Mariah Carey Engaged

Mariah Carey is reportedly engaged to singer Nick Cannon. Reps for both singers have refused comment. Carey was previously married to Tommy Mottola from 1993-1998.

Daytime Emmy Award Nominations

Outstanding Drama Series
General Hospital
Guiding Light
One Life to Live
The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Lead Actor
David Canary (All My Children)
Thaao Penghlis (Days of Our Lives)
Anthony Geary (General Hospital)
Peter Bergman (The Young and the Restless)
Christian Jules LeBlanc (The Young and the Restless)

Outstanding Lead Actress
Maura West (As the World Turns)
Chystal Chappel (Guiding Light)
Nicole Forester (Guiding Light)
Michelle Stafford (The Young and the Restless)
Jeanne Cooper (The Young and the Restless)

Outstanding Talk Show/Informative
A Place of Our Own
Dr. Phil
Tyra Banks Show

Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment
Ellen DeGeneres Show
Rachael Ray
The View

Oustanding Talk Show Host
Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen DeGeneres Show)
Regis Philbin & Kelly Ripa (Live with Regis & Kelly)
Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepard (The View)

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Kelly Menighan Hensley (As the World Turns)
Heather Tom (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Judi Evans (Days of Our Lives)
Gina Tognani (Guiding Light)
Tracey Bregman (The Young and the Restless)

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Trent Dawson (As the World Turns)
Daniel Cosgrove (Guiding Light)
Brian Kerwin (One Life to Live)
Kristoff St. John (The Young and the Restless)
Greg Rikaart (The Young and the Restless)

Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
Van Hansis (As the World Turns)
Jesse Lee Soffer (As the World Turns)
Darin Brooks (Days of Our Lives)
Tom Pelphrey (Guiding Light)
Bryton McClure (The Young and the Restless)

Oustanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Landon (As the World Turns)
Rachel Melvin (Days of Our Lives)
Vail Bloom (The Young and the Restless)
Emily O'Brien (The Young and the Restless)
Tammin Sursok (The Young and the Restless)

The 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards airs live on ABC on June 20.

Paula Abdul Sees the Future

Last night on American Idol, Paula Abdul critiqued Jason Castro's second performance. Unfortunately, he had only performed once at that time.

Scary Face 2: The Return of Mickey Rourke

It wasn't all that long ago that we featured Mickey Rourke as a Scary Face. But when we saw this picture of him, we knew he deserved another round. What do you think?

Miley Cyrus Apologizes for Racy Photo Spread

Disney superstar Miley Cyrus has apologized for a racy photo spread that will appear in the June issue of Vanity Fair. Cyrys, 15, was photographed by legendary photographer Annie Leibowitz. The photos depict a topless Cyrus covered only by a bedsheet. “I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed,’ Cyrus said in a prepared statement. “I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.”

Baby Mama Tops Box Office

The Tina Fey/Amy Poehler surrogate mother comedy Baby Mama topped the box office this weekend, bringing in $18.3 million in it's first week in theaters. Coming in second was Harold & Kumar Escape Guantanamo Bay with $14.6 million. Last week's #1 movie, The Forbidden Kingdom, fell to third place, bringing in $11.2 million. Forgetting Sarah Marshall made $11 million, good enough for fourth place. Rounding out the top five was Nim's Island with $4.5 million.

Star Jones Files for Divorce

Star Jones has filed for divorce from Al Reynolds, her husband of three years. The rumors started last month, but Star made it official this week. The former co-host of The View also lost her TruTV talker, The Star Jones Show, after less than a year on air.

Amy Winehouse Arrested

Amy Winehouse was arrested today for suspicion of assault after an altercation with two men. Police in London would not confirm Winehouse was in custody, but her representatives stated she was answering questions for the police regarding the incident. Sky News reported Winehouse would spend the night in police custody. Winehouse was arrested in December on charges of interfering with a court case of her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. Those charges were later dropped.

