.8 million) — 3 nominations
5. Ice Age: Continental Drift ($875.3 million) — 0 nominations

Bryan Cranston, right, says his wife wants to go to the Oscars more than he does

Bryan Cranston on the joys of awards season
If you see “Breaking Bad” and “Argo” star Bryan Cranston at Sunday’s Academy Awards, know that he’s not there of his own volition. “First of all, I wouldn’t go. If I’m not nominated, why am I there?” he tells Metro. “They want me to go the Oscars. I’m not nominated, but ‘Argo’ is, and it’s like, ‘Go, go, go!’ My wife’s saying, ‘You’ve got to go! We’ve got to go!’ And it’s like, ‘Really? I don’t know. Another tuxedo?’ From the outside in, you’re like, ‘Wow! Look at that!’ But when you’re there, I’m telling you … I’ve got to be careful how I phrase this because I don’t want to sound like I’m not grateful. I’m grateful for the opportunities.”

It’s not sitting through the shows themselves that bug Cranston so much as working the red carpets. “I hate red carpet interviews, because you get as a deep into a conversation as you would in a loud bar,” he says. “It’s awful, it’s awful. The publicists, they tell me it’s important and you should do it, but any time I go, I ask, ‘Can I avoid the red carpet?’”

The post The Academy Awards by the numbers appeared first on Metro.us.

Shia LaBeouf
Credit: Getty Images

Shia LaBeouf recently dropped out of the Broadway production of ‘Orphans’ citing creative differences and disagreements with fellow actor Alec Baldwin.

The news is not particularly shocking. We imagine these types of things happen in the theater world all the time. Right?

Last night LaBeouf released his apology email to Baldwin over Twitter. We tend to keep our apology emails private (or you know, just apologize to someone in person) but to each his own.

LaBeouf’s email read:

My dad was a drug dealer. He was a sh-t human. But he was a man. He taught me how to be a man. What I know of men, Alec is-

A man is good at his job. Not his work, not his avocation, not his hobby. Not his career. His job.

A man can look you up and down and figure some things out. Before you say a word, he makes you. From your suitcase, from your watch, from your posture. A man infers.

A man owns up. That’s why Mark McGwire is not a man. A man grasps his mistakes. He lays claim to who he is, and what he was, whether he likes them or not.

Some mistakes, though, he lets pass if no one notices. Like dropping the steak in the dirt.

He does not rely on rationalizations or explanations. He doesn’t winnow, winnow, winnow until truths can be humbly categorized, or intellectualized, until behavior can be written off with an explanation.

A man knows his tools and how to use them – just the ones he needs. Knows which saw is for what, how to find the stud.

A man does not know everything. He doesn’t try. He likes what other men know.
A man can tell you he was wrong. That he did wrong. That he planned to.

He can tell you when he is lost. He can apologize, even if sometimes it’s just to put an end to the bickering.

Alec, I’m sorry for my part of a dis-agreeable situation. – Shia.

Who knew LaBeouf was such a wordsmith. Don’t get too excited, he’s not.

It turns out LaBeouf completely plagiarized an essay published in Esquire titled “How to Be a Man” in 2009.

The original text is:

A man is good at his job. Not his work, not his avocation, not his hobby. Not his career. His job. It doesn’t matter what his job is, because if a man doesn’t like his job, he gets a new one.

A man can look you up and down and figure some things out. Before you say a word, he makes you. From your suitcase, from your watch, from your posture. A man infers.

A man owns up. That’s why Mark McGwire is not a man. A man grasps his mistakes. He lays claim to who he is, and what he was, whether he likes them or not.
Some mistakes, though, he lets pass if no one notices. Like dropping the steak in the dirt…

He does not rely on rationalizations or explanations. He doesn’t winnow, winnow, winnow until truths can be humbly categorized, or intellectualized, until behavior can be written off with an explanation…

A man knows his tools and how to use them – just the ones he needs. Knows which saw is for what, how to find the stud, when to use galvanized nails…

A man can tell you he was wrong. That he did wrong. That he planned to. He can tell you when he is lost. He can apologize, even if sometimes it’s just to put an end to the bickering.

A lazy apology or another diss toward Baldwin? In any case, well played, Shia. Well played.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

The post What’s going on with Shia LaBeouf and ‘Orphans?’ appeared first on Metro.us.

So much for those breakup rumors. Rihanna is celebrating her 25th birthday this week by escaping to Hawaii with Chris Brown by her side. The birthday girl posted a photo to Instagram of her smiling self perched on Brown’s lap in the back of a limo. They were also spotted seaside in Honolulu, according to E! News. “Chris was leading Rihanna by the hand,” a source says of their brief beach walk. “She was puffing on something as she walked and seemed very relaxed and happy. Her hair was blowing and she twirled around. She looked totally free and like she was really enjoying her birthday. Chris was protective and made sure to hold her hand as they walked.”

