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Molly Huscroft

Joel Osteen is getting his own reality show

Televangelist teaming up with ‘Survivor’ producer Mark Burnett

Televangelist Joel Osteen will soon be the star of his own reality show.

The Houston-based preacher, and his family have partnered with “Survivor” producer Mark Burnett for a show about Lakewood Church’s mission trips, the Associated Press reports.

The show will focus on “people helping people,” and is expected to air some time in 2012.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the preacher, who leads the largest church in the United States and reaches millions of Americans through his televised Sunday sermons,   has reportedly been approached for several reality shows in the past, but this one caught his attention.

Osteen told Entertainment Tonight, “We have great respect for Mark and we know that the finished product will not only entertain but will illustrate the generosity and selflessness that is a hallmark of the American people.”

Osteen said the yet-to-be-named series would not resemble a typical reality show.
According to CNN Houston affiliate KHOU, Osteen said, “In my mind, when I think of ‘reality’ (show), I think of cameras following you doing nothing. But this is more ‘Extreme (Makeover: Home Edition).’ We’re going with a purpose – with a mission.”

Osteen said the show would feature members of his Lakewood Church in Houston – the country’s largest congregation, seating 16,000 – helping others.

For more information, go here.

Diddy's son receives full scholarship to UCLA

Justin Combs to play football at Division I UCLA

Diddy has plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. Rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs’ son, Justin Combs, has not only been accepted to University of California Los Angeles, but he’ll be attending the university on a full scholarship to play football at the Division I school.

Combs is currently a senior at Iona Prep in New Rochelle, N.Y., where he maintained a 3.75 GPA and is Head of the African American Society. Before he continues his football career at UCLA in fall 2012, he will play in the inaugural Marine Semper Fi All-American Game held in Phoenix, Ariz., on Jan. 3 as part of college football’s Fiesta Bowl Weekend.

According to ESPN.com, Combs chose the Bruins over Virginia, Iowa and Illinois despite UCLA firing head football coach Rick Neuheisel on Monday.

“I was committed before and I just thought I’m still going to go with them because I have faith in the program. I have faith that everything is going to work out,” Combs said, ESPN reports.

Combs plans to study business and finance at the university. He said that his father’s advice was to go wherever he felt was the right place for him to go.

In a statement released by DKC Public Relations, Sean Combs said, “As a parent, today is one of the proudest moments in my life. This is everything a father could want for his son, for him to excel at what he loves to do and is truly passionate about. Justin is a shining example of what hard work, determination and a strong mentality can achieve. I am honored to call him my son and am happy that he is fulfilling his dream.”

Combs’ mother, fashion stylist Misa Hylton, tweeted, “Thank you for all the Love and congrats on Justin’s scholarship. My parenting and his dedication has paid off. God is faithful!”

For more information, go here.

Jay Cutler, Kristin Cavallari engagement back on

The Chicago quarterback and the reality star have decided to tie the knot…again

It’s back on…again?

Reality star Kristin Cavallari has tweeted that her engagement with Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is officially back on.

On Wednesday, “The Hills” star tweeted, “This time its official…Jay and I are engaged again :).”

The couple was engaged earlier this year, but in July, after 10 months together, the couple unexpectedly split, going as far as returning wedding gifts already purchased from their registry.

Fans were thrown off once more in October, when Cutler, 28, made a surprise appearance at “Dancing With the Stars,” while Cavallari, 24, was a contestant. In the past few weeks, the couple has slowly become public again. On Nov. 11 Cutler tweeted, “Dinner date night with @KristinCav. She loves her creamed spinach.”

Rumors of a renewed engagement arose weeks ago, but this is the first confirmed report.

For more information, go here.

Mindy McCready: "I did not steal my child"

Troubled singer says she did not kidnap her son after missing person report filed

Mindy McCready has informed Access Hollywood that she and her five-year-old son are not missing.

The singer is speaking in reference to the police search for McCready and her son, Zander, who both allegedly disappeared Tuesday night in Florida after an apparent dispute between the troubled singer and the court system, People.com reports.

McCready, 36, told Access Hollywood in an e-mail Wednesday, “I am working with my lawyers to try and get all this straightened out. I did not steal my child, as it would be impossible for me to kidnap what already belongs to me! There never was any missing person report and never an Amber Alert.”