The State of Soaps Today

Television is an ever-changing medium. What's old today becomes new tomorrow. In the mid 1980's, critics declared the situation comedy dead and buried until something called The Cosby Show debuted on NBC and within weeks, every network had family-themed sitcoms in development. By the late 1980's, those same critics decided the prime time soap was extinct after Dallas, Dynasty, and Knots Landing fell from the top of the ratings. Of course, FOX revived the genre with Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place. However, throughout the years, one thing has been constant: soap operas. A uniquely American form of entertainment, soaps were born on the radio in the 1930's and successfully jumped to television in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Unlike prime time shows that are considered successful if they air five or more seasons, many soap operas have lasted several decades. Guiding Light, the longest running daytime drama, premiered on radio in 1937 before moving to television in 1952. As the World Turns has been on the air for more than fifty years. All My Chidren, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, One Life to Live, and The Young and the Restless have all been on television for over 35 years. The youngest soap currently on network television, The Bold and the Beautiful, has been on for 21 years.

Alas, things are not all rosy in soapland. Ratings are down. Critics and fans alike are panning many of the shows. In 1981, General Hospital was averaging over 14 million viewers. By 1995, that number had dropped to 5 million. Last week, GH averaged 2.8 million viewers. Where have all the soap fans gone? Will they come back? We turned to three soap experts to get their thoughts on the subject. There are many soap-themed blogs and websites but three stand out for their thought provoking commentary. We talked to the great minds behind these sites and got some very interesting responses.


Timothy Rost has been running Celebrating the Soaps since 2002. The site features soap scoops, commentaries, and video clips. But Tim isn't just an outsider looking in. While he's been watching soaps since 1995, he actually worked as an intern on TV's highest rated soap, The Young and the Restless. We asked Tim how soaps have changed since he started working on Celebrating the Soaps. "I guess I'd have to say it seems like now we're just waiting to see how long this genre can last and what desperate attempts the powers-that-be in daytime will do in order to survive," says Tim. "Before, it really was "celebrating" what I loved about the soaps... now I'm waiting to see how long a terminally ill loved one can hold on."

Those sentiments are echoed by the blogger known simply as "Snark" from the popular website Snark Weighs In. "Lack of quality, which is often caused by network interference" is the main reason viewers are tuning out, according to Snark. Snark, who started off writing columns on other people's websites before spinning off onto his own blog, has been watching soaps since he was "in the womb." "Soaps, more than any other entertainment medium, are driven by fascinating characters in well-crafted stories. Soaps are on one hour a day, five days a week, fifty-two weeks a year, with a limited budget; they can’t rely on the explosions, special effects, or plot twists to carry them. Yet, that’s exactly what soaps are doing, because they think that will attract the younger demographic—and it has failed spectacularly," says Snark.

Even if you've never logged onto any of Roger Newcomb's many websites (We Love Soaps, Scripts & Scruples, Rockland County to name a few), you may have heard of him from his campaign surrounding the characters of Luke and Noah, As the World Turns gay couple. We asked Roger how he finds time to sleep after maintaining a full time job, writing, producing, and acting in two internet radio soaps, and running We Love Soaps, a soap news blog. "I sometimes wonder if I've taken on too much, but I have a lot of creative energy that doesn't necessarily get put to good use in my day job, so I am always looking for outlets to express myself," explains Roger. "It's just a matter of prioritizing what needs to be a done on a particular day."

We asked Roger about the daytime ratings decline. "These days many fans get their "soap" fix from prime time. I consider all my favorite prime time shows to be soaps such as Friday Night Lights, Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty. They are all continuing stories. Even a sitcom like Scrubs has continuing storylines," says Roger. "The sad truth is prime time is doing it better these days. But I love the daytime soap genre and believe it can be saved. What it needs are a few visionaries to come along and shake things up. Soaps used to be ahead of the game in so many ways but the number of stories being told has dwindled and the diversity in the casts is not what it should be. Whether it is having characters of different races, sexual orientations, religions or even different income classes, diversity adds so many new interesting possibilities."

Roger blames bad writing as the main reason people have stopped watching. "Soaps are popular on prime time these days and that's because they are better written," says Roger. Tim has another theory. "I'm going to go against what most viewers say and I am going to blame competition as the No. 1 factor," states Tim. "Ironically, my viewpoint changed because of a wise woman who works behind the scenes at Y&R who has been with the show since the 1980's. She saw the change happen in the mid-90's with the OJ Simpson trial and how that slowly affected soap viewership. Think of how cable networks have changed since the 80's. Did we have TLC, HGTV, and endless reruns of previously successful primetime hits? Not only do these shows provide original programming, but they provide viewers with a beginning-middle-end to a story in 30 or 60 minutes, as opposed to watching day after day, month after month. So many people just aren't interested in investing so much time into a TV show anymore, unless they're stuck at home on a consistent daily basis."

