R.I.P.

Hollywood Pays Respects To Merv Griffin

When Merv Griffin passed away last week, we all lost someone very special.  Griffin was in innovator in the world of entertainment, and this past Friday, the who’s who of Hollywood gathered to honor him.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi were among the throngs of celebs gathered at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills.  Also in attendance was Nancy Regan, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, and Alex Trebek.

Angelina Jolie Seeks Comfort In Billy Bob

With the whole Jennifer Aniston/Jane Pitt fiasco still reverberating in gossip land, another former relationship is being revisited.  This time it’s by Angelina Jolie, much to Brad Pitt’s dismay.

Apparently Angelina is still in regular contact with her ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton.  The former couple, who made headlines by wearing vials of each other’s blood, and getting freaky on the way to award shows, are said to be great support systems for each other.

Woody Harrelson’s Tough Luck

Woody Harrelson’s father Charles died recently in prison.  He was serving two life sentences for the murder of a federal judge in Texas.  He was 69.

Charles Harrelson was convicted of murder in the May 29, 1979, slaying of U.S. District Judge John Wood Jr. outside his San Antonio home. Prosecutors said a drug dealer hired him to kill Wood because he did not want the judge to preside at his upcoming trial.

Charles Harrelson denied the killing, saying he was in Dallas, 270 miles away, at the time.

R&B’s Luther Ingram Passes On At 69

The famed and influential R&B singer Luther Ingram died last night.  The singer had received a transplant a few years ago, due to kidney disease, before passing on at the age of sixty-nine.

Born in 1944, in Tennessee, Luther Ingram moved to New York in 1966, to begin his career as a recorded musician.  He later moved back to Tennessee and joined the Koko label, which was distributed by Stax.

Leo DiCaprio Loses Aunt, Talks Peace

Remember the Gossip Girls’ report on Leonardo DiCaprio’s trip to Israel? Sounds like Israel’s former leader Shimon Peres was reading the headlines as well, because when he learned of DiCaprio’s visit, he requested a meeting with the movie star.

Leo held secret talks with Peres. The former leader asked DiCaprio to use his star power to help promote conservation and peace in the Middle East. Leo was thrilled to meet the Israeli dignitary and promised to help on both issues.