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Harvey Weinstein Says He Rejected Obama's Movie Pitch

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Harvey Weinstein says he rejected a movie pitch sent to him by none other the President of the United States.

In an interview with the Times of London (via The Wrap), Weinstein claimed Barack Obama sent him a spy novel and suggested he adapt it to the screen. "I sent him an email back saying he was the most overqualified book scout I've ever had," Weinsten said.

Though it might seem like a bold move for even a movie producer as accomplished as Weinstein, he may feel like he has earned the right to be frank with the President. According to public records, Weinstein has donated over $75,000 to democratic campaigns this election cycle, including a $35,800 check directly to Obama's campaign.

Weinstein, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and some other famous friends have hosted fundraisers for the President that have raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars for the campaign.

Politics aside, it's been a good few weeks for the mega-producer behind "The Artist." He guided the film to five Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and helped get Meryl Streep her first Oscar in 29 years, fought with the MPAA over the R-rating given to the documentary "Bully," and was awarded the Legion d'Honneur, France's highest honor. Not bad for a guy who grew up in Flushing.

The Wrap says the Weinstein Company had no comment on the supposed Presidential tip. The Huffington Post has asked the company to confirm the report, and we'll update this article when we hear word.


WATCH: Ellen 'Appears' On 'The Bachelor: The Women Tell All'

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Just in case you needed another reason to completely adore Ellen DeGeneres, she went and edited herself into "The Bachelor: The Women Tell All."

"I can tell you that Portia’s a little upset, because she thought I was gonna be on 'The Amazing Race,'" she faux-told host Chris Harrison.

For those of you that aren’t against-your-better-judgment avid viewers of "The Bachelor" series, "The Women Tell All" episode essentially consists of the women who have been rejected by the Bachelor (in this case it’s the ever dopey-looking Ben Flajnik) dishing on all of the previous weeks’ drama. Think: lots of dirty looks, eye rolls, forced apologies and back-pedaling about bad behavior. And since Ellen can do no wrong, especially in a sparkly metallic striped jacked, this particular "Bachelor" episode is about 100 times better with her in it.

Degeneres takes the place of this season’s "super-villain," model/on-air mean girl Courtney Robertson, in Chris Harrison’s hot seat. She even does all of Courtney’s signature faces exactly right -- complete with raised eyebrows and pursed lips. But unlike Courtney, who like most of the girls said she wasn’t on the show “to make friends,” Ellen disagreed.

"I really did come here to make friends,” she said. “I was not here for Ben. I mean, let’s face it, I was here ... for the girls."

The real Bachelor contestants seem enthusiastic about Ellen’s spoof. Contestant Jaclyn Schwartz tweeted:


Watch the video and tell us -- would you watch "The Bachelor" if Ellen was on it?

Cassie Comments On Her Relationship With Diddy

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Bad Boy artist, Cassie Aventura has been linked romantically, to her boss P. Diddy ever since the two have been spotted, on many occasions, canoodling on private vacations.

Whitney Houston Leaves Everything To Bobbi Kristina

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ATLANTA — Whitney Houston left everything to her 19-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

The pop superstar's will doesn't mention specific assets, but leaves all of her furnishings, clothing, personal effects, jewelry and cars to her surviving children. Bobbi Kristina was her only child.

Inside Edition first reported the will, filed in Atlanta, on Wednesday.

Houston's money will be put in a trust. Her sister-in-law and manager, Patricia Houston, was appointed the administrator of the estate.

Upon turning 21, Bobbi Kristina will receive part of the money, more of it at age 25 and the balance at age 30. Houston's trustees can give her money from the trust for various purposes, including tuition, to buy a home and to start a business.

The will was signed on Feb. 3, 1993, about a month before Houston gave birth to her daughter. The 48-year-old died Feb. 11 in California.

Joshua Lyon: Demi Lovato's Long Road to Recovery

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I didn't expect much from the MTV special Demi Lovato: Stay Strong, figuring it would be a lot of spin about the former Disney star's rehab stint -- a generic, PR-laced message of salvation with no real details about what the 19-year-old is truly like.

