Brooke Hogan lashes out on MySpace blog

Brooke Hogan is all sorts of torqued about the backlash against her family following her brother Nick's no contest plea, so she chose to sound off on her MySpace page about it.

"I know most of the public thinks my brother is some rich little selfish kid, but NO ONE knows the real story and I'm really pissed that the truth didn't come out from either side," she wrote. "A LOT of lies were told in that trial. Believe me. And it wasn't from us. John (Graziano) was NEVER home. He was at our house. ALL THE TIME."

She also ripped on how you idiots who watch Hogan Knows Best and for some reason give a damn about them had better get up off it, because reality TV is anything but. Who knew?

"And by the way, before you judge anybody, make sure you really know them. I promise you if you were to meet my brother he would give you the shirt off his back. He's not "NICK HOGAN." AND hes not the person he plays on tv. People are so gullible now a days…"

Of course, that rant was taken down after awhile and replaced with: "wtvr I have the truth on my side. And the truth will set everyone straight sooner or later. PEACE ps: yes I took my last one off cause I know itll go around anyway. Have at it ppl."

Well, golly. It's a good thing we and lots of other folks saw it, so here we are, having at it. What? She said we could.

[Photo: AP]

Source

Local Melissa Trinidad on 'American Gladiators'

Bloodthirsty Tampa Bay TV viewers will have not only Hulk Hogan to look forward to upon the return of American Gladiators on Monday, but a local contestant, as well. Melissa Trinidad is a 30-year-old children's martial arts instructor from Brandon who will be testing her mettle on the show's season premiere.

According to NBC, Trinidad is certified black belt and single mom, which probably comes in handy at some point. She'll be tough to see onscreen, however, since she's a mere 5-foot-1. Up until now the only person we've had to root for is Atlantic Beach native Whitney on the CW's America's Next Top Model (who's in the top three), so it'll be fun to see another Floridian kick some butt.

Bodyguards for Rihanna and Chris Brown assault tbt* photographer

Our very own paparazzo Luis Santana, 25 (right), was beaten and robbed early Tuesday morning near Vintage Ultra Lounge in downtown St. Pete while trying to take pictures of Chris Brown celebrating his 19th birthday.

Luis got word that Brown and Rihanna (who may or may not be Brown's girlfriend, since they refuse to confirm it to celebrity rags) were at a private party at the club, so he headed on over to help us provide your daily dose of dish. He talked to Vintage security and was told he could take photographs outside, Santana said.

After the club closed at 2 a.m., he waited outside for another half-hour or so, catching sight of Brown as he left. He said bodyguards told the hip-hopper to get in the black Excursion or Expedition limousine waiting outside the club, where Luis managed to take a couple pics of the performer.

Bodyguards chased him into the street, ripping his shirt and forcing him to the ground, breaking his camera flash and lens, Santana said. One guard put his knee on Santana's jaw and when he tried to push it away, the guards took the camera, worth about $3,000.

"I was yelling, 'Call the police! Call the police!' " Santana said. "Then one of the guys said, 'I am the police.' "

Santana said he has abrasions and bruises on his chest, back and arms. Police said there could be four male suspects who are bodyguards, but their names are unknown. The suspects left the scene in the limousine.

"I’ve shot many many celebrities and this was just another notch on my belt," Santana said. "Then it just turned sour."

James Guttridge, manager of Vintage Ultra Lounge, said the club instructs security personnel not to get involved in altercations that happen outside the club. Guttridge said guards do not have the authority to prohibit photographers from shooting pictures outside the club, on the public right-of-way.

"Our only concern is what happens inside here," Guttridge said.

Guttridge called the incident "unfortunate" and said he hopes celebrities will feel welcome in St. Petersburg, but also doesn't want residents to be turned off.

Santana says he believed the incident was retaliatory after he took photos of Rihanna at International Plaza on Monday afternoon (like this photo shown here). He said Rihanna's bodyguard pushed him at the mall, and the same bodyguard attacked him outside Vintage. Rihanna opened for Kanye West at the Ford Amphitheatre earlier that night.

And as an aside, a lot of you know Luis from working the clubs eevry weekend to get you in tbt* and our online photo gallery at tbtpics.tampabay.com. Drop him a line to wish him well.

[Photo: Luis Santana/tbt*; reporting by Stephanie Garry, St. Pete Times; and yours truly]

Rihanna heads to IP with Chris Brown

Before you head to an amphitheater to rock thousands of fans, where do you go? If you’re Rihanna, you take boy toy Chris Brown to International Plaza. The couple browsed Kenneth Cole between rounds of Chris skateboarding in the mall and Rihanna heading to the Cheesecake Factory on Monday. We hear she wasn’t that cool with fans pestering her, but what does she want? She’s at the mall!

