The Aerosmith saga is taking yet another ugly turn. Even though front man Steven Tyler finally did the right thing and got himself into rehab for substance abuse, it looks like the rest of Aerosmith doesn’t want to wait around for him to get better and return to the band. Maybe ther were miffed by Steven’s pre-rehab rantings about taking a two-year hiatus to work on “Brand Tyler.” Rolling Stone reported that Joe Perry and the rest of the guys have been approaching other singers, including Lenny Kravitz and former Bad Company front man Paul Rodgers about replacing Tyler. This prompted Tyler to call his new manager from rehab, who issued a scathing letter threatening legal action if Aerosmith records or tours without him. The gloves are off!

Steven Tyler’s new manager has sent a letter to Aerosmith’s management threatening legal action if the band makes good on their promise to tour with a new singer, Billboard reports. In the letter, manager Skip Miller asserts that Tyler is synonymous with Aerosmith: “Can you imagine the manager of the Rolling Stones calling for the replacement of Mick Jagger?” Miller writes. “Steven is Aerosmith, along with the others. He’s the guy the public knows. He’s the singer.”

As Rolling Stone previously reported, prior to entering rehab for an addiction to prescription pain medicine, Tyler vowed to stay in Aerosmith, saying in a statement, “I wish to set the record straight and say that I have read reports of a rumored two-year hiatus and want to be clear that this is completely false and I will enthusiastically be writing, recording and performing with Aerosmith as soon as things are handled.” Miller’s letter reiterated Tyler’s sentiment, noting, “Steven Tyler does not want lawsuits. We do not want to go in that direction. The direction we want is Aerosmith, with Steven Tyler, touring in Europe, touring Latin America, releasing a new album… This is the direction it’s all intended to go,” Billboard reports.

Tyler has made a few unexpected public appearances while in rehab, first singing at a local pub’s karaoke night and then surprising Home Depot shoppers with an impromptu performance over the hardware store’s loudspeaker system. His bandmates, meanwhile, are rumored to have asked vocalists like Billy Idol, Lenny Kravitz (who declined) and Paul Rodgers to fill in for Tyler on the road while the frontman works on “Brand Tyler.”

Miller has asked for a February 9th meeting to discuss the future of Aerosmith with all five members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band and asserted that their public singer search constitutes “acts and conduct to the harm and detriment of your own client, Aerosmith, and our client who is one of its members.”

[From Rolling Stone]

Look. Aerosmith was a great band once upon a time. They wrote some timeless songs, and they made a crapload of money. I’d rather see the band break up than hire someone like Billy Idol to come in and sing “Dream On.” Are you kidding me? I say, let Steven Tyler get his head together, and if they all still feel like playing together, great. If not, then kiss Aerosmith good night and move on. Not to feed Tyler’s ego or anything, but he’s absolutely right. Aerosmith isn’t Aerosmith without him- just like Queen wasn’t Queen without Freddie Mercury.

Steven Tyler in New York on November 9, 2009, and in Vegas on July 24, 2009. Credit: WENN.

We told you earlier this week about how “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell is acting like a diva in his final year on the show, much to the irritation of new judge Ellen Degeneres. Now, new reports say that it’s gotten so bad on set, Ellen and Simon aren’t speaking.

While the singers have provided enough entertainment this season, the real show is behind the scenes where Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres are no longer speaking to each other, RadarOnline.com is reporting exclusively.

“Their relationship started poorly but now the situation has escalated,” a source familiar with the situation told RadarOnline.com

Widespread reports said that Simon arrived an hour and a half later for Idol’s first taping with Ellen, which has not aired yet. Those same reports claimed that Ellen was greatly annoyed and things were off to a very bad start with Simon.

But a source who was at the taping says the reports of Simon’s late arrival are greatly exaggerated. “He showed up exactly 14 minutes late,” said one person who was there.

The show started taping without Simon, a move that immediately polarized Ellen and Simon. “People were surprised the show started without Simon,” said one observer.

