by Nic Ferguson on December 26, 2012

It’s easy to forget that Ted Danson once dated Whoopi Goldberg. Why? Because it was just so damn random, that’s why.

But they’re not the only odd celebrity pairing, not by far. We’ve rounded up just a few of the most bizarre celebrity couples in the history of celebrity-dom.

Tom Cruise and Cher

Yep. That happened. Tom Cruise dated a considerably older Cher back in the 80s, and the singer bragged that they even shacked up at one point.

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley

Who the hell could forget this bizarre hookup? It was as if they couldn’t even believe they were dating.

After the relationship, in 2007, Presley expressed her regret. She said in an interview with Marie Claire:

“My biggest mistake? Let’s see. How can I word this? Um. Well. Leaving my first marriage, for the person that I left it for — that was probably the biggest mistake of my life.”

Oprah Winfrey and Roger Ebert

I’m not sure why this one is so weird, it just is. When Oprah was just starting out, the two went on a couple of dates, though a relationship never truly blossomed. However, Ebert does credit himself with helping Oprah become Oprah. Apparently, he convinced her to try to start her own talk show. He definitely deserves a car.

Lance Armstrong and Ashley Olsen

Olsen was only 21 when she was caught making out with Armstrong at a bar in New York City. He was 36 at the time. Weird. Just weird.

Conan O’Brien and Lisa Kudrow

Kudrow was a stand-up comedian in Los Angeles and O’Brien a writer for Saturday Night Live when these two crazy kids got together. Kudrow said of their romance:

“He was really smart, really funny and he thought I was funny, but found we were better as friends.”

Moby and Natalie Portman

Remember when pretentious musician Moby dated the even-more pretentious Natalie Portman? Me neither! I had no idea these two were an item, but apparently, Moby joked about their May-December relationship pissing off a bunch of nerds:

“You don’t date Luke Skywalker’s mom and not have them hate your guts.”

Madonna and Dennis Rodman

Gee, I wonder why this didn’t work out? The couple had a two-month fling back in the 90s, and I can only imagine how tumultuous those eight weeks were. On the bright side, at least they could swap outfits.

by Nic Ferguson on December 25, 2012

Last week, Donald Trump successfully sued Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin for defamation. Apparently, he didn’t appreciate her saying awful things about him. Which is ironic, because he’s basically made a second career out of saying awful things about people.

From Rosie O’Donnell to Martha Stewart, here’s a brief history of Donald Trump’s most ridiculous celebrity feuds, most of which were one-sided.

Rosie O’Donnell—2006  

It started when O’Donnell accused Trump of being a “snake oil salesman.” She said it on The View, regarding a Miss USA controversy. After O’Donnell voiced her opinion, Trump fired back with a series of insults, calling her “disgusting,” “a fat pig,” and “unattractive both inside and out.”

Angelina Jolie—2007

What horrible thing did Angelina Jolie do to piss off Trump? She wasn’t good-looking enough for him. Gasp! In 2007, he  said of Jolie:

“I really understand beauty. And I will tell you, she’s not– I do own Miss Universe. I do own Miss USA. I mean I own a lot of different things. I do understand beauty, and she’s not.”

Martha Stewart—2008

When Donald’s friend Martha Stewart tried to launch her own version of the Celebrity Apprentice show, it didn’t do so well in the ratings. Instead of offering some encouragement about something that’s really none of his business anyway, Trump decided to rip into Martha in an open letter. He wrote:

“It’s about time you started taking responsibility for your failed version of The Apprentice. Your performance was terrible in that the show lacked mood, temperament and just about everything else a show needs for success. I knew it would fail as soon as I first saw it – and your low ratings bore me out.”

Even Martha was shocked. She responded: “The letter is so mean-spirited and reckless that I almost can’t believe my long-time friend Donald Trump wrote it.”

Barack Obama—2011

Who could forget Trump’s ongoing demand for President Obama to hand over all of his most private documents? I’m not sure if Trump’s statement regarding Obama’s birth certificate was more ignorant or offensive. At any rate, here’s what he had to say about it:

“I have a birth certificate. People have birth certificates. He doesn’t have a birth certificate. He may have one but there is something on that birth certificate — maybe religion, maybe it says he’s a Muslim, I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t want that. Or, he may not have one,” and “I have a birth certificate. People have birth certificates. He doesn’t have a birth certificate. He may have one but there is something on that birth certificate — maybe religion, maybe it says he’s a Muslim, I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t want that. Or, he may not have one.”

And just when you thought he couldn’t be any more entitled, in 2012, Trump would hold ransom $5 million in charitable donations unless Obama revealed his college transcripts.

Cher—2012

To be fair, Cher kind of started this one. But when you’re as big an idiot as Donald Trump is, it’s hard for people not to take potshots.  After realizing that Macy’s department store carried Donald Trump’s line, Cher announced via Twitter that she wouldn’t be visiting the store again, and then took a cheap shot at that bizarre hair thing Donald Trump’s got going on. Trump responded:

“I promise not to talk about your massive plastic surgeries that didn’t work.”