[Photo: Luis Santana/tbt*]

Harder, better, faster, stronger, fitter, happier, more productive

G'morning, Juicers. And what a fine morning it is, considering we've got two of the year's hottest shows on tap for the Ford Amphitheatre within the next 36 hours. Tonight it's Kanye West with Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco. Tomorrow it's Radiohead. So let's hear it: If you could only go to one of these shows, which would it be: Radiohead, or Kanye? Leave your answer in the comments. And if you're going to both shows, well, not only does The Juice* envy your disposable income, but we want to hear your mini-review. Come back after the show and tell us what you thought. And who knows--Kanye might actually see your comments, because he pretty much reads everything about him.

(Photos: Kanye, Getty Images; Thom, AP)

Paris Hilton, Benji Madden at Push in St. Pete

Even The Juice*, which spends a lot of time ignoring the world's fave heihead, admits that we'll always have Paris Hilton. At least, Push Ultra Lounge in St. Pete did on Saturday, when tbt* paparazzo Luis Santana caught her and boyfried Benji Madden stopping in so the Good Charlotte singer and guitarist could take over the turntables at the club.

Paris was in tow, and while we have our well-known Paris ban in place, it's our job to let you know what celebrity news is going on in Tampa Bay. So call us hypocrites -- we'll live. Madden has been taking time off from visiting his famous niece, Harlow (daughter of his brother Joel and Paris frenemy Nicole Richie) to fuel rumors of possibly marrying Miz Hilton, but we're more interested in how their trip to Disney World on Sunday went.

[Photos: Luis Santana/tbt*]

Jason Beghe doesn't like Scientology anymore

Warning: Video contains profane language.

Jason Beghe isn't exactly a household name, but he is one of those actors who make you think "Oh, that guy" when you tick off his resume: Demi Moore's beau in G.I. Jane, a bunch TV shows like Criminal Minds, CSI and Numb3rs, and even David Duchovny's best man in his wedding to Tea Leoni, But now you can add ex-Scientologist to that mix.

Fox News' Roger Friedman says Beghe, who has been taking church courses since 1994, has made a YouTube video about his experiences now that he's gotten out, claiming, "Scientology is destructive and a rip-off."

The three-minute video (shown above), in which he declares the church "ain't deliverin' what it's promised," is a teaser to a longer video coming soon. Beghe says that he achieved "Operating Thetan Five," a level similar to folks like Tom Cruise, Kirstie Alley and John Travolta. But Beghe wasn't too impressed.

"It’s very, very dangerous for your spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional health and evolution," he says on the video. "I think it stunts your evolution. If Scientology is real, then something’s f---ed up."

And blowing cash on courses is a big part of the problem, he adds: "The further up the bridge, the worse you get."

We can't say for certain why Beghe chose now to put Scientology in the crosshairs, but The Juice* will follow up when the full video is released.

UPDATE: For reasons not entirely clear, xenutv1 has had his YouTube profile yanked. Let the conspiracy theories begin.

New Kids, STP are back; Tom Cruise is WAY back

Three dates you need to know:

• May 17 That’s when the reunited New Kids On The Block will play their first gig in 14 years, at New York radio station Z100’s annual Zootopia concert, Billboard reports, alongside Miley Cyrus, Jordin Sparks, the Jonas Brothers and others. Who’s more excited about this news, your 13-year-old neice now, or your 13-year-old self in 1990?

• Aug. 22 Days after he was kicked out of Velvet Revolver, Scott Weiland has reunited with Stone Temple Pilots — and they’re embarking on a summer tour. On Aug. 22, that tour hits the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa, reports MTV.com. An on-sale date for tickets has not been announced, but you’d better catch 'em while you can — every show could end up being Weiland’s last.

• Feb. 13, 2009 Tom Cruise’s Nazi-hunting eye-patch epic Valkyrie has again pushed its release date from Oct. 3 to Feb. 13, which is President’s Day weekend (!) and Valentine’s Day weekend (!!). This, after already being pushed back from Independence Day weekend (!!!). Because we all know that the combination of Tom Cruise, Adolf Hitler and eye patches is both patriotic and romantic.

(Photos: AP)

Coheed and Cambria singer to marry local gal

It’s not every day that an international rock star pops the question to a local girl. But that’s what happened to model and Seminole native Chondra Echert, 25, who recently got engaged to Claudio Sanchez, 30, the lead singer for prog-punks Coheed and Cambria. “They’re both very excited,” Chondra’s mom, Cheryl Echert, tells The Juice*. “He’s a real sweet guy.” The pair have been dating five years, Cheryl said, Sanchez proposed in late March, during the group’s tour of Japan. Chondra, a graduate of the University of Tampa, is now working on a comic book project with Sanchez.