Lindsay Lohan is reportedly in hot water with a stylist after returning a borrowed $1,750 dress in tatters and with half of its length torn off, according to Us Weekly. Lohan “said that the dress had ripped [at a club after the fundraiser]. She couldn’t possibly wear it like that, so her stylist friend when to the club bouncer and requested some scissors to repair the torn parts of the dress. But what bouncer has scissors?” a source recounts. “She turned [the dress] into a mullet! She’s out of control and behaving really badly.” For those keeping track, this is the same dress that Charlie Sheen offered to help Lohan pay for before the fundraiser, but Lohan declined, deciding to simply borrow the dress instead. Imagine how she might have treated it if it has actually been purchased.

Shia LeBeouf has exited what would have been his Broadway debut — in a revival of “Orphans” alongside Alec Baldwin — less than a month before previews were to begin, but there’s been plenty of drama since he quit. LaBeouf, who is rather new to Twitter, decided to use the social-networking site to publish emails between himself, Baldwin, director Daniel Sullivan and co-star Tom Sturridge that all suggest some sort of squabble between LeBeouf and Baldwin that precipitated his exit. “I’m too old for disagreeable situations,” Sullivan writes in an email to LeBeouf. “You’re one hell of a great actor. Alec is who he is. You are who you are. You two are incompatible. I should have known it. This one will haunt me. You tried to warn me. You said you were a different breed. I didn’t get it.”

Denzel Washington is not one for Hollywood schmoozing. “Even within the industry, I don’t have any actor friends. My friends are my old friends,” the Oscar nominee tells the Guardian. Sure, but why doesn’t he make any new friends, considering how often he co-stars with new people in movies? “Because I don’t make friends!” he insists. “Maybe I’m not a butt-kisser. Maybe I’m not a schmoozer. I’m not about to go to a party to try to get a job. I don’t want movie star friends. And being African-American, there were no big movie stars to hang out with anyway, not when I was starting out. They were just the third guy from the back. For whatever reason, I never befriended any white actors.” Washington’s rep later clarified the report, saying Washington followed up that statement with a few exceptions, including Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts.

Matthew Broderick put the brakes on a recent performance of his Broadway show, “Nice Work if You Can Get It,” when he spotted an audience member taking a video of the show, according to E! News. A rep for the production confirms that Broderick, upon noticing the filming, called a stop to the action and addressed the videographer in question, asking him politely if he would refrain from doing that.

The post Gossip: Rihanna escapes to Hawaii with Chris Brown appeared first on Metro.us.

At 80 years old, music mogul Clive Davis still has surprises in him. In his new memoir, “The Soundtrack of my Life,” Davis comes out as bisexual, recounting his first sexual encounter with a man and revealing a 15-year “monogamous relationship” with an unnamed male doctor that ended in 2004. Davis’ first encounter happened during “the era of Studio 54,” according to an excerpt featured in Rolling Stone. “On this night, after imbibing enough alcohol, I was open to responding to his sexual overtures,” Davis writes. “Was I nervous? Absolutely. Did the heavens open up? No. But it was satisfying.”

Britney Spears is no stranger to charges that she lip-syncs during concerts and awards show performances, but now the former “X Factor” judge is accused of lip-syncing in the recording studio, according to Star magazine. “My daughter sings for Britney Spears, Murray Langston tells the magazine, claiming that his daughter, Myah Marie, sang seven songs for Spears on her “Femme Fatale” album — and was only paid $1,000 per song. “The truth is, Myah can sound just like her. She has a knack.”

Alec Baldwin is vehemently denying allegations that he peppered a paparazzo with racial epithets during a heated exchange outside his Manhattan apartment, according to E! News. A photographer working for the New York Post claims that Baldwin called him “a crackhead,” “a coon” and “a drug dealer” during the altercation. “The claim of racist remarks is one of the most outrageous things I’ve heard in my life,” Baldwin says. “I’ve certainly had my moments. But this is not one of them. I don’t think I’ve ever uttered a racial epithet to someone in my lifetime.”

Miley Cyrus is coming under fire for a photo posted on Instagram of someone who may or may not be the former Disney star smoking a joint. While smoke and glare obscure most of the person’s face, there is a tattoo on a finger in the picture that matches on of Cyrus’. The name of the Instagram account, by the way, is @mileyxxcyrus. Cyrus didn’t necessarily deny that it’s her in the photo, writing on Twitter only that “I don’t have an Instagram.”

If Mila Kunis‘ current relationship with Ashton Kutcher didn’t make it clear enough, the actress says that yes, she is up for a full-on “That 70s Show” reunion. “I’m more than game for it,” she tells E! News. “I’ve said it before, I would love to do it. Why not? I loved it. It was eight years and they were eight amazing years of my life.” The kitschy sitcom went off the air in 2006 after airing 200 episodes. Kunis and Kutcher continue to be the most successful members of the show’s young cast.

The post Gossip: Clive Davis comes out as bisexual appeared first on Metro.us.

The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating actor Alec Baldwin for a possible hate crime after he had a run-in with a New York Post photographer and allegedly used a racial slur, the New York Post reports.

Police met with the photographer and a Post reporter to discuss the incident.