I'm happy to be proven wrong. For a star with a primarily tween and teen audience, the show is shockingly raw. Cameras followed Lovato as she toured, post-rehab, to promote her album Unbroken last year, and she speaks openly about her struggles with bulimia and cutting. In one awkward scene she allows cameras to follow her home for her first Thanksgiving after treatment, an environment loaded with triggers for anyone with food issues.

But the moment that hit hardest is when Lovato admits that she can't say she hasn't made herself throw up since leaving treatment, and that she can't deny self-harming since then, either. "People think that you go into rehab and come out fixed," she told me in a phone interview. "That's not it. You have to work every day, you have to fight every day. It's really important to get the message out there that if you do slip up, it's OK, because you are human. Just try, and try harder next time."

This sort of candidness about relapse helps set realistic expectations about recovery, and it's a stance that you don't often hear on the celebrity rehab comeback trail. What makes it so important here is Lovato's reach. We're talking about a young woman with almost 6 million ardent Twitter followers, many of whom are teenage girls struggling with body issues similar to hers. "I definitely had a lot of pressure to look perfect and be perfect," she says in the documentary, admitting that it's a position she didn't want to be in. She's still not entirely comfortable with the responsibility, but she accepts it and wisely uses it to aid in her own healing process. In one pivotal moment, a young girl with cancer arrives at a concert, and upon meeting Lovato, she states that the singer's ability to be open about her troubles enabled her to find the strength to leave the house without a wig to hide her baldness. The cancer survivor's bravery, in turn, inspires Lovato to be stronger, and while it's clear that the whole scene is basically the director's money shot, you're made of stone if you don't tear up just a little.

Domenick Scudera: Gag Me With A Spoon: The '80s Are Back!

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I went to a shopping mall yesterday. I grew up on Long Island, so malls (pronounced mawls) are in my blood. To my surprise, the mannequins in the store windows were dressed in neon colors and Flashdance-style silhouettes. If Tiffany were singing "I Think We're Alone Now" near the food court, I would have thought I had been transported back to the 1980s. When these wild fashion trends were new, I thought the clothes were "gnarly" and "rad." But now, 30 years later, I just find them loud and tacky.

Clothes are not the only obnoxious items from the '80s making a comeback. Kirk Cameron, '80s child star from Growing Pains, was all over the place this week as his anti-gay opinions were played over and over again on TV and the Internet. He believes that homosexuality is "unnatural" and that "it's detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization." In the promo for his new documentary, Monumental, he warns that "something is sick in the soul of our country ... we're headed for disaster if we don't change our course now." I get a growing pain every time I hear this man talk. When did this '80s sitcom star become so judgmental?

Even nuttier is '80s Saturday Night Live comedienne Victoria Jackson. Back in the day, she was cute and really funny. Now she is shrill and really offensive. She seems to hate Muslims and is not too fond of the gays, either. When Kurt kissed Blaine on Glee, she found it "sickening." I would call her homophobic, but she thinks that word is a "cute little buzzword of the liberal agenda." I do not want to associate anything cute with her ever again.

Remember Chuck Woolery, '80s host of the Love Connection? He popped up out of nowhere a few months ago when he stated that gays and African Americans "don't need civil rights" or legal protections against discrimination. Apparently, being the host of a cancelled heterosexual game show qualifies him to make statements like these.

This trifecta of intolerance -- Kirk Cameron, Victoria Jackson, and Chuck Woolery -- have opinions that are as outdated as their careers. I find it interesting that none of them are entertainers anymore. They have made brief pop culture comebacks by voicing their ignorant opinions in public forums. If I liked them better, I would feel sorry for them. Their grabs at attention seem so desperate.

Luckily, not every '80s icon is unwelcome. Judith Light, from the '80s sitcom Who's the Boss?, was the toast of Broadway last season and was nominated for a Tony Award. Cyndi Lauper is still having fun, touring the world and working on writing a new musical headed for Broadway. Madonna performed admirably at the Super Bowl this year, has a hit single, and is also launching a world tour. These three women continue to have careers that are going strong. And their support of the gay community and for gay rights has been steady and strong since the 1980s. Coincidence?

