Rihanna has put to rest rumors that she was romantically linked to rapper Jay-Z. The Umbrella singer tells US magazine Cosmopolitan that she was horrified at the recent gossip. But she said she’d managed to ignore the whispers, thanks to Jay-Z himself, the 19-year-old chart star’s mentor. She said: “I felt self-conscious around him until he took me aside and said that I just had to ignore it.” Internet reports had linked the Barbados-born star with her record label boss. It was claimed that Jay-Z - real name Shawn Carter - was cheating on his girlfriend, Beyonce, with Rihanna. But both denied any romance. And Rihanna insists that her love life should remain private. She said: “It’s tough because you want to be able to talk about it and be proud. “But you have to be sure of that person first. “Christina Aguilera and her husband are my favorite couple because they’re in love and that’s all that matters to them.” And she warned any potential boyfriends not to be over-confident around her. She added: “If a guy is hot and he knows it - forget it it. “I hate arrogance. “I have three girlfriends and about 20 guy friends. “I love listening to guy talk because I learn a lot. “Here’s the key - you can’t lower your standards for a guy because he won’t respect you and he’ll tell his friends. You always have to stick up for yourself and speak your mind.” Rihanna, real name Robyn Fenty, poses in a revealing yellow Versace dress for the March 2008 cover of Cosmopolitan, on newsstands in the States now.
It was one thing when former Giants coach Jim Fassel came close to getting the Redskins’ job in 2004 but lost out at the last minute when Daniel Snyder talked Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs out of retirement. But losing out Saturday night to Jim Zorn, better known for his years as the Seahawks’ quarterback than their quarterbacks coach? Hard to understand. Fassel interviewed three times with the Redskins - as recently as Super Bowl weekend in Phoenix - since Gibbs retired on Jan.7 and had been considered the overwhelming favorite to get the job for over two weeks. It was believed Snyder held off on making an announcement because he wanted to interview Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo after the Super Bowl. Spagnuolo became a hot candidate when the Giants held the Patriots, the highest-scoring team in NFL history, to just 14 points last week. But when Spagnuolo removed himself from consideration Thursday and received a raise to $2 million per year, it appeared the job belonged to Fassel. Zorn was hired Jan. 26 to be the Redskins’ offensive coordinator, a typically strange move by Snyder since the head coach is usually hired before the coordinator. Zorn had been the Seahawks’ quarterbacks coach since 2001. He has never even been an offensive coordinator, but will be introduced this afternoon as the fourth coach hired by Snyder since he bought the Redskins in 1999. Snyder hired Zorn presumably with Fassel’s approval, and promoted Greg Blache to defensive coordinator. Once Spagnuolo no longer was an option, Snyder decided to turn to Zorn instead of Fassel, which was a huge surprise. But then again, Snyder was supposed to be locked in on Gregg Williams for the last few years to be Gibbs’ heir apparent. Williams was the Redskins’ assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Gibbs and was the highest-paid coordinator in the league at over $2 million per year. He was very popular with the players. Not only didn’t he get Gibbs’ job, but he was fired by Snyder and hired as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator. Fassel was fired by the Giants after the 2003 season. He immediately interviewed for head coaching openings with the Redskins, Cardinals and Bills and did not get any offers. He spent the 2004 season as a consultant to the Ravens and his good friend Brian Billick, then worked as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator for the 2005 season until he was fired early in the ‘06 season by Billick, who is now his former friend. LOT OF PROBLEMS: By winning the Super Bowl the Giants earned the honor of hosting the the NFL’s traditional stand-alone Thursday night season opener. But can Giants Stadium and the surrounding area handle it? It’s too early to say the game is in jeopardy, but parking could be a huge problem for a mid-week night game. “We are going to try and work something out with the office buildings that provide the off-site parking so that the League can schedule the opening game at Giants Stadium,” Giants co-owner John Mara said in an e-mail. “Otherwise it would be very difficult for us to host a weeknight game.” The loss of 5,000 parking spots last year due to the construction of the $1.3 billion stadium the Giants and Jets are building in the parking lot forced fans without permits to park in nearby lots and take buses over to the game. But with neither the Giants nor Jets hosting a night game in the middle of the work week last season, the availability of the additional parking spots was not a problem. A mid-week night game presents a different problem as alternate parking sites would be in use. Who the Giants would play has yet to be determined. The Cowboys, who hosted the Giants in the Sunday night season opener last season, are the most logical and most attractive opponent. The Giants’ other seven home games are against the Eagles, Redskins, Seahawks, 49ers, Panthers, Ravens and Bengals.
