99.5 WYCD, Detroit's Best Country Music! - Rachael's Entertainment News for Thursday, March 27, 2008

Rachael's Entertainment News for Thursday, March 27, 2008

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora has apparently fallen off the wagon. Sambora, who spent the summer at the Cirque Lodge rehab center for alcohol addiction, was busted for DUI in Laguna Beach, CA, on Tuesday. Cops pulled Sambora over after they allegedly spotted him driving erratically in a black Hummer. After failing several field sobriety tests, he was detained. At the station, he decided against a breathalyzer, and instead submitted to a blood test. He was released at 4 am Wednesday morning. In addition to DUI, Sambora could be facing charges of child endangerment because his 10-year-old daughter Ava (mom is Heather Locklear) was in the car with him, along with another child and an adult woman.

Tonight's season finale of The Celebrity Apprentice pits our own Trace Adkins against Piers Morgan from the competition show America's Got Talent. Each celeb is playing for a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice. In Adkins' case, it's the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network or FAAN. The singer's six-year-old daughter is highly allergic to peanut butter, eggs and milk.

Ellen DeGeneres is more popular than Oprah Winfrey, at least according to a new AOL Television poll. 46% of those surveyed by the web site named DeGeneres as their favorite TV host, compared to just 19% for Winfrey.

Kenny Chesney will stage what he calls "Big Star Competition" talent contests to find local opening acts for his Poets & Pirates tour. The stadium tour stops will feature a battle of the bands the night before the actual concert, while arena shows will have theirs a few weeks out in a local club. The local winners will compete for the grand prize of $25,000, an audition for Sony BMG execs and a tour bus for an entire weekend while they open the final three shows of the Poets & Pirates tour in Tulsa, St. Louis and Indianapolis. The Poets & Pirates tour is set to kick off on April 18th.

Phil Vassar rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange this morning, appearing as a spokesperson for GM Chevy. Later tonight Phil will play a special acoustic show for New Yorkers at the Highline Ballroom. In addition to his hits, Vassar will showcase music from his upcoming studio album, Prayer Of A Common Man, due in stores April 22.

American Idol judge Paula Abdul will switch networks to headline the 13th Annual Today Show Concert Series on NBC. According to the Associated Press, Abdul will kick off the series, which takes place outside the Today studios in New York City, on April 25th. She recently issued her first new single in a decade, "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," produced by fellow Idol judge Randy Jackson. Teen sensation Miley Cyrus will perform for Today on July 25th, with Sheryl Crow slotted for August 1st. Other performers include Ashlee Simpson, Rascal Flatts, Natasha Bedingfield, Neil Diamond, Mary J. Blige, Alanis Morissette, the B-52s, Donna Summer, Chris Brown, Kenny Chesney, Rihanna and Coldplay, with NBC promising to announce additional acts.

Robin Williams' wife Marsha Garces Williams has filed for divorce from the actor, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple married in April 1989, not long after Robin divorced his first wife Valerie Velardi, whom he was married to for 10 years. Marsha met Robin when she worked as a nanny for his son Zachary, who was born in 1983. Robin and Marsha have two children. Zelda, who is 18 and Cody who is 16.

Paris Hilton is reportedly adding another dog to her collection. The self-declared animal lover -- and PETA-criticized pet owner -- is planning on adopting a West Highland terrier.

Oscar-nominee Amy Madigan has been cast in a recurring role on Grey's Anatomy. The Hollywood Reporter announced that the Gone Baby Gone actress will appear in all five new post-strike episodes of the ABC drama as a psychiatrist. Grey's Anatomy returns to the air on April 24th.

Diane Sawyer of ABC's Good Morning America was the favorite morning news show host with 30 percent of the vote compared to 26 percent for Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira of NBC's Today. Sawyer was also voted the TV host most likely to make a good President. Thirty-four percent chose her, with Winfrey and Comedy Central's Jon Stewart both garnering 32 percent of the votes.

The AOL Television respondents also chose Kelly Ripa of Live with Regis and Kelly as the sexiest talk show host and the one with the best hair. CNN veteran Larry King was named least sexy, while Elisabeth Hasselbeck of ABC's The View was voted worst interviewer. Co-host Whoopi Goldberg was the winner in the vote for who would win an "all-out View smackdown" between Hasselbeck, Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Sherri Shepherd.