My trip back to the 1980s was complete when I saw Stephen Baldwin on TV this week defending Kirk Cameron and his anti-gay opinions in a debate. Now, it is true that Stephen Baldwin first appeared in movies like The Usual Suspects in the '90s, not the '80s. However, I think of Stephen Baldwin as a guy from the 1980s because I actually knew him then, when we were both in high school on Long Island. I remember him as a goofy, talented, laid-back guy. We had many mutual friends that were gay. I have not seen or spoken to him in over 30 years, but I find it personally disappointing to hear his views on homosexuality today. He has gone on record to say that homosexuality is not normal and that he opposes gay marriage. He admits that he still has gay friends, but his public pronouncements against homosexuality are not all that friendly.

Cowabunga! The '80s are back. It's like totally tubular. Yeah, right... as if!

Two Months To Date

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With the entertainment biz's most-anticipated baby ever turning 2 months old today, we thought we'd look back on all of the famous-person things baby Blue Ivy Carter has acquired in her 60-some days of living. Like her own trademarked name, for starters, or fancy gal pals such as Gwyneth Paltrow, etc.

To wit:

  • Her own trademarked name. But not before two other people tried to trademark it too.
  • Gwyneth Paltrow. Heck, baby Blue just owns her at this point: Blue scored a blinged-out stroller and reportedly received a yoga trip to Tuscany from Gwyneth. Auntie Gwynie also thinks that Blue's "for sure" going be "an entertainer."
  • Famous friends. Rihanna, Solange and many more tweeted to welcome her birth.
  • A strange, probably fake fan club. Some people need to get a life.
  • Her own song, "Glory," released just two days after her birth, by daddy.
  • A Billboard milestone. Related to the above, Blue became the youngest person ever to chart on Billboard, when "Glory" debuted in the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 74. (Her cries can be heard at the end of the song.)
  • Conspiracy theories. Among the most bizarre are that Beyonce was wearing a prosthetic baby bump and actually used a surrogate mother; and that Blue Ivy is actually white.
  • A brief interaction with Oprah: well, sort of. An internet rumor that Oprah was the baby's godmother, blowing people's minds, was quickly quashed by Oprah BFF Gayle King.
  • Her own lawsuit, filed by the other expecting and bereft mothers at Manhattan's Lenox Hospital.

Having accomplished all of these things at the mere age of 2 months, Blue Ivy has set the bar for month 3.

Check out photos of Blue Ivy below.

WATCH: Peter Cook Says Christie Brinkley Is Trying To 'Publicly Castrate' Him

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Though Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook divorced four years ago, their acrimonious custody battle just won't end.

On Wednesday's "Nightline," Cook sits down with ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas to counter Brinkley's claims that he owes her child support and has sent her bullying emails -- and to accuse the former supermodel of trying to "publicly castrate" him to drum up publicity.

"I'm not here to attack Christie Brinkley, but to defend myself, because to be called a dead beat dad -- to me -- is such a horrible, spiteful, vengeful thing to say, despite the fact that its not true," Cook said in the interview, previewed on "Good Morning America" Wednesday morning.

Their latest public court skirmish began in November 2011, when 58-year-old Brinkley filed a motion seeking fines for Cook's "inflammatory communications," including bullying her via email. On February 24, Cook fired back by filing a cross motion accusing Brinkley -- who he called a "narcissistic egomaniac" -- of publicly smearing him in attempt to garner publicity for herself. In addition to reiterating that claim in the "Nightline" interview, he blasted Brinkley in the comments section of a New York Daily News' article on Monday, where he wrote, "Brinkley initiated the current court action, and timed it to generate publicity for herself to promote [her role in the musical] 'Chicago.'"

Brinkley has also accused Cook of failing to pay $32,000 in child support for school and summer camp fees. Cook, however, takes issue with her claims. "She filed a claim that I wasn't paying child support when she took off to do broadway last year, from March to July, but she put the children in my full time care," he told Vargas.