And by the way, photos of rock stars and Christmas trees? Priceless.

(Photo courtesy of Cheryl Echert)

More Grand Prix party photos (including a shocker!)

We have more party photos from the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. These shots came from Dan Wheldon's after-party at the plush Push Ultra Lounge in St. Pete.

Here's Wheldon dancing with wife Susie Behm ...

 

Here's Wheldon with teammate Scott Dixon...

 

Here's driver Buddy Rice, at left, with some friends ...

Finally, we are proud to present Marco Andretti and Dan Wheldon ... flashing the shocker!

You cheeky Brit, you.

(Photos: Luis Santana/tbt*)

Celeb sightings at the Grand Prix and Final Four

Despite hosting a pair of high-profile sporting events, the Tampa Bay area was surprisingly light on celebrity action this weekend. Miss America (above, with Charlie "Mr. America" Crist) was in town for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, and so was Gene Simmons (below, with the private plane that brought him here). Paul Newman, whose driver, Graham Rahal, won the race, was rumored to be in town, but alas, t'wasn't to be. Finally, we present to you a photo of Danica Patrick eating an energy bar, because why not.

Meanwhile, over in Tampa, the celebrity action was even lighter. Aside from the star power on the court, celebrities were few and far between. If you're going back on Tuesday, the concourse outside the ESPN setup seems to be the best place to spot players and coaches. We spotted ESPN's Stacey Dales, Stanford's Candice Wiggins and Tara VanderVeer, and Tennessee men's coach Bruce Pearl hobnobbing with fans there. A lot of the Forum's luxury boxes appeared to be dark and empty.

The biggest star in the house might have been the Stanford Tree, a.k.a. Patrick Fortune, a 21-year-old Stanford junior. The Juice* got to hang with Fortune, who seemed like a pretty cool conifer.

But after meeting the tree, we realized something amazing -- Stanford's upset victory over UConn was portended (in a way) by none other than Christopher Walken on this past weekend's Saturday Night Live.

Plants with googly eyes -- you just can't trust 'em.

(Photos: Grand Prix, Luis Santana/tbt*; Bruce Pearl, Carrie Pratt/St. Pete Times; Tree, Jay Cridlin/tbt*.)

Dan Wheldon at the Grand Prix

We've been keeping an eye out for celebrities at this year's Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, but so far we haven't seen anyone on par with David Letterman and Gene Simmons, who were on hand last year. (Though those nutty lugs at Lug Nuts chatted with race director Kevin Savoree, who intimated that Paul Newman is somewhere in town.) In the meantime, here are two shots of St. Pete's Dan Wheldon and his wife, Susie Behm. For lots more shots, check here throughout the weekend.

 

(Photo: Luis Santana/tbt*)

Hulk Hogan out and about with new girlfriend

While Hulk Hogan's divorce from Linda seems to be winding down the long and winding road of legal procedure, People confirms rumors he's taken up with a new girl. The Hulkster has been spotted on Miami Beach with Jennifer McDaniel, whom sources say he met at the first of the year.

"He's very happy," a source tells the magazine. "He just seems very happy. His mood has changed. He's in a better place." You mean besides Belleair?

The pair apparently have gone to more than just the beach. They went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans together, were in L.A. to shoot a promo for NBC and should head back there while Hulk does another season of American Gladiators, People says.

"I hear she's very sweet and nice and a very good influence on him," the source says. If that's the case, then she should be telling him to give up on the idea of Hogan Knows Best.

[Photo: Getty Images]

Danica Patrick, hanging out at the Hard Rock

If Danica Patrick plans to win her first IndyCar Series race this weekend at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, she'll have to drive better than she did Wednesday in Tampa. Patrick was among the drivers who took part in a charity remote-control car race at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. She was paired with Bay News 9's Virginia Johnson, and together they endured more flipouts and fender-benders than we could count. "That’s why I’m leery of doing these sorts of things," Patrick said. "If people feel like they beat me in some way, they feel like they can beat me as a race car driver. There are going to be a lot of people here that think they can probably beat me in racing."

Arie Luyendyk Jr. and 101.5-WPOI The Point's Corey Dylan won the 20-lap race, bringing in $5,000 for All Children's Hospital. (The Hard Rock also donated $1,000 apiece to the Children's Cancer Ceter, the Ryan Neece Foundation and the American Cancer Society. Awww.) If you'd like to bid on the battle-damaged cars, check out WPOI's Web site in the near future; they'll be auctioning the 18-inch hot wheels off.

Check out Thursday's tbt* for a one-on-one with Danica. In the meantime, Luis Santana of tbt* snagged some footage of her and the other drivers racing. (Danica's car is the blue one.)