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards will take place at 8 p.m. tonight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and be broadcast live on Channel 2. Performers will include Aretha Franklin, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, Foo Fighters, Mary J. Blige, Fergie, John Legend, Feist, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, John Fogerty, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Herbie Hancock and Rihanna. For the complete list of nominees, visit grammy.com.
John Legend, Lil Mama, Corinne Bailey Rae and gospel singer Shirley Caesar paid their “Respect” to Aretha Franklin in a musical tribute to the Queen of Soul. They joined Fantasia, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Patti Austin, Herbie Hancock and Roy Hargrove in launching Grammy weekend by honoring the 65-year-old R&B diva as MusiCares Person of the Year. Surrounded by music industry titans Clive Davis, Quincy Jones and Berry Gordy, Franklin listened Friday night to interpretations of some of the biggest hits of her lengthy career. Austin scatted on “I Say a Little Prayer,” turning it into an extended jam with a piano solo by Hancock and Hargrove on trumpet, while Franklin nodded her head in time to the music. When the crowd was slow to sing and clap along, Austin joked: “We got too many white people in here.” Lil Mama did a rap version of Franklin’s feminist anthem “Respect.” British singer Rae accompanied herself on guitar to “Angel,” a 1973 hit written by Franklin’s sister Carolyn. Fantasia, sporting a startling patch of white in her black hair, sang “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,” and Ledisi performed “Rock Steady.” Carmen Carter teamed with saxophonist Dave Koz for “Think,” the song Franklin performed in “The Blues Brothers” movie. Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi danced along dressed as the movie’s title characters. Legend played piano and sang “Day Dreaming” before Caesar turned the hall into a revival meeting. Backed by a choir, she growled and prowled the stage during a gospel medley that earned a standing ovation. “Thank you for your wonderful gift. God spared your life to continue to sing and bring joy,” Caesar told Franklin. Before launching into a brief standup routine, Bill Cosby told the crowd they were honoring “the real deal. This is not fakery, this is not somebody who almost made it. This is somebody who invented it.” “Aretha Franklin is responsible for more female singers working someplace else because they tried to copy her,” he said. The Rev. Al Sharpton brought Franklin to tears with his benediction. “I knew I would need two or three handkerchiefs in my purse and he got me right off the top,” she said. Franklin was the night’s final performer, taking the stage to a standing ovation. “It took us about six days to get out here from Detroit,” she said, referring to her famous fear of flying. “I’ll be flying next week. If I ever wanted to fly again, I do now. I know how the people in covered wagons felt.” Franklin launched into a medley, highlighted by “Chain of Fools.” She sat down at the piano to play and sing “A Woman Falling Out of Love,” from her upcoming CD. After being driven into the Los Angeles Convention Center hall on a golf cart, Franklin shed a long, white fur coat to reveal a strapless black gown splashed with sequins and a mermaid-like taffeta trim. A black turban topped her head. “This gown is so tight,” she said. “It took me about 20 minutes to get in the car. I’m not kidding. I tried to get in the car 40 different ways.” Also in the audience were Ne-Yo, Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, actors Blair Underwood and John Stamos and producer Jimmy Jam. Franklin is up for her 18th Grammy on Sunday, nominated for gospel performance for a duet with Mary J. Blige. The show will air live from Staples Center. She was honored Friday for her achievements as a musician and for her philanthropic work with children’s organizations and churches and food banks in the Detroit area. The dinner and auction raised more than $4.5 million for MusiCares, the highest grossing evening in the tribute’s 15-year history, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow said. MusiCares, run by the Recording Academy, provides financial assistance to individuals in the music industry during times of need.
