The daily gossip: Psy's 'Gentleman' is bigger than Justin Bieber, and more

5 top pieces of celebrity gossip — from the nonexistent Friends reunion to Britney Spears' "Smurftastic" new song

1. Psy's "Gentleman" is bigger than Justin Bieber

For months, critics have been referring to Korean singer Psy, who went viral with last summer's inescapable "Gangnam Style," as a one-hit wonder. Clearly, they were wrong. After being on YouTube for less than a week, Psy's "Gangnam Style" follow-up, "Gentleman," has amassed over 120 million views. According to E! Online, the "Gentleman" video was viewed 18.9 million times in the first 24 hours it was posted, smashing the 10.6 million views earned by the Justin Bieber/Nicki Minaj collaboration "Beauty and a Beat" in its first 24 hours last October. Rolling Stone adds that the "Gentlaman" video includes a woman "who gets a whiff of what's inside Psy's pants at a library," so anyone who can't live without seeing that for themselves should join the millions who have already watched the "Gentleman" video as soon as possible.

2. Sorry, the Friends reunion isn't happening

If yesterday was a Friends episode, it would have been titled "The One Where Everyone Gets Really Excited About a Possible Friends Reunion." But alas, some things really are too good to be true. Us Weekly reports that Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman has debunked rumors of a reunion. "I'm going to clear this up right now — no, it's not happening!" said Kauffman, which does sound pretty definitive. So for David Schwimmer's sake, let's hope DreamWorks keeps churning out Madagascar movies.

3. Britney Spears promises her Smurfs 2 song will be "Smurftastic"

Just when you thought your anticipation for this summer's The Smurfs 2 couldn't get any more breathless: According to Access Hollywood, Britney Spears will perform a new song titled "Ooh La La" for the sequel, which will play over the film's end credits. "I have always loved the Smurfs as a kid and now my boys are the biggest Smurfs fans EVER," said Spears in a statement, adding, "I wanted to surprise them with a song in the movie. I know they'l think it's Smurfastic!" Spears' statement gives absolutely no indication as to whether "Smurftastic" is a good or a bad thing, so in this spirit of the sequel, we'll just say that a Smurfs-themed Britney Spears song sounds absolutely Smurf-y to us.

4. The 2013 Oscar producers have been rehired for next year's ceremony

Demonstrating the kind of inexplicable decision-making that leads to something like an awkward, seemingly endless William Shatner cameo, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has rehired Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who produced this year's widely criticized Oscar ceremony, to produce the Oscars in 2014. "We believe that continuity is the most important thing," said Academy president Howard Koch, who apparently places "quality" and "tastefulness" further down the list. Though The Guardian says that Seth MacFarlane has already stated that he won't return as host, Oscar viewers can presumably look forward to more of the same from Zadan and Meron — including, we can only hope, another long, pointless tribute to themselves.

5. Don't worry, everyone — The Cleveland Show isn't canceled yet

On Wednesday morning, members of the Animation Guild reported that Fox's The Cleveland Show — the animated comedy by Seth MacFarlane that isn't Family Guy or American Dad, and that pretty much everybody had forgotten existed — had been put out of its misery by Fox. But the 12 remaining Cleveland Show fans don't need to start a Kickstarter for the series just yet; according to Entertainment Weekly, Fox "says they haven't officially made a decision" on The Cleveland Show, even though the network already renewed every other series in its animation block months ago. Until Fox makes an official decision on the series, TV viewers are encouraged to treat The Cleveland Show the same way they always have, by totally ignoring it.

News Source: theweek.com

Bieber Backs a Debit Card for Teenagers, From Parents

JUSTIN BIEBER earned $55 million in 2012, according to Forbes, but in new videos for the SpendSmart Payments Company, which offers a prepaid debit card for teenagers, the singer talks about his modest upbringing.

“You know when I was a kid, we didn’t have a lot of money, so me and my family had to watch the money that we spent,” Mr. Bieber says in a video directed at his young fans. “I learned if you have $100 or $100 million — if you spend more than you have, you’re going to go broke.”

Mr. Bieber urges viewers to “have a talk with your family about money” in the video. “Managing your money is important,” he says, “and there’s a great company that can help you do that called SpendSmart.”

The video, by BrandFire in Manhattan, will be shared by Mr. Bieber beginning Thursday on his YouTube channel (more than two million subscribers), Facebook page (more than 52.4 million followers), and on Twitter (more than 37.3 million followers).