The former couple split in July 2006 after 10 years of marriage. Their tumultuous divorce -- which Brinkley fought to keep open to the public -- became a media frenzy centered around Cook's reported porn addiction and affair with then 18-year-old Diana Bianchi.


Taylor Swift Wears Kanye West Design

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Taylor Swift sports a Kanye West design in a fashion spread for Australia's Harper's Bazaar magazine.

WATCH Shakira Is 'Crazy About Skrillex'

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Shakira wants everyone to know that she's "crazy about Skrillex!" In a recent video posted on her Youtube channel and Twitter, the Colombian singer stopped traffic in Barcelona to get out of her car and rage to an epic drop in Skrillex's "Drop It Hard."

Skrillex, whose real name is Sonny Moore, rose to fame in the last two years as dubstep and progressive house music entered the mainstream. The Los Angeles native took home three Grammy awards this year.

Though the video is a mere 15 seconds long, it's worth watching, if only to see Shakira hold up traffic with her awesome dance moves.

Shakira: Year In Review

Felicity Huffman & William H. Macy Are The Cutest Hollywood Couple

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As if we needed anymore proof that "Shameless" star William H. Macy and his wife Felicity Huffman, star of "Desperate Housewives," were the cutest couple in Hollywood, but these shots of the TV couple receiving their rare double-stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame remind us that sometimes in Tinseltown, true love does exist.

Click through the gallery below to see the couple strike a few interesting poses by their stars, which included Macy lying down by his star, showing some leg, and pretending to be dead.

PHOTOS: Brit-Brit's Meltdown House Is For Sale

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You probably best remember this house as the one that police helicopters circled and cops guarded when Britney Spears was carted off to rehab in a $25,000 taxpayer-sponsored rescue. If that wasn't enough to cause neighbors to drop their membership in the Britney Spears' fan club, news that the mansion that Britney paid $6.75 million for in 2007 has come back on the market -- at a lowly $2.995 million -- surely will. "Ouch" cry the area comps in pain.

Spears has been a renter in the gated communities of Calabasas and Hidden Hills for the past few years -- and a model Hollywood citizen, we should add. But yes, this is the 7,453-square-foot place where Britney's very public meltdown occurred, should the busloads of tourists be following their maps to the stars' homes. And it was during that time of her shaven head and other erratic behaviors that a court ordered her personal and business affairs be placed in a conservatorship headed by her father and an attorney. So the house is now a probate sale, subject to court approval.

The two-story view home has ping-ponged on and off the market pretty much the entire time Spears owned it. For our two-cents, the cookie cutter was here and this is just one more McMansion.

Photos courtesy of Realtor.com.

Neal Schon And Michaele Salahi To Wed?

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Neal Schon of Journey was one of the most anonymous rock stars in the world until he started dating accused White House gatecrasher and "Real Housewives of D.C." star Michaele Salahi. Although he still shies away from interviews, Neal did sit down with me on my HDNet talk show "Naughty But Nice" to set the record straight about all the rumors and the ugly allegations that Michaele's ex, Tareq Salahi, has thrown at him.

"I never sent Tareq a picture of my penis, and I didn't call him on the phone to tell him I was f**king his wife either," Neal tells me. "I've always taken care of situations like this behind closed doors, and this is the first time in the last five months that I have been in the media ... so it's hard. But Tareq chose to put it out there."

Neal explains that he has known Michaele for more than 15 years, having met her in the 1990s. But the rocker insists that nothing romantic ever happened between the pair -- even though he secretly wanted it to -- until she left her husband and looked to him for help. Now, Neil says the two are headed toward marriage, a union his band mates approve of.

"[My] band mates Ross and Jonathan met her 15 years ago, so they have known her," Neal says. "They love having her out there because she brings so much energy."

"Naughty But Nice With Rob" airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on HDNet.

FOLLOW NAUGHTY BUT NICE ROB ON TWITTER

Check out these celebrity couples who've called it quits:

'You Can Go To Church And Dress Like This!'

