CelebrityWorld

The hat worn by R&B legend Aretha Franklin while singing “America the Beautiful” at Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration seems to have become a cultural fashion statement.

The hat has been a hot topic in fashion discussions since the new president took the oath as the nation’s chief executive on Jan. 20, and may now follow First Lady Michelle Obama’s inauguration ball gown to the Smithsonian.

Luke Song, who designed the celebrated head piece for the Queen of Soul, says he has been inudated with requests for the hat. But, he states that sending the original to the Smithsonian is something that he is contemplating.

“I am considering it. It would be hard to part with my chapeau since it was such a strong crowning moment in history,” she commented to New York Magazine. “I would like to smile every time I look back at it and remember what a great moment it was in American and African-American history.”

Aretha’s custom-made version of the $179 hat cost over $500.

In the on-going effort to remove the demons of her past, attorneys for Britney Spears filed restraining orders in Los Angeles Superior Court against her former manager, Osama “Sam” Lufti,  and Adnan Ghalib, the photographer who she once dated.

Court documents state that Lufti has made efforts to gain control of her affairs, which are now handled by her father, Jamie, after he was appointed her legal permanent conservator.

The filings also state that Lufti began trying to contact Britney in December, just after her latest album, “Circus” was released, and five months after the singer let a temporary restraining order lapse. Lufti is said to have sent text messages to Spears’ hairdresser, and to one of her father’s attorneys in an attempt to arrange a meeting. Jamie Spears also wrote in a sworn affidavit that he found Lufti’s number in his daughter’s phone records.

The documents state that Spears has made her travel plans known to Ghalib, who arranges for images to be taken of her for his financial benefit.

It may be too soon to tell if 2009 will be as big a year for celebrity babies as last year, but it’s starting out with a boom.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the conservative co-host of “The View”, announced today that she and her husband, former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, are expecting baby number three sometime in August. She made the announcement on Thursday’s edition of the popular daytime talk show.

“I didn’t even know for two months,” said Hasselbeck, who explained that she first started feeling ill at Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration. The expecting mother says that she thought she was experiencing “electionitis”.

“I was tired, I was nauseous, I though I was worn out from the whole procedure. No, I was knocked up and didn’t realize it,” she said.

So, should we get ready for more pregnant mama drama on the set of “The View”? When Hasselbeck was expecting her second child in 2007, she got into a hot and heavy debate with Rosie O’Donnell while on air. Rosie left the program not long after their verbal cat-fight.

One of the original members of the sucessful girl group, Destiny’s Child, announced that she will no longer be under the management of Beyonce’s dad, Mathew Knowles. Knowles has managed Rowland’s career both as a member of the group, and as a solo artist.

Both Rowland and Mathew Knowles say that the split was amicable, but there had been rumblings in the Destiny Child camp for years that Knowles often focused more attention on Beyonce than he did the rest of the group.

Though Rowland has enjoyed some solo success, her projects were never marketed as aggressively as those of Beyonce. Her 2007 project, “Ms Kelly” was well received by critics, but failed to reach gold in record sales.

Knowles says that he will continue to manage Destiny’s Child as a group, as well as the careers of Beyonce and her sister, Solange.

Texas Stadium has never been a large enough arena for the ego for Dallas Cowboy’s superstar receiver Terrell Owens. So, VH1 is giving T.O. the ball and letting him run with it. After once again complaining at season’s end that he doesn’t touch the ball enough, he’ll now have the opportunity to have the entire spotlight on his favorite subject… himself.

The show will offer an inside view of what it’s like to be T.O. off the field. His friends, Monique Jackson and Kita Williams, will also be featured as “matchmakers and therapists” for Owens, who will film episodes for the program during the off-season.

“We are thrilled to bring such a great athlete, who is one of the biggest names and personalities in all the world of sports to VH1 for a surprising high octane look inside his superstar life off the field,” say Jeff Olde, Vice President of Programming and Production at the network.

T.O. has been known for his outrageous antics on the field, and his even more outrageous comments off of it, so don’t expect anything less of him on the tube. Owens promises a realistic view of how he lives, which should be ripe for reality television.

What else would you expect from Terrell?

The 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards was held Sunday in Los Angeles, and as with other award programs, serves as a tune-up for the oscars. The same names seem to pop up on the list of nominations, but those lists sometimes produce different winners, making it that much more difficult to predict oscar winners.

