Posts Tagged ‘Positively Latest News’

Gisele Bundchen, the world’s most famous (and beautiful) supermodel, recently took some time to make an unexpected visit to children who have been stricken with cancer. The Victoria’s Secret Brazilian bombshell surprised a group of young women at Newbury Street’s Salon Pini & Co. in Boston and taught them the tricks of the trade, showing them how to strut their stuff on the catwalk, pose and a whole lot more!

Gisele’s drop in at the salon was unbeknownst to the girls, all of whom are patients at the Jimmy Fund Clinic at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston that were being treated to a weekend on the town. The weekend kicked off with a free shopping event at H&M, a fancy dinner and luxury accommodations at the Westin Hotel. Sunday the group of 29 girls were treated to a spa day at Salon Pini & Co. (fully catered by L’espalier), where they were given manicures, hair styling, makeovers and more! While the patients were receiving their much deserved pampering, Gisele popped out of an elevator to surprise them.

“I asked them to turn down the music, and said ‘Can I have your attention, because we’re not done yet. You all look beautiful. This looks like a room of supermodels. I think the only way we could raise the level of supermodel-dom in this room is to bring out the world’s most famous supermodel,’” WEEI morning radio host (and event MC) John Dennis said. “It was unbelievable. She made every one of those girls feel beautiful, loved and important. It was very, very special.”

Gisele met with each girl individually to take photos, give hugs and hand out roses. To end the event, an impromptu catwalk was formed and the young patients had a chance to strut their stuff! “We made a fake little catwalk in the salon, and we each walked down it,” one of the children said. “Then there were three girls that were in wheelchairs, and strolled them down the catwalk. Another girl and I didn’t want to walk alone, so she walked arm-in-arm with us.”

All of us here at Positively Celebrity are moved at how Gisele paused her very busy life to brighten the day of the children in Boston. She is truly as beautiful inside as she is outside! To learn more about the incredible work being done with the Jimmy Fund please visit www.jimmyfund.org.

As always, be sure to check back for all things celebrity from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

Mark your calendars for November 3, because Alicia Keys will be hosting her bi-annual Blackball at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City! With amazing live performances, surprise guests and more, the charity gala promises to be one positively special night!

The Blackball is an incredible event that Keys throws twice a year, in both London as well as New York City. This year’s event in the Big Apple is being described as “an explosion of music, soul, philanthropy and art to benefit children and families whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India,” and all monies raised will go towards Keys’ charity Keep a Child Alive.

Keep a Child Alive started in Kenya in 2002, and what started as a small charity quickly expanded to quite a bit more. Today the non-profit organization provides anti-retroviral drugs for over 4000 children and family members, provides and cares for over 250,000 people, financially supports three orphanages, and has several major clinic sites in expansion.

Since 2004 Alicia Keys has organized and run the Blackball as a night to bring attention to the AIDS epidemic in Africa and India, and to help raise funds for all of Keep a Child Alive’s endeavors. Previous performers at the event include Keys herself, as well as Justin Timberlake, David Bowie, Bono, Kasabian (one of my personal favorite bands from the UK), John Mayer and a whole lot more.

This year, the Blackball in New York will definitely be another incredible show. To date, the event has raised over $13 million for Keep a Child Alive, and has been responsible for saving countless lives. Don’t miss out on the event of the season, buy your tickets today!

All of us here at Positively Celebrity are in awe of the beautiful Miss Keys for all of her incredible talent and even more incredible dedication to help children in need! To find out more about the Blackball at Hammerstein Ballroom please visit http://keepachildalive.org/the-black-ball/2011-ny/ and to purchase a ticket or reserve a tabl,e please contact Danielle Spitzer at danielle@keepachildalive.org or (718) 965-1111.

As always, be sure to check back for all things celebrity from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

From previews and commercials Real Steel may look like a simple summer action flick, but it is surprisingly one of the better movies of 2011. With a strong, engaging storyline, amazing special effects, a fast pace and an excellent cast, the movie is definitely a must see for all, whether the young or just the young at heart!

Real Steel is the story of Charlie Kenton, a former boxer who struggles to make ends meet, and his son Max Kenton, who has lived his 11 years without once meeting his father. Set in a distant future where the public has embraced robot boxing in lieu of traditional human pugilism, Charlie is a man trying to find his place in a new world where the life he has known is not possible anymore, while Max is just trying to get to know the father he has never had.

