Wow, that Spears family is really something. Britney’s younger sister Jamie Lynn gave birth to a baby girl in Mississippi today — at the age of 17. Yep, she got pregnant at 16, which of course made national headlines, and is now a mom. For some reason, I think she’s about as well-equipped for the job as her older sister….

Jamie Lynn is engaged to some guy named Casey Aldridge, who is all of 19. Hmm, do you think this kid would have stuck around if Jamie Lynn’s last name was anything other than Spears? Me neither.

Somehow, I don’t think congrats are in order here. This looks like another train wreck waiting to happen.

Those of you who watch Grey’s Anatomy have probably heard that there’s a sex tape circulating online that allegedly stars Chyler Leigh, who plays Lexie Grey on the hit ABC series. Unfortunately for all you would-be pervs out there, the chick in the flick is not Chyler. Various sources have debunked the video by showing various differences between the real Chyler and the lookalike in the film. For instance, the real Chyler Leigh has a huge tattoo on her lower back, while the woman in the sex tape doesn’t. Also, the woman in the tape has a tongue ring, but Chyler doesn’t.

And no, I don’t have the full Chyler Leigh sex tape video download available here, so please stop with all the emails asking for it!

Anyway, what is up with all of these celebrity sex tape scandals? Why do people even care about this stuff? Am I the only one who thinks it’s incredibly disgusting to watch two random strangers having sex? Why would anyone want to do that???

I’m closing comments for this post because god only knows what kinds of trolls and spam I would end up getting here….

Last night I read a Forbes piece about the 20 most expensive celebrity weddings, and was simply amazed by how much these people shelled out for their big day. The tabs ranged from $250,000 at No. 20 (Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban) to a whopping $3.5 million at No. 1 (Liza Minelli and David Gest).

The million-dollar weddings started at No. 15 with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, and included other such notable couples as Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, David Beckham and Victoria Adams (Posh Spice), and Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren.

When I read things like this, I really have to wonder where all the money goes? I mean, just how expensive can the food, band, venue, flowers, gowns, tuxes, and bridesmaid gifts be? Sure, I could see costs climbing into the low six figures, but millions? I don’t get it!

It seems like such a waste to me, particularly since many of these high profile weddings end in divorce anyway.

Angelina Jolie has finally confirmed long-standing rumors that she is pregnant with twins. Apparently, Jack Black let that info slip while the two were appearing on a TV show together to promote their new movie, and Jolie had no choice but to confirm.

I just don’t see what the big deal is. Why wouldn’t she confirm that she was having twins? I mean, here’s Jolie, part of a couple that was paid $4 million for exclusive photos of their first child. That money went to charity and helped a good cause. They will undoubtedly get an equal — if not better — offer for this next round of baby pictures, so why hide the fact that they’re having twins?

I hate it when celebrities act like they should be able to turn public interest on and off like a light switch. Either stay out of the limelight altogether or accept the good with the bad. That’s all there is to it!

I was checking out NBC.com earlier today and saw some clips from the newest episode of The Office, which aired last night. The ep was called “Did I Stutter” and was more or less Stanley-centric for once, as he finally stands up to Michael and unleashes a couple of verbal barbs that most people probably wish had been said long ago.

But anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about here. I wanted to mention the eyeglasses that Pam wore because she forgot her contact lens solution when she slept over at Jim’s. These things were hideous, and I just can’t believe anyone would own them — even as a “backup pair” for emergencies. Give me a break!

Here’s a pic (sorry for the terrible quality, but this was a Print Screen deal from streaming video, so…):

Cold Case has been one of my favorite TV shows for years now, but I’m sad to say that I’m not finding it very enjoyable anymore. One problem is that everything has become so formulaic that it’s easy to predict what will happen next. I guess that’s always a risk with police procedurals, as there always have to be investigation and interrogation scenes, but still… it’s getting really old on this show.

Another thing that’s beginning to bug me about Cold Case is how quickly some of the witnesses fold and confess. I mean, they’ve gotten away with murder for several decades, and then a couple of cops come snooping around again and the suspects don’t even bother lawyering up? That’s a stretch for sure.

Take last night’s episode, for instance. A man was suspected of murdering his wife back in 1962 and staging things to make it look like a suicide. The only evidence Lily and Scotty had was one of those marketing pens with a hospital name on it, nothing conclusive. But they showed the pen to the suspect and he caved instantly. Give me a break!

