The newest project from "Weird Al" Yankovic, a web series entitled "Face to Face with 'Weird Al' Yankovic," debuted on the Nerdist YouTube Channel on Tuesday. The series appears to resurrect the spliced-up celebrity interviews that Al first performed on his "Al-TV" specials on MTV (and later VH1). In the first edition of the new 10-minute show, he "interviews" actors Denzel Washington and Megan Fox.

Yankovic, who is currently suing Sony Music over his share of digital royalties, will put out the show every other week on Tuesdays. "Face to Face" is one of the more high profile shows launching on the Nerdist Channel, which will roll out a few dozen shows over the next few months to go along with the blog and podcast empire headed up by comedian Chris Hardwick.

Other shows already on the YouTube channel, which users can subscribe to, include "All-Star Celebrity Bowling with Chris Hardwick" and "Cute Things Exploding."

WATCH: In the very first "Al-TV" in 1984, Al interviews Boy George.

WATCH: Al interviews Snoop Dogg in 1999.

WASHINGTON -- It's hard to know if you should feel worse for the kids or the birds.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will be protesting this year's White House Easter Egg Roll, making a statement about the mistreatment of chickens.

Politico reports that the animal rights organization plans to hand out leaflets about chicken cruelty and egg production at the April 9 event:

The leaflet from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is titled, "Eggs Are Better Lost Than Found" and reads, in part, "Eggs come from millions of chickens who spend their whole lives locked inside small cages in dark buildings. They never get to be out in the sunshine, walk around, or even stretch. These places are called 'factory farms,' and they are mean to chickens."

The pamphlets, designed using "kid-friendly language" according to one PETA employee, and which will be given out outside the White House, also go on to explain how some male chicks are discarded alive at birth since they don't produce eggs.

PETA's produced an interactive anti-Easter egg e-card, too, featuring a cute little cartoon chicken that takes a tour of an overstuffed factory chicken farm.

About 30,000 kids and parents -- along with the First Family, cabinet secretaries, costumed super-heroes and some yet-to-be-announced performers -- are expected at this year's egg roll. Activities during the day will include cooking demonstrations, sports, hunting for hidden eggs and the egg roll itself, a race to prod brightly-colored eggs across the White House lawn using wooden spoons.

This year marks the 134th anniversary of the event, which used to be held on the Capitol grounds until the late 1870s when Congress, worried about damage to the grass, passed a law ending this tradition. President Rutherford B. Hayes moved the roll to the White House lawn in 1878.

Here's a slideshow of White House Easter Egg Rolls through the years:

Is that a baby bump we see?

Rumors have been swirling that Drew Barrymore and her fiance, Will Kopelman, are expecting their first child together. Though she's stayed mum on the subject, she was spotted this week sporting what could be a possible baby bump.

Barrymore was photographed in Los Angeles heading to a market with a friend, and was hand-in-hand with a young boy. Could she be practicing her parenting skills before becoming a mom herself?

If the actress is indeed pregnant, there's one project under her name that she won't be able to enjoy for a few months. It was announced last month that Barrymore is getting into the wine business, releasing Barrymore Pinot Grigio under the distributor Wilson Daniels this spring.

Check out a photo of Barrymore below:

Chi-Town's stunner has released an anthem. Folks have been whispering about Kanye West's upcoming G.O.O.D. Music compilation album for quite some time now. Then 'Ye announced he'd be dropping "Mercy" on Good Friday and Def Jam put up an imposing banner on its website.

But plans appeared to have changed. Late Wednesday night, Funkmaster Flex dropped "Theraflu," a West and DJ Khaled track which may (or may not) be the lead single off the compilation.

West addresses rumors he was upset with Wiz Khalifa, the rapper who is engaged to Amber Rose, Kanye's ex-girlfriend. Judging by the lyrics on "Theraflu," he's (sort of) not holding a grudge:

"And the whole industry want to f*** your old chick
Only n**** I got respect for is Wiz
And I admit I fell in love with Kim
'Round the same time she fell in love with him
Well that's cool, babygirl do your thing
Lucky I ain't had Jay drop him from the team"

(Kim is Kim Kardashian, and the "him" is Kris Humphries, as Jay-Z is a part owner of the New Jersey Nets, Humphries' team.)