The movie is based in part off of the short story “Steel” by acclaimed author Richard Matheson (I am Legend, What Dreams May Come, A Stir of Echoes). “I thought it was great,” Matheson said of the film adaptation. “They hit all the right things with it. They gave it heart.”

Veteran Australian actor Hugh Jackman (Kate & Leopold, Swordfish, Wolverine) plays Charlie, with relative newcomer Dakota Goyo (Thor, Resurrecting the Champ, Defendor) in the role of young Max. Both are absolutely incredible in this movie, and make every minute of their journey together as father and son completely believable and entertaining. Rounding out the case is Evangeline Lilly (from ABC’s Lost), Kevin Durand (Legion) and Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker), all of whom turn in stellar performances as supporting cast.

Directing is Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Cheaper by the Dozen, Just Married), who does an amazing job presenting his vision of the future in a new genre for him. The great Steven Spielberg played a large part in getting this movie off the ground, and it’s clear why he so firmly believed in Real Steel – the movie is an action packed, fast paced, heart felt, jump out of your seat thriller of a summer blockbuster!

The effects of Real Steel are on par with that of James Cameron’s Avatar, and for a reason: director Shawn Levy used the same technology developed for the blockbuster about life on another planet for Real Steel, and it is incredible. The robots are so well designed and move so smoothly it is easy as an audience to forget that they are not really there. Every punch, every kick feels as if it is a real actor out in the ring, dishing out and taking all that he can.

The robots aren’t the only ones in on the fun though; Jackman shows off boxing skills taught to him by the great Sugar Ray Leonard throughout the film. Boxing aficionados will recognize a few signature moves of both Sugar Ray, as well as the great Muhammad Ali incorporated into the fight movie by Jackman, who really took to his tutelage.

“First, it was a delight to see how much Hugh took to the training and how as a great actor he was able to implement the suggestions I could make,” Leonard said of the actor. “His moves and the grace with which he carried himself in character was really astounding.”

At it’s core, this is a movie about redemption for Charlie, Max, and even Atom (the robot that the father and son bond over). In a thoroughly entertaining 127 minutes Levy takes us on a rollercoaster of a ride that starts off in small town fairs and ends up in big cities, with the characters growing throughout the journey. The last real summer action movie of 2011, Real Steel is a lot more than what it seems, and with Jackman, Lilly and Goyo paired with excellent direction, incredible special effects, a phenomenal score by the great Danny Elfman, and a heart warming storyline, all of us here at Positively Celebrity highly recommend the Dreamworks film!

Real Steel opens nationwide on October 7th, both in regular theaters as well as in IMAX. You can learn more about the movie by checking out Real Steel’s website at http://steelgetsreal.com and also on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/realsteelmovie

As always, be sure to check back for all things celebrity from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

On November 17, 2011, Gary Barlow of the British band “Take That” will bring together some of the world’s best entertainers for “BBC Children in Need Rocks Manchester”, a one night only event in Manchester, England! With the lineup that will be rocking the event, it’s no surprise the initial run of tickets sold out in only a few hours!

Children in Need is a charity run by BBC that provides grants to projects in the UK which focus on children and young people who are disadvantaged. A remarkable 100% of all donations goes directly into projects that will help those who are in need, as all running costs are covered by Gift Aid and investment income.

The charity was started all the way back in 1927, with it’s first donation request being in the form a five-minute radio broadcast on Christmas Day of that year. In the time since, over 600 million pounds (roughly 950 million US dollars) has been given to Children in Need, and has helped to provide for countless needy children and young adults, with over 40 million pounds (roughly 64 million US dollars) being used in 2010 alone.

This year promises to be quite the event, as Gary Barlow has assembled some of the best performers on Earth for a great concert. Headlining the concert will be arguably the greatest live performer of all time in Lady Gaga, who is sure to bring all her eclectic style to light up the night in Manchester and to keep her little monsters happy!

Hugh Laurie, who plays the titular character on Fox’s smash TV hit, House, will also be performing at the concert. Laurie, who many in America don’t realize is a far bigger star in the United Kingdom than here in the States, is also an extremely talented musician who regularly tours with a full band. Armed with a sharp wit and sharper talents on the guitar as well as the piano, Laurie will be sure to bring the laughs and more to the event.

Bands Coldplay and Snow Patrol are also scheduled to perform for Children in Need, and if you have seen either live you know that they bring an energy level that will get those both in attendance as well as watching remotely up and out of their seats!

