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October 15, 2009
Lifeson Soars, Bertinelli Dishes, Buble Tops KISS and Whitford Races
Rush axe man Lifeson soars on ‘man date’
Not looking much like the menacing owl portrayed on the cover of Fly By Night, Alex Lifeson recently joined Canadian comic Rick Mercer as they filmed a “man date” segment for Mercer’s CBC TV show The Rick Mercer Report.
The pair stopped by Niagara Freefall Indoor Skydiving to float around a bit, which, judging from the photograph, Mercer enjoyed thoroughly. More at The Niagara Falls Review.
Valerie Bertinelli pens new book
The woman who was the object of many a teenage fantasy during her days as a TV actress on One Day At A Time (guilty as charged!) is back with a new book.
This time, instead of Losing It, Bertinelli is Finding It, and sharing her inspirational story about how she “discovered how to live the best life possible at the age of 49.”
Coming as a shock to some of us who watched her every move on One Day At A Time, Bertinelli describes her struggles with her self-image and how she felt inferior to co-star MacKenzie Phillips. Perhaps by now she has come to the realization that it was her that most of us admiring young men had our eyes glued to during each episode. I know I sure did! Check out the full scoop at ABC News.
Buble and Oprah a KISS killer?
In a recent interview with Macleans magazine, KISS frontman and business mogul, Gene Simmons jokingly (at least I hope he was joking) referred to himself as “king of the world.” Unfortunately for KISS, Simmons was not able to proclaim his group as king of the charts at the same time.
Having never had an album make it all the way to #1 on the Billboard chart, the group seemed poised to finally reach the promised land with the release of their new album Sonic Boom.
Those hopes were dashed by none other than Michael Buble, the Canadian crooner who was recently featured on Oprah after the release of his new album Crazy Love. Oprah’s star power was cited as a contributing factor that helped send Buble to the top of the chart with Sonic Boom coming in second. Read more from Gawker.
Aerosmith guitarist takes to the track
If you happen to be an Aerosmith fan who also enjoys things like racing, you will definitely want to check out the footage of Brad Whitford as he zips around a racetrack in a Volkswagen speed machine.
Check it out at Aerosmith’s official website.
March 12, 2008
Bertinelli Says Eddie Van Halen Is Not In Rehab
The latest tidbit from the Van Halen saga comes by way of Eddie Van Halen’s ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli who is quoted by People magazine saying that Eddie is not in rehab and he is sober.
She does not go into any detail about what medical problem Eddie is dealing with but does say that he is being proactive about his illness.
I suppose it is natural for people to make assumptions about someone who was in rehab not all that long ago, and all the secrecy surrounding Van Halen’s condition certainly doesn’t do much to help that situation.
There is no reported change in the group’s tour plans since the last update that said the tour will resume on April 19 in Las Vegas.
March 5, 2008
Eddie Van Halen’s Ex Dishes More on Couple’s Past
Actress Valerie Bertinelli continues to get a lot of attention in her travels to promote her new tell-all book. In a recent interview with Ladies Home Journal magazine, she says that then-husband Eddie was in denial regarding any connection between cigarette smoking and the mouth cancer he was able to overcome in 2002.
Instead, Bertinelli states that Van Halen put the blame on metal guitar picks that he had a habit of holding in his mouth, presumably while he was performing. That conclusion may have been reached with the help of an alternative medicine practitioner that Van Halen reportedly consulted during that time.
During the interview with Ladies Home Journal Bertinelli says, “You should have seen the guy (alternative medicine practitioner) he attributes his ‘cure’ to. They sat around drinking and smoking in our hotel room. But, well, cancer hasn’t come back yet, so who am I to say…”
On the other side of the proverbial coin, Bertinelli credits Van Halen with helping her to avoid a potential problem with an eating disorder by taking her to a hot dog stand and encouraging her to consume a chili dog with cheese.
“I have always loved food way too much to have an eating disorder,” she goes on to say.
So far there have not been any updates concerning Eddie Van Halen’s current medical condition and the official status of the Van Halen tour is still presumed to be “postponed.” Last word on Eddie was that he was undergoing medical tests to determine the exact nature of whatever medical problem it is that has sidelined the guitarist.
March 2, 2008
Cocaine & Infidelity: Tales From Eddie Van Halen’s Ex
Actress Valerie Bertinelli is coming clean in her new book entitled Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound At A Time. That seems to be the intent anyway.
Whether or not the book is a genuinely cathartic exercise or a way to cash in on tales from a celebrity marriage is something only she knows and something ex-husband does not seem to be saying much about — at least not publicly.
Among other confessions, Bertinelli tells of how both her and husband-to-be, Eddie Van Halen, each clutched vials of cocaine as they filled out paperwork necessary to get married. She went on to say that “Those aren’t two people who should be making decisions about the rest of their lives.”
In recent weeks she has also talked about the couple’s infidelity, confessing that both her and Van Halen were unfaithful during their 20-year marriage. There seems to be some confusion over who cheated first and Bertinelli says she does not know for sure. Van Halen, for his part, claims it was Bertinelli that cheated first.
Then there’s the story of their wedding night where she says that she passed out on the bed while still wearing her gown while Van Halen fell asleep in the bathroom. Presumably due to the consumption of too much alcohol or too many drugs, or perhaps both.
Divorced last year, the couple have one son, Wolfgang, who is currently on tour with his father as the new Van Halen bass player.
Bertinelli has been making appearances on television talk shows recently, including a visit to the Oprah Winfrey Show.
By the way, if you’re hoping to have a shot at the now-single 47-year-old actress, don’t bother unless you like eating garlic. Word has it that she split with one-time love interest Steven Spielberg when she discovered he does not like garlic.
Losing it is available at Amazon.com