The song is produced by Hit-Boy, the 24-year-young phenomenon behind West and Jay-Z's Watch the Throne banger "N****s in Paris." Hit-Boy was in the studio with West and Ricky Anderson on Wednesday (celebrating perhaps?):

RapRadar editor Elliot Wilson tweeted Wednesday that the hook on the track comes courtesy of Bad Boy Records' Ma$e and LL Cool J.

It's a G.O.O.D. time to be a hip hop fan again.

LISTEN: Kanye West feat. DJ Khaled - Thera Flu

The cast of "Married ... With Children" is headed back to Fox for the network's 25th anniversary special, with the whole Bundy family getting together for the reunion.

Ed O'Neill, Christina Applegate, Katey Sagal and David Faustino will make appearances on the special, which airs on Fox on April 22.

Other stars making an appearance include "The X-Files" stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, "Ally McBeal" star Calista Flockhart, "The Tick's" Patrick Warburton and "Beverly Hills 90210" vets Shannen Doherty, Jason Priestley, Gabrielle Carteris and Ian Ziering.

In addition, cast members from "That 70's Show," (Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderama), "In Living Color," (Keenen Ivory Wayans, Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans) and "American Idol" (Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest) will also be part of the festivities.

In the gallery below, get a sneak peek at the "Married ... With Children" reunion, plus first looks at the casts of "In Living Color," "That '70s Show" and more together again.

Fox's 25th Anniversary Special airs on Sun., Apr. 22 from 8-10 p.m. ET

How many more sequels can be in the news this year? THR reports Taylor Lautner may join Adam Sandler in "Grown Ups 2," the follow-up to 2010's box office darling starring Adam Sandler and a motley crew of reunited friends.

Lautner will be joined by much of the cast of the original "Grown Ups," as Sandler, Maya Rudolph, Kevin James, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock and David Spade are all expected to return. Dennis Dugan will return to direct, and the film is slated for a July 2013 release.

The first film brought in $162 domestically and added another $271 million worldwide, making it a bonafide hit for Columbia Pictures. In the movie, a group of friends is reunited in the wake of the death of their high school basketball coach.

The "Twilight" star ("Breaking Dawn Part 2" is out in November) already broke out of his teen fiction mold by playing an action hero in 2011's "Abduction." Adding "Grown Ups" to his IMDb profile at such a young age (he just turned 20 in February) is a sign that Lautner isn't going to make the mistake of letting his early breakout role define him (paging Daniel Radcliffe).

Lautner's addition is also good news for Sandler, who is co-producing the sequel with Jack Giarraputo. Though Sandler set an unfortunate record over the weekend by sweeping the Razzie awards for "Jack and Jill" and "Just Go With It," he's apparently not resting on his laurels. Sandler's company Happy Madison is reportedly in talks to remake the 1987 comedy "Summer School."

He just keeps on keepin' on, that Sandler.

PHOTOS: Lautner's "Twilight" Co-Star Kristen Stewart Heats Up the Runway:

Larry Miller -- who's starred in a TON of hit movies including "Nutty Professor" and "10 Things I Hate About You" -- is currently in the ICU at an L.A. hospital after suffering a freak injury to his head.

The resurgence in popularity for Betty White has had a domino effect on the careers of several other older actors, including Cloris Leachman, Ed Asner and others. Now she's taking on "Punk'd" and other young prank shows with "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" (Wed., 8 p.m. ET on NBC), proving that older people can pull off pranks, too. And because they're all so adorable, no one really gets mad.

It also helps that none of the pranks are mean-spirited, but rather are light and silly in tone. Things like a man accidentally knocking his wife off of a ledge while posing for a photo, or a nun talking about her wild weekend in Las Vegas while waiting for her luggage at the airport. It's all rather silly, and puts a spotlight on the bright spirit that lives in senior citizens everywhere. It's just unfortunate that White can't get more involved -- she serves more as host -- but she's far too recognizable to pull off most of their gags.

At 90-years old, don't look for Betty White to slow down any time soon. She said she was blessed with good health and doesn't plan to retire any time soon in a conference call covered by the Boston Herald.

The busy Betty White can be seen twice each Wednesday, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC's "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" and at 10 p.m. ET on TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland."

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

On the very same day that Sarah Palin made her guest co-host debut on the "Today" show, it was confirmed that Levi Johnston is expecting baby number two.

"Of course he did it on purpose, to once again annoy Sarah," a friend of Levi's tells me about the Tuesday timing of the baby news. "This was meant to be her big day, and instead we are all talking about Levi. Love him or hate him, I can tell you for sure that this kid is no fool when it comes to the media."