The tension between Simon and Ellen escalated instantly due to the situation and quickly it became apparent that when the cameras stopped recording they were not speaking to each other.

“There’s two camps on the show this season,” said an Idol insider. “It’s a lot more tense than previous seasons. It seems as if Ellen has decided to try to take control since Simon is on his way out and that’s created problems.”

[From Radar Online]

So far, the judges’ table this season has been the least interesting thing about the show, and I hope it stays that way. Why does this show even need judges? What do they offer? In these early stages of the show, it’s all manipulated by the show’s producers anyway. I think this is a sign that the show is on life support- but of course, we’ll have to see the ratings numbers before that conversation happens, right?

Meanwhile, Neil Patrick Harris seemed to fit right in as a guest judge in last night’s episode. Harris didn’t have any problem disagreeing with Simon on a few occasions, but he also didn’t hesitate to tell any of the contestants when they sucked.

At one point Patrick Harris said, with seeming sincerity, “I’m scared to disagree with him” - “him” being Simon, of course - before the camera cut to Simon rolling his eyes.

In fact, we’d just seen NPH disagree with Simon half a dozen times.

In response to one contestant, whose audition we don’t get to see, NPH says “I thought you were just great.”

Simon’s reaction? “I get absolutely nothing out of that audition, I’m afraid.”

NPH’s vote? “Yes!”

Simon’s vote? “No.”

In one instance this devolved into what Simon called “Mutiny on the panel!” but was in fact just the other three disagreeing with him about Kimberly Carver, a strong singer who performed a jazzy number she’d written herself.

Over Simon’s objections that this was not “Jazz TV,” which he said with a derogatory sneer (sorry, Miles Davis and John Coltrane!), the other three passed Carver through.

And she wasn’t the first contestant to gush over NPH when she ran out and told her family, “Thank god for Neil Patrick Harris! I’m going to have to go back and watch ‘Doogie Howser’ again.”

The guest also was assertive about getting his say. At one point we saw Simon ask Randy for his verdict on an auditioner, apparently before Patrick Harris had weighed in. “Don’t I get to say anything?” he cut in. “Jeez Louise, you invite a guest judge on . . . .”

And he had good reason to demand his say: His critiques were spot-on.

[From NY Daily News]

Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing him as a permanent fixture on the show!

It’s so hard to believe a single word that comes out of Tila Tequila’s mouth. The woman will do or say absolutely anything for attention. So you can understand why it’s hard to believe that she is pregnant, even when she might be telling the truth and has proof to back it up. We’ve been hearing various pregnancy rumors from Tila for a couple of months now. The first time, she said she was going to be a surrogate for her brother. She backtracked on that and said no, she wasn’t pregnant but was looking into being a surrogate. Now, she’s flashing a sonogram around to the tabloids and saying that she and late heiress Casey Johnson were planning a family together.

Tila Tequila has been hinting at and tweeting about a possible pregnancy for months, with many speculating the reality TV star is not with child, but rather just desperate for attention.

But now, in an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com, Tila, whose real name is Thien Thanh Nguyen, claims she is in fact pregnant and in her first trimester — and to prove it, she even produces a sonogram.

So is Tila really pregnant? Only time will tell given Tila’s often erratic and eccentric behavior in the past. But she says doubters can be assured it’s her actual ultrasound photo because the first two letters of her last name are seen on the upper left hand corner of the photo, which is customary in many ultrasound photos.

Visible in the photo is the gestational sac, which is the earliest sonographic finding of a pregnancy.

Tila, appearing happy and excited, shares with RadarOnline.com, “I know the whole world is confused as to why I am pregnant while I was still engaged to Casey. They wonder if I cheated on her. Well, while Casey and I were engaged, the world doesn’t know that Casey and I talked a lot about our future.