What would America's Next Top Model be without Tyra Banks? Well, the public may soon find out because OK! magazine claims that Tyra is ready to bolt the show. The mag reports that Tyra isn't getting along with photo shoot creative director Jay Manuel. "It's gotten so bad that Tyra and Jay aren't speaking," said a source. In addition, claims the insider, "Tyra barely interacts with the contestants and only wants to show up on judging day." OK! says that Tyra's looking for another model to replace her because she'd rather concentrate more time on her talk show. Said the source, "She's putting lots of pressure on her staff to keep her show on the map. She had Barack Obama on, she had Hillary Clinton on - she got a taste of playing with the big boys and now Top Model seems to detract from her big plans."

American Gladiators host Laila Ali is expecting. The former boxer, who is the daughter of Muhammad Ali, tells Essence magazine, "I don't know yet if we are having a boy or a girl, but I'm excited that I have a life inside me that my husband and I created." The former Dancing with the Stars contestant married former NFL star Curtis Conway last July. This is the couple's first child together. Conway has three other children, twin sons, Kelton and Cameron, 13, and a daughter Leilani, 9.
Heather Mills just won't go away. The Mail reports that she's so dissatisfied with her $50 million divorce settlement from Paul McCartney that she's hired forensic accountants to prove that he's worth more than the $800 million he claimed. Mills is desperate to get more money. She's told friends that she can't possibly raise the couple's daughter Beatrice on the $70,000 a year the court granted her. "Heather's thinking is that Bea should not be seen to have a different lifestyle when she is with Heather compared to Paul - and she is going about proving that it is not possible," said a source. "Heather is hoping Paul will discretely make a payment to her annually rather than want to go back to court and rake all this up again." But a legal expert tells The Mail that even if Heather proves Paul's worth more than $800 mil, it may not do her any good, since the judge in the case made his decision based on Heather's need, not what Paul's worth.

What's going on with Katie Holmes? Star magazine claims that the pressure of being married to a superstar like Tom Cruise has gotten to her. Witnesses who spotted her lunching in L.A. recently said she looked exhausted, pale and emaciated. "She gave us a weak smile and wave before leaving out the back door," said a witness, who added that she seemed unsteady and had to be helped to her car by a bodyguard. And that's not her only issue. According to a source, for the past few weeks Katie's been suffering headaches that make her feel faint. The problem? Sources say she's having a hard time keeping up with her energetic husband. "Katie doesn't sleep enough - and hasn't for months now," said a source. "She's tired and drained much of the day because Tom is so wired and they stay awake until after midnight. He has boundless energy, and she just can't compete."

OK! magazine reports that Patrick Swayze's years as a dancer could help him in his battle with pancreatic cancer. A source tells the magazine that the drug he's taking to fight the disease responds better to people who are in good shape. "The drug that Patrick Swayze is talking, Vatalanib, is still in the experimental stage," a doctor from Yale tells the mag. "But recent studies have shown promise for patients taking the drug who are in excellent physical shape."

Sex and the City star Kristen Davis has pimped herself out to raise money for the charity Oxfam. A female fan bid $52,100 for two VIP tix to the movie's New York premiere. She and a friend will accompany Davis on the red carpet, and will also get their hair and make up done professionally and receive a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes.

Eddie Montgomery and his wife Tracy announced plans to raise 3.9 million dollars in the next six months to finish construction of a new year-round camp for chronically or terminally ill children. Camp Horsin' Around has been taking shape on 191 acres in Kentucky since ground was broken last summer. The first of five cabins is under construction. Eddie and his wife, who live near the camp, are honorary co-chairs for the capital campaign. Eddie said in a press conference that he intends to invite other country music artists to visit children at the camp. The project is near to Tracy's heart because her brother, Ralph, died of brain cancer when he was 9. She said, "When he was sick, there wasn't anything like this. He got to where he didn't even want to go out. He would sit in the window and watch everyone play."

Darryl Worley and wife Kimberly are the proud parents of a baby girl! Country Weekly reports Darryl's wife gave birth to Savannah Gail, weighing in at six pounds, six ounces, on Monday night. She is the couple's first child. Darryl reacts, "There are no words to describe what has come into our lives. All I can say is, 'Thank you, Jesus.'"