And sources tell me Levi hopes his big news will translate into dollar signs.

"Levi made a fortune selling interviews in the past and expects to do it again," one media insider says. "His people have already contacted magazine and TV shows about selling access to him."

Levi shot into the public eye three-and-a-half years ago when it was announced that he and Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol were expecting a son. Now his latest girlfriend, Sunny Oglesby, a 20-year-old teacher who lives in his hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, is pregnant.

"May sweeps are coming up and his story is interesting, but he should not expect to make nearly as much money as he did when he was with Bristol," one TV executive tells me. "Maybe $10,000 to $15,000, but without the Palin part, this isn't as exciting."

Levi Johnston isn't opposed to the media spotlight -- he's posed for Playgirl! Check out his fellow celebs who've posed for Playboy.

A week after filing divorce docs, Peter Facinelli opened up about how he and soon-to-be ex-wife Jennie Garth are faring.

"Jen and I are doing really well," Facinelli told Kelly Ripa while co-hosting "Live! With Kelly" on Wednesday. "She'll always be in my life. I love her -- we're just going to have a different relationship."

Facinelli, who Garth has said was the one to initiated the divorce, told Ripa that the divorce has been "very painful," but that the couple is focused on staying "dedicated to being great parents" to their three daughters, Luca, 14, Lola, 9 and Fiona, 5.

"It's very painful to break up with somebody especially after you've been together for 17 years and you have kids -- it's even more painful when it's played out in the media," the "Twilight" star said. "I've tried to stay really quiet about it for the sake of my kids."

Facinelli wed Garth in January 2001, after meeting on the set of the TV movie “An Unfinished Affair” in 1996. The pair announced their breakup on March 13. A day later, they released a joint statement denying "hurtful" allegations that infidelity had caused their split.

Watch the video above to hear what else Facinelli had to say.

Barry Williams has added a baby girl to his bunch! The 57-year-old actor and girlfriend Elizabeth Kennedy welcomed a daughter, Samantha Rose, according to Rumorfix.com

Kennedy shared the news with the site, after their new bundle of joy arrived a few weeks earlier than her April 23rd due date. While Williams, who played Greg Brady on the hit series "The Brady Bunch," has a son Brandon Eric from his previous marriage to Elia Mary Matt, this is the first child for Kennedy.

Congrats to the happy family! Check out other celebrities who are expecting babies this year below:

By ANTHONY MCCARTNEY, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Detectives found white powdery substances and a spoon with white residue in the hotel room where Whitney Houston died, according to the final autopsy report released Wednesday.

Houston had cocaine throughout her system when she died, the report said, and a "spoon with a white crystal like substance in it, a rolled up piece of white paper from off the top of a counter along the east wall of the bathroom" were found. The report does not specifically identify the substances as cocaine, although the drug was found in toxicology tests in Houston's heart and extremities.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said he could not discuss how recently Houston may have used the drug.

Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said their investigation is still open and he could not comment on the findings.

On her final day alive, Houston complained of a sore throat, and an assistant suggested she take a bath before preparing for a pre-Grammy party, according to the report.

The Grammy-winning singer died Feb. 11 after drowning in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Her death has been ruled as accidental and coroner's officials cited heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors.

Her death came just hours before a pre-Grammy gala thrown by her mentor Clive Davis. She was attempting another comeback by starring in a remake of the film "Sparkle," in which she plays the mother of three girls who form a singing group and struggle with fame and drug addiction.

A trailer released Monday featured Houston prominently, including a snippet of her performance of the classic gospel song "His Eye Is on the Sparrow."

Toxicology results also showed Houston had marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril, and the allergy medication Benadryl in her system.

The singer also had buildup of plaque in her arteries that can restrict blood flow. Winter has said the condition is common in drug users.

The singer had battled addiction for years, but friends and family have said she appeared committed to making a comeback in the months before her death.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 television interview with then-husband Bobby Brown by her side.

Brave. This is the word that best describes comedienne Rachel Dratch's memoir Girl Walks Into a Bar...Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife Miracle. For a comedienne, "funny" typically trumps all descriptors and is what all comedic performers aggressively pursue as if their existence depends on it because, let's face it, it usually does. Dratch's book is definitely funny, but it is her courage to speak openly about her struggle with dating, romance and the Holy Grail of feminine culture -- motherhood -- that makes this work as unconventional as her path to both television stardom and maternity.