“She and I were both ready to get married and start a family together. That is why she was fighting so hard to get her daughter Ava back and wanted me to adopt Ava so that I would officially be Ava’s mother too! Aside from that we talked about one of us getting pregnant so we can have another baby of our own. We talked about this for a very long time, and we both agreed that I would be the one carrying the baby.

“So that is the reason why I got pregnant. It was for Casey and I, and that is also why I was so devastated when she passed away because now I have our baby in my belly, but she has passed away.”

Tila says that even though her heart is broken by the death of her beloved “wifey” she plans to be strong for their unborn baby and shares that Casey recently came to her in a dream, telling her not to cry anymore, assuring her that she is watching over her and telling her to just take care of their baby.

“I would wake up crying, and go to bed crying,” Tila says. “We had it all planned out, but now I am left alone as a single mother without her. I am crying right now just talking about this because this is something that the public did not know.

“We were so excited to be mothers and she was so excited to help me through the pregnancy. I will never forget her telling me ‘You are going to be the cutest pregnant girl in the whole world in your pink Teletubby pajamas! I love you so much!’

“But this story breaks my heart. This baby was planned. This baby, which I am currently carrying, was for Casey and I to start our family together. I am still devastated that she’s gone now, however, she came to me in a dream one night when I hit rock bottom. I couldn’t get over the fact that my wife has passed away right when I was pregnant. However, in my dream, she told me not to cry anymore and not to worry. She told me she is in heaven now watching over me and always and forever protecting me and our baby. She then handed the baby over to me, kissed me, and said “I love you T, please don’t cry anymore! Just take care of our baby.” Then that was it.”

“When one life is gone, another one is born… Now I am no longer sad that Casey is gone. She is with me forever now through this baby. As for the baby’s Father… well… that’s a whole other story that I would like to keep private.

“She told me that since I would be the one carrying the baby, that I could choose who I want the father to be, and so I did. That is all I can tell you, however what I can say is that my baby’s father, God Bless him, is definitely someone ‘known’ and definitely someone in the ‘Entertainment Industry’”

[From Radar Online]

As if that isn’t terrifying enough, there’s speculation that the sperm donor for this alleged child is none other than “Girls Gone Wild” douchebag Joe Francis. Francis is bankrolling Tila’s website - doesn’t that make a lot of sense? And also, Tila is Tweeting like crazy about the “baby daddy,” even saying that she wants to marry him.

With the news that Tila Tequila is “100% pregnant,” many are wondering who fathered the child. Tila keeps dropping hints, saying the dad “is definitely someone ‘known’ and definitely someone in the ‘Entertainment Industry.’” Not long after Tequila’s fiancée Casey Johnson passed away, it was revealed that Girls Gone Wild’s Joe Francis may have been “the secret architect” behind the now infamous engagement announcement video as a way to hype Tequila’s recently launched web site, which is financed by Francis. Additionally, Tequila says that Francis was the one who informed her of Johnson’s death, and that she “hid” at his house afterward. Could this latest development be another—and decidedly more desperate and “bad idea jeans”—machination to gain publicity for Tequila and Francis’ business?

The normally prolific Tequila has been posting, with even more frequency, both on her blog about her unborn child (”[T]his baby….saved Mommy’s life, because many times before, Mommy has wanted to kill herself….but now with my baby….Mommy is going to live a long happy life now and be with my child”), as well as on her Twitter account. And although she’s insisted that she’s now “retiring” from Hollywood to be a mother, and will not “exploit” her baby, she can’t seem to control her virtual diarrhea, as evidenced by her manic Tweeting on the subject.

[From Jezebel via GossipRocks]

For now, I’m just going to continue to be in denial about it and chalk it up to yet another publicity stunt. I mean, we are talking about a woman who posted photos of herself crying in bed after her “girlfriend” of a few weeks died. She has absolutely no shame and will stop at nothing to keep herself in the spotlight. Now, if in a few months she is posting pictures of her “baby bump,” I suppose I will have to believe it…but even then, I’ll still be skeptical. But just in case: Is there a way for Child Protective Services to be in the delivery room? With parents like these two, this child- if there even IS one - is doomed.