According to the Associated Press, however, the Department of Children and Families said that a missing person report was filed in Florida on Tuesday.

McCready, who doesn’t have legal custody of her son but is allowed visitations, was last seen after she picked the child from her father’s Cape Coral, Fla., house. The country star’s parents have custody of the child.

McCready has battled addiction and a series of personal issues over the years. In April 2010, the country star told Access about her time on VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab.”

“Dr. Drew [Pinsky] in giving me a diagnosis, diagnosed me as a person who has co-dependency. The new term is a ‘love-addict.’ It leads you into the wrong relationship and you go from one horrible relationship to another. Then I started drinking too much,” McCready told Access.

In December 2008, the singer was hospitalized after cutting her wrists and taking several pills.

For more information, go here.

Usher's Ex-Wife Files for Full Custody of Sons

Tameka Raymond claims the singer is an unfit father

While Usher’s music continues to be a success, the singer is facing some serious personal troubles. Ex-wife Tameka Raymond has reportedly filed for full custody of their two children.

The couple, who divorced in 2009 after two years of marriage, currently have a joint custody agreement for four-year-old Usher Raymond V and three-year-old Naviyd Ely Raymond.

According to TMZ, the site has obtained court documents where Tameka claims that Usher, 33, has not upheld his responsibilities as a father and she has asked the judge to remove his custodial rights.

Among her list of her ex-husband’s offenses, Tameka has accused the “Let it Burn” singer of failing to inform her when traveling out-of-state with their sons and not asking her approval when employing nannies to look after them.

Tameka also claims that Usher refused to give her permission to take the children on holiday for two weeks in the summer of 2011. In the papers, TMZ reports, Tameka also complained that Usher closed her Saks 5th Avenue credit card.

Tameka was the singer’s stylist before their romance began. Tameka has three sons from previous relationships.

For more information, go here.

Christopher Meloni on True Blood?

Law & Order star in rumored talks with popular HBO show

Christopher Meloni is well known as the handsome Detective Elliot Stabler on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” But his rumored new role will come with a new accessory – fangs.

Rumor has it that the popular TV actor is in talks to join the cast of “True Blood.”
MSNBC.com’s The Clicker reports that according to TV Line’s Michael Ausiello, the actor is currently being considered for a major role in the HBO drama.

Ausiello suggests that Meloni will take on the role of an “incredibly powerful vampire.” However, past rumors that the hit show was seeking a “hard-bodied fiftysomething” for a werewolf in the upcoming season leaves Meloni’s potential role up in the air.

If his “True Blood” role pans out, it will be Meloni’s first return to TV since his left “Law & Order: SVU” after 270 episodes.

The fifth season of “True Blood” premieres in June 2012 on HBO.

For more information on Christopher Meloni and “True Blood,” go here.

Ringling Circus to pay large fine over animal case

Feld Entertainment settles; pays $270K for alleged animal abuse

Feld Entertainment has agreed to settle U.S. government claims that its handlers mistreated animals, the company announced Monday.

The parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is not admitting any wrong doing but will pay a $270,000 civil penalty, the largest ever put on an exhibitor under the federal Animal Welfare Act. Feld Entertainment has long been criticized by animal activists for its treatment of elephants.

According to MSNBC.com, Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement, “This settlement sends a direct message to the public and to those who exhibit animals that USDA will take all necessary steps to protect animals regulated under the Animal Welfare Act. The civil penalty and other stipulations in the settlement agreement will promote a better understanding of the rights and responsibilities of all exhibitors in maintaining and caring for animals under their care.”

The settlement follows several years of federal inspections that discovered what inspectors said were violations of the law, especially regarding how Ringling’s 54 elephants were treated.

The Associated Press cited one inspection that said a 35-year-old Asian elephant was forced to perform despite a diagnosis of sand colic and apparent abdominal discomfort. Circus officials told the inspectors that separating her from the other performing elephants would have been even more distressing to her, MSNBC reports.

Feld Entertainment stated that it stands behind its staff and that it “decided it was more important to focus on the future of its business by continuing to provide the best animal care possible instead of engaging in costly and protracted litigation.”

Noted Feld spokesman Steve Payne said that Feld is countersuing, alleging that the plaintiffs and their lawyers were in a “conspiracy to pay a witness for his testimony.”