Just as young girls all over the world croon Adele into their hairbrushes in front of their mirrors, Dratch cops to geeking out for comedy the way a generation of future Feys, Silvermans and Poehlers are doing right now: religiously watching Saturday Night Live, throwing impromptu shows in their living rooms and back yards and cracking up their friends in math class. For fans of Dratch's work as a cast member for seven years on SNL and briefly 30 Rock, she gives up plenty of inside goodies about her journey into television celebreality, otherwise known as show biz. After graduating college, Dratch moved to Chicago and eventually began performing at the famed comedy theater Second City where she joined the ranks of fellow comedy virtuosos Steve Carell, Amy Poehler, and Amy Sedaris, to name a few. Ten years and two auditions later, Dratch moved on to SNL where, in the course of her tenure, she brought to life such memorable recurring characters as Debbie Downer, Denise "Zazu" McDenna and Virginia Klarvin, Will Ferrell's "love-ahhh."

The behind-the-scenes insights into Dratch's television career and Hollywood's increasingly fickle temperament are engaging and worth a bookmark or two. Of learning about gender politics from Amy Sedaris at Second City, Dratch writes

She wasn't content to be the girly-girl who would play the 'Honey!' parts... as in 'Honeeeyyy! I told you to take out the trash!' All of the really good women improvisers I knew avoided the 'Honey!' parts because it meant they would be relegated to the sidelines of a scene.

Dratch's foray into dating and relationships is refreshingly relatable. In an all-too-familiar scenario, what begins as a potentially promising romance sputters out in a series of missed connections and poor behaviors otherwise known as red flags. These are the kinds of markers all women carry with them as proof of having survived the dating battlefield. You know the type: drinking too much, failing to call or text or ruminating over what it would be like to eat horse or human meat. In her search for a tolerable, non-horrifying, regular meat-eating boyfriend, Dratch is every woman. And we love her for wearing that mantle proudly so that our collective romantic humiliations remain in good company. She writes with self-deprecation that is neither needy nor parodic, but simply authentic.

Even with the "midlife miracle" spoiler alert in the title, the eventual relationship that leads Dratch to motherhood in her early forties is its own kind of surprise. Dratch deals with her unexpected pregnancy and the complexities (and joys) it causes in every aspect of her life with candor and thoughtfulness. She admits to the anxiety and wonder that accompanies the impending birth of her child. Like millions of women, Dratch picks up the iconic What to Expect When You're Expecting and thinks:

Where's the book that starts out, 'So you're forty-three and think you can't have kids but unexpectedly got pregnant on a trip to Hawaii with a guy you've known for six months who you think is a good guy but the two of you aren't even close to any sort of commitment?' Where is that book?

The answer: It is in your hands, Rachel! You've already written it!

What ultimately makes Girl Walks Into a Bar pertinent is Dratch's willingness to dwell in and accept messy ambiguity. Where other women might miss out on an experience because it fails to fit a proscribed definition or within determined ideals, Dratch leans into this moment in her life; she draws on her wits as an improviser that required her step out on stage with little more than her smarts and willingness to say "Yes" to her scene partners. At Second City this was called "comedy." In life, it's called "bravery."

NEW YORK — Burger King is apologizing to Mary J. Blige and her fans for releasing an ad that garnered the singer serious fan backlash.

The clip featured Blige soulfully singing about the fast-food chain's new chicken snack wraps. It immediately went viral when it was released Monday, and some in the black community said it was stereotypical. Burger King pulled the ad Tuesday over what the company said was a music licensing issue. The company explained Wednesday the spot was unfinished.

In a statement, Blige said she understood why fans were upset. She said the ad didn't come across the way it was planned and she would never put out an unfinished spot.

Burger King said it was released prematurely and they hope to have the final ad on the air soon.

It is a fascinating experience to see such an iconic face up close. In life, huge blue eyes twinkle with kindness and curiosity, resting on top of cheekbones higher than any mathematical equation could seemingly allow. He can look serious, almost dangerous, but then suddenly his generous mouth will issue forth a grin so powerful that it takes up most of his face and the sheer joy of it can almost knock you backwards two-feet! This is the face that can and has played every kind of role. From Martin Scorsese's Jesus Christ to Tars Tarkas, Disney's green 9-foot Martian with four arms. His face can look noble (Born on the Fourth of July, Passion of the Christ,) or villainous (Platoon, Batman) or like a beautiful and capable but emotionally cautious leading man -- where we find him in his new film, The Hunter. In The Hunter, the camera approaches his face at such a delicate pace, almost like a lover would, and leans into eyes so big and beautiful that it's easy to stop breathing for a moment.