There's been some experimenting with network-sponsored online soaps such as the NBC produced Coastal Dreams and CBS's tie-in LA Diaries. We asked our soap experts if these efforts help or hurt the soaps that are currently on the air. "Neither," says Snark. "They’re a non-entity. Tie-ins have not been sufficiently compelling; and if the networks can take beloved institutions that have stood the test of time and make them unwatchable, what the hell are they going to do with some dopey five minute websoap?"
Tim doesn't think they hurt the soaps. "I don't know if they necessarily help either," he says. "Just so long as we don't miss out on a plot point or story beat because we didn't watch a web clip or read a tie-in book, it's fine." "I think Coastal Dreams and LA Diaries were experiments by the networks to see if fans would watch soaps online," says Roger. "I believe they got mixed results but I am hoping they continue to try. I don't think these shows have had much impact on the current daytime soaps because the episodes have been very short and require only a small time commitment." None of the three think any network soap will make the transition to broadcasting solely on the internet alone. "Soap fans are creatures of habit, and it’s not a habit they particularly like having," explains Snark. "Such relatively simple things as network switches have killed soaps in the past; something as monumental as moving soaps off television completely will destroy them."

Guiding Light, television's oldest and lowest rated soap, recently started a new production model which consists of using digital cameras, taping on four-walled sets, and shooting most scenes on location in a nearby town in New Jersey. We asked our three soap experts what they thought of Guiding Light's new production model. "I applaud the show for doing this," says Roger. "Friday Night Lights is my favorite prime time show and it uses the same production model. I believe there are kinks to be worked out, like improving the sound quality, but I do like what they are trying to do. I was surprised that after a lot of hype, the show debuted the new technique and not a lot happened that day. The true success story for Guiding Light will come if they can combine this new production model with consistently good long-term storylines." "Oh, my poor poor, poor Guiding Light!" laments Tim. "I cannot tell you how much I have loved and supported this show and only hoped for the best for them. Once upon a time, they had the best ensemble cast in daytime. But then they dropped everyone to recurring and got lost in direction. If we could just go back to 1997, 2002, or even 2004 before they reduced the number of sets to three, I would be blissfully happy. This "new production model" is merely a glorified college film. Other than the fact that they have specially-made sets for the show, it is seriously like watching an amateur production. Poor lighting, poor audio, shaky camera moves... I seriously can't watch it. I stopped watching GL last summer because of the bad, pointless storytelling. Now, I can't watch it simply because it's a visual nightmare. The powers-that-be say it makes us feel "closer" to the characters? To me, I feel further alienated from them because I can't concentrate on what's going on. I'm either too distracted by the crazy zooming by the camera, or I'm counting the nose hairs I can see of Kim Zimmer, bless her 4-time Emmy-winning self." Snark agrees. "It looks cheap and tacky," he says. "It’s going for a cool, indy vibe, but the thing that makes independent movies cool are the interesting storylines and fascinating characters—GL has neither."

Television's second oldest show, As the World Turns, appears to be in much better shape than Guiding Light. While ratings are down across the board for all soaps, World Turns has actually gained viewers compared to last year. The show has recently created buzz for it's bold storyline involving Luke, the son of the show's iconic 1980's super-couple Holden and Lily, as he comes to terms with his homosexuality, and eventual romantic relationship with Noah. However, the characters wound up on the back burner, and viewers were angry. We asked Roger about his campaign to bring the characters back to prominence - and to allow them to kiss. "After months of feeling like As the World Turns was backpedaling with their promise to treat Luke and Noah like any other couple, fans were a bit frustrated and wanted to do "something." Tony G. at vanhansis.net got us organized and "Support Luke & Noah in the Media Week" was formed. We contacted several media outlets a day for eight straight days. Amazingly, just about every publication we contacted printed a story, either their own or the Associated Press article. In addition to being in every major newspaper across the US, several international newspapers and magazines ran the story as well. And I was thrilled to see our effort mentioned in TIME Magazine and Entertainment Weekly. The key was to bring attention to Luke and Noah and applaud the show's efforts with this groundbreaking story, but to question why it seemed like there was some type of kissing ban for the couple. I believe our efforts will have a positive impact. Just this week it was reported that the show signed Van Hansis to a new contract. I hope CBS and Proctor & Gamble realize the type of buzz that was created through our campaign is great for the show and they take advantage of it by featuring Luke and Noah more."