Michael Buble, the Canadian multi-Grammy award winner, will join the hosts for the evening in Fearne Cotton, Chris Moyles and David Tennant as well as a secret roster of special celebrity guests and surprise collaborations to ensure that the Children in Need Rocks Manchester is one of the best events of 2011! Make sure to keep an eye out for available tickets if you are up for a trip across the pond, or simply set your DVR to BBC to catch the event live on your home television!

All of us here at Positively Celebrity can’t wait to see the event in Manchester on November 17, and we laud all the performers as well as the BBC and all those who donate to this amazing cause! To find out more about BBC’s Children in Need charity, please visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/aboutus/ or follow the organization on Twitter @BBCCiN.

As always, be sure to check back for all things celebrity from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

Singer/songwriter Christina Perri has designed a t-shirt for To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), a non-profit organization based out of Orlando, Florida, that is “dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide… exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.”

Perri, who just a year ago was a divorcee working as a waitress in Los Angeles, has sold roughly 3 million singles to date, and is considered one of the music industry’s most rapidly rising stars. The gorgeous 25-year-old burst into the spotlight with a performance of her single “Jar of Hearts” on Fox’s television show “So You Think You Can Dance” in the summer of 2010, and currently has in “Arms” one of the best songs I have ever heard climbing up the Billboard charts.

On TWLOHA, Perri recently blogged:

“When I was growing up and into the women I am now– I was very sad. I had a little rain cloud over my head + heart and I don’t know why. I was always confused and insecure and felt not good enough, broken, ugly, and different. The older I became the more I learned how to make myself feel better and how to turn my feelings + emotions into poems and songs and eventually fell right into where I belong and started to like myself. It was very slow but it happened.  I always wished I could go tell that little version of me that it was all going to be ok and get better and that I am and was in fact beautiful, strong, unique and a bright shining light. What I love about TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS is that’s what they do. they give everyone a chance to feel better now. They provide help + hope + self love + strength + they save lives. I believe in getting help. I believe in not giving up. I believe in TWLOHA.”

TWLOHA has a number of supporters throughout the entertainment industry, including One Republic, Switchfoot, Evanescence, Paramore, Panic at the Disco!, Helio, Miley Cyrus and more.

The organization has also won a plethora of awards, including mtvU’s Good Woodie Award, and are active on twitter and facebook (on which their page has received over 1,000,000 likes). They have also been featured on NBC and multiple other news broadcasts, and have won the USA Today twitter charity campaign. The organization is clearly a resounding success, and each day continues to help those in need. It is easy to see why artists such as Christina Perri are quick to lend a hand in support in any way that they can.

All of us here at Positively Celebrity love everything that TWLOHA has done for the community, and laud Christina Perri for linking up with the charity organization! To learn more about “To Write Love on Her Arms”, and to order the t-shirt designed by Christina Perri please visit www.twloha.com. To see where Christina Perri is performing, as well as to order her music and learn more about the amazing artist, please visit www.ChristinaPerri.com, and to see the official video for her new single check out the video for “Arms” below!

As always, be sure to check back for all things celebrity from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

June 19th is right around the corner, and if you’re anything like me you have no clue what to get that special father in your life…whether he be your dad, your husband or your son. Luckily, looking to the stars of Tinseltown we can get some great ideas for the upcoming holiday!

This Father’s Day, make him feel like HE’S the celebrity in your life by spoiling him with one of these amazing gifts! Here’s my Top 5 Best Celebrity-Inspired Gifts for Father’s Day.

#5: The Apple iPad 2 – the follow up to Apple’s best selling iPad, the iPad two is a sleeker, faster and more powerful update to the best selling tablet in history.

There is a reason people lined up for hours waiting for the opportunity to shell out a few hundred dollars on this amazing little device: it’s flat out incredible. Dad can use it to surf the internet, follow his favorite sports team, watch his favorite movies and television shows and a whole lot more.

From David Letterman (who used an iPad during one of his famous top 10 lists on the Late Show) to the guy next door, the iPad 2 will give any dad countless hours of enjoyment! Be sure to add a case to protect this pricey Father’s Day gift — my personal favorite is the Otterbox Defender series because it’s like wrapping your iPad in tank armor!

To learn more about the Apple iPad 2 please visit http://www.apple.com/ipad/.

#4: Vegas, baby, Vegas! What man wouldn’t want a nice weekend in Vegas with his buddies ala Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau in Swingers?

For that hard working dad in your life, a weekend with him and his boys in beautiful Las Vegas (or Atlantic City or the Mohegan Sun should you be East of the Mississippi) would be an excellent gift! Reliving the glory days over a craps table, eating too much at a buffet or just catching some rays poolside should be just the thing to recharge dad’s batteries.