The day after North Shore-raised
The 37-year-old comic actor had no experience in the raw world of live stand-up, but he ventured into the American heartland as the traveling impresario to four up-and-coming comedians, putting on a show in a new town every day for a month and making a movie about it.
It was a tricky proposition. Producer Vaughn believed the four comics were funny, but as any traveler knows about the open highway, fate can undo the best of plans.Mother Nature almost did. The one-two punch of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of 2005 detoured their bus ride through the Deep South, but the diversion led them to a camp of evacuees living out of their RVs, a tragicomic encounter incorporated into the movie.
Vaughn’s vision for the film was ambitious, with some uncertainty: Create a film that mixes road trip, live bits before diverse audiences, documentary moments backstage and a crapshoot for an emotional arc (eventually provided by comic Sebastian Maniscalco, who was raised in
“Part of the thrill is that you don’t know exactly what it’s going to be,” Vaughn said.
The Vaughn standard
If audiences in the film are any indication, the foursome and their host deliver plenty in “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights — Hollywood to the Heartland,” which opens this weekend. The other funnymen are Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo and Bret Ernst. Also featured are
The four jesters find humor in personal experience without being self-indulgent — the Vaughn standard.
“I wanted to give these guys a chance to be seen by people,” he said.
“It makes me respect them more that they had some humility — versus being like so, ‘Ah! This matters more than anything and it’s so profound that no one understands me.’ They would have stuff that’s extremely painful, and their point of view is that everyone understands me, and I’m not the only one, and there is something funny about it.”
For example, Ahmed’s story includes his coming of age as an Arab-American (his family left Egypt a month after his birth) in the post-
Raised in
“Every one of them, including ‘Wild West’ in its own way, are all kind of pioneering and different than what was existing prior to it,” Vaughn said.
The latest movie, he said, is a revival of “a traveling comedy variety show.”
Not that the actor is reinventing himself, though he likens his master-of-ceremonies role to a modern-day Buffalo Bill bringing an itinerant show to provinces bypassed by the big acts of
“I wish I had a master plan, but I don’t,” he said. “The arts are meant to be childlike. They’re a place of imagination. Whatever seems interesting or fun to me, I try to go and work hard at and do my best.”
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the 6-foot-5 performer has visited Afghanistan once and Iraq twice, including Baghdad, Abu Ghraib and Fallujah, to show American soldiers his then-new flicks “Wedding Crashers” and “Dodgeball.”
“A lot of them already had the movies on bootleg DVDs,” Vaughn said. “The troops … start asking me to sign their DVD copies. … I’m like, what’s going on?
“They sell these down at the black-market huts and you can buy them. This is crazy. What they are, someone in America films them on a video camera, and so there’s someone’s head in the way, so they’re not even good copies.”
The last stop in “Wild West” is the Vic Theatre in the North Side’s
At home in Midwest
It’s a fitting ending because Vaughn calls the Midwest home.
While growing up in the north suburbs, he used to drive to Chicago for acting classes and even boxed at
“The other big thing for me is to have a sense of humor about yourself. I think that is a Midwestern quality too — to be able to not take yourself seriously,” Vaughn said. “That has always served me well in life.”
As Vaughn riffed on those values, he was sitting in an office of his production company, where his older sister Victoria is one of the executive producers on “Wild West.” An energetic talker, Vaughn was staring in the direction of a framed poster for “The Break-Up” featuring the studio photo of Vaughn and
But he didn’t want to talk about the co-star, his former girlfriend. “I thought this was the Tribune, not Star magazine,” he cracked.