Last fall, every show was effected by the writers strike. We asked Snark, Roger, and Tim how the soaps fared during the strike. "The same, just more of it," says Snark. "GH is a violent, plot-driven mess. So what did we get during the strike? Serial killings, bombs, and kids with guns! B&B is all about whores and psychos, so we got three times the whoring and three times the crazy. AMC is all about random plot points, so we got amnesia, miraculous resurrections, and stripper poles. The only soaps that changed noticeably were DAYS, which built up their vendetta storyline, only to rush through the climax, so we could get to such fare as Will John ever get his personality back (who can tell the difference?) and Will Bo die? (It’s DAYS—if they killed off the mailman, I wouldn’t believe they’d stay dead.) On the flip side, Y&R is nicely rebounding from the absolute nightmare that was much of 2007. Y&R has always been about family, romance, and business—and the messy ways those things intertwine—and now that’s back. By default, Y&R has quickly become the best daytime soap on the air again." "It was a mixed bag," states Roger. "As The World Turns seemed to instantly improve the day the writer's names were removed from the credits. The first three weeks minus the regular writers were sensational. Since then, the show has been mediocre. The Young and the Restless also seemed to instantly improve without the influence of (former executive producer and head writer) Lynn Marie Latham. Days of our Lives featured some wonderful episodes as did All My Children with the return of Angie and Jesse. There is good to be found on each soap, just not enough." Tim doesn't think the strke was all bad. "Can some of the scab writers come back?" he laughs. "From what I watched, things ran pretty smooth. In fact, I enjoyed the vintage flashbacks some soaps offered. Instead of redundant flashbacks of the previous day's show, we got treated to vintage Jill & Katherine on Y&R and classic Bo & Hope on DAYS. I am loving this new storyline of Katherine and Amber (yes, I actually like Amber) simply because of the flashbacks and focus on Kay's life. And whoever was writing DAYS during the strike knew how to pull on our Brady-lovin' heartstrings. Now if only someone over there could remember that the Horton family came first."

All three agreed on one thing: The best soap on the air right now is The Young and the Restless. "Despite its recent behind-the-scenes shake-up, The Young & the Restless is still the most consistently entertaining show," says Tim. "It has managed to keep its ratings mainly steady in the past 5 years, and its production values are top-notch. The actors are also the best in daytime." Roger adds One Life to Live in the mix. "One Life to Live and The Young and the Restless are both in good shape right now in terms of potential," he says. "There are issues with both, but not as drastic as some of the other soaps. Days of our Lives is up and down but is having more peaks than valleys these days."

In the last ten years four soaps have been canceled but only one has premiered (and that is one of the four that were canceled). We asked Snark, Roger, and Tim if they think the axe will continue to fall and which show they think is most vulnerable to cancellation. "Because those currently in charge of soaps seem incapable or unwilling to address the basic problems that every fan knows exist, yes, the axe will continue to fall," says Snark. "DAYS is the most vulnerable to cancellation because it is a spectacularly inept show run by a man who is daytime’s equivalent of Charlie Brown (a complete failure face). The show has been given 59, 000 chances to re invent itself and achieve success; yet, the only thing it has been successful at is rescuing defeat from the jaws of victory. It also suffers from being on NBC, which still seems to be in shock from finding out that James E. Reilly isn’t daytime’s answer to Jesus, and can’t keep their daytime division afloat, much less save soap operas in general." Roger would hate to see any soap cancelled, but agrees it is a possibility. "I fear for Guiding Light because it is generally near the bottom of the ratings and they continue to try a variety of different things to garner attention and it hasn't helped," he says. "Again, I see it coming down to having a true vision for the show and writing relatable characters that the audience can invest in. The ABC soaps have their ratings woes too but since they are owned by ABC and get replayed on Soapnet several times a week, I don't see them being in any immediate danger." "Yes, it will continue," says Tim. "No new soap will come to network television anytime soon, unless it's some reality-based idea. As for the next soap to be canceled, you'd think Guiding Light would be the first candidate, but they sure are fighting for dear life. Sadly, Days of Our Lives may be the next soap to die, simply because it's the last soap on NBC and they're not too supportive of their daytime line-up."