(Photos/video: Luis Santana/tbt*)

Cops should have listened to Rebecca Reyes

By the time you got to The Juice*, you’ve no doubt already read about former Playboy model Rebecca Reyes being arrested for a row with Temple Terrace cops after she was stopped for having taillights that didn’t work (Page 4).

And while she apparently turned the whole thing into a melee with the authorities, constables should have remembered that Reyes, a.ka. Reby Sky, once told tbt* what her biggest turnoff was: “Arrogance. People that are cocky. I cannot stand that.” Mind your Ps and Qs, Officer Friendly!

Wild 98.7's Orlando might be out for a week

From our more-serious media counterpart, Eric Deggans:

Charlie Ochs, Tampa Bay market manager for CBS Radio now says Wild 98.7's star morning guy and program director, Orlando Davis, will be off the radio for the rest of the week on a mutually agreed upon bit of time away from the show.

"We mutually agreed that it was time he take a break," said Ochs, who refused to provide specifics on why Davis was gone this week or why almost everyone else in his morning crew also missed work this morning. The rest of the crew is expected to return tomorrow.

Ochs also says he will go on Wild to speak about what happened Monday and today, sometime between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. As my friends at TBT's The Juice reported yesterday, Davis was yanked off the air yesterday -- seemingly after a dispute over upgrading equipment in his studio led to Davis nearly revealing Ochs' home telephone number.

I realize this could put a damper on my theory that this was an April Fool's prank. I guess I was hoping CBS Radio was too smart to mess up its relationship with the best-known hip hop DJ in town. But stranger things have happened in local radio, to be sure.

Here's hoping at least some of this mess gets explained tomorrow morning. ... 

Read The Juice*'s take on the flap from Monday here.

Wild 98.7's Orlando gets booted from booth?

What exactly is going on over at Wild 98.7? The hip-hop shop's Orlando has launched a campaign to get the radio station a new set of HD radio equipment, but it seems the DJ took things a little too far.

The station's Web site has been featuring a look at the crummy equipment the personalities work with, all the while complaining other stations owned by CBS Radio get newer and better stuff (singling out Q105 and WQYK). The page in question tells listeners to "fight the man" by e-mailing Tampa radio bigwig Charlie Ochs. Yes, you’re obviously fighting the man when the man lets you post an entire page condemning him on your Web site.

Things got ugly around 1:30 Monday afternoon, though, when Orlando hit the airwaves to say he was going to provide Ochs home address and private e-mail address so you could get up close and personal with him. Just as he was to drop the knowledge, the station went to static for several minutes.

Was this real or some prank to get us to listen to Flo Rida's Low another 12 times? Both station personnel manager Christine Peters and Ochs said CBS Radio doesn't allow them to comment on personnel issues.

Other DJs on the air say it's the real deal, and Orlando was escorted out of the booth. It still smells like a play to draw attention away from how WFLZ's MJ Morning Show host Todd Schnitt is suing 102.5's Bubba the Love Sponge, but we'll have to keep an ear to the ground to find out. And let's not all forget Tuesday is April Fool's Day.

[Photo: Luis Santana/tbt*]

Carlos Diaz drops by Floyd's with Orlando

Carlos Diaz from TV's Extra and Wild 98.7's Orlando smile with friends at the VIP room at Floyd's on Saturday. Diaz was in town to hang with Orlando, so they headed out for the party scene. "It's great!" Diaz said. "People here are so friendly, it's crazy."

[Photo: Luis Santana/tbt*]

Kelly Preston makes a fashionable appearance

Kelly Preston says cheese with Italian fashion designer Angela Gioffre Wednesday night at Gioffre's fashion show at Push ultra Lounge in St. Pete. Preston was sure to hang out with fans for plenty of pics afterward, and it's nice to be able to feature the Ocala resident on The Juice* without printing the term "Scientologist." Oops.

[Photo: Luis Santana/tbt*]

Rays announce summer concerts at the Trop

We’re partial to baseball and concerts here at The Juice*, and while we’re overjoyed at the prospects of the hometown Rays climbing out of the cellar this season, another reason to get excited is the Summer Saturday Night Concert Series.

The Rays have let us know who will be performing at five of the seven concert nights this season: The Commodores arrive May 24, Trace Adkins plays May 31, Kool and the Gang come June 21, MC Hammer won’t hurt us on July 19 and LL Cool J knocks it out Aug. 2.

There are still two shows to be announced for June 14 and July 5, but the post-game partying is included with your game admission. And as nifty as seeing Night of the Living Dead at the Trop was last season, hearing I Can’t Live Without My Radio after a game against the Tigers will be plenty fun.