The latest report coming from People actually made me kind of sick to my stomach. Apparently, Elin Nordegren is seriously thinking about staying married to her now-infamous womanizer husband, Tiger Woods, because she doesn’t want their children to be raised in a broken home. Yep, that’s right - she’s trying to save her marriage for the sake of the kids.

Elin Nordegren is hoping to save her marriage to Tiger Woods because she doesn’t want to raise their two children without a father.

“Elin wants a solid family life,” a Florida source tells PEOPLE. “She was a child of divorce and felt her dad slighted her. She absolutely does not want that to happen to Sam and Charlie. So she wants to keep her family together even if she and Tiger live together as friends instead of lovers.”

During the past week, Nordegren, 30, reportedly visited her husband at the Gentle Path sexual addiction clinic in Hattiesburg, Miss., where he has been getting treatment.

During the middle of the six-week counseling session, a patient’s spouse is invited to visit for about a week, according to a former patient of the alcohol addiction section of the Hattiesburg clinic.

“This is the rough part where the patient has to admit to his wife that he [cheated],” the former patient tells PEOPLE.

Tiger Wants to Stay Married
Woods, according to a Florida insider, also wants to hold onto his family and will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

Tiger wants to go back to being a golf star with major endorsements,” the insider tells PEOPLE. “He wants his clients, who have kids of their own, to think he is a good family man. He had hoped all along that his wife’s initial furor would die down so they could discuss the situation and behave rationally.”

Adds the insider, “Keeping the family together is very important to Tiger so he is doing whatever it takes to keep Elin from leaving him and taking the kids.” (Sam is 2, and Charlie is 11 months.)

If Nordegren does decides to continue the marriage, she would likely put on a happy face, take care of children and continue taking courses at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., while Woods would go back to playing golf and fulfilling his endorsement contracts, according to the insider

“Elin is as smart as a whip and a wonderful, caring mother,” the insider says. “She is a special kid, well educated and capable. But she could be lonely forever.”

[From People]

Because Tiger’s such a great dad, right? Not only did he cheat on their mother while she was carrying both of them, he was so distracted by chasing skanks throughout their young lives that he hardly had any time for them. And you know, if the marriage, children, endorsements, and opinions of other golfers mean so much to Tiger, maybe he should have thought of all that before he started whoring around behind his wife’s back. But forget all that - Elin doesn’t want them to be stigmatized by a divorce and is even willing to live together with Tiger as friends in order to keep the home together.

It makes me sad that Elin is willing to put her own personal happiness and dignity aside in this situation. It may seem like she is doing her children a favor in the short term, but I can’t imagine her being happy in a loveless marital arrangement for long. It doesn’t seem fair to me that Elin should be the one making concessions here after being wronged so publicly. Maybe Tiger is telling her all the right things, fresh from his sex rehab, but does anyone really think he can change?

The possibly estranged wife of Charlie Sheen, Brooke Mueller, has been discharged from an L.A. hospital after being treated for pneumonia brought on by an oral infection. Mueller’s mom told E! News that she is hoping to take Brooke to a spa where she can recuperate in privacy and rebuild her immune system. Hopefully there is a spa somewhere that can build up Mueller’s immunity to her scary husband.

Brooke Mueller is one step closer to reunion and reconciliation.

E! News confirms that Charlie Sheen’s 32-year-old wife was released from the Los Angeles hospital where she spent most of last week in ICU for pneumonia in both of her lungs.

The embattled couple will return to an Aspen courtroom on Feb. 8 to try to have the state-mandated order of protection stemming from their Christmas Day debacle lifted.

In the meantime, Brooke is jetting off to an undisclosed spa for a little time off, her mother, Moira Fiore, tells E! News.

“Brooke is going to get some rest and relaxation,” she says. “We’re hoping to go to a spa, if she doesn’t get scared off.”