Cher followed up that she was wrong for taking a cheap shot at Trump’s hair, but the fact remained that he is, as she put it, “a flaming asshole.”

Good point.

By EMERY P. DALESIO 01/05/13 08:24 PM ET EST

— A 114-year-old South Carolina woman who was the oldest living U.S. citizen has died, two of her daughters said Saturday.

Mamie Rearden of Edgefield, who held the title as the country’s oldest person for about two weeks, died Wednesday at a hospital in Augusta, Ga., said Sara Rearden of Burtonsville, Md., and Janie Ruth Osborne of Edgefield. They said their mother broke her hip after a fall about three weeks ago.

Gerontology Research Group, which verifies age information for Guinness World Records, listed Mamie Rearden as the oldest living American after last month’s passing of 115-year-old Dina Manfredini of Iowa. Rearden’s Sept. 7, 1898, birth was recorded in the 1900 U.S. Census, the group’s Robert Young said.

Rearden was more than a year younger than the world’s oldest person, 115-year-old Jiroemon Kimura of Japan.

“My mom was not president of the bank or anything, but she was very instrumental in raising a family and being a community person,” said Sara Rearden, her youngest child. “Everybody can’t go be president of a bank or president of a college, but we feel just as proud of her in her role as housewife and particularly as mother and homemaker.”

Mamie Rearden, who was married to her husband Oacy for 59 years until his death in 1979, raised 11 children, 10 of whom survive, Sara Rearden said. She lived in the family homestead with a son and a daughter on land that had been in the family since her father’s accumulation of acreage made him one of the area’s largest black landowners.

Her father sent her off to earn a teaching certificate at Bettis Academy on the far side of the county, spending an entire day on a loaded wagon to reach the school along dirt roads, her daughter said. She taught for several years until becoming pregnant with her third child.

In the mid-1960s at age 65, when some settled into retirement, she learned to drive a car for the first time and started volunteering for an Edgefield County program that had her driving to the end of remote rural roads to find children whose parents were keeping them home from school, Sara Rearden said.

Mamie Rearden always counseled that her children should treat others as they wanted to be treated and that included never gossiping or speaking ill of others. When asked about a preacher’s uninspiring sermon, her daughter recalled her mother saying: “`Well, it came from the Bible.’ She never would bad-mouth them.”

Some people seem to have it all together, and there’s no reason it can’t be you. Experts from a variety of fields — from a master sommelier to a Buddhist monk — reveal the life skills that can’t be taught in school.

How To Delegate
“Make certain the people around you have good values, good judgment, and are loyal. Allow them to impress you but be sure they’re comfortable coming to you for feedback. Most important, hire people smarter than you!”
— Ivanka Trump, executive VP, Trump Organization; principal of Ivanka Trump fashion and accessories lines

How To Comfort Someone
“We’re a block from a hospital, so in my 31 years here I’ve met many people who’ve just received bad news. If you see someone in distress, don’t hesitate to talk to them. Once you’ve heard their story, sometimes all you have to say is ‘I’ll be thinking of you.’ Your words are more powerful than you think.”
— Jimmy Vecere, bartender at 12th Street Irish Pub, Philadelphia

How To Have More Fun Having Sex
“Sex researchers have found that one of the biggest turn-ons for women is feeling desired. So believing that you’re desirable is key. Choose a part of your body you admire. It might be your eyes, your hair, the curve of your calves. Now focus on that part in your mind and ‘see’ it as your partner would see it. It may feel silly, but imagine he’s thinking, ‘Wow, I want her so bad.’ And remember: You don’t have to wait until you’re in the mood. Sometimes you just need to get started and the mood will follow.”
— Gail Saltz, MD, author of The Ripple Effect: How Better Sex Can Lead to a Better Life

How To Spot A Good Opportunity
“A lot of people ask me how I knew ‘Mad Men’ or ‘Breaking Bad’ would make great TV. I knew because when I read those scripts, I felt something. I didn’t do any market testing or focus groups — I just asked myself, ‘Would I want to watch this?’ When you’re weighing an opportunity, make the question that simple: ‘Do I really want this, or am I doing it for the money or the prestige or because I think I should?’ It can’t just be about those things. It has to make you feel good, too. And by the way, if opportunities aren’t knocking, you can make your own. When I was looking for work several years ago, I took everyone I knew in New York, where I’d just moved, to dinner or drinks or tea. I explained that I was open to anything. Six months later, one of those dinner dates called about a possible job at AMC. If I hadn’t put myself out there, that never would have happened.”
— Christina Wayne former senior VP at AMC, current president of Cineflix Studios, and an executive producer of the new BBC America series “Copper“