Tampa Tony gets life in prison for drugs

Bradenton's Antonio Alls, a.k.a. rapper Tampa Tony, has been sentenced to life in prison for drug possession, TampaBays10.com reports. You may remember Tampa Tony as the inventor of Da Splitter, a device that splits blunts open for easy nickel insertion.

The 33-year-old rapper was sentenced Wednesday by a federal judge for his conviction on charges of possession and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

Alls was busted in Pasco County on October 2006 with not 5 but 24 kilos of coke. He was convicted last November.

[Photo: Tampa Tony at Wild Splash in 2003. tbt* files]

Courts quibble Jessica Sierra's probation fix

From our breaking news blog:

Jessica Sierra was back in court this morning trying to resolve a problem with her probation transfer to a California rehab center. California probation officials say Florida violated an inter-state compact by allowing Sierra to go to California without prior approval from probation officials there.

Sierra’s attorney, John Fitzgibbons, told Hillsborough Circuit Judge Daniel Perry he had worked out a solution. Florida Department of Correction officials will send an e-mail to California authorities today to expedite a probation transfer request for Sierra, Fitzgibbons said. He hopes to have the issue resolved and Sierra back in rehab in Pasadena by the end of week.

“Right now it’s just red tape and bureaucracy,” Fitzgibbons said, who noted that Sierra has been sober for 99 days.

Sierra was joined in court by her grandparents, Jose and Betty Sierra. “We’re very happy with the progress she’s making, and we’re focused on her complete recovery,” her grandmother said.

Sierra was placed on probation in November after being charged with battery and cocaine possession charges, accused of throwing a cocktail glass at a Hyde Park Cafe patron’s head and having the drug in her purse. A drunken episode in Ybor City in December caused her to violate the terms of her probation and face new charges of disorderly intoxication and obstructing an officer without violence.

Your tax dollars at work, people. And now that we've seen the finale to VH1's Celebrity Rehab, we want to know what happened with that whole transfer to a Sober Living facility.

[Photo: Sierra abd Fitzgibbons in court today. Carrie Pratt/Times]

Ashlee Simpson sings at the Honey Pot in Ybor

If you're around Ybor City on Thursday and looking for something to do (and really, who isn't looking for something to do in Ybor?), drop into the Honey Pot at 1507 7th Ave. to catch Ashlee Simpson.

The burlesque club says the singer will be "singing live" to mark the release of her new album Bittersweet World. Tickets are available for $20 in advance by calling (813) 247-4663, the club confirms.

Throw in the 93.3 FLZ Weekend Kick-Off Party and the club's Thursday special where ladies drink for free, and we can abstain from any lip-synching jokes.

[Photo: Getty Images]

Shane West feeds giraffes at Busch Gardens

What do you do when you're in the Tampa Bay area for the Gasparilla Film Festival and you have time to kill? If you're Shane West, you head to Busch Gardens.

The ER actor, who was in town to promote his new flick What We Do Is Secret, took girlfriend Michelle Laine to the theme park for about four hours on Monday, according to Busch Gardens PR coordinator Kelly Heckinger.

They spent their time feeding giraffes and snuggling lemurs, taking a safari truck tour of the park's 65-acre Serengeti Plain before heading home. That sure beats kicking back with the Discovery Channel.

[Photos: Busch Gardens]

Brittany Snow, Shane West at film festival

Brittany Snow and Shane West finished up their time at the Gasparilla Film Festival on Sunday by attending the VIP party at Dolce Vita Lounge at the Channelside Imax Theater.

West was at the festival to talk about his movie What We Do Is Secret, while Brittany (who was interviewed by The Juice* here) was accepting her Rising Star award from the event's organizers.

Our paparazzo Luis Santana said it was a fairly low-key affair, with Snow hanging out with family and friends, and West basking in the admiration of fans.

See more photos from the event here.

[Photos: West is shown with fans Emily Yount, left, and Mandi Salkeld. Luis Santana for tbt*]

Did Hulk Hogan, Brooke's friend have affair?

One of the reasons Hulk Hogan and his wife Linda are getting divorced may be because he couldn’t help himself with one of his daughter Brooke’s friends, the National Enquirer is reporting.

“My relationship with Terry began at a time when Terry and Linda privately knew their marriage was ending,” Brooke’s pal Christiane Plante told the rag. “She had left him already, although no official papers had been filed.” We’re guessing that isn’t helping Christiane’s friendship with Brooke, either.

"Having felt the guilt and pain build up, I gave a note to Brooke apologizing for my actions,” the 33-year-old Plante said. “I will never be able to fully forgive myself for this. I have lost an amazing friend.” Something tells us Hallmark doesn’t make Sorry I Fooled Around With Your Dad cards.