Fiore kept a tight lip about their actual destination, though.

“We’re going somewhere; I don’t want to say where right now. I don’t want a lot of people there,” she says.

Mueller contracted pneumonia due to an oral infection from having a wisdom tooth extracted.

While she continues the recuperation process, the couple’s twin boys are staying with their famous father.

In the meantime, Charlie’s ex-wife Denise Richards is on Oprah today talking about her relationship with the actor and father of her two daughters.

[From E!Online]

Here’s a question - why is Brooke’s mother talking to the press at all? It’s not going to be tough for tabloid reporters to track her movements now - sure, there are a lot of spas in the world but there are only a few really high-end ones that cater to celebrities. It’s fine that Brooke is focused on getting better and getting some rest, but I don’t think a massage and a pedicure are going to help solve her dilemma. Instead, perhaps her mom should be getting her some counseling and into a support system for women in abusive relationships. It still makes me ill to think that Charlie Sheen will probably walk out of this whole situation smelling like a rose, free to be a big bully once again, while Brooke is trying to repair her reputation and regain her health. It doesn’t seem very fair.

Paula Abdul walked away from her gushy gig as the “nice” (read: loopy) judge on “American Idol,” and now that move appears to be paying off. Amid rumors that Paula’s old frenemy Simon Cowell is trying to lure her onto his new “X Factor” show, it’s also being reported that ABC is heavily courting her, both for that show and for their hit talent show “Dancing With the Stars.” The rumor is, ABC is offering Paula a cool $1 million development deal to do both shows. No word on whether she’d be a contestant or a judge.

Paula Abdul has a million reasons to appear on “Dancing with the Stars.”

ABC has offered Abdul a $1,000,000 development deal, with one catch — she has to appear on “DWTS,” sources tell TMZ.

ABC has been going after Paula for a few years now, trying to get her on “DWTS.”

According to the proposed deal, ABC would allow Paula to do “The X Factor” with Simon Cowell. We’re told Simon and Paula met a week ago to discuss the show, and it looks like it will happen.

Paula has to make a quick decision — we’re told the ABC offer is contingent on Paula doing “DWTS” this season, which starts in March.

A rep for ABC says they don’t comment on prospective cast members.

[From TMZ]

Who knew that Paula Abdul would be in such high demand? Seriously - if you or I showed up to our job barely able to speak in coherent sentences, would anyone be flashing a seven-figure paycheck in our faces? Sometimes, Hollywood baffles me. But hey - if ABC is looking for loopy, they hit the jackpot. And Paula does have a lot of loyal fans who will probably follow her to her next gig. I guess as long as ABC understands what they’re getting with Paula, it’s all good.

Photo note by Kaiser: Damn, Paula looks great in these photos! Here’s Paula leaving Larry King’s studio on january 18, 2010. Credit: Pacific Coast News.

Former “Cheers” star Kirstie Alley isn’t just fighting with her weight or the National Enquirer. She’s engaged in a weird, vicious Twitter war with “The View” host Joy Behar, whom she has nicknamed “Joy Bewhore.” Wow, it’s like 7th grade all over again, except the mean girls aren’t cheerleaders - they’re ugly, aging harpies with Internet access! Huffington Post explains:

In the wasteland of Kirstie Alley’s prolific Twitter activity lies a feud with Joy Behar, seemingly over the talk show host’s coverage of Tiger Woods on ‘The Joy Behar Show.’

“and WHY has Joy Behar turned into such a self righteous cooz head? OOOOooo that’s right…..FOREVER!!!,” Kirstie tweeted earlier this month. “CHEATING is between a husband and wife. Not TMZ and Joy Bewhore…God, I want to bash her in the vagina with her microphone.”

Kirstie’s followers let her know she sounded insane, to which Kirstie responded that Joy “already WENT after me several times.”

Joy managed to ignore Kirstie’s rant until Friday.