Subsequent videos, called “Real Talk,” also will feature Mr. Bieber discussing financial literacy and encouraging teenagers to share their videos.

Mr. Bieber is being paid $3.75 million for a 14-month contract, along with potential monthly royalties tied to the growth of active SpendSmart cards, according to documents the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The deal also, according to the filing, includes a stock option to buy two million shares of SpendSmart stock, which was trading at 38.8 cents a share Wednesday.

Noreen Jenney Laffey, president of Celebrity Endorsement Network, said she would have expected such a deal to earn Mr. Bieber closer to $2 million, but she lauded SpendSmart both for choosing the singer to reach teenagers and for focusing on social media rather than traditional advertising.

“The marketing strategy and the choice of talent for this is brilliant, as is merging it into his social media network,” Ms. Jenney Laffey said.

The SpendSmart card has a number of features intended to teach teenagers financial literacy while enabling parents to monitor them.

When teenagers use the card, which has a MasterCard logo, parents can be alerted instantly to the purchase through text messages and a smartphone app. Parents may pre-emptively block purchases from Web sites, and instantly lock the card after seeing anything objectionable. Real-time monitoring fosters what SpendSmart, in marketing materials, calls “teachable moments.”

Introduced in 2009 as BillMyParents, the card was first marketed mainly as a tool to let teenagers shop online with parental oversight. But for many the name BillMyParents equated parents with A.T.M.’s.

Thus, the company renamed the card and company SpendSmart to highlight its “mission of being a responsible teen spending company,” said Michael R. McCoy, who became chief executive of the company in 2011.

“Parents have an easier time talking about drugs and alcohol with their kids than the family budget and financial literacy,” said Mr. McCoy.

The average SpendSmart cardholder is 16, and the card is used most frequently to buy food (especially fast food), followed by gas, technology (like iTunes, electronics and games) and clothing.

A revamped SpendSmart Web site will be frequently updated with articles about financial literacy from Brafton, a content production agency.

There were seven million prepaid cards in circulation in 2012, more than double the number in 2009, according to CardHub.com, which monitors the industry.

A 2012 report by Consumer Reports criticized prepaid cards over exorbitant fees. Among 15 prepaid cards examined in the report, 13 charged monthly fees (from $2.95 to $9.95), 14 charged for A.T.M. withdrawals, 12 charged for checking balances at A.T.M.’s, and five charged for periods of inactivity.

SpendSmart fees include a monthly fee of $3.95; loading fees of $2.95 from a credit card or 75 cents from a checking account (a single scheduled monthly automatic payment from a checking account is free); $1.50 to withdraw from any A.T.M. (in addition to A.T.M. surcharges), and 50 cents for an A.T.M. balance inquiry; $7.95 for a replacement card; and $3 for 30 days of inactivity.

After reviewing the SpendSmart fee schedule, Michelle Jun, a lawyer with Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, said SpendSmart fees were not as high or numerous as those for many prepaid cards, but she still advised against the card.

“We would not recommend that parents use prepaid cards for their teens,” Ms. Jun said. “It doesn’t help your teen establish a credit history or a relationship with a financial institution, so we recommend going the traditional route and opening up a checking account at your bank or credit union of choice.”

In an appearance on the Fox Business Network in January, John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at SmartCredit.com, said that fees for the SpendSmart card were lower than those for many cards. But “that’s like saying my broken arm is not as bad as your broken arm” because it is “comparing two bad things and trying to say that one is actually better,” he said.

“If you just take the monthly fee and nothing else — meaning that you do nothing else punitive so they can hit you with the fees,” Mr. Ulzheimer said of SpendSmart on Fox, “you’re still paying a little over $47 a year as an annual fee to get access to your own money.”

Before joining SpendSmart, Mr. McCoy ran the consumer credit division for Wells Fargo, and he said that during the height of the recession many consumers “got in over their heads because they just flat out spent too much.”

SpendSmart could help teenagers avoid the same fate, he said.

“Instead of trying to teach adults better spending habits, I thought, ‘My goodness, there has to be a different way,’ ” said Mr. McCoy. “We’re helping families to teach youth better spending habits.”