The Enquirer says the ongoing affair was common knowledge on the set of Hogan Knows Best, but Linda, Brooke and son Nick had no idea. He even had been paying the bill for her Miami Beach apartment, she says.

MySpace spies may have noticed a post to Brooke’s blog a week ago in which she says, “I’m going through one of the hardest issues I’ve ever had to deal with in my life … please keep me and my family in your prayers.”

Perez Hilton was eagle-eyed enough to spot another post two days after that (since deleted) in which Brooke lamented “When your best friend and one of your closest family members that you have loved unconditionally since your first day on this earth, betray you together, you could MAYBE find it in yourself to forgive one day … but you will NEVER forget the hurt they caused you …”

The Juice* couldn’t forgive or forget, because that’s skeevy on a whole different level.

[Photo: Hulk and Brooke. Getty Images]

Jessica Sierra can complete California rehab

This was on our Breaking News blog yesterday, but I was off yesterday and I like to keep the RSS feeders happy. Plus, you people can't get enough of her:

Jessica Sierra’s name came up in court again Monday morning, except this time, it’s not the former American Idol contestant who is causing problems.

According to her attorney, John Fitzgibbons, she “couldn’t be doing any better” in her California drug and alcohol rehab program. But the state of California still is refusing to accept a transfer of Sierra’s probation. They want her to fly back to Tampa, where she has had multiple run-ins with police, and apply for the transfer before they will consider accepting it.

Fitzgibbons blamed bureaucrats for the delay and predicted Sierra, 22, is more likely to relapse if she returns home before completing the rehab program.

Hillsborough Circuit Judge Daniel Perry, it seems, agreed. He put Sierra on “mail-in status,” meaning her doctors will keep Florida authorities updated on her progress. When she is finished, she’ll return to Tampa and the judge will review her probation status at that point.

“I’m glad she’s in California,” her father Joseph Sierra said. “We don’t need her back here.” After last week’s episode of Celebrity Rehab, in which she admits she’ll likely get drunk and arrested upon her return to Tampa, our hearts are breaking.

[Photo: Sierra with Fitzgibbons and Dr. Drew Pinsky on Jan. 7. Getty Images]

Sharon Stone likes her feet in grouse, not rat

Leave it to PETA to stick their rat’s feet in their mouths. After The Juice* ran an item yesterday about Sharon Stone wearing a rat’s paw brooch to Elton John’s Oscar after-party, we’ve gotten word from several Scots pointing out the widespread cultural ignorance of modern society.

The brooch is actually a grouse foot (as in the bird) and is a traditional Scottish good luck charm. We're definitely not ornithologists, but in hindsight, the lack of five toes should have been a dead giveaway.

PETA sources were quoted all over the gossipsphere as saying, “Maybe Sharon, passed over by the Academy yet again, was jealous of Ratatouille’s Oscar win and thought a rodent paw might go with her haggard look. Her accessories these days are as dead as her career.”

PETA better watch what it’s saying (and really, who knows if they really said it, since attribution is lacking in reports from ContactMusic.com to the San Francisco Chronicle), or they could end up with an army of angry Scots from North Pinellas knocking on their doors. You can ask the English how much fun that can be.

[Photo: Getty Images]

Jeffrey Ross on the Dana Jacobson Incident

Jeffrey Ross isn’t one to mince words -- which made him an ideal choice to emcee ESPN’s roast of Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg on Jan. 11. But it wasn’t the veteran standup, comedy's "Roastmaster General," who made headlines afterward -- it was ESPN First Take host Dana Jacobson, who unleashed a drunken tirade against Notre Dame and coach Charlie Weis. Snapshots of Jacobson brandishing a bottle of vodka quickly made the rounds online, and she was suspended for a week by ESPN. Tbt* caught up with Ross, who’s performing at the Tampa Improv from Feb. 28-March 3, and asked for his take on the Jacobson incident. (For the full interview, pick up next Friday’s tbt*.)

Roasting was in the news recently, where Dana Jacobson got in trouble for getting hammered and screaming obscenities about Notre Dame at the Mike and Mike roast. You, in the articles that I saw, were cited as a guy who could have gotten away with it. She was suspended for a week. Fair or not fair?

Yeah, that was an interesting turn. Fair or not fair? I would say not fair. Because what happens at a roast stays at a roast, especially at a private, un-televised roast. And you can't send people onstage with a microphone and booze and not expect somebody to have too good a time.

To his credit, Charlie Weis was a great sport, and he seemed to be okay with it. I was exceptionally vicious on him. And he was laughing his boobs off. I mean, he’s a big man. I called him the Lunchback of Notre Dame. I said, "What happened, Charlie? It looked like you put on all your freshmen's 15." And he loved it, because I took the time to write good stuff about him.