For soap news and commentary, check out Celebrating the Soaps, Snark Weighs In, and We Love Soaps. If you enjoy continuing stories, and wonder what it was like to listen to soaps on the radio, check out Scripts & Scruples and Rockland County. And, soon you can see Roger Newcomb's feature film version of Scripts & Scruples, Manhattanites. "My friend Gregori J. Martin and I had been talking about writing a script for a few years," explains Roger. "It was never intended to be based on my radio soap, Scripts & Scruples, but that's how it ended up. The film follows the lives of several characters over a period of time and how the various decisions they make and the priorities they set have a long-term consequences. The film stars the fabulous Ilene Kristen, Forbes March, Aiden Turner, David Fumero and Jill Larson, among others. We are really close to having it wrapped up, then look out for us on the film festival circuit."

Tune in tomorrow!

Top 10 Singles

The Top 10 singles from Billboard's Hot 100...

10. See You Again... Miley Cyrus
9. With You... Chris Brown
8. Love Song.. Sarah Bareilles
7. Sexy Can I... Ray J & Yung Berg
6. 4 Minutes.. Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake
5. Touch My Body... Mariah Carey
4. Love in This Club... Usher featuring Young Jeezy
3. No Air... Jordin Sparks duet with Chris Brown
2. Bleeding Love... Leona Lewis
1. Lollipop... Lil Wayne featuring Static Major

Larry King Extends His Stay with CNN

Veteran CNN host Larry King has reportedly extended his contract with the cable news network that will keep him on the air through 2011. King, who will be 77 years old when his extension expires, has been a fixture on CNN since 1985. Rumors were swirling that King would retire in 2009 and be replaced by Katie Couric. Larry King Live airs weekdays on CNN at 9 pm Eastern and 6 pm Pacific.

TV Ratings

The Top Ten rated television programs for the week ending April 20th.

1. American Idol - Tuesday (FOX)
2. American Idol - Wednesday (FOX)
3. Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
4. Dancing with the Stars - Results (ABC)
5. Desperate Housewives (ABC)
6. NCIS (CBS)
7. Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
8. CSI: NY (CBS)
9. Two and a Half Men (CBS)
10. Criminal Minds (CBS)

David Cook Off Amazon

Amazon.com has pulled the mp3 download of American Idol contestant David Cook's self released CD.

Scary Face

Out of the tombs of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs comes... Mary Tyler Moore? No, she's not a mummy... she just looks like one. This is what happens when you are 71 years old and you try to pass for 40.

What Happens When an Idol Hits Big Before the Winner is Crowned?

American Idol's David Cook is currently Number One on amazon.com's top selling mp3 CD dowloads. Cook's self-made CD, made prior to Idol, is titled Analog Heart. It soared past Mariah Carey's new CD to claim the top spot. Idol performances are available on iTunes but are not charted, so not to effect the outcome of the competition. So what happens when a contestant releases his own CD for download? UPDATE: David Cook's CD has been pulled from amazon.com.

Britney Spears To Return to How I Met Your Mother

Reports are circulating that Britney Spears will appear in another episode of CBS's comedy How I Met Your Mother. Brit's first appearance on the show boosted ratings - adding over one million viewers than the previous week's episode. We'd still like to see her on Dancing with the Stars...

Forbidden Kingdom Rules Box Office

The Jackie Chan/Jet Li vehicle The Forbidden Kingdom packed a powerful punch at the box office this weekend, bringing in $20.9 million and settling in at Number One. Forgetting Sarah Marshall debuted in second place with $17.3 million. Prom Night, last week's top grossing movie, fell to third as it took in $9.1 million. 88 Minutes, starring Al Pacino, premiered at number 4 with only $6.8 million. Rounding out the Top 5 is Nim's Island with $5.7 million.