News Source: www.nytimes.com

Justin Bieber: ‘My Phone Never Rings’

Justin Bieber has nearly 37 million Twitter followers, but, according to the pop star, offline, he’s actually sort of a loner.
In the May issue of Teen Vogue, on stands April 15, the 19-year-old pop star opens up about how fame has made him more cautious about getting close to people.
“Literally, my phone never rings,” he says. “I only have, like, four people that I keep in contact with. I don’t need a bunch of close friends to make me happy.”
Instead, Bieber relies on his fans for support, as well as his parents and best friend, rapper Lil’ Twist, whom some have accused of being a bad influence.
“When I first got signed, I moved to Atlanta and met Twist,” he explains. “The funny thing is, I was nobody when we were hanging out. Twist knows me for me.”
And following a very public split from girlfriend Selena Gomez, as well as a recent confrontation with his neighbor, he’ll be leaning on his loved ones more than ever as he prepares for a world tour and deals with global fame.
“When people get to where they want, they’re like, ‘I’m here, I got it,’” he says. “When I get to the top, I just want to get better.”

News Source: abcnews.go.com

Acting Out Because of Heartbreak Over Selena

Justin Bieber has been spinning out of control not because he's trying to "act like an adult," not because his friends are a bad influence ... but because he's suffering his first case of heartbreak -- courtesy of Selena Gomez -- so say people who are in daily contact with the singer.

Our sources tell us ... Justin was "torn apart" when Selena pulled the plug on their relationship in December, when she walked out on him in the middle of their Mexico vacation.

We're told Justin feels "tortured," because Selena has not made a clean break -- far from it.  We're told she is regularly calling him and sending him mixed messages, and it's been messing with his head.

That could explain why Justin went to Selena's L.A. home last week, but hasn't been seen there since.

Our sources say ... the pot smoking in Newport Beach, the reckless driving and the fighting has all occurred after the split, and they say it's very clear that Bieber is holding a lot of anger that he's releasing ... often inappropriately.

News Source: www.tmz.com

Justin Bieber's monkey quarantined in Germany

Justin Bieber had to leave a monkey in quarantine after landing in Germany last week without the necessary papers for the animal, an official said Saturday.
The 19-year-old singer arrived at Munich airport last Thursday. When he went through customs, he didn't have the documentation necessary to bring the capuchin monkey into the country, so the animal had to stay with authorities, customs spokesman Thomas Meister said.
Bieber performed in Munich on Thursday, beginning the latest leg of his European tour. He later tweeted: "Munich was a good time. And loud. The bus is headed to Vienna now. U coming?" He didn't mention the monkey.
The Canadian singer is giving several concerts in Austria and then in Germany over the next week.
Bieber had a trying stay in London recently. The star struggled with his breathing and fainted backstage at a show, was taken to a hospital and then was caught on camera clashing with a paparazzo. Days earlier, he was booed by his beloved fans when he showed up late to a concert.


News Source: www.foxnews.com

Selena Gomez Single And 'Really' Enjoying Life Without Justin Bieber

Selena Gomez may have ended her two year relationship with Justin Bieber, but she has no regrets.

The actress and singer, 20, stopped by "Chelsea Lately" with her co-star Vanessa Hudgens and opened up about her life post-Bieber. When Chelsea Handler asked the former Disney star if she was enjoying life without a boyfriend, a beaming Gomez replied, "Yes, I really am!"

Handler then congratulated the newly single star, saying, "Enjoy this, girl. You're 20 years old. You've got a lot of men ahead of you ... have a blast!"

Earlier this week, Gomez made an appearance on "The Late Show With David Letterman" and poked fun at her 19-year-old ex, joking that she made him cry.

"The last time he was on, he and I got into a conversation and he said something, then I said something," Letterman said. "And I made him cry."

"Well then, that makes two of us," Gomez quipped.

The "Spring Breakers" star has been on a roll lately, proving to the all those Beliebers that she is, in fact, over Bieber.
"I'm good. I'm really good. I've been recording, having a lot of fun with my girlfriends, having a good time," she told E! recently. "I'm having a lot of fun expressing everything that I'm feeling."

News Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Justin Bieber Snowboards in Swiss Alps—See the Pics!

What's Justin Bieber doing surrounded by all that white powder?
Snowboarding, of course! On Thursday, the 19-year-old pop star took a much-needed break from his busy touring schedule to have some fun with friends on the slopes in Switzerland's Hoch-Ybrig ski region.
A local radio station posted one shot of the Biebs, wearing pink ski pants and a colorful hooded jacket, chatting with fellow boarders. Another picture showed Selena Gomez's ex getting ready to make his way through some fresh snow.
Justin mourns the loss of 11-year-old fan
But don't think J.B. took the entire day off. "snowboarding this morning and working this afternoon," he tweeted. "We go hard."
He also took the time with some Beliebers, writing, "love to fans i met today. thanks for the letters. #muchlove."
Yep. Swaggy.