How To Make Conversation At Parties
“First, get a drink. If it’s a cocktail, it’ll loosen you up, but even if it’s just club soda, it’s good to have a prop to hold if you’re feeling nervous. Next, approach someone — a person, not a group — and ask how he or she knows the host. After that, be authentic and interested and ask questions, and others will float over and join in. A good host will have considered the mix of people, so when you arrive, ask, ‘Who should I meet?’ Most important: Even if you won’t know anyone and you’re feeling intimidated, you must go. Do not stay home. So many people are afraid that no one will talk to them and they’ll leave feeling awful — but has that ever happened to you? Me, neither. Usually I end up laughing and eating and drinking and making friends, and that’s what it’s all about.”
— Marjorie Gubelmann CEO of Vie Luxe and society hostess extraordinaire

How To End A Friendship
“Be clear that you need distance, but avoid getting into specifics. You might say, ‘I’ve realized I need to take a break from our friendship. I have so much going on in my life right now, and I need to take more time for myself.’ Now isn’t the time to try to change your friend or teach her a lesson. (If you believed you could see things the same way, you wouldn’t be breaking up in the first place.) Above all, be sure you want to break up. It’s unlikely you’ll ever be able to return to the same level of intimacy.”
— Irene S. Levine, PHD, author of Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend

How To Stay In Touch
“I don’t often get to see or even talk to my closest friends from various stages of life (including the 16 who were my bridesmaids). But I stay connected with them — and the thousands of others in my BlackBerry. The key is managing your friending: The more organized and accessible your friends’ information, the easier it is to stay in touch. So you have to set calendar reminders for birthdays (I do it for anniversaries, too), and keep your address book up-to-date. And when someone pops into your mind, let them know, even if it’s just with a ‘Thinking of you’ text. Don’t let the moment pass; treat it as a reminder to reach out.”
— Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, cofounder of the five-million-member Gilt Groupe; keeper of 16,500 BlackBerry contacts

01/06/13 01:01 AM ET EST

LOS ANGELES — Gloria Pall, the sultry hostess of a 1950s Los Angeles TV show that was canceled because it was deemed too hot for television, has died.

Pall was cast by KABC-TV in 1954 to introduce each week’s romantic movie. Appearing as “Voluptua,” the statuesque Pall greeted viewers with a breathy coo and made sexy poses and flirtatious remarks.

The station canceled the show after seven weeks amid pressure from religious and parent groups, and lackluster commercial sponsorship. The protests attracted national media attention.

Pall, who later became a real estate agent, said her character was simply being suggestive.

The Huffington Post  |  By Julee Wilson
Posted: 01/04/2013 3:54 pm EST  |  Updated: 01/04/2013 4:54 pm EST

eing selected to grace the cover of

ELLE magazine is a huge deal, one reserved for some of the world’s biggest celebs, like Octavia Spencer, Solange Knowles and Gabourey Sidibe. Well, now singer Janelle Monae can add her name to the star-studded list.

The 26-year-old entertainer is the official cover girl for the February 2013 issue of ELLE Canada. Dressed in her signature black-and-white menswear threads and pompadour ‘do, which she calls “The Monáe,” Janelle strikes a pose with a look of astonishment on her face.

But Janelle shouldn’t look so surprised on the cover. After all, she just capped off 2012 with a CoverGirl contract, landed a sweet endorsement deal with Sonos (we love that commercial) and snagged a few Grammy nominations for her “We Are Young” collaboration with indie rock group Fun. It looks like 2013 is shaping up to be just as fab!

It was a “Cosby Show” reunion on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” Friday when Bill Cosby and Tempestt Bledsoe, who played Vanessa Huxtable on the series, sat down on Fallon’s couch.

The late night host explained that the “Cosby Show” reunion was a happy coincidence since both guests happened to be booked on the same night. “This is truly surreal for me,” Bledsoe said about sitting next to her TV dad after a clip from her show “Guys with Kids” played that featured her talking about sex.

Fallon asked Cosby if it’s fun to watch his TV daughter grow up and he replied emphatically, “No!” “When she turns out to be stunning, then you have problems,” he explained.

Bledsoe said the two get together often, but Cosby told her not to lie and joked, “Sometimes my checks are late and that’s when I see Tempestt.”

The entire cast of “The Cosby Show” reunited in 2009 on the set of “Today,” 25 years after the series premiered. “The Cosby Show,” which ran from 1984 to 1992, followed the Huxtables and their antics at their Brooklyn brownstone.

Many members of the cast are still on TV: Phylicia Rashād (Clair) is about to star on NBC drama “Do No Harm”; Malcolm Jamal-Warner (Theo) stars on BET’s “Reed Between the Lines” and makes guest appearances on “Community”; and Keshia Knight Pulliam (Rudy) recently ended her five-year run on “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.”

Watch Cosby and Bledsoe’s “Cosby Show” reunion on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” in the clips above and below: