For almost four years, Ryan and Matt Hawks have felt certain that a former small-time child actor masterminded the vicious murder of their parents, who were tied to the anchor of their yacht and thrown to their deaths in the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island. It has been tough to bear.
The brothers sat in the TODAY studio in New York Friday with the show’s co-host, Meredith Vieira, and looked at photographs of their father, Tom Hawks, and stepmother, Jennifer Hawks, tanned and smiling aboard the “Well Deserved,” the 55-foot yacht they had saved a lifetime to buy.
Two days earlier, the attorney for Skylar Deleon, who once had a non-speaking bit part in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” admitted in an Orange County, Calif., courtroom that Deleon was the mastermind of the plot to murder the Hawks and steal their yacht. The admission was made during opening arguments in the trial, which is no longer about whether Deleon did it, but what his sentence should be: death, or life behind bars. Finally justice should prevail.
One of our fav American Idols is finally out of the closet.Clay Aiken appears on the cover of the latest People magazine holding his infant son, Parker Foster Aiken, with the headline: “Yes, I’m Gay.”The 29-year-old former “American Idol” runner-up, multiplatinum recording artist and Broadway star credits his son, conceived by in-vitro fertilization with friend and producer Jaymes Foster, with making him realize that he could no longer hide his homosexuality from the world.
“It was the first decision I made as a father,” Aiken told the magazine, which arrives on newsstands Friday. “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m not going to raise a child to do that.”
Aiken, who rose to fame on “Idol” in 2003, has long been the subject of rumours and tabloid fodder that he was gay, but usually refused to acknowledge them. In an interview with The Associated Press two years ago, he said of the talk: “I don’t really feel like I have anybody to answer to but myself and God and the people I love.”
Aiken said he only told his family that he was gay four years ago. He recalled a tearful discussion with his mother in a car after dropping off his brother, who was being sent to Iraq, at a military base.
“It was dark. I was sitting there, thinking to myself. I don’t know why I started thinking about it … I just started bawling. She made me pull over the car and it just came out,” he said. “She started crying. She was obviously somewhat stunned. But she was very supportive and very comforting.”
Nice to see Clay stepping out of the closet to take responsibility as the important role-model he has become.We wish him continued success and happiness.
-Salma Hayek has called off her engagement to businessman Francois-Henri Pinault. The couple announced their plans to wed in March 2007, and welcomed a daughter, Valentina Paloma Pinault, several months later.
-Eva Longoria Parker is looking forward to having a family with her husband — just not right now. Pregnancy claims are false.
-Contrary to a report in Star Magazine earlier this week, Kevin Federline wasn’t fired from the cast of the Broadway musical “Legally Blonde,” a rep for the show revealed to “Access Hollywood.”
Is it too risky these days to hire celebs to pitch your products? High fashion clothier Christian Dior is the most recent company to learn that lesson the hard-way. It has dropped Sharon Stone as the spokesperson for its skin care line in China after the actress publicly blamed the devastating earthquake there on the “bad karma” that comes from the country’s dismal human rights record in Tibet. The funny thing is many folks probably agree with her train of thought.
Chinese authorities say they will ban all her films from being shown in the country and billboards featuring her were reportedly torn down by angry citizens. Interestingly, Shron Stone just announced she’s buying a home on the Chinese Riviera with her boyfriend to serve as their “base for world travels.”
Hubba, hubba!! I have loved Whitney right from the start. I didn’t really think she had a chance to go all the way because she actually has curves. But here you go, she has won it all. I hope she does not shrink to a size zero now.
Madonna’s career may span more than two and a half decades, but during an exclusive performance on Wednesday to celebrate the release of her 11th studio album the ‘hot’ superstar told fans it still feels “like the first time.” The well toned 49-year-old performed six songs for around 2,000 people at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom, including four from “Hard Candy,” her final album for long-term label Warner Bros. released internationally this week. Justin Timberlake joined her on stage at the Roseland to perform the single “Four Minutes,” which went to No. 1 in the British singles charts and peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 listing.
The mother-of-three, who wowed the crowd with her dance moves, also performed “Candy Shop,” “Give It 2 Me” and “Miles Away” from her latest album, along with “Music” and an acoustic version of “Hung Up.” Madonna, one of the world’s biggest-selling artists, ditched Warner Bros. last year and signed a 10-year deal, including a three-album commitment, with concert touring company Live Nation believed to be worth $120 million. She still brings back great memories of my teens, listening to classics like Holiday on the beach.