Photographer G.N. Miller told police that Baldwin called him different names, including “coon,” “crackhead,” and “drug dealer.”

The actor also allegedly said to Post reporter Tara Palmieri, “I want you to choke to death,” which was caught on Palmieri’s tape recorder.

Baldwin had filed a complaint with police on Sunday claiming that Miller “pushed into him” during the incident. Miller then filed the counter-complaint for harassment. The actor was also questioned by detectives on Monday.

Baldwin denied making any racial comments via Twitter. A spokesperson for Baldwin said the actor had no comment on the hate-crimes investigation.

The post Alec Baldwin probed for hate crime after run-in with Post photographer appeared first on Metro.us.

Alec Baldwin is making headlines again.

On Sunday, the former “30 Rock” actor was involved in another run-in with paparazzi.

Baldwin told Gothamist that a New York Post photographer assaulted him near his East Village apartment. Baldwin then called the cops to file a formal complaint against him.

The photographer is claiming, though, that Baldwin used a racial slur against him.

“If you want to paint a picture of me that is a denigrating picture, I’ve seen that,” Baldwin told Gothamist. “If you want to put words in my mouth … I’ve certainly had my moments. But this is not one of them. I don’t think I’ve ever uttered a racial epithet to someone in my lifetime.”

The altercation comes shortly after a graduate student filed a lawsuit against his wife Hilaria Thomas.

Baldwin claims the photographer approached him near University Place and acted aggressively, even bumping into the actor. Baldwin claims it was a deliberate provocation.

“He banged into me with his shoulder, because he was right on top of me with the camera,” he told Gothamist. “In my mind, it was deliberate.”

Baldwin called the police from his lower Manhattan apartment. The photographer, who was also at the scene, claimed to be a former police officer himself.

Baldwin also tweeted the whole ordeal.

“I wonder if the Post will report that I called the police and filed a formal complaint against their “photographer?” he tweeted at 12:43 p.m. on Sunday.

He later wrote, “My publicist has informed me that the “photographer” from the Post is claiming I called him a racial epithet, prior to me contacting NYPD.”

In his interview with Gothamist, Baldwin said, “Even for The Post, this is a new low.”

USA Today reports that on Sunday night the New York Daily News asked Baldwin for comment, to which the actor responded “I have nothing to say to the Daily News.”

Last June, Baldwin had a run-in with a Daily News photographer.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

The post Alec Baldwin involved in run in with New York Post photographer appeared first on Metro.us.

Bruce Willis admits he used to have a drinking problem, leading to a brief foray into complete sobriety, but he’s past all that now. “I had been sober [for a while],” he tells GQ magazine, explaining that he eased off his personal prohibition “once I realized that I wasn’t going to run myself off the pier of life with alcohol, drinking vodka out of the bottle every day.” As for his current drinking habits? “I have wine now, mostly when I eat,” he says. Of course, Willis is still facing the unstoppable march of time. “Nobody want to hear this bad news, but we’re all dying on some level,” he says. “I’m going to try to keep this machine moving forward as much as possible and not have to think about the eventuality of becoming more frail and less able to do the work. I know that I’m not going into politics. That’s not an option.”

Taylor Swift had more exes on her mind at the Grammys than just Harry Styles, whom she mocked during her performance of “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” The lovelorn singer also made a point of avoiding ex-boyfriend John Mayer and his current squeeze, Katy Perry, despite being seated near each other, according to Us Weekly. And as for reports that Grammys organizers were ordered to keep Swift away from rival Carrie Underwood? “Taylor feels Carrie is always rude to her, so she steers clear of her,” a source tells the magazine, pointing out that “after Carrie performed, Taylor didn’t stand. Everyone else did.”

Lady Gaga has postponed her next four concerts because a joint inflammation condition called synovitis has left her unable to walk, she revealed on Twitter. “I’ve been hiding a show injury and chronic pain for sometime now. Over the past month it has worsened,” the singer tweeted. “I’ve been praying it would heal. I hid it from my staff, I didn’t want to disappoint my amazing fans. However, after last night’s performance I could not walk and still can’t.” Makeup dates for the canceled shows — in Chicago, Detroit and Hamilton, Ontario — have yet to be announced.

Steve Martin reportedly became a dad for the first time when his 41-year-old wife, Anne Stringfield, “had a baby” in December, according to the New York Post, but the real story is that the 67-year-old comedian has managed to keep the story under wraps. “How they kept it a secret nobody knows,” a source says. “Steve’s very private. They are thrilled. They worked hard to have the baby.” The pair was recently spotted with a baby in Los Angeles.

When reports went out late last month that Alec Baldwin‘s wife, Hilaria Thomas, is pregnant, his reps shot them down, saying, “When and if they have news they want to share, they will share it.” Well, now they have news they want to share. “My wife is pregnant,” the “30 Rock” star posted to Twitter this week. “To celebrate the announcement, she is teaching yoga.”

The post Gossip: Bruce Willis cops to a former drinking problem appeared first on Metro.us.