Posted May 16th 2008 9:00AM by TMZ Staff
Is the Food Network trying to win over a younger audience by slicing and dicing a contestant's age on "The Next Food Network Star"?
According to his online profile, season four contestant Jeffrey Vaden is 43-years-old. But on the show, he was credited as being a sprightly 39. Foodnetworkaddict.com was the first to have the keen eye. Is this a case of bad editing -- or bad numbers?
According to their profiles, the other contestants on the show, save for one woman, are all in their 20s and 30s. Are two 40-year-olds two too many?
UPDATE: The Food Network just released this statement to TMZ:
"The contestant (Jeffrey Vaden) mistakenly wrote his age as 39 on his initial application, but also provided his correct year of birth and later verified it with the network. The correct age of 43 was used in all network materials but due to a production mistake, the incorrect age was included in the show and the online video. We are correcting the mistake immediately."
Filed under: Department of Debunk, Food Glorious Food
Posted May 9th 2008 2:30PM by TMZ Staff
Could LeBron James' whole $10 tip on an $800 meal incident be just a big misunderstanding?
The owner of the XO Prime Steaks, where the whole stingy scene went down, has issued the following statement:
For the record, XO would like to clear up a misunderstanding resulting from a story that appeared in the Cleveland Scene on May 7th...Upon completion of his meal, Mr. James paid his bill with a credit card. Our waiter mistakenly read the receipt, inferring that Mr. James had left him only a $10 tip. To clear up the misunderstanding, Mr. James arranged for an appropriate tip to be delivered to the restaurant for the waiter.
Filed under: Talk Sports, Department of Debunk
Posted May 7th 2008 6:30PM by TMZ Staff
An ad posted on Craigslist in NY searching for "mentally disabled" people to appear on a new dating show appears to be a crock of sh**.
Unlike "Flavor of Love," "Single and Special" says they are going to be a non-exploitative "tasteful" mix of "The Bachelor" and "Life Goes On." Um. Can you say "Littlest Groom?" The unnamed production company also claims to have the endorsement of the Special Olympics. Only thing is, it doesn't.
TMZ spoke with Kirsten Seckler at the Special Olympics who told us they'd never heard of the show and definitely "did not endorse a dating show for people with intellectual disabilities."
"Single and Special" refused to speak with TMZ.
Filed under: Wacky and Weird, Nurse!, Department of Debunk
Posted Apr 21st 2008 3:16PM by TMZ Staff
Whether you really choose to listen to her or not, one thing's for sure: Jordin Sparks' singing career is not over. Not even close.
The alarm was sounded when Jordin had to ditch gigs this weekend because of what was described as a scary-sounding "acute vocal chord hemorrhage," which led to speculation that her career might be ovah! Sparks' rep tells us that while Jordin's condition is in fact "serious," it's manageable and she'll be back on tour in May. All her dates through the end of April have been scrapped.
The main thing is, we're told, that young Jordin needs to learn that vocal rest is vocal rest! Bettah keep that trap shut -- or else she'll be opening housing developments!
Filed under: American Idol, Department of Debunk
Posted Apr 14th 2008 3:55PM by TMZ Staff
Is Ashlee knocked up with a little emo baby? Neither she nor Jess would spill the goods to us at LAX.
Where's Papa Joe when you need him?
Filed under: Jessica Simpson, Fly Me, Ashlee Simpson, Department of Debunk
Posted Apr 14th 2008 2:01PM by TMZ Staff
If you're going to ask a famous couple like Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman if they're breaking up, you have to expect a bulls**t answer.
Our camera guys might get the money shots, but they don't always get it.
Filed under: Hook-Ups, Department of Debunk
Posted Apr 6th 2008 11:09AM by TMZ Staff
Hmmm ... let's get this straight, you falsely accuse someone of having an affair and then apologize -- calling it an inconvenience. Oh, that little thing.
That's exactly what X17 just did to Tony Parker and Eva Longoria. Last December the photo agency posted the scandalicious claims of model Alexandra Paressant, who said she had an affair with Tony after he married his little Eva. Problem was -- Parker had never even met Paressant! We know -- details, details.
X17 posted an apology Friday, saying, in part, "X17online.com and X7 [sic], Inc. regret having been misled by Ms. Paressant and her representatives and apologize to Mr. Parker for any damage or inconvenience this may have caused him or his wife."
In a related story, X17 apologized to Sharon Tate's family on behalf of Charles Manson for that little thing a while back.
Filed under: Gossip/Rumors, Department of Debunk
Posted Apr 3rd 2008 3:27PM by TMZ Staff
Taking a cue from the Spencer and Heidi school of photo-ops, the "Bachelor" and Marla Maples giggle and point for the cameras.
Andy Baldwin --not of the Billy, Alec, Criminal, and Goofy-faced Dumbass Baldwins -- but of the went diving for old bones with the Armed Forces clan -- poses hangs out with rumored girlfriend, Marla Maples - you know, the ex Mrs.Trump.
