Kelly Battles Her Record Label
In July, Kelly Clarkson got angry and gave details of a fight she was having with her record company, BMG/RCA Records. She claimed that company head Clive Davis wanted her to replace some of the songs that she wrote for My December with tracks that were more likely to hit big. “They were just sending me stuff that was like almost insulting,” said Kelly, clearly offended. The bold babe told world-renowned Clive: “I don’t know you very well, and I am not a liar. I get that you don’t like the album. You’re 80; you’re not supposed to like my album.” But Clive might be saying, “Ha, ha! I told you so!” The album went on to sell a meager2 660,000 copies in the United States, and Kelly was forced to cancel her summer tour. Usher Cancels Wedding
It was a bumpy3 road for Mr. and Mrs. Usher Raymond. In July, just hours before their scheduled wedding, Usher called things off4, leaving Tameka Foster—and nearly 100 confused family and friends—in shock. But some close to the couple didn’t find it completely shocking. Snitches5 said Usher and Tameka fought over the wedding details, and the family, including Usher’s mom, didn’t approve of their marriage. Regardless of what happened, a week later the couple married at Usher’s lawyer’s office.
Xtina’s Pregnancy Blurted6 By Paris!
In September, amid unconfirmed rumors that she was pregnant, Christina Aguilera and husband Jordan Bratman watched in horror as their foolish friend, Paris Hilton, announced their happy baby news to a packed Las Vegas nightclub. “I want everyone to say congratulations to the most beautiful pregnant woman in the world, Christina Aguilera. You’re gorgeous7!” blurted Paris proudly into a microphone. Ugh! Christina’s secret was out—and picked up by tabloids8, TV shows, websites, you name it.
Kanye Boycotts9 MTV
Rapper Kanye West was angry when he was overlooked to open the MTV Video Music Awards and asked to perform in an offsite suite, “MTV made it seem like performing on the main stage was a bad thing, and the suites were just so great,” he said. “I feel like I got betrayed by them.” After the show, in which he lost in five categories, Kanye yelled and threw things backstage that was caught on tape and downloaded onto the internet for all to see.“Give a black man a chance,” he whined. A crazed Kanye vowed to boycott MTV forever more.
Lauren Conrad’s Sex Tape
The Hills’ former best pals, Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag, argued publicly in April when rumors of a sex tape of Lauren and one-time beau10, Jason Wahler, spread quickly. Lauren blamed Heidi’s bf, Spencer Pratt, for telling rumors, and—Heidi couldn’t believe that Lauren would dare to go there. The spat11 escalated12 to an “I hate you more” / “No, I hate you more” feud13.
Vanessa’s Nude Photos
The last weeks of summer should have been great for Vanessa Hudgens. Her wildly popular movie, high School Musical 2, had a huge opening just weeks earlier, and she was appearing on magazine covers everywhere. But the media circus turned negative when a nude photo of her was posted online. She bravely fessed up, saying: “I want to apologize to my fans, whose support and trust means the world to me. I am embarrassed over this situation and regret having ever taken these photos. I am thankful for the support of my family and friends.” Now, Vanessa is trying to put this behind her and is in talks with Disney to star in HSM3.
Celebs Go To Jail!
Paris Hilton was sent to jail in June for driving with a suspended license. After spending just three days locked up, she was released and put on home confinement14. But 24 hours later, she was caught by police at her home and taken back to jail. Paris served 23 days of her 45-day sentence and said it was life-changing, the hardest thing she ever had to do. Her early release for good behavior made Mommy and Daddy Hilton happy so they had a big party in Las Vegas! They must be proud!
Lindsay Lohan, also landed jailtime. When police responded to a call about a car chase in Santa Monica in July, they arrived to find Lindsay behind the wheel of an SUV15 in pursuit of another vehicle. Just released from rehabilitation16, she was found drink driving and in possession of cocaine17. Lindsay was sentenced to four days in jail.“It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs,” LinLo said. “I very much want to be healthy and gain control of my life and career and have asked for medical help in doing so.”
Britney’s Breakdown!