George W. Bush to Appear on NBC's Deal or No Deal

It's true. President George W. Bush will appear on NBC's game show Deal or No Deal on Monday. No, he won't be a contestant (although that would be fun). Instead, he'll appear in a taped segment where he expresses gratitude to the show's contestant, Captain James Kobes, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient who served in Iraq.

CBS Chairman Moonves Supports Couric

Les Moonves, the Chairman of CBS, visited the CBS newsroom today and told employees that there are no plans to make a change, despite reports that Katie Couric will be replaces as anchor of the CBS Evening News by mid January of 2009. The CBS Evening News trails in the ratings behind ABC's World News with Charles Gibson and NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams.

Top 10 Singles

The Top Ten singles from Billboard's Hot 100...

10. Low... Flow Rida Featuring T-Pain
9. Love Song... Sara Bareilles
8. With You.. Chris Brown
7. 4 Minutes... Madonna Featuring Justin Timberlake
6. Sexy Can I... Ray J & Yung Berg
5. Touch My Body... Mariah Carey
4. Love in This Club... Usher Featuring Young Jeezy
3. No Air.. Jordin Sparks Duet with Chris Brown
2. Lollipop... Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major
1. Bleeding Love... Leona Lewis

Tell Us What You Think!

So many changes.... When The Chronicles of von Klapp began last October, it was created by a funny and witty young lady who wrote under the psydonym of "Cymbalta von Klapp." She created Cymbalta as a character who would guide her readers through a daily blog that would be part commentary on the world of celebrities and entertainment, and the other part would be a "storyline" about the character of Cymbatla and her fictitious adventures.

A month into writing the blog, "Cymbalta" began to feel overwhelmed and asked two friends to assist her in the daily blogging chores. One friend assumed the pseudonym of "Lunesta von Klapp," Cymbalta's sister. The other assumed the role of editor and webmaster. Together, the three mapped out how the site would look and feel. The site became more about entertainment news and less about the character of Cymbalta. The writer who wrote as "Lunesta" eventually departed and more writers joined our growing stable of bloggers, all writing under the now generic name of Cymbalta.

Now, the creator of The Chronicles of von Klapp, the orginal "Cymbalta", has left the site. The split was on good terms, and everyone is pleased with where they stand. However, we are faced with a dilemma: now that it's been months since we've mentioned the fictitious storylines of "Cymbalta" and the actual person who wrote as "Cymbalta" has left, do we keep the character of Cymbalta alive as a "mascot" for the site? If not, do we change the name of the site? And if so, what would we call it?

We want to hear from you! Email us at webmaster@chroniclesofvonklapp.com and let us know what you think! We'll make an announcement, based your your suggestions, on June 2nd.

TV Ratings

The Top 10 rated television programs for the week ending April 13th, according to Nielsen Media Research:

1. American Idol - Tuesday (FOX)
2. Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
3. CSI (CBS)
4. NCAA Basketball (CBS)
5. American Idol - Thursday (FOX)
6. Dancing with the Stars - Results (ABC)
7. Idol Gives Back (FOX)
8. Desperate Housewives (ABC)
9. Without a Trace (CBS)
10.NCIS (CBS)

Scary Face 2: The Return of Ingrid Marie Rivera

Now that Miss USA has been crowned it's time we start focusing our attention to the next big pageant: Miss Universe. Miss Universe will be crowned in Vietnam on July 14. Competing in the pageant will be our very own Scary Face - Miss Puerto Rico, Ingrid Marie Rivera. What a face, indeed. Click the image for a larger view of Ingrid Marie.

Report: Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz Expecting a Baby

OK! Magazine is reporting that Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz are expecting a baby in October. Simpson, 23, and Wentz, 28, recently announced their engagement.

UPDATE: MTV.com is reporting that Pete Wentz is denying reports that Ashlee Simpson is pregnant. We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Developing: Ashlee Simpson Reportedly Pregnant...

