Grammy gossip
Kanye West, who hasn’t been announced as an official performer, will sing a tribute to his late mother, Donda (left), for Sunday’s show, according to People. An insider told the magazine that West rehearsed a medley of his hits “Stronger” and “Hey Mama” on Thursday at L.A.’s Staples Center.
Chris Daughtry (left) told AP he’s worried his band’s four nods will be cut from the show because of back-to-back performances. “I’ve heard that we may not be shown,” says Daughtry, who then jokingly took a cue from the often-cocky West: “You may see us on the red carpet and peace out, because we probably already took home all four.”
Amy Winehouse (left), who’ll sing via satellite from a London studio despite receiving her U.S. visa late Friday, said she’s “raring to go and really excited to be performing at my first Grammy Awards,” People reports. “I’m really sorry I can’t be there, but I appreciate that I’m being given a second chance via satellite.”
The brawl guy
You’re a gardener, not a fighter, Jesse.
A video posted Friday on tmz.com shows Jesse Metcalfe (above) of “Desperate Housewives” getting into a fight outside a club in L.A. — he was knocked on his butt.
But security intervened and the actor’s pretty face seemed to escape relatively unscathed.
TMZ identified the other guy as British rapper wannabe, Mams Taylor.
The fierce 5
“Project Runway” contestants showed their collections Friday at New York Fashion Week, and the star of the show was … Victoria Beckham (right).
Posh Spice served as a guest judge for the two-part finale, which airs Feb. 27 and March 5, according to The Associated Press.
All five remaining contestants — Rami Kashou, Jillian Lewis, Chris March, Christian Siriano and Kathleen “Sweet P” Vaughn — showed collections, but Bravo will televise only three of the runway shows. The other two collections serve as decoys so “Project Runway” fans won’t know who’s in the top three until the finale.
Beckham said one of the collections clearly was her favorite.
“That one person really made me smile,” Beckham said. “Everything I saw, I would wear myself.”
DEAL OR NO DEAL?
The end might be near for Hollywood’s writers’ strike.
The major studios and the Writers Guild of America are putting the finishing touches on a deal that could bring an end to the costly walkout, the L.A. Times reported Friday.
The two sides were expected to finalize Friday a three-year contract that guild leaders planned to present to thousands of writers in L.A. and New York on Saturday. If writers respond favorably, the walkout that devastated the entertainment industry could end as soon as Monday.
TiVorexics can only hope.
So money
So who’s bringing home the bacon?
Forbes recently released its report on the top-earning African-American stars.
Topping the list was talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Worth $2.5 billion at the last report, she earned a stellar $260 million from June 2006 through June 2007. Here’s a look at the top five earners.
%% NO. STAR
1. Oprah ($260 million)
2. Tiger Woods ($100 million, more than any athlete in history, according to Forbes)
3. Jay-Z ($83 million)
4. 50 Cent and Kobe Bryant ($33 million each)
5. Shaq ($32 million) %%
THE DIGIT
30
Ashton Kutcher’s age. His wife, Demi Moore, threw Kutcher a birthday celebration Thursday night attended by stars including Bruce Willis, Salma Hayek and Madonna, according to Us Weekly.