News Source: www.eonline.com

Justin Bieber lashes out at media's "countless lies" about him

Pop star Justin Bieber struck back at his critics, denouncing the "countless lies" written about him after a week in which he cancelled a concert, collapsed on stage and had a run-in with paparazzi.

In a lengthy posting on his Instagram profile, the 19-year-old singer said he was not going into rehab, contrary to some media speculation, and felt he had done nothing to deserve the negative press surrounding his European tour.

"Everyone in my team has been telling me, 'keep the press happy' but I'm tired of all the countless lies in the press right now. Saying I'm going to rehab and how my family is disappointed in me," Bieber wrote.

Saying he wanted to let his fans know directly how he felt, Bieber added: "I'm a good person with a big heart. And don't think I deserve all this negative press I've worked my ass off to get where I am and my hard work doesn't stop here... All this isn't easy. I get angry sometimes. I'm human. I'm gonna make mistakes. I'm gonna grow and get better from them."
The clean-cut Canadian teenager has had a meteoric career since being discovered on YouTube in 2008.

But he hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons last week when he turned up two hours late for a London concert, collapsed on stage in London with shortness of breath on another night, and was caught on camera cursing at a pushy photographer.

He was spotted wearing a bizarre gas mask on a night out in London, and one British tabloid labelled him "Pop brat Justin."

On Monday, he cancelled one of two planned concerts in Portugal this week. A statement cited "unforeseen circumstances," but local media in Portugal reported that ticket sales for the gigs had been slow.

Bieber, who has more than 35 million Twitter followers,
suggested on Thursday that envy of his success might lie at the root of the jibes from the news media.

"I'm 19 with 5 number one albums, 19 and I've seen the whole world. 19 and I've accomplished more than I could've ever dreamed of, I'm 19 and it must be scary to some people to think that this is just the beginning,"
 he wrote, Bieber played a concert, apparently without incident, in Madrid on Thursday before moving on to Barcelona and other European cities later this month.

News Source:  delcotimes.com

Justin Bieber and Lindsay Lohan clash, insist they are very different

Yesterday, experts told us that Bieber's latest "zonked out and strange" behavior reminded them of another young Hollywood troublemaker.
"When a star has to leave the stage after passing out, and ends up in hospital it is a clear indication that something is wrong. His recent 'health scare' is reminiscent of a young Lindsay Lohan who was constantly plagued by bouts of alleged 'exhaustion' early on," New York-based publicist Elissa Buchter said.
But Bieber apparently wasn't too happy to be compared to LiLo. On Thursday, he ranted on Instagram about his rocky relationship with the press, taking a jab at Lohan.
In the sentence, now deleted from the post, Bieber wrote "to those comparing me to Lindsey [sic] Lohan look at her 2012 tax statements."
Bieber boasted in the rant that he has had five number one albums-- all before turning 20.
And now his words have left Lohan wondering what she ever did to deserve the bashing from the pop star.
Sources told TMZ the "Liz & Dick" actress thinks his words were "senseless and mean."
And Bieber said he realized he went too far with his Lindsay quip.
"My post was only up for a few minutes but I realized right away that what I said at the end was wrong and distracted from what I was trying to say," he told TMZ. "I immediately deleted it and rewrote it so it would show what I was really feeling and those words are up now."
Like Lohan, Bieber has been getting press attention lately for all the wrong reasons.

"Justin Bieber's toxic behavior is the result of too much too soon. Although he is in a very adult world, he has been granted unlimited access to anything he wants..." Buchter said.

Los Angeles-based medical professional Dr. Damon Raskin called Bieber’s latest escapades nothing short of "bizarre."

"The passing out on-stage could be related to a lack of sleep, poor nutrition or dehydration," he observed. "And it could be a sign that he is getting burned out."

And while industry expert and founder of Betafish Music, Jed Smith, acknowledged that the fainting is an obvious warning signal that "something is amiss," he described Bieber's behavior as quite simply, "unremarkably brattish."

"Now would be a great time for a moment of humility," Smith suggested. "Bieber could apologize to the fans he's blown off, allow some public insight into the pressures of world-class concert touring and being newly young and wealthy. If he doesn't turn perception of himself around eventually, he will be freak-showing his way on to a spot on ‘The Surreal Life.’"
News source: www.foxnews.com