Ricardo Montalban Is Dead at 88

By Margaret Hartmann  |  January 14, 2009 | 11:30pm
Latest
  • Sad news: Ricardo Montalban, star of MGM musicals and TV’s Fantasy Island, died today in L.A. at the age of 88. [NBC]
  • Kelly Rutherford‘s estranged husband claims that working on Gossip Girl is “grueling” and is negatively impacting their 2-year-old son Hermes. Also, a judge in her divorce case denied her request to take Hermes to New York so she could return to work. If she takes too much time off, the show’s producers may just kill off Lily van der Woodsen. [People, TMZ]
  • Patrick Swayze says his pneumonia is improving. “I am alive and plan on continuing to stay that way,” he says. [AP]
  • Olivia Newton-John sent a note to an 18-year-old playing Danny in his high school’s production of Grease good luck. [Star]
  • Bono made a mistake in his first New York Times column on Sunday and the paper had to run a correction. [Editor and Publisher]
  • Sean Penn once saved a drunk guy’s life. The guy was passed out on the bathroom floor of a bar and Penn rushed over and called for help. Now the dude is angry that Penn didn’t win a Golden Globe this weekend, but they don’t give out awards for being a good person. [E!]
  • Is Kate Moss engaged to her boyfriend, Jaime Hince of The Kills? She’s been wearing a giant diamond ring on her wedding finger, but her rep says it’s a just a Christmas gift and that’s the only finger it fits on. [The Sun]
  • Helen Mirren is coming soon to a theater (possibly) near you — live. Dame Helen is starring in an upcoming production of the play Phèdre, which will be beamed into movie theaters in England and around the world. [The Telegraph]
  • Jessica Alba was holding her baby with one arm and nearly dropped her, so clearly she is a terrible mother. [TMZ]
  • The Irish play MacBecks blends Shakespeare’s Macbeth with the classic tale of David and Victoria Beckham. [BBC]
  • Mickey Rourke previously hinted that he may have taken steroids to bulk up for The Wrestler, but now he denies it, saying he “did some stuff. You wouldn’t classify it as steroids, but I did some heavy duty supplements…but not the regular stuff.” Well, that clears things up. [Perez Hilton]
  • In other Rourke news, after announcing his love for his dog at the Golden Globes, he has signed on with PETA for an ad urging people to “have the cojones to fix your dog.” [ONTD]
  • Caged wisdom: In this video, DMX is interviewed in prison and claims, “I didn’t get in any trouble.” [TMZ]
  • In this video from last night’s American Idol, Ryan Seacrest tries to high five a blind guy. [NY Magazine]
  • The National Enquirer is bringing families together! When Regis Philbin read about his estranged son’s money troubles in the tabloid, he immediately called up his son and reconciled. [Jossip]
  • Jenny McCarthy would like you to know that when she and Jim Carrey are apart, she makes him perform sexy dances for her via iChat. [The Sun]
  • Oh no! Lily Allen’s half-sister says the singer was so distraught by her breakup with her first boyfriend that she tried to slit her wrists and spent a month in a rehab clinic. [Hollywood Rag]
  • Duffy is the new face of Diet Coke, but her TV commercials will only air in Europe. [The Telegraph]
  • Singer Kelis and her husband, rapper Nas, are expecting their first baby together. The “Milkshake” jokes have started already. [Perez Hilton]
  • Whoopi Goldberg says she loves Elisabeth Hasselbeck and her newfound love for Obama. Surely Whoopi must know that by next Friday Elisabeth’s love will have turned to poorly expressed white-hot hatred. [NY Magazine]
  • Samuel L. Jackson is hinting that he may not be back for Iron Man 2 because of an “economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world,” which is the nicest way to say they’re not offering him enough money. [Daily Express]
  • John Mayer is in talks to make a variety show for CBS. Do you think Jennifer Aniston will be a guest? [Extra]
  • Charles Barkley has been removed from Tuner Sports indefinitely and dropped by T-Mobile in light of his recent drunk driving arrest. Could the BJ really be worth it? [Perez Hilton]
  • Actor Patrick McGoohan, who appeared in The Prisoner, Columbo, and Braveheart, has died at the age of 80. [UPI]
  • You can watch Beyonce’s new video, Diva here. We’re waiting for the Justin Timberlake version. [Perez Hilton]
  • The Jonas Brother’s Wikipedia page was hacked to say “The jonas brothers have genital warts.” That probably shouldn’t make us laugh, but it did. [Perez Hilton]
  • “He’s got a huge penis. When I lived at home, Alfie’s room was opposite the main bathroom, and I would often be in the bath in the morning and it never had a lock on the door and Alfie would get up with his morning boner and come in for a wee while I was in the bath and I’d just be like: ‘That is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen!’ I’d be like ‘ALFIE! Stop it!’ He’d even poo in front of me a couple of times, it’s disgusting. He’s got no respect, that Alfie. I’d never poo in front of my brother, never! Wee, yes definitely.” — Lily Allen on her brother’s penis. [Perez Hilton]