Dr. Phil's Staff Bailed Out Teen Accused of Florida Beating

Staff members of Dr. Phil McGraw's syndicated television show posted bail for one of the eight teenage girls charged with the videotaped beating of another teen girl. Mercades Nichols, charged in the beating in Florida, posted bond this weekend as the Dr. Phil show was in the process of booking guests for an episode about the case.

McGraw raised eyebrows earlier this year when he visited Britney Spears at the UCLA Medical Center while she was under a physician's care. McGraw was putting together a show about Spears, which was ultimately scrapped.

Prom Night Tops Box Office

The remake of the 1980 horror flick Prom Night topped the weekend box office. Prom Night, starring Brittany Snow, raked in $22.7 million million. The Keanu Reeves/Forest Whitaker cop movie Street Kings took second place; while 21 fell to number three after two weeks at the top spot.

Miss Texas Crowned Miss USA

Crystle Stewart, the reining Miss Texas, was crowned Miss USA last night in Las Vegas last night. Stewart, 26, runs an event planning and motivational speaking company. Miss Stewart will compete next in the Miss Universe pageant in July.

American Idol Boots Michael Johns as Ratings Drop

No one saw it coming.

American Idol sent fan favorite Michael Johns packing this week, after his poorly received rendition of Aerosmith's "Dream On" garnered the least amount of viewers' votes. Johns, a native Australian, was one of the more popular contestants this year; making his early ouster more shocking.

Also of note, Idol's second annual Idol Gives Back charity show failed to retain the ratings success it achieved last year. This is especially bad news for FOX, since Gives Back expanded to two and a half hours this year, and had considerably more star power (Brad Pitt, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, and Mariah Carey to name a few) than last year's higher rated show. In fact, Wednesday night's Idol Gives Back show was the lowest rated episode of American Idol since a 2005 "Worst Auditions" clip special. Ouch.

Top 10 Singles

from Billboard's Hot 100...

10. Flow... Low Rida featuring T-Pain
9. Love Song... Sara Bareilles
8. With You... Chris Brown
7. No Air... Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown
6. Sexy Can I... Ray J and Yung Berg
5. Love in this Club... Usher featuring Young Jeezy
4. Lollipop... Lil Wayne featuring Static Major
3. 4 Minutes ... Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake
2. Bleeding Love... Leona Lewis
1. Touch My Body... Mariah Carey

Report: Katie Couric to Exit CBS News

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that CBS News anchor Katie Couric will leave the network anchor chair as soon as January 2009. Couric joined CBS as anchor of the CBS Evening News amid much hype and fanfare, only to disappoint the network with consistently low ratings. Couric's contract, reportedly worth $15 million annually, isn't up until 2011.

TV Ratings

The Top Ten rated programs for the week ending April 6, 2008:

1. American Idol - Wednesday (FOX)
2. American Idol - Tuesday (FOX)
3. Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
4. CSI (CBS)
5. Dancing with the Stars - Results (ABC)
6. CSI: Miami (CBS)
7. Without a Trace (CBS)
8. CSI: Miami -Tuesday (CBS)
9. NCAA Basketball (CBS)
9. Two and a Half Men (CBS) (tied)

Scary Face: Male Edition

Sylvester Stallone. There are no words. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Mischa Barton's Plea Bargain

People.com is reporting that Mischa Barton will serve three years probation for drunken driving, which will keep her from jail and charges of possession of marijuana.

Barton, best known for her role on The OC, was arrested December 27.

Charlton Heston Dead at 84

Academy Award winning actor Charlton Heston died last night at his home in Beverly Hills. Heston won the Oscar for 1959's Ben-Hur, and also starred in The Ten Commandments, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes among others.

Heston was President of the National Rifle Association from 1998 through 2003. Also in 2003, President George W. Bush awarded Heston with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor bestowed upon a civilian.

Charlton Heston was 84.

Changes!

Faithful readers have noticed a shortage of updates here on what is supposed to a website with daily updates. Unfortunately, there have been some "creative differences" behind the scenes, but things will be back to normal starting Monday. In the meantime, check back for updates and as always, thank you for visiting The Chronicles of von Klapp.

Scary Face: Male Edition

What has Ray Liotta done to his face? What used to be boyish good looks have turned into a Botox bloating. Our favorite Goodfella needs to ease up!