My personal picks for hotels in Sin City are THEhotel by Mandalay Bay and the MGM Grand Signature. Each and every time I have stayed at either I have run into the likes of Toby Keith, John Legend and more!

#3: Ray Ban Wayfarers Slipping these on will send any dad straight back to the 80s, in a good way! Made famous by Tom Cruise in Risky Business, the wayfarer can be seen all over the country, being worn by the young and young at heart.

These sunglasses stand up to the test of time for a reason: they are very aesthetically pleasing and do an excellent job at blocking the sun. With summer right around the corner, these would make any dad quite the happy camper!

#2: Canon EOS Rebel T3 Let dad channel his inner paparazzo with the new Canon EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR camera. Boasting incredible picture quality, as well as high definition video recording capability, this affordable DSLR does it all, at a price that won’t break the bank.

Rumor has it that the T3 is a particular favorite of young Hollywood, and with all the amazing options that if offers, it’s easy to see why!

#1: The Mangrate This piece of cast iron goodness was devised by an engineer who made weapons grade cases for military computers. With celebrity endorsements from Adam Carolla, Kevin Smith, Larry Miller and Ralph Garman, the Mangrate promises a better grilling experience than any other charcoal grill can offer.

Having tested the product myself, I can say that eating a steak cooked on the Mangrate is an experience, and any dad who enjoys a great barbecue will love the Mangrate for Father’s Day and every day after! To find out more visit www.Mangrate.com.

All of us here at Positively Celebrity hope that our dads, and every dad out there has a wonderful Father’s Day! Let us know exactly what you’re getting that special patriarch in your life in the comments below.

Be sure to check back for more great stories from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

My nickname is Coco and I’m nuts about Vita Coco so I’m very happy to see that Rihanna is set to be featured in their advertising campaign launching this summer!

Endorsing big campaigns is nothing new to Rihanna (who has previously endorsed several products including Cover Girl, Nivea and Doritos) as well as launching her own line of Totes Umbrellas following the success of her number 1 song “Umbrella”.

The natural beauty is a big fan of the all-natural nutrient packed fat free drink that delivers 100 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin C. Rih-Rih was quoted as saying  “I love Vita Coco! It’s real coconut water from hand-picked coconuts. It’s delicious and so good for you!”

“Rihanna is a natural fit for the Vita Coco brand and I’m so happy to have her on the team” says Madonna. It seems that the whole of celeb-land is bananas about this super drink!

New York-based Vita Coco is one of the fastest growing lifestyle beverages brands in the U.S. and is not shy of celebrity attention. Madonna and Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers are both investors in the privately owned coconut water company.

Demi Moore enjoyed Vita Coco during the Super Bowl 2011 with Ashton Kutcher, along with former first couple President George and Barbara Bush.

The beverage is enjoyed by many A-listers because of it’s super-hydrating and nutritious properties. The company founded in 2004 has an impressive celebrity list of brand loyalists including Demi Moore, Matthew McConaughey, Sienna Miller and Kate Bosworth!

Available in six great tasting flavors – Pure, Açaí & Pomegranate, Tangerine, Passion Fruit, Pineapple and Peach & Mango – Vita Coco contains the five essential electrolytes and more potassium than two bananas.

I am hooked! As my mother said recently, “What did we drink before we had coconut water?”

Be sure to check back for more of the latest celebrity news from Coralie Rose right here on Positively Celebrity!

Lindsay Lohan is getting back on the big screen!

The talented actress, who has had a wild roller-coaster 2011, has signed on to play Kim Gotti, the daughter-in-law of mob boss John Gotti, Sr. in the upcoming movie Gotti: Three Generations. Lohan will be starring alongside film heavyweight John Travolta (who will be playing Gotti Sr, aka the Teflon Don), and Joe Pesci who is playing Gotti’s first in command, Angelo Ruggiero.

Gotti: Three Generations, marks the first headlining role Lohan has received since 2007’s I Know Who Killed Me, which was widely panned by critics and bombed nationwide (though I personally didn’t find it that bad).

The actress was previously working on the Linda Lovelace Story, but the producers of the film were having issues finding insurance for the actress due to her personal issues; Malin Ackerman was announced to play the role of Lovelace in lieu of Lindsay.

On the upcoming mob film, Lohan told the Associated Press: “I’m really excited to be back on set and clear up all the misinterpretations about me and show this is what I love to do. I think it’s such an iconic story. I’m honored to be working with John Travolta and Joe Pesci.”