Filed under: Hook-Ups, Department of Debunk
Posted Apr 1st 2008 11:31AM by TMZ Staff
For the last time -- still not married, still in Texas, still preggers, still hot.
Also -- still wearing black, still sporting the kiddiehawk, still donning that hat.
Filed under: Brad and Angelina, Department of Debunk
Posted Mar 24th 2008 6:50PM by TMZ Staff
In case you were hoping to sit front row at George Clooney's next fashion show, sorry. Reports that Clooney is developing his own clothing line are untrue. (Booooo.)
Clooney, by way of his rep, issued TMZ the following statement: "This is a HOAX. I have no connection whatsoever with any clothing line bearing my name, and more specifically GC EXCLUSIVE by George Clooney."
'Nuff said.
Filed under: George Clooney, Department of Debunk
Posted Mar 19th 2008 2:09PM by TMZ Staff
Cheryl Burke's rep is denying that her client was involved in an affair with her then "Dancing With the Stars" co-star Drew Lachey. In a statement to TMZ, she claims, "The story that Cheryl is involved with Drew Lachey started 2 years ago when they were partners on Dancing with the Stars, it wasn't true then and it isn't true now."
Rumors of an alleged affair began when married dad Drew Lachey was partnered with Burke during the second season of "DWTS."
Star is reporting some salacious details about how the alleged affair was found out by Cheryl's then-boyfriend Matthew Lawrence, kid brother of Joey Lawrence. The two were pretty much caught red-handed - or rather red-mouthed. Whoa!
Click here... it's not over yet
Filed under: Gossip/Rumors, Dancing with the Stars, Department of Debunk
Posted Mar 18th 2008 8:43AM by TMZ Staff
Will Smith says just because he's a Friend of Tom doesn't mean he's a Scientologist ... not that there's anything wrong with that.
Smith tells Rush & Molloy, "You don't have to be Jewish to be a friend of Steven Spielberg. You don't have to be a Muslim to be a friend of Muhammad Ali. And you don't have to be a Scientologist to be a friend of Tom Cruise." So what is Smith, anyway? "I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions."
Will made the public pronouncement to refute allegations in a recent Radar magazine story that he and wife Jada Pinkett, along with Kimora Lee Simmons, have been recruited into the LRH fold. TMZ spotted W & J slicing steak at Cut last week with T & K, which only fed the rumors.
Filed under: Tom and Katie, Department of Debunk
Posted Mar 11th 2008 5:25PM by TMZ Staff
Ivanka Trump came to TMZ to clear up a touchy little subject -- namely, a rumor that's been floating around that she makes her assistant touch up the nails on her wax figure every week at Madame Tussauds in NYC's Times Square.
One lit-tle, itsy-bitsy problem, she tells us: "I don't even have a wax figure! My mother and father have wax figures, but I don't." She tells us she hardly has time to get a real manicure and pedicure, with her various day jobs, much less trouble -- and, let's face it, totally demean -- her assistant with such a ridiculous task.
A rep from the museum tells TMZ "the Daily News called and was inadvertently given incorrect information by a Tussauds employee. We apologize for the confusion. Madame Tussauds loves the Trumps and is very proud of its figures of Donald and Ivana Trump, as well as its more than 200 lifelike figures."
Filed under: Department of Debunk
Posted Feb 6th 2008 11:30AM by TMZ Staff
There's a story going around that Eric Dane -- aka Dr. McSteamy on "Grey's Anatomy" -- may have sold the painful story of a skin lesion on his lip to OK! magazine.
But a source close to Dane tells TMZ that all that lip service -- painful though it was to recount -- was given freely, and that no money changed hands. Dane told OK! that the malignant lesion was frozen off by liquid nitrogen -- ouch -- and that he lost 10 pounds after the procedure, because it's difficult for him eat. Nurse!
TMZ spotted Dane and wife Rebecca Gayheart last night around NYC during Fashion Week, and it appears that he's all better -- much better.
Filed under: Nurse!, Department of Debunk
Posted Jan 17th 2008 12:50PM by TMZ Staff
UPDATE: We spoke with Rik Fedcyk, who told us he "never, ever trespassed," and asked "If I had, would I have not been arrested?" He also says he was never warned not to come on the property. He says the person who uttered the slur was a man by the name of "Gary Stone" who has "since been sent home back to L.A."
Reports out of Canada claim that Jennifer Aniston's bodyguard allegedly called a photog's galpal a "ch**k" during a scuffle on the set of her new film -- only problem is, said bodyman wasn't even there at the time!
Aniston's rep tells TMZ that Scott Monico "was not even present" at the time of the incident, nor, for that matter, was Jen. While there was another security person on set who did get into it with photog Rik Fedyck, it wasn't Jen's guy, and there was no racial slur hurled. We're also told that the snapper has "repeatedly trespassed on the set."
Jen is filming "Traveling" in Vancouver with Aaron Eckhart. The photog filed a complaint with the police, but no action has been taken thus far.
Filed under: Jennifer Aniston, Department of Debunk