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Alexis Bellino went from being a Maxim "Hometown Hottie" to a star on "Real Housewives of Orange County," and admits that she's spent a lot of money on her appearance to land the fame-making gigs. But the one thing she says is even more important than looking good, is religion -- having Jesus in her life.

"Vicky [Gunvalson's] been on [the show] for seven years," Alexis tells me on my HDNet talk show, "Naughty But Nice." "If you go back and watch the first season, she looks nothing like it and acts different. We all have had work done! Are you kidding me? Anyone who says differently is lying."

Alexis has been criticized for dressing and acting the way she does, while being very vocal about her faith. However, she believes that anyone can have God in their lives, no matter how they choose to dress.

"I don't walk around with my Bible, but I am religious," Alexis tells me. "I believe in Jesus Christ and that he is our savior and I am vocal about it. Sometimes I look back and think, 'Would I have been so vocal about it if I had known about the backlash I would have gotten?' I take in the critics and if it gets bad, I just think about a scripture ... I have brought so many girls back to the Lord because they didn't realize you could go to church and dress like this."

"Naughty But Nice With Rob" airs Thursdays at 8:00 PM on HDNet.

FOLLOW NAUGHTY BUT NICE ROB ON TWITTER

Check out all of the "Real Housewives," past and present, below:

Brandon Jenner: Life Happens!

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Chances are, if you are reading this, you are alive and life is happening to you right now. Being alive is one thing... being aware is another. Sometimes we let life guide us, and other times we take life by the horns. But one thing is for sure, no matter how organized we are, or how well we plan, we can always expect the unexpected.

I believe the only thing that we really have control over is our attitude. If we focus on the positive things in our lives and learn how to cope with all the surprises, we will be happier people. Happiness is contagious. I focus on love and gratitude for all things on this beautiful planet and beyond. We can bring positive energy into our daily lives by smiling more, talking to strangers in line, replacing handshakes with hugs, and calling our friends just to tell them we love them.

Life passes us by if all we do is focus on the future. Being present, for the present, is really what is important. We hope that no matter what is going on in your life at this moment, our music and video will put a genuine smile on your face, a dance in your step, and that you will share your happiness with another... As for us all... Life Happens!

Watch "Life Happens" by Brandon and Leah (Brandon Jenner and Leah Felder):


"Life Happens" on iTunes.
Facebook.com/BrandonandLeah


Rihanna's Father Has Shocking Words For Her Over Chris Brown

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Rihanna's father, Ronald Fenty, dropped some controversial statements on his celebrity daughter in a recent Heat magazine interview.

First, Fenty remarked he thought Rihanna had been getting "a little fat." He also raised eyebrows by calling his daughter's abusive ex-boyfriend, Chris Brown, a "nice guy," and suggesting Rihanna should consider reuniting with Brown.

Check out the video above.

PHOTO: Jolie-Pitt Kids Take A Dog On A Walk In New Orleans

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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's kids may be Hollywood royalty, but they still have to walk their own dog!

According to X17online, the Jolie-Pitt family is currently in New Orleans, where Pitt is set to attend the "A Night to Make it Right" fund-raiser. While Mom and Dad were nowhere in sight, some of their children -- Zahara, 7, Shiloh, 5 and Maddox, 10 -- hit the streets of the French Quarter to walk their dog, Jacques, complete with supervision from their nanny and a security team member.

Little sister Vivienne, 3, who was pictured wearing lipstick while out and about earlier this week, as well as her twin brother, Knox and big bro, Pax, 8, didn't seem to join on the walk.

For more, head over to X17online.com.

Check out the adorable photo of Zahara and Shiloh below:

Check out photos of celebrities out with their kids below:

Obamas Dine On H St. With Supporters, Contest Winners

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WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are having dinner with three donors to his re-election campaign and guests who won a rare chance to have a private meal with the first couple.

Obama's campaign is staging its third "Dinner with Barack" event at Boundary Road, a restaurant along Washington's H Street, a riot-scarred corridor that has undergone a massive redevelopment. Giving was not required but the campaign asked for donations of at least $3 for anyone willing to contribute.