Lohan’s deal actually landed her two films, the Gotti movie as well as an upcoming film which was written by veteran actor Chazz Palminteri. The actress did have a bit of drama with regards to the role of Kim Gotti though, as executive producer Mark Fiore had earlier dropped the actress from contention for the role due to negotiation problems with Lohan’s management group.

A quick phone call from Lindsay herself to Fiore quickly fixed things though, and Lohan secured the role in the film which is estimated for release in 2012.

“It was over. But Lindsay wanted to do this film so bad that she interceded, and she called up her managers and singlehandedly got everything going again,” Steve Honig, a spokesman for the film’s production company Fiore Films, told entertainment website TheWrap. We started the day she was not going to be in the film and talks had broken down, and we ended the day with her signing a two-picture deal. You never know what’s going to happen in Hollywood.”

Lohan told the Hollywood Reporter that she feels like she can relate to many of the mob women, stating “You don’t get to see the heart behind the story and the real side of people. I can relate to that because I think that I’ve been portrayed in a certain light. I just want to do my best to show what their family really went through.”

Marc Fiore said of the former child star, “We’re very pleased to have Lindsay on-board. She has been very enthusiastic about the Gotti project, and after resuming discussions with her, we were impressed by her commitment to the film and felt she would be a perfect Kim Gotti.”

All of us here at Positively Celebrity wish to congratulate Lindsay on her new gig and can’t wait to see her back where she belongs, on the big screen in theaters nationwide!

Be sure to check back for more of the latest celebrity news and features from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

Lauren Graham is not only one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, but also one of the most talented. The star of NBC’s drama Parenthood has proven time and time again in her career that whether it be on the small screen, the big screen, or the theater, her acting chops are second to none.

Now we can add author to Graham’s long list of achievements, as the stunning actress has just signed a deal with Random House to be published!

Announced via Random House’s twitter, Graham, who has starred on the big screen in Bad Santa alongside Billy Bob Thornton as well as in one of our favorite movies, Evan Almighty alongside Steve Carell, has been signed on to be published with her first novel, entitled “You’ll Never Make It”. As described by the company, the novel “is semi-autobiographical about struggling actress in NYC in mid-90s who waits tables as she hopes for big break.” The book will be released both in digital and traditional format.

Graham, who rose to fame playing Lorelai on the long running television show Gilmore Girls, has been extremely busy as of late, with Parenthood completing it’s second season (with the season finale pulling major ratings), her charity work and a new movie in the works.

All of us here are incredibly impressed and can’t wait to read “You’ll Never Make It” when it’s released.

Be sure to check back for more of the latest celebrity news and features from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

Veteran television personality Katie Couric has been announced to launch a new syndicated talk show in 2012, as reported by The Associated Press.

Couric, a decorated journalist who is currently the anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News, a correspondent for 60 Minutes and also hosts a web series on CBSNews.com, has been in discussions for her own talk show for quite some time.

With Oprah Winfrey announcing her upcoming retirement, Couric is another of several high profile journalists to throw their hat into the talk show ring. CNN’s Anderson Cooper has a show starting soon, and Martin Bashir’s talk show debuted on MSNBC in March.

The 54-year-old Couric, a mother of two, will be leaving her position with the CBS Evening News after nearly five years in June when her current contract expires. Couric currently earns $15 million a year with CBS, where she was first sole female anchor of a network newscast in history.

One person who definitely does not want Couric to leave her post is David Letterman, who last month told her “There’s a period of adjustment to get accustomed to the trust and build up faith in the character of the person presenting the news. And then you can’t just pull the rug out from under the viewers.”

Unfortunately for Dave, a CBS executive speaking under the veil of anonymity has confirmed that Couric will be out as soon as her contract expires, ending her hosting duties for the show.

With the void that Oprah will leave upon her retirement, a perky, personable and eloquent talk show host should be able to thrive and draw strong ratings; known as “America’s Sweetheart,” Couric fits this profile perfectly. With her strong background that has seen her work for CNN, NBC and CBS, coupled with her great attitude, incredible work ethic and vibrant personality, Couric is a shoe-in for success.

All of us here at Positively Celebrity are proud of Katie Couric for not only her on screen success, but also her behind the scenes work she does for cancer awareness and prevention, and wish her nothing but the best in her last few months at CBS and in all her future endeavors! We will be watching Katie’s new talk show, and can’t wait to see her conquer another media hosting opportunity!

Be sure to check back for more of the latest celebrity news and features from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!