Dana was sort of on a rant, and wasn't particularly interesting, wasn't funny, was arguably tragic. Eddie Griffin handed her a bottle of Grey Goose, and she was just drinking it right out of the bottle -- which, normally, at a roast, would be a lot of fun. You want a chick like that at a roast! She was our Courtney Love for the night. But unfortunately, she got punished, and I think it wasn’t necessarily fair. Probably appropriate, but not fair.

Is there a lesson that comes out of this?

Leave the roasting to the professionals. This is like driving a race car. This is not for amateurs.

Aaron's (pot) party

Chalk another legal mishap up to one of Tampa Bay's Carter brothers. Aaron Carter -- Apollo Beach native, floppy-haired brother of Backstreet Boy Nick, prepubescent wooer of Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan and (reportedly) Brooke Hogan -- was busted for drug possession Thursday in Texas after cops nabbed him for speeding and allegedly finding marijuana in his car. Cater (shown above performing at Lithia Elementary in 2001 ... was he ever so young?) was to be arraigned Friday morning, according to E! Online. Kimble County sheriff Mike Chapman said officers found less than 2 ounces of pot in his car. Poor, poor Aaron -- when will you learn that not even drugs will make songs like "Stride (Jump on the Fizzy)" and "That's How I Beat Shaq" palatable? 

(Times file photo: Stephanie Boyar)

Brittany Snow, Shane West coming to festival

As the Gasparilla Film Festival gets ready to open the curtains on Feb. 27, The Juice* celeb-watch is heating up with it. There will be an appearance by local girl done good Brittany Snow, who will be receiving the festival’s Rising Star Award at the closing ceremony on March 2 (keep an eye out for a tbt* interview with her in a future edition).

Also on the guest list is Shane West, the former ER staple featured in What We Do Is Secret, which stars Bijou Phillips and will be screened March 1. Both West and director Rodger Grossman will be in town to discuss the movie, which sold out for three consecutive nights at the L.A. Film Fest.

In case you’re wondering, West plays Darby Crash, the lead singer of ’70s punk band The Germs who, not to spoil anything, was a bit fond of what kids today call “the drugs.”

[Photo: Getty Images]

Jessica Sierra is no longer pregnant, site says

In a tersely worded post, TMZ reports a source tells them former American Idol finalist Jessica Sierra is no longer pregnant, without elaborating or confirming what happened.

You’ll remember The Juice* reporting about Sierra’s pregnancy being discovered while she was at the Falkenburg Road Jail in December on charges of public intoxication, obstructing an officer, cocaine possession and battery.

Meanwhile, VH1’s Celebrity Rehab is breaking our hearts because we know how Jess ended up after the show, and her sex tape, Jessica Sierra Superstar, was released by Vivid last week and is apparently selling fairly well. Well, at least as well as Kim Kardashian's sex tape, so we don't know how much that's saying.

More on this as details emerge.

[Photo: Jess in court on Jan. 7. Ken Hille/Times]

Marisa Miller, Milly Figuereo in SI swimsuit issue

From our pals at tbt*'s SportsTalk:

It's the time of year that all snow-bound male sports fans look forward to: The release of the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.

The 2008 issue, which hit the stands Tuesday, has a few twists: How about a pairing of Will Ferrell (as his new character from Semi-Pro, hoopster Jackie Moon) and Heidi Klum? Then there's IndyCar racer Danica Patrick in a solo shoot, sans jumpsuit.

There also are some Tampa connections: The Buccaneers' Milly Figuereo (right) is one of the 12 NFL cheerleaders in the issue, as is quarterback Jeff Garcia's wife, Carmella.

Oh, and let's not forget cover model Marisa Miller (above), who is making her seventh appearance in the mag and first on the cover. We're amazed at how little swimsuit there is in the swimsuit issue.

[Photos: Sports Illustrated via AP]

Wycef Jean is headlining WildSplash 2008

Now that WildSplash is officially moving from Coachman Park in Clearwater to the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa, you no doubt want to know who’s going to be playing at the annual hip-hop showcase.

The latest word from Wild 98.7 is that Wyclef Jean will be the headlining the event. The former Fugee — who has a current hit single, Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill), with Akon, Lil’ Wayne and Niia — will be joined by Pitbull, Beenie Man, Trina and Treal.

Rick Ross, J. Holiday, Grind Mode and Baby Bash had been announced previously.

Speaking of dollar bills, tickets are on sale now for the March 8 show, ranging from $14 in the lawn to $46 up front and center.

[Photo: Getty Images]

Linda Bollea parties at the Hard Rock; Lawyer admits she went to Betty Ford for evaluation

She may be going through a nasty divorce, but that’s not stopping Linda Bollea (Hulk Hogan’s estranged wife) from having a good time now and then.