Back in February, after finished rehabilitation, Brit shaved her head, got tattooed, and began to act badly. Flashy headlines and photos exposed her explosive behavior, and the bold singer fought back by partying endlessly (without panties), stopped speaking with her mom, created even more problems with her divorce, attacked a photographer’s SUV with an umbrella, missed her son’s birthdays and skipped out on interviews and photo shoots!
In September, a bewildered18 Britney promised to turn it all around with a hugely opening act at the MTV Video Music Awards. But come show-time, Brit appeared unrehearsed and out of shape, and ruined her chance—big time! A month after her shocking performance, a California judge gave custody19 of Brit’s sons to their father, Kevin Federline. Britney didn’t miss a beat20—and hit the party scene that same night. Can she get her life back on track? Time will tell.
Zanessa Caught In Hawaii!
HSM honeys Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens were outed21 as a couple in May when photographers spotted the couple vacationing in Hawaii. Their rumored romance finally was confirmed, and suddenly the cute Disney couple became a mainstream sensation. Now they admit to their two-year relationship, but still like to keep the details undercover.“There are just some things we like to keep private,” says Zac.
凯莉炮轰唱片公司
7月，凯莉·克莱森气愤地透露了她与所在唱片公司——BMG/RCA唱片公司——发生纠纷的细节。她称公司首脑克莱夫·戴维斯想要将她为个人专辑《心碎12月》写的几首歌撤下，换上更可能走红的曲子。“他们只是发给我一些几乎令人感觉屈辱的东西。”凯莉说，她显然生气了。这个勇敢的孩子对赫赫有名的克莱夫说：“说实话，我不太了解你。我知道你不喜欢这张专辑。你都80岁了，也不该喜欢我的唱片。”但克莱夫可能会回答：“哈哈！我早就告诉过你！”这张专辑在美国卖了不到66万张，由于唱片销售不佳，凯莉被迫取消了夏日巡演。
阿舍取消婚礼
阿舍·雷蒙德夫妇的感情之路充满曲折。7月，就在他们婚礼即将举行的前几个小时，阿舍宣布取消婚礼，丢下大为吃惊的女友塔梅卡·福斯特和满场近百位亲朋好友。但是这对情侣身边的一些人一点不觉得惊讶。有人透露，阿舍和塔梅卡对结婚的细节问题争论不休，家人包括阿舍的母亲也不同意他们结婚。不管怎样，一周后这对情侣还是在阿舍律师的事务所结为伉俪。
帕丽斯暴料克莉丝汀娜怀孕