It was one of the most wonderful and unique starts to an interview ever: Within a minute, Willem was speaking in the incomprehensible babble of the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil. And then in Italian. Two of the world's finest languages! And they say "Tasmanian Devil" is very hard to pick up.

Willem Dafoe has been in over 60 films: Platoon, Off Limits, Streets of Fire, To Live and Die in L.A., Born on the Fourth of July, The English Patient, The Last Temptation of Christ, Mississippi Burning, The Boondock Saints, Spider-Man, and The Aviator, and voice roles in Fantastic Mr. Fox and Finding Nemo. But Dafoe doesn't fall into the usual categories of famous actors we've seen. Take a recent appearance on the Stephen Colbert show, for example. Colbert asked him, "Are you a movie star, or are you an actor?" Dafoe looked befuddled for a moment and then shyly asked, "Are there any other choices?"

And that's Dafoe right there.

In a kind of "Trifecta of Earthly Destruction", Dafoe is starring in three films largely centering around the end of the world, coming out in the span of a month: The Hunter, John Carter, and 4:44.

Australian director Daniel Nettheim knew he needed a big name like Dafoe to get his film, The Hunter, made. But more importantly, the character of Martin David is so very many things and Willem Dafoe could be all of them: A leading man, old enough for this to be his last shot at redemption, young enough to explore the wilds, possessing a wry intelligence, able to portray isolation and tragedy, but also a deep connection with the family he discovers. A man who is in a in a state of extreme physical fitness -- And why is he so fit?? "YO-GA," says Dafoe. "My guru says that (speaking in a tiny ancient Indian voice) 'the end of the world is coming'".

Apparently, the only way to face the apocalypse is in Downward Facing Dog.

Martin David (Dafoe), is sent to Tasmania to discover the legendary Tasmanian Tiger by a company who wants the tiger's genetic material, at any cost. At first, the Tasmanian locals are so hostile that it seems that the hardest part of finding the most elusive creature on the planet may be just renting a room.

But Martin meets through local Jack Mindy (Sam Neill) two children in a dilapidated house, seemingly alone, until Martin stumbles on a larger truth: Their father has gone missing in the vast wilderness and their beautiful mother (Frances O'Connor) in in bed, swimming in a sea of pills and despair. And the search for the tiger simultaneously becomes a search for love and connection.

The Hunter, originally a book by Julia Leigh, explores Martin's journey through Tasmania. Produced by the Academy Award nominated producers of Animal Kingdom (PorchLight Films), we see Tasmania in a way it has never been captured on film before. Dafoe says, "Even many of the locals who live nearby have never been there!" And it does not disappoint. The Hunter's Tasmania is absolutely wild and glorious. The original musical score is exquisite and deeply serves the landscape and the story.

Not captured on film since 1936, the tiger is a much of a faith and a religion as Scotland's Loch Ness Monster. The wilderness is so extraordinary and dangerous, and the locals are so angry and desperate to get this foreigner out, it's hard to know if our hero will get the tiger, or if the locals will get our hero. Suddenly the hunter becomes the hunted.

If the Tasmanian Tiger has not been officially seen since the last one died in captivity, an imprisonment the film depicts hauntingly, does the tiger still exist? Daniel says, "I started the project as a cynic but I've talked to people in Tasmania from all walks of life who have very legitimate stories of having seen one themselves. That passion and that conviction, it's very seductive. I am now much more open-minded than I was." Willem says, "Science tells us no, but there are sightings all the time, even during the filming! There is a part of me that hopes it's still out there."

One thing that is clear is that the tiger, unlike Freud's cigar, comes to mean much more than the tiger itself. Willem says,"One thing that was very interesting to me was how much I identified with the tiger. In order to find it you have to imagine who it is and what it wants and so Martin gets very much in the tiger's head. At the end there is a sense of looking in the mirror."

What does the tiger represent for Daniel? "For me, the Tasmanian tiger represents hope but it also strongly represents the mistakes of our past; our failures as a colonizing nation. And it asks the question, 'Can we redeem ourselves as a race?' In the course of the film, the tiger comes to represent love, the elusive creature that everyone is desperately hoping to find."