Our spies tell us Linda and family partied the night away on Saturday at Floyd’s inside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa. Daughter Brooke (who looked great at the Grammys on Sunday -- see right) and son Nick were on hand, but Floyd’s is a 21-and-up crowd, so they left early. But 48-year-old Mama Hogan held it down in the VIP area, as evidenced by these paparazzi shots.

Meanwhile, the St. Pete Times reported over the weekend that the National Enquirer’s John Blosser contacted Linda’s lawyer, A.J. Barranco Jr., with a letter seeking comment for an article the rag was writing about “her erratic behavior, her drinking habits and her verbally abusive language” toward Hulk and the kids.

Barranco replied in another letter that Linda was a “stay-at-home mom during their entire marriage,” and the children still live with her. He also says that Hulk and Blosser were compadres, with the wrassler referring to him as “my guy in the tabloids.”

And as far as the drinking, Barranco cops that Linda “sought an evaluation of herself at the Betty Ford Clinic.” But they apparently “found no issues and she was sent home after less than one week.”

Saying such allegations often arise in bitter divorces, Barranco insisted the case “will be resolved on the legal merits and true facts, not on the ‘he-man tactics.’ This case will be tried in court and we shall see a ‘smackdown’!!”

Good, good — we love it when people end letters in trite wordplay.

 

(Photos: Luis Santana, Getty Images)

Scientology family has some dirty laundry

For clarification, The Juice* doesn't care what the Church of Scientology does, but since they're just up in Clearwater, we feel compelled to share a New York Post anecdote about a family feud in the family of church leader David Miscavige.

The tabloid says his niece, 24-year-old Jenna Hill Miscavige (daughter of his older brother Ron), is claiming she's been harrassed since publicly defending Andrew Morton's book, Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography. Jenna chided Cruise for "supporting a religion that tears apart families, both in the media and monetarily."

Jenna's folks left the church in 2000, the Post says, but she stayed in through 2005. Part of that time was spent in a boarding school, in which she claims children were "dumped with a five-gallon bucket of ice water" if they were late or failed uniform inspections. She also claims students were required to write down transgressions like Catholic confession, and then measured with an Electropsychometer to make sure they had admitted everything.

But since writing a letter last month to a senior church official lambasting Scientology, "The church has contacted several of my friends, telling them that I am smearing the church and I am going to be declared a suppressive person and asking my friends if they would disconnect from me and, in at least one case, insisting that they do," Jenna says.

The worst part? "At least eight friends have removed themselves from my MySpace page," she claims. Stop the presses! The church is ruining everything!

[Photo: David Miscavige in 2004. Getty Images]

Bart Simpson gave $10 million to Scientology

If you think Tom Cruise is the biggest supporter of Scientology, you’ll be surprised to learn that Bart Simpson has that market cornered.

PageSix.com says 50-year-old Nancy Cartwright, who has voiced the cartoon character for eleventy billion years, donated $10 million to the church last year, twice as much as Cruise, who gave $2.5 million in 2004 and another $2.5 million two years later.

Kirstie Alley matched that ante, but Ocala residents John Travolta and Kelly Preston could apparently only manage $1 million each. Hey, jet fuel is expensive these days. Throwing in a mere $50k was Priscilla Presley.

Wondering how Cartwright managed that $10 million sum? Well, she reportedly makes $250k per episode of The Simpsons, and with 22 episodes that equals a yearly salary of $5.5 million. She must have been saving her pennies.

[Photo: Getty Images]

Wu-Tang Clan does Italian in St. Petersburg

The Wu-Tang Clan may not have been able to perform for their show last Saturday at Jannus Landing, but that didn’t keep members of the group from getting a bite at St. Pete eatery Bella Brava.

A source tells The Juice* that members of the group hit the joint around 4 p.m. Monday. Their concert was cut short when they were apparently more than 90 minutes late; several fights allegedly broke out before the Wu hit the stage.

St. Pete’s finest apparently closed things down after a few numbers, however, because the show may have been running late and would violate noise ordinances. St. Pete police wouldn’t confirm the shenanigans, of course, and our source couldn’t confirm whether they ordered anything with C.R.E.A.M. on it.

[Photo: The Wu in concert in NYC last July. Getty Images]

Anonymous declare war on Scientology

An Internet hacker group known only as Anonymous on Friday posted YouTube videos and carpet-bombed e-mail accounts with a message that they are declaring war on Scientology. We're sure the folks in Clearwater are quaking in their khakis over that one.

The straw that broke the thetan’s back is apparently the recent round of videos showing Tom Cruise accepting a Scientology award and explaining the group’s values and ideals. The Church of Scientology has made copyright claims against the video, but plenty of obstinant Internetters have kept it going.

The