A few picks mirrored those of Golden Globe winners just a few weeks ago.. Kate Winslett won again in the Best Supporting Actress catagory, “30 Rock” is still the show to beat on television, and “Slumdog Millionaire” continues to gain weight as the oscar favorite for Best Picture. Heath Ledger again won posthumously for his role as Joker in “The Dark Knight”,

But Sean Penn took home the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, beating out Mickey Rourke, who won the Golden Globe.

A few years ago, there was talk that the industry was beginning to become over saturated with awards. But Hollywood appears to be warming up to the numerous awards programs, and the celebrity world seems to use them to validate winning the big prize at the Academy Awards.

Mickey Rourke could be taking the hype about his role in “The Wrestler” just a little too seriously. The mercurial actor confided to Access Hollywood that he has been contacted by the WWE to participate in the upcoming Wrestlemania 25 in April.

Rourke, who plays an aging grappler in his latest film outing, has received rave reviews for his portrayal of Randy “The Ram” Robinson. The role has put Rourke back in the celebrity spotlight, and has garnered several major award nominations, including a Best Actor nod at next month’s oscars.

And now, the WWE has come calling.

“The boys from the WWE called and asked me to do it,” Rourke explained about his invitation. “I said, ‘I want to’. I’m talking with Roddy Piper about it.”

Rourke says that there has been a positive response through the wrestling community about the film. “The nicest thing has been the whole wresting community embracing us. The movie was about their world.”

Rourke made his comment on the red carpet before entering the SAG Awards, where he is also nominated for a Best Actor award.

Police in the Bahamas have arrested three people who allegedly made an attempt to extort money from John Travolta after the death of his son. Those arrested include a senator from the island, and the former Misister of Tourism, Obie Wilchcombe, who is considered a close friend to the Travolta family.

Details of the extortion plot have not been revealed, but a police spokesperson confirms that Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater has been in custody since Thursday in connection with the case. Wilchombe was detained after police asked him to come in to answer questions.

Tarino Lightbourne, an ambulance driver who attempted to revive Jett Travolta before transporting him to a nearby hospital, was also arrested after an alert was issued that he was wanted for attempted extortion, and that he was “considered dangerous and should be approached with caution”.

Jett Travolta, 16, died on Jan. 2nd from a seizure disorder while vacationing at the Travolta’s home in the Bahamas.

Superstar model Gisele Bundchen has spoken out about her rumored engagement to New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady, saying that the couple have made no plans to get married. 

CelebrityWorld reported the engagement rumors last week, but the 28 year old Brazilian told ‘Caras Gi’ magazine, “I don’t know how people get so creative.” She say that she and Brady were flying to Boston on Christmas Eve and simply shared some champagne.

“Ready? Someone deduced I was getting engaged,” she said. “I received more than 100 e-mails from friends about the proposal.”

But while denying additional rumors about a wedding in Costa Rica, the celebrity fashionista commented, “I don’t know yet if it’s going to be here or in another country, but what I know is that it’s going to be something small, a simple ceremony. I don’t like parties, I prefer something more intimate, just for the closest people.”

I’m not sure if this is Brazilian double-talk, or if the couple just wants to keep their plans private. Only time will tell!

Brad Pitt in “The Mysterious Case of Benjamin Button

The nominees for the 81st Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards were announced in Los Angeles this morning, and the romantic fantasy, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” became an early favorite in terms of total nominations with 13. “Slumdog Millionaire”, filmed in India by British director Danny Boyle, also continued it’s run of dominating awards programs by receiving seven Oscar nominations.

There were a few surprises as the nominations were called out, including that of Richard Jenkins, who was nominated in the best actor catagory for his work in “The Visitor”. The biggest snub had to be that of Clint Eastwood, who was not nominated as a best actor candidate for “Gran Torino”.

The Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie household came away as huge winners. Pitt earned a Best Actor nod for role as the backwards aging Benjamin Button, and Jolie has been nominated as Best Actress for Clint Eastwood’s “Changling”.

The most emotional nod went to the late Heath Ledger, who was nominated as Best Supporting Actor  for his work as Joker in “Dark Knight”. Many were surprised that the film was left off of the best movie and best director list.

The Acedemy Awards are scheduled for February 22nd. For a full list of nominees, visit Academy of Motion Picture Arts ands Sciences.