Dafoe's Martin David feels almost like an animal himself. He is so attuned to all the sounds of the very wild landscape that watching the film, we breathe, live and fear, through him. It's like that old stand-up joke, "If your cat suddenly runs out of the room, you'd better get the @#! out of there too!"

With over sixty films, and a range that tells us that he's "always looking for the next adventure," how does Willem Dafoe feel about the nature of film currently? "It's a challenging time now because film is in a kind of crisis. You hope that when things get bad enough that something's got to give to make room for something new, but as far as performing, good opportunities are always hard to find. I do have my moments of despair, but I'm still finding interesting things to do, so I'm happy for that -- that's the beauty of film. The target keeps on moving."

The Hunter opened on March 6. For the Website and Trailer, Go to: http://www.thehuntermovie.com/#.

To view more of photographer Leslie Hassler's work: http://lesliehassler.com/.

Willie Garson, who played Carrie Bradshaw's loveable friend Stanford Blatch on "Sex and the City," is probably a little sick of being asked about the new prequel extension of the "SATC" franchise, "The Carrie Diaries." After all, he's not in it.

The CW's new pilot is set to tell the story of a young Carrie Bradshaw as she finishes high school and though it would be oddly anachronistic to have Garson on that show, he says he wouldn’t turn it down.

“If they called I would do it,” he said on the red carpet for the Madison Square Garden debut of Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour."

Though fans can catch Garson on USA's “White Collar” these days, Garson says that he is still Stanford and probably always will be.

“I'm still him if they decide to make another movie,” he said. “Every time I think it is over, the phone rings again. I think it is great that people want more of these characters since we are basically in wheelchairs at this point.”

However, he declined to speculate on who should play a young Stanford Blatch.

“Whoever I name will just take it as an insult,” Garson said. Though there is not Standford in the pilot thus far, Carrie does still have a new gay best friend (more on that below).

Other early versions of the "Sex and the City" stars fans love -- and even more new characters they haven't met yet -- have been cast, including AnnaSophia Robb as a young Carrie Bradshaw.

Many other roles have reportedly been filled as well:

• Stefania Owen will play Carrie's 14-year-old sister Dorrit, according to EW.


• Katie Findlay and Ellen Wong will play Carrie's best friends Maggie Landers and Jill Thompson, according to Digital Spy.


• Austin Butler will play the brooding Sebastian Kydd, the ultimate high school heartthrob, Deadline reports.


• Freema Agyeman will play Carrie's mentor Larissa, an editor/party girl who works at Interview magazine, according to Deadline.


• Brendan Dooling will play Walt, Carrie's gay friend, according to Deadline.


• Matt Letscher has been cast as Carrie's father, according to Deadline.


• Chloe Bridges will play Carrie’s nemesis Donna Ladonna, Deadline also reported.

Jennifer Aniston has a younger half brother, who has been described as a "scruffy punk, boho surfer nomad."

Jenna Talackova, the 23-year-old transgender woman ejected from the Miss Universe Canada pageant on the basis of her gender identity, was represented by lawyer Gloria Allred at a press conference in Los Angeles Tuesday, April 3. Allred fervently steered the press away from inquiry into Ms. Talackova's surgical status and instead raised questions of Donald Trump's legal gender (arguing that nobody has asked for legal proof of his gender) as a tactic to get their message across: Talackova's gender identity should not be an obstacle en route to the Miss Universe crown.

"I am a woman," said Talackova during the conference. She spoke of the Miss Universe pageant's ruling that she would not be allowed to compete on the basis that she was not a "naturally-born" woman. "I was devastated. Excluding me for the reason they gave was unjust. I never asked for any special consideration. I only wanted to compete."

Absurd questions from the press like, "How did her birth status happen?" and, "If a woman still had a penis, would she be able to compete [in the Miss Universe Competition]?" were fielded by Allred, who used Talackova's "F" on identity documents as the basis of their defense.

"[Talackova's] birth certificate reflects she is female, her driver's license reflects she is female, and her [Canadian] passport reflects she is female," said Allred. "There is no question in Canada that she is legally female, and I think for those of us who know her, there is also no question."

While Allred's constant assertion of Talackova's gender as valid and important is reassuring for those of us with a gender-nonconforming identity, the argument that because Talackova has "appropriate" identity documents, her status as a woman is more valid than it would be without them is frustrating, as achieving legal status on identity documents can be extremely challenging for many transgender and gender-variant people.