“Kirstie Alley calls me Joy Bewhore. Compliments! Compliments!” she tweeted.

This is not the first time Kirstie has gotten into it with a talk show host. She went after “Conan O’Bitch O’Brian” on Twitter in November after he poked fun at her weight.

Kirstie’s loopy tweeting has targeted others, including former Cheers costar Kelsey Grammer.

“@Kelsey_Grammer Kelsey..come over and make out with me…tell your wife it’s for old times sake..she’ll be cool with it,” she tweeted Monday night.

It comes as no surprise that Kirstie’s A&E weight loss reality show premieres this spring.

“Having fun watching my body melt away in a healthy fun way…this zone is the one I want to live in..THE GUILT FREE ZONE..ra ra aaa Roma Rom,” she tweeted Monday. “My new show starts to air in March on A&E..you can watch the fat melt away for yourself…lol…”

[From Huffington Post]

Did Kirstie attend the Tila Tequila school of self-promotion recently? You know, the “Bash another celebrity, followed with a shameless plug” tactic Tila loves so much. At this point, are there even people out there who remember who Kirstie Alley was - enough to market a show around her? Well, I guess if Danny Bonaduce and Scott Baio can have a show, Kirstie can, too. But I’m not looking forward to “watching the fat melt away.” That sounds kind of graphic for me. I mean, I can barely handle “Hoarders” as it is. I would, however, tune in to see Kirstie and Joy in a cage match. I happen to think they are both hideous, inside and out. But Joy’s from Brooklyn - I believe she’d administer quite the beatdown.

Kirstie Alley in Hollywood on January 14, 2010. Credit: Ben Dome, Matt Smith @ Pacific Coast News.

Now that Simon Cowell has made public his plans to leave “American Idol,” the show that made him a household name in the U.S., he’s becoming even more of a high-maintenance diva than before. One person who isn’t appreciating his on-set antics is Ellen Degeneres, the show’s new judge. Ellen has made a lot of schedule re-arrangements with her daytime talk show to join the show and isn’t happy when Simon is hours late for taping. Who could blame her? Sources also say that Cowell’s relationship with the show’s co-creator and exec producer Simon Fuller is also strained. The reason: the two men are in a heated tug-of-war over legendary music producer and Sony Music CEO Tommy Mottola. Fuller wants Mottola to replace Simon Cowell on Idol, but Cowell wants the industry giant as a judge on his new version of “X Factor.” Cage match alert!

EXCLUSIVE: It was American Idol’s newest judge Ellen DeGeneres’ first day of the 9th season’s taping of the Hollywood segment, and she was excited and nervous, sources tell us. But then that turned to anger. Because, our insiders say, Simon Cowell was an hour and a half late for the taping. And Ellen stewed while she waited. She had reason: to accomodate both her talk show hosting duties and her American Idol judging duties, she had moved up her schedule so that now she shot the talk show earlier in the day and then jumped in the car to go to Idol. She was on time, and Cowell was not. “Here it was the first day of taping of the Hollywood shows, and Ellen was there waiting for Simon to show up. Ellen’s new to the gig and she’s very organized and she made a commitment to take this on, and now she’s asking herself, ‘What did I get myself into?’ She called Simon Cowell a prima donna. So right from the start, the chemistry isn’t great,” an insider tells us.

With that, Ellen Degeneres contacted the pal who brought her to the primetime hit show, Fox alternative programming chief Mike Darnell, and made a request: she asked him to “hurry up and pick” Simon’s successor. Cowell has told the world this will be his last season judging Idol to do his own U.S. version of The X Factor. But there’s a problem, a big multi-pronged one, and it involves Ellen vs Simon, and Simon Fuller vs Simon Cowell, and American Idol vs The X Factor as well.