9月，正当克莉丝汀娜·阿奎莱拉怀孕传闻满天飞的时候，她及丈夫乔丹·布莱曼无比震惊地看到：他们莽撞的朋友帕丽斯·希尔顿对着挤满了人的拉斯维加斯夜总会宣布他们将喜得贵子。“我希望你们每个人都向世界上最美丽的孕妇克莉丝汀娜·阿奎莱拉道贺。你们太棒了！”帕丽斯骄傲地对着麦克风脱口而出。啊！克莉丝汀娜的秘密曝光了——被各种小报、电视节目、网站等广为传播。
凯恩抵制MTV电视台
嘻哈天王凯恩·韦斯特怒发冲冠，因为他未获邀在MTV音乐录影带颁奖典礼上打头阵，只被要求在一个远离现场的套房里表演。“MTV搞得好像在主舞台上表演不光彩，在套房里演出才了不起一样。”他说，“我感到自己被他们耍了。”待表演结束，得知自己无缘5项大奖，凯恩在后台叫嚷、摔东西。这一切都被录下，并传到网上供人观看。“给黑人一个机会吧。”他抱怨道。发狂的凯恩发誓要永远抵制MTV电视台。
劳伦·康拉德的性爱录像
4月，当有关一卷劳伦和前情人詹森·瓦勒性爱录像带的传言四起之际，电视剧《好莱坞女孩》中本是无间好友的劳伦·康拉德和海蒂·蒙塔格开始了公开舌战。劳伦斥责海蒂的男友斯宾塞·普拉特造谣生事，而海蒂则不相信劳伦会有此出格行为。这场口水战最终升级到了“我更恨你”/“不，我更恨你”的对峙状态。
瓦妮莎的裸照风波
夏季的最后几周对于瓦妮莎·哈金斯来说应该是风光无比。她主演的卖座电影《歌舞青春2》刚在几周前举行了盛大的首映式，她也频频在各种杂志封面上露脸。可是当她的一张裸照被发布到网上时，所有媒体纷纷倒戈。她勇敢地坦白：“我想向我的影迷们道歉，他们的支持和信任对我来说意味着一切。我对这件事感到非常不安，我很后悔拍了这些照片。我要谢谢家人和朋友对我的支持。”现在，瓦妮莎正努力淡忘此事，并在与迪斯尼洽谈主演《歌舞青春3》的事宜。
名人入狱！
6月，帕丽斯·希尔顿因携带已被吊销的驾照开车而入狱。仅仅被关了三天，她就得到保释，进行家居隔离。但24小时后，她在家被逮捕并被送回监狱。在45天的服刑期中，帕丽斯服刑了23天，就说这是改变了她的一生、她所经历的最艰难的事。她因表现良好而被提前释放，这使希尔顿的老爸老妈高兴不已，以至在拉斯维加斯举行盛大的派对庆祝！他们肯定非常自豪！
林赛·罗翰同样遭受牢狱之灾。7月，有人电话举报圣莫尼卡有人飙车。警察赶到现场时，发现林赛正开着SUV追逐另一辆车。她刚从康复治疗中心出来，就又被逮住酒后驾驶及携带可卡因。林赛被判入狱4天。“我很清楚我的生活已变得完全失控，因为我对酒精和毒品上瘾。”林赛说，“我很想保持健康以及管理好生活和事业。我已经请求医疗帮助。”
布兰妮崩溃！
回到2月，布兰妮完成康复治疗后，便削光头发，刺上纹身，开始放浪形骸。俗艳的新闻头条和照片曝光了她的疯狂举动。这个放荡的歌手又回到了老路：没完没了的派对（不穿内裤），拒绝与母亲谈话，因为离婚制造出更多麻烦——用雨伞袭击摄影师的SUV，错过儿子的生日，在采访和拍照中偷偷溜走！
9月，已然迷失自我的布兰妮承诺将在MTV音乐录影带颁奖典礼中以盛大的开场表演来扭转乾坤。可是等到表演现场，布兰妮表现得好像没有排练过，身材也走了样，这些毁掉了她最好的翻身机会！在她令人大跌眼镜的表演之后一个月，加州法官将布兰妮儿子的监护权判给了他们的父亲凯文·费德林。布兰妮可一刻未闲——当天晚上还是进行了疯狂派对。她能让生活重回正轨吗？时间将告知一切。
扎克与瓦妮莎恋情曝光！
《歌舞青春》中的剧中恋人扎克·埃夫隆和瓦妮莎·哈金斯被曝料现实中也发展成了情侣。5月，摄影师发现这一对在夏威夷度假。流传的恋情最终得以确认，一时间这对可爱的迪斯尼情侣引起了巨大的轰动。目前他们虽然承认已交往了两年，但对其中细节仍秘而不宣。“有些事情我们不想公开。”扎克说。
1. tantrum n. 发怒
2. meager adj. 不足的，缺乏的
3. bumpy adj. 崎岖不平的
4. call off 放弃
5. snitch n. 告密者
6. blurt v. 未加思索地说出
7. gorgeous adj. 极好的，可喜的
8. tabloid n. 小报
9. boycott v. 抵制
10. beau n. 情郎；纨绔子弟
11. spat n. 口角
12. escalate v. 逐步升高
13. feud n. 长期不和
14. confinement n. （被）紧闭
15. Sport Utility Vehicle, 运动型多功能车
16. rehabilitation n. 康复治疗
17. cocaine n. 可卡因
18. bewilder v. 使迷惑
19. custody n. 监护
20. miss a beat未受干扰或影响而出现停顿
21. out v. 暴露