In a statement released Monday, April 2, the Miss Universe pageant invited Talackova to return to the competition provided these documents are bona fide.

"The Miss Universe Organization will allow Jenna Talackova to compete in the 2012 Miss Universe Canada pageant, provided she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, and the standards established by other international competitions," it said.

But this response from pageant officials does not satisfy Talackova or Allred.

"We are asking [Donald] Trump [head of Miss Universe Organization LLC] to step up and be a leader in the fight against discrimination," said Allred. "Give us a clear answer, not a wimpy, wishy-washy type of answer. Will Jenna be allowed to compete or not? Will this abhorrent rule be eliminated or not?"

Allred continued: "This last-minute statement only confuses the issue. Mr. Trump qualifies it by including conditions that remain ambiguous."

Allred asserted that Ms. Talackova has secured legal representation in New York, California, and Canada, in the event that she is not readmitted into the finals.

"[The] ball is in his court," said Allred of Trump, whom she called on earlier in the conference to eliminate his "trumped-up rule." "Mr. Trump, open your eyes and your heart. See Jenna for who she is: a woman, beautiful, strong, and ready to compete. Do the right thing for Jenna and countless others."

This post was originally published on Wild Gender.

Emmy Rossum is opening up about her 2010 divorce from music executive Justin Siegel after a year-and-a-half of marriage.

“Everyone messes up in relationships and has peaks and valleys in their personal lives," Rossum said in the latest issue of InStyle Hair. "When I realized it wasn’t the end of the world and I would keep on standing, I knew it was going to be OK.”

After her ex-husband filed for divorce in September 2009, the 25-year-old starlet dated Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz. The pair split in fall 2010 and Rossum has since found love with Tyler Jacob Moore, her co-star on Showtime's "Shameless."

In the same interview, Rossum revealed that she and Moore have double dated with Lady Gaga, whose boyfriend Taylor Kinney appeared on the Showtime hit.

"We stayed in, cooked steaks, and watched 'Shameless,'" the actress said. "It was all very normal, and she is so nice.”

Emmy discreetly married ex-husband Siegel in February 2008 -- few knew the pair had wed until they split. In his divorce filing, Siegal citied irreconcilable differences and requested spousal support, which he was denied when the divorce was finalized in December 2010.

Kim Kardashian's soon-to-be ex-husband, Kris Humphries, recently stripped down for a racy photo spread in WestEast magazine -- a move Team Kardashian calls desperate.

“The pictures are ridiculous and just go to show how far Kris is willing to go to remain in the public spotlight,” a friend of Kim’s tells me. “I haven’t spoken with Kim about them, but you know she will get a good laugh when she sees them.”

It is unclear why Kris decided to pose for steamy pictures at New York's Night Hotel, but the photo shoot's stylist thinks it has something to do with flipping the media script, which has so far portrayed the Nets player as the villain in the breakup.

“He’s a dude, he’s in great shape and very attractive and wanted to show that off," Derek Warburton tells me. "He was getting pulverized week after week on the cover of every magazine, and he’s cool. I wanted people to see that. This has blown up. Everyone is talking about Kris now.”

However, Kris' rep tells Hollywoodlife.com that the photos had nothing to do with getting back at Kardashian: "The allegations that he’s seeking revenge with this photo shoot are false and we remain adamant that personal issues will be handled by his legal team and not in the media.”

Onlookers are divided over whether the pictures will improve public perception of Humphries.

"The first-ever fashion shoot pictures of Kris Humphries are frankly ridiculous,” Ronn Torossian, CEO of 5WPR tells me. “Humphries looks absurd and I fail to understand why he’d pose for such pictures. Seems Humphries wants his 10 minutes of fame to continue –- and while he’ll forever be known as the Kardashian ex, this shoot will keep him [in] mind. While Humphries is clearly good-looking and in great shape, I fail to understand how he may make money from this –- or who exactly from his fan demographic this photo shoot would appeal to.”

Cooper Lawrence, author of "The Cult of Celebrity," said he thinks this is the first step for Humphries to regain control of his image.

“He was completely emasculated by Kim and her family," Lawrence tells me. "It’s really important for him to take back some of his image, some of his manhood, some of his feeling like a sexy, desirable human being. I think she really duped him and hurt him. He seems to be as naïve as everyone says and I think this is his look at the moment to take back some of his self worth."