For more information, go here.

Police clear out Occupy encampment in two cities

Arrests made in Los Angeles and Philadelphia as police clear out Occupy camps

Large Occupy encampments in Los Angeles and Philadelphia were broken up early Wednesday, as police arrested hundreds of protesters who had been camped out for the past two months.

According to the New York Times, police officers raided the Los Angeles Occupy camp around 12:30 a.m., causing most of the protesters to abandon their tents and gather in large groups in the surrounding streets. When the raid ended several hours later, the police said they had arrested about 200 people. Officers fired bean bag rounds to try to convince some protesters who had climbed trees to vacate the premise. It was not immediately clear if the rounds caused injuries, the Times reports.

1,400 officers had been called in for the operation, more than any event since the Democratic National Convention in 2000. After much of the park around City Hall had been cleared, Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa told reporters he was proud of the way the police had performed, especially of their decision to employ force only as a last resort.

“I said that here in L.A. we’d chart a different path and we did. In my life, I have never seen a more professional, restrained police force,” he said.

In Philadelphia, police officers raided Dilworth Plaza, adjacent to City Hall at about 1 a.m. The raid came more than two days after a city-imposed deadline for the protesters to vacate. A police spokeswoman said that at least 50 people had been arrested and three officers had minor injuries.

Until the last week or so, Philadelphia city officials had maintained a cordial relationship with the demonstrators, even supplying them with electricity, until they needed them to move so that the city could begin a long-planned construction project at the plaza.

In L.A., Villaraigosa had also given the demonstrators a deadline but city officials had given them extra time in order to avoid making arrests, the Times reports. The strategy appeared to have worked as the camp had shrunk to about 250 tents, half of what it had been at its peak.

Villaraigosa said, “We have taken a measured approach to enforcing the park closure because we have wanted to give people every opportunity to leave peacefully.”

For more information, go here.

Kourtney Kardashian Pregnant

Kardashian and long-time love Scott Disick pregnant with second child

Despite all of the bad press surrounding her sister Kim, Kourtney Kardashian has some good news – she is pregnant.

This will be the second child for the reality star, 32, and her longtime boyfriend, Scott Disick, 28, whose son Mason turns two on Dec. 14. The couple, whose relationship has often been rocky, has been together for four years.

While Kardashian first confirmed the news to Us Weekly, the “Kourtney and Kim Take New York” star gave an exclusive statement to E! News, “Scott and I are so excited to announce that we are expecting our second child and are thrilled to be expanding the love in our family.

“I’m nine weeks along,” she told Us, “You’re supposed to wait 12 weeks to tell people, but I feel confident.”

Kardashian recently started a web series on E! Online entitled, “Kourtney’s Mommy Blog,” in which she shares what she’s learned raising Mason, her kid tips and parenting philosophy.

For more information on Kourtney, go here.

Bobby Valentine is new Red Sox manager

New manager to increase Sox-Yankees rivalry

The newest member of the Red Sox is adding more tension to the famous rivalry between the Boston team and the New York Yankees – new manager Bobby Valentine.

According to the New York Times, Valentine was hired Tuesday by the Red Sox, the Yankees biggest rival in the American League East.

Valentine, 61, who managed the New York Mets for six years, created a cross-town rivalry with his taunting of the Yankees. He will now do so from Boston, with a more expensive and talented team.

A new manager was needed after the team decided not to pick up the option on former manager Terry Francona’s contract following a disappointing season in which the Red Sox were eliminated from playoff contention on the final day of the season. Soon after, reports of pitchers drinking beer and eating chicken in the clubhouse during games arose.

Valentine was not among the list of contenders for manager as of a month ago, according to the Times. But with the team in a state of disorder, it was decided that a more experienced and charismatic manager was necessary.

Valentine will come to Boston will more than 3,000 games managed for the Texas Rangers, the Mets and the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan. It has been nine years since Valentine has managed a major league baseball team. After leaving Japan after the 2009 season, Valentine has since worked as an analyst for ESPN.

After meeting with three key members of the Red Sox ownership group – president Larry Lucchino, John Henry and Tom Werner – Valentine had an eight-hour interview with Ben Cherington, the Sox’ general manager. Reports say Valentine impressed with his insight, enthusiasm and understanding of baseball.

For more information on Valentine and the Red Sox, go here.