Progress

Progress

Progress

Progress

LOS ANGELES - Zelda Rubinstein, the 4-foot-3-inch character actor best known as Tangina, the psychic who tries to calm a family inhabiting a haunted house in the 1982 horror film “Poltergeist,” has died. She was 76.

Her agent, Eric Stevens, tells the Los Angeles Times that Rubinstein died Wednesday at a Los Angeles hospital. Stevens says she recently suffered a heart attack.

Rubinstein made her film debut in the 1981 comedy “Under the Rainbow” and went on to roles in “Sixteen Candles,” “Southland Tales” and the TV show “Picket Fences.” She returned for both “Poltergeist” sequels. The Pittsburgh native also appeared as the mother figure in a high-profile mid-1980s AIDS public awareness campaign and was an outspoken activist for the rights of little people

Tiger’s wife reportedly stays at Favre’s ranch

(FILES) Tiger Woods of the US spekas with his wife Elin Nordegren during ceremonies on July 1, 2009 at the AT&T National golf tournament hosted by Tiger Woods at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. Gloom increased around scandal-tainted golf legend Tiger Woods on Monday after it was announced that his wife bought a new home in Sweden and more corporate sponsors severed ties. Woods announced December 11 he was taking an indefinite break from golf after admitting he had cheated on his wife. His squeaky-clean image took a new blow on Sunday after a resident association in Sweden announced that Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren, had bought a beachfront estate on an island near Stockholm. "Elin Nordegren bought a house on the island, it's true. She's the owner since December 1," Sten-Aake Johansson, head of Faaglaro island's residents association, told AFP. There are around 140 properties on Faaglaro, 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Stockholm. "The property consists of several houses, it's a renovated farm, on the water with a beach," Johansson said.

Report: Madonna spends weekend with A-Rod

More than a year after Madonna and Alex Rodriguez coupled up, the two reportedly holed up together for a weekend. Us Weekly is reporting that the onetime couple spent the weekend of Jan. 16 at Rodriguez’s Westchester County, N.Y., home. Despite a denial from Madonna’s rep, the magazine stands behind its reporting, saying the two “have kept in touch all along.”

Rodriguez recently split from actress Kate Hudson, and Madonna has been linked most recently to 23-year-old model Jesus Luz, but a friend of the Material Girl’s told Us, “She’s never been a one-man woman. When she’s with a guy like Jesus, whom she takes care of, she doesn’t really respect him.”

It’s a shame that Neil Patrick Harris has a pretty good day job, what with that “How I Met Your Mother” show and all, because he was the best of the guest judges to grace the “Idol” stage so far this season.

Harris has already hosted the Tony and Emmy Awards, so it’s not like hanging out in Dallas and judging singers for a day would be a big challenge, but he was both entertaining and helpful as the occasion warranted. Plus, he snapped at head judge Simon Cowell, which is always a big hit with the viewers.

“My goal today is to shatter the dreams of thousands. If I can make two or three dozen people cry, I’ll have done my job,” Harris said at the beginning. But if he did that, the footage wasn’t shown on Wednesday, as the successful auditioners got way more airtime than the rejects.

Not much to say
Harris was only in Dallas for the first day of auditions, with Joe Jonas replacing him on the second. Either Jonas didn’t have much to say or the show’s editors owe him an apology. In contrast to Harris’ verbosity, Jonas’ dialogue was mainly limited to saying “yes,” or occasionally “yeah,” when voting on a contestant’s fate. Maybe he just lets his music do the talking.

Whip it
It’s going to be difficult for any auditioner to top the impression made by Erica Rhodes. The former child actress on “Barney and Friends” is a big girl now, which she proved by showing up before the Dallas judges dressed like a dominatrix complete with a whip that she worked into her performance. It was the judges’ dream come true, and the lines came fast and furious.

“You definitely made an impression here. What’s your big dream here … I know what mine is,” Simon said.

“I want people to know Barney kids grow up,” Rhodes responded.

“… to be dirty little girls,” Harris finished.

Rhodes made it through to Hollywood with four yes votes. She becomes the first former PBS-star-turned-sex-symbol to be so honored, or at least the first to admit it.

The color gold

Slideshow
Image: Seven winners of "American Idol"

‘American Idol’ alums
From William Hung to Carrie Underwood, the hit reality show has produced some unforgettable characters and some true stars.

more photos
Also scoring high on the Memorable Meter was Todrick Hall, an actor/playwright who’s worked with Fantasia in the past and is hoping to succeed her as an “Idol” champion in the future. He went with an original song with this stanza:

“And to see Kara decked and dressed,
Simon’s face looking so unimpressed,
Sitting there like a bump on a log
Randy, what I gotta do to be a Dawg?”

He was a lock to make it to Hollywood.

Doogie reborn
Harris’ stint as a child doctor on “Doogie Howser, M.D.” apparently has had lasting effects, as he noticed the facial twitches from Dave Pittman before and after his audition. “Weird elephant in the room … do you have Tourette syndrome?” he asked. The diagnosis was correct, and since it doesn’t affect Pittman when he sings, he made it on to Hollywood. Vinnie Delpino would be so proud!

Mutiny on the podium
Simon and Harris disagreed a lot, with Kimberly Carver one of the singers inviting dissent. Carver sang an original song that Harris, Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson loved, but Simon was critical and said he didn’t see anything current. When Carver made it through anyway, she knew who to credit.


Thank God for Neil Patrick Harris. I’m going to have to go back and watch ‘Doogie Howser’ again,” she said. Uh, if she wants to refute Simon’s criticism, maybe “How I Met Your Mother” is the better choice.

Straight out of central casting
If “American Idol’ were a personality competition, Lloyd Thomas would be the one to beat. The dock worker had a quip for every situation — “The worst part of the job that I have is probably the job that I have” was a good one — and between his two cute daughters and his desire to help them avoid the life in the projects that he endured, he could check every box on the on-to-Hollywood list. Oh, yeah, and he sang really well too.

“I wish you could taste what I taste right now,” Thomas said after getting his golden ticket. “It is the taste of victory. Delicious.”

Inspiration of the day
Christian Spear was the night’s medical miracle to close the show. The 16-year-old survived leukemia as a child, and was one of the city’s better auditioners. Also, as a teenage girl, she deserves credit for singing in front of Jonas without swooning or screaming.

Adrian Pasdar of ‘Heroes’ arrested for DUI

Actor pulled over for allegedly speeding, veering across lanes in truck

LOS ANGELES - "Heroes" TV actor Adrian Pasdar has been arrested for allegedly driving drunk and veering across lanes on a West Los Angeles freeway.

A California Highway Patrol report says Pasdar was pulled over shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday after officers saw his Ford F-150 truck doing 94 mph and straddling two lanes on Interstate 405.

The 44-year-old actor was booked for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says he was taken to county jail and released at about 8:30 a.m. on $15,000 bail.