The Obamas are joined by a nonprofit executive from Nashville, a former social worker from Wauwatosa, Wis., and a retired school administrator from Cambridge, Mass.

The president's campaign has emphasized small donations from the masses, pointing to such donations as a sign of his broad appeal.

Eddie Murphy's 'Thousand Words' Should Shut Up

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-- In the opening sequence of "A Thousand Words," Eddie Murphy starts with his back to the camera then turns abruptly to reveal a strip of duct tape over his mouth.

A very good idea, if the once hip fast-talker of "Beverly Hills Cop" is going to continue using hollow, stumbling comedies such as this as his mouthpiece to the world.

The notion of taking away motor-mouth Murphy's ability to spew words sounds like a bizarre filmmaking choice until you encounter the obnoxious clown he plays here, boorish literary agent and inattentive family man Jack McCall. He's so annoying you'll be aching for the moment the action comes around to that opening image when the duct tape gets slapped over Jack's mouth. That would be so he'll hold his tongue after a bodhi tree magically appears in his backyard and begins losing leaves each time he utters a word, and he learns through a guru's mystical guesswork that when the last leaf falls, he'll die.

Oh, yeah. About that plot. What left field did this senseless story from screenwriter Steve Koren ("Jack and Jill") come out of? And why didn't Murphy, director Brian Robbins and a team of producers including Nicolas Cage weed it out before it took root in theaters that would be better used showing retrospectives of Murphy's "Nutty Professor" flicks or even his dreadful "Norbit."

"A Thousand Words," which was made in 2008 yet sat on the shelf until now, is a movie built on drivel. Murphy's Jack is a jerk, but a run-of-the-mill jerk, making the filmmakers' effort to build some sort of cosmic cautionary warning around him feel like overkill, like taking a Garden Weasel into the kitchen to toss a salad.

Here's where Jack's at as the film opens: He's the ace at his literary agency, not through sleaziness but just through rude, crude pushiness. He clearly loves his wife (Kerry Washington) and young son, but he's not good at the family thing yet and needs to man up a bit. He's got a mother (Ruby Dee) whose memory is slipping but is well-cared for at a lovely facility, where he visits her dutifully. He treats his assistant (Clark Duke) and others in his circle like personal serfs, though he's more neglectful than abusive about it.

All in all, a thoughtless loudmouth, but certainly not a terrible man.

When he tries to sign superstar self-help guru Sinja (Cliff Curtis) as a book client, he gets a few mild gibes about his lifestyle from the spiritual guide. Next thing you know, a bodhi tree from Sinja's retreat transplants itself to Jack's backyard, a leaf dropping for each word Jack utters or writes. Sinja guesstimates there are a thousand leaves left and that when the last one falls, Jack will croak.

What? Umm, OK. It apparently made sense to Murphy and the filmmakers, including Robbins, who previously directed him in "Norbit" and the flop "Meet Dave."

They strain to sow laughs out of this thin, pointless idea with dumb slapstick and pratfalls and a lot of wordless mugging by Murphy, who proves he can be just as insufferable when he's not talking as when he is. Along the way, we get simple-minded moralizing about what's important in life: family, humility, generosity, treating people with respect – all the stuff that Eddie Murphy stands for.

Dee almost brings a few moments of grace to the movie, until you remember what movie she's in, then you just feel sad she's there at all. It's equally sad to see Allison Janney wasting her presence as Jack's boss.

Jack's a guy who's not worth the universe's extreme spiritual ministrations. His story's not worth your time. And "A Thousand Words" is not worth any more dismissive words. It needs to make like a tree and leave.

"A Thousand Words," a DreamWorks film distributed by Paramount release, is rated PG-13 for sexual situations including dialogue, language and some drug related humor. Running time: 91 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

___

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G – General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG – Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 – Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R – Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 – No one under 17 admitted.

Rihanna's Father Doles Out Harsh Words

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Rihanna's father, Ronald Fenty, recently participated in a controversial interview with Heat magazine, revealing his thoughts on his daughter's abusive ex-boyfriend Chris Brown and RiRi's curvy body.

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