Our sources say that American Idol’s first choice to succeed Cowell is former Sony music chief Tommy Mottola, best known to the public as Mariah Carey’s controlling ex-husband and the controversial boss of Michael Jackson and Michael George who presided not so much over their musical heydays but mostly their scandal-plagued aftermaths. But get this — Cowell has also designated Mottola as first choice to be a judge on Simon’s American X Factor just announced.

Cowell is reportedly being paid nearly $175 million for launching the new talent search show in the Fall of 2011. (Cowell didn’t own American Idol and only gets paid to appear on it, but he does own X Factor and the whole brand. It is currently shown in 17 countries worldwide and is the No. 1 TV entertainment format in Europe. The X Factor format is owned by Syco, a global music, television and film production joint venture between Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment.)

Execs behind American Idol and The X Factor want a high-profile music industry professional to give some gravitas. And our sources say Mottola, who hasn’t made headlines since he left Sony and started a new music label, is loving this situation. He’s in the middle of an American TV tug of war!

According to our insiders, Fox, Darnell, and Fremantle’s American Idol producers have “come up with a list of 25 people” led by the 60-year-old Tommy Mottola, co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He’s also been a guest on Idol. Viwers of the show know him as Mariah’s ex but also as the current husband of Mexican singer Thalía. True, he’s a music legend in his own right for heading up Sony Music Entertainment, parent of the Columbia label, for 15 years. But ever since leaving, he’s been on the downlow. “What’s he doing now? Good question. He’s got some label. But in truth he hasn’t done much,” one of our sources shrugged. Mottola also is known as a mentor and former talent manager. His most famous proteges were Hall & Oates, Carly Simon, John Mellencamp, Diana Ross, and Taylor Dayne as well as Mariah Carey in the 1990s, and Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Lopez in the early 2000s.

Cowell’s music background and blunt assessments anchor American Idol, “but he’s also a music industry insider and Mottola fits that bill. And he certainly knows how to find young talent,” our source explained. “Mottola is frontrunner for Idol, but when Simon became aware of this, he began trying to get Tommy to team with him and Paula Abdul for his new show The X Factor.” Our insider feel there is the very real likelihood that Paula Abdul will sign for big dough to reteam with Cowell.

Let’s not forget also there is real rivalry between The Two Simons: Simon Cowell and American Idol’s Simon Fuller. (See SHOW THEM THE MONEY: Is Simon Fuller’s Sweetened TV Deal Richer Than Cowell’s?) Cowell turned down $100 million to stay on Idol. But if he signs Abdul and starts his X Factor with two of the three original American Idol judges, this poses a real threat to Fuller. Especially since two of the original three Idol judges are gone, leaving only original judge Randy Jackson and last season’s new judge Kara DioGuardi — both well-known musicians and record producers — and this season’s new non-music-biz judge Ellen DeGeneres, who is 51 and receives a reported $5 million-a-year for the gig.

As for Ellen vs Simon, even before cameras rolled DeGeneres was marketing herself counter to Cowell. “I think he’s mean and I think he says things in an insensitive way and I don’t think that’s the way to get a point across,” she told one interviewer. “I’m going to be brutally honest, in a kind way.” But even then, as one newspaper noted, “the chemistry between these two stars will be a key plotline.” Still, Fox and the show’s suits are handling her with kid gloves because of the cross-promotion benefits expected between Idol and her successful talk show. (DeGeneres has said repeatedly that she plans to book Idol contestants the day after they’re booted.) So, like her or not, and a lot of fans have voiced their disapproval, she is the show’s future, and Cowell is its past.

“Mottola is in the middle of all that and beneficiary of it. Mottola has remarkable leverage because of this tug of war and will get a big payday from somebody,” our source predicted.

[From Deadline Hollywood]

Things sure have a way of getting ugly when huge amounts of money are involved, eh? As for Simon vs. Ellen, I think it may be overblown, but given Ellen’s tight schedule on both shows, the least Simon could do is show up on time and respect her. The interview I read with both of them in Entertainment Weekly seemed very friendly - Ellen even said her goal was to get Simon to dance by the end of the season. Of course, things can be completely different behind the closed doors of a TV set, right? Either way, Simon seems like he can’t wait to get the hell off “Idol,” but that doesn’t mean “X Factor” is a guaranteed hit. He might want to think twice about burning bridges with Fuller and with Fox!

