At Home in Hespeler

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

Reports that Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z booked a floor at New York’s, Lenox Hill Hospital so Beyonce could have a cesarian delivery last weekend, are greatly exaggerated, says the hospital.

Apparently the singer and her rapper husband booked the entire fourth floor and their security prevented other parents of the hospital seeing their newborn, and sometimes sick, children. The hospital, however, doth protest:

The suggestion that the couple paid $1.3 million to rent an entire an entire maternity floor is sim ply not true. The family is housed in an executive suite at the hospital and is being billed the standard rate for those accommodations.

The family does have it’s own security detail on site. However, the hospital has been and continues to be in control of managing all security at the facility.

Is it just me, or did the hospital just get itself named in any lawsuits from disgruntled parents?

The new addition to the Z family is called Blue Ivy Carter, after the title of two of the stars albums.

Remember when Britney Spears was an underage singer from the bible belt and swore that she would remain a virgin until marriage? Next thing you know, she’s stepping out with Paris Hilton in a short dress and no underwear.

Now it’s 17 year old Justin Bieber’s turn to swear that adulthood won’t change the child. He tells V magazine:

I’m not going to try to conform to what people want me to be or go out there and start partying, have people see me with alcohol… I’m never goings to make myself so the parents and kids don’t respect me…

Look out Paris, looks like you have a new drinking buddy.

News in the rock world that Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has been diagnosed with lymphoma.

The guitarist was working on a new album with his former band mates – including Ozzy Osbourne – and a reunion tour of the original Black Sabbath was planned for 2012.

The band has moved it’s recording and rehearsing from LA to England, and Iommi has been both writing and recording since his diagnosis. HIs illness has, in fact, given the band “a kick up the rump- it’s great to hear him churning out those riffs again.”

The band plans to honour their summer European dates, but no word on any further concerts at this stage.

Here’s wishing Tony Iommi well.

Review in brief – Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: Silence of the Lambs, but dark and edgy.

The Golden Globes were held last Sunday, and all the stars dressed up, drank up and prepared to listen to Ricky Gervais mock them, which he really didn’t.

Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes breaks down the movies into categories, but some prognostication of the Oscars can be made based on the Golden Globes. The Golden Globe winners to watch for at the Oscars are: George Clooney, best actor for The Descendants (beating hsi pal, and other oscar favourite, Brad Pitt in Moneyball; Meryl Streep as best actress in The Iron Lady; The Artist for best movie.

The Golden Globe for most honest reaction goes to Elton John’s husband David Furnish. Of news that Elton lost to Madonna for best song, Furnish turned on his twitter app and wrote:

Madonna. Best song???? F**k off!!!…
Madonna winning Best Original Song truly shows how these awards have nothing to do with merit. Her acceptance speech was embarrassing in it’s narcissism. And her critisism ofGaga shows how desperate she really is. (sic)

He later clarified things telling the New York Post:

I think it was a fluke. When this happens you have to question the integrity of the awards. Did Madonna get the Golden Globe because she attended the awards and agreed to be a presenter?

Can you sing Madonna’s song? Can you hum it? It’s a song nobody has heard from a film few have seen. The award should have gone to Mary J. Blige or Elton.

Nice back-peddling David.

For the record, if I had a vote, I’d pick Madonna’s song. And yes, it pains me deeply to write that.

Fluffernutter Beyonce, Black Sabbath, Blue Ivy Carter, Brad Pitt, Britney Spears, David Furnish, Elton John, George Clooney, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Golden Globes, Jay Z, Justin Beiber, Madonna, Mary J Blige, Meryl Streep, moneyball, Ozzy Osbourne, Paris Hilton, Ricky Gervais, The Artist, The Descendants, The Iron Lady, Tony Iommi

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

Mr. Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, this week joined the “shut up and sing,” club. Costello cancelled two upcoming concerts in Israel, stating “…merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act…” This in contrast to cancelling already scheduled concerts, which is an apolitical act.

Last word to Israeli Sport and Culture Minister Limor Livant:

An artist who boycotts his fans in Israel is not worthy of performing in front of them.

I know, I know, you’re anxious to know. You can’t sleep at night wondering, worried. That one question that nags at you and won’t go away: how was Lindsay Lohan’s week?

Funny you should ask, actually. She lost her passport. Stolen, along with her other personal papers. Of course, losing your passport in France, better yet Cannes isn’t so bad. So you stick around, maybe visit Paris, until the embassy gets it looked after. Lets face it, it’s not like she has work to go to.

Alas, karma isn’t just a bitch, she’s a mean girl. While the consul was explaining to LiLo that it was going to take a few days, perhaps a week to get her a passport, the judge at a probation hearing in California was explaining to her lawyer why she was issuing a warrant forLohan’s arrest.

Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010)

When Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath the reasonable assumption would be that the legendary heavy metal band was done. They could get a new singer, but it would just be death throes. Surely Black Sabbath without it’s unique voice out front, could no longer reasonably be Black Sabbath. Who did they think they were, AC/DC?

A funny thing happened on the way to the requiem. Sabbath replaced Osbourne with former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio and produced what many metal and Black Sabbath fans consider the finest metal album, never mind Black Sabbath album, Heaven and Hell.

In 2007 Dio rejoined with his Black Sabbath bandmates, calling the band Heaven & Hell. They remained a viable touring act until last August. They were scheduled to perform some shows this summer, but early this month those shows were cancelled due to Dio’s health.

He died this week of stomach cancer at the age of 67.

Fluffernutter AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, Heaven and Hell, Limor Livant, Lindsay Lohan, Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie James Dio

Geezer Butler

I am not now, nor have I ever been a Black Sabbath fan. Normally I would follow that with a but…, but his work on Neon Knights, Fairies Wear Boots, War Pigs, Iron Man or any of many, many well known and loved songs of my generation. I might mention his innovative use of the wah-wah pedal in N.I.B., perhaps a first for bass guitarists. Or that he’s the guy who wrote much of the lyrics for Black Sabbath, the man who put the words in Ozzy Osbourne’s mouth. All true, all worthy of note, all mean nothing to me.

But, when a guy named Geezer turns 60, something must be said.

So Happy Birthday Geezer Butler, not for all the joy you’ve brought to my life, but for all the joy you’ve brought others, and because you have one of the coolest names in rock and roll

Birthday Wishes, Rockin' and Rollin' and Never Forgettin' Black Sabbath, Fairies Wear Boots, Geezer Butler, Iron Man, N.I.B., Neon Knights, Ozzy Osbourne, wah-wah, War Pigs