EW cover courtesy of CoverAwards.

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles: legendary boozer Keith Richards has given up alcohol after seeing the complete train wreck of a life his band-mate Ronnie Wood has made for himself. Sources say that Richards, who famously was so drunk that he didn’t remember composing the guitar lick for the Rolling Stones’ signature song “Satisfaction,” is now retracting his previous vow to drink until the end of his life, thanks to Ron Wood’s non-stop drunken tour of elderly embarrassment that included an affair with a woman young enough to be his grand-daughter.

Keith Richards hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol for over four months, despite previously vowing to drink forever after outliving several doctors who had told him to give up it up.

But four years ago Richards, who has a face like a crinkle cut chip, suffered a brain haemorrhage after he fell out of a palm tree on an alcohol soaked holiday with Wood. And now he’s determined not to end up like Wood, who’ll be partying with The Saturdays and Amelle Berrabah by the end of this week.

A source said:

“He has always quite enjoyed the fact that he seemed to be able to carry on drinking as much as he liked with no real negative impact on his health.

“But he has watched Ronnie fall well and truly off the wagon last year and he doesn’t like what he sees. Plus he has started to feel for the first time like it might do him some good to give up the booze for a while.”

[From Holy Moly]

This whole situation with Ron Wood is kind of fascinating to me. It seems like everyone else around him is learning a valuable life lesson. His long-suffering wife, Jo, has learned that her life is much better without him. His now-ex-girlfriend, Katia Ivanova, is learning that she likes being the former girlfriend of “Grandpa Punchy (TM Kaiser),” because it gets her magazine spreads and TV appearances. And Keith Richards has finally woken up to the fact that an old drunk just isn’t cool - even if that old drunk is wearing leather pants. This is pretty big news. I mean, we’re talking about a guy who allegedly snorted his dad’s cremated remains. I guess the next question is: when will Ron Wood himself learn something?

Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan is embroiled in a shocking family drama. Over the weekend, Kerrigan’s father, Daniel, died of a massive heart attack following an argument and shoving match with Nancy’s brother, Mark. Mark was later arrested in connection to the death. Police say Mark was intoxicated. It all went down in Nancy’s childhood home in Woburn, Massachusetts.

Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan’s brother Mark Kerrigan is charged with one count of assault and battery with serious bodily injury in connection with the Sunday morning death in Stoneham, Massachusetts of the family’s 70-year-old father, Daniel.

Mark, 45, had been arguing with his father in the kitchen area of the home and “pushing him back and forth” when he collapsed, according to the Boston Herald, quoting a five-page police report of the incident. Police said they had to subdue him — as he appeared to be intoxicated — with pepper spray.

Mark told police, according to the report, that put he placed his “hands around his father’s neck,” during the conflict, and believed his father was “faking it” when he fell to the ground.

He was booked into custody at 4 p.m. EST Sunday, My Fox Boston reported.

Daniel Kerrigan’s widow, Brenda, told the paper her husband died of a “massive heart attack.”

“This is a very difficult time for me,” she said, before her son’s arrest had been made public. “He had a heart attack. That’s what it was.”

Mark Kerrigan is in police custody; he’s appearing in Woburn Court Monday morning in Woburn, Massachusetts to face the charge; Daniel Kerrigan’s funeral is slated for Thursday.

[From Radar Online]

The police report also said that it took four policemen to remove Mark Kerrigan from the home where his father died, and that he had been living there temporarily. He also has a police record and has previously served prison time. Understandably, Nancy Kerrigan hasn’t issued a statement on the incident - I’m sure she’s devastated. Kerrigan lives about 10 minutes away from her parents, is married and has three young children.