I just don’t know about this show anymore. The season finale is next week, and I’m definitely going to watch it, but I’m not sure if I’m going to bother tuning in for Season 6. Cold Case has just become far too repetitive for my tastes!

Men’s magazine FHM recently polled its readers to find out which woman they thought was sexiest in the world. The winner? Actress Megan Fox, who was ranked way back at No. 65 just last year. What brought on the “transformation” from 65th-sexiest to all-time sexiest? Her lead role in the summer blockbuster Transformers, that’s what!

Megan Fox is still just 21 years old, proving yet again that men like ‘em very young. Last year’s chart-topper, 26-year-old Jessica Alba dropped down to No. 3, while Jessica Biel (also 26) came in second and Elisha Cuthbert (another 26-year-old) came in fourth.

In looking for a suitable photo for this post, I came across more sexy Megan Fox pictures than G-rated ones. Are those even real or are they photoshopped? Because I can’t believe a 21-year-old already has an entire portfolio full of very suggestive poses. I guess if anyone wants to see Megan Fox underwear shots, they’re in luck. Wow.

Anyway, nearly 9 million voters took part in the poll, which you can find at FHMonline.com.

If you’re a Robert Downey, Jr. fan like I am, then I’m sure you’ll be interested in a new interview he did with PARADE Magazine. In it, Downey talks about everything from his new movie projects and his family to his court-ordered drug rehabilitation stays and his former relationship with Sarah Jessica Parker, whom he said he “loved”.

Downey seemed fairly candid with his answers, which made for a pretty good read. I’m glad to hear that he’s staying clean and is moving forward with his life and career. Not many people come back from rock bottom like that.

(Photo credit: Lorenzo Agius For PARADE)

I was just reading about actress Mischa Barton’s recent DUI troubles when I noticed a line that says she’s just 22 years old. I was actually a bit shocked by that, as I for some reason figured that she was a few years older.

That mean she was almost age-appropriate when she played Marissa Cooper on The O.C. She landed that role when she was 17, and the characters were juniors in high school, so that was just about right. Of course, O.C. time and real life time were at odds during the show’s run, meaning her character went through two years of high school during Barton’s three-year stint.

Still, that’s a heck of a lot better than co-stars Adam Brody, who was 24 when cast as 17-year-old Seth Cohen, Ben McKenzie who was 25 when he played 17-year-old Ryan Atwood, and even Rachel Bilson who was 22 when she took on the role of Summer Roberts, also 17.

I don’t know about you, but I think it’s weird to have a 25-year-old play a high school kid. Yes, I’m aware of the fact that this happens all the time, but still…. it’s pretty creepy in some cases — especially now that I think of the Ryan/Marissa hookup scenes. They had a 25y/o macking on an underage girl? Ewwww!!!!

Travis Pastrana has been one of my favorite athletes ever since I saw him compete in the freestyle MX event at the X-Games when he was just 15 years old. I then watched him race professional supercross and motocross for a few years before injuries took him out of the sport for good. Now Pastrana makes a living racing rally cars, competing in freestyle MX events, and allowing other people to film his crazy stunts.

He’s got a brand new feature-length documentary coming out in April called Travis Pastrana: 199 Lives. It’s only showing for 2 days in select cities around the country, and though I haven’t checked yet, I’m sure there will be plenty of options here in Chicago.

Anyway, the trailer for 199 Lives looks absolutely sick, so you better believe I’m going to see it! Check it out for yourself… does this look cool or what???

The Writers Guild of America has voted to end their strike, which means we’ll finally be getting new episodes of our favorite television shows soon. I don’t know any details of the agreement, so I don’t know if the writers ended up getting everything they wanted, but they must have come close otherwise they wouldn’t have accepted the new deal, right?

Anyway, I read a different article that said the most popular TV shows can probably squeeze in anywhere between 5-11 new eps before the regularly scheduled summer hiatus.

This doesn’t make sense to me…. Why can’t they just continue working throughout the summer to get a full season out there instead of going on break? After all, they’ve just had a 3-month hiatus, so what would be the big deal?

Must be a union/contract thing again.

Oh, well. At least we’ll have some new eps soon! (And the Academy Awards on Feb. 24!)

My husband and I are going to go see a movie tonight, but I’m having a lot of trouble making a decision! There are so many that I want to see right now: I Am Legend, No Country for Old Men, Charlie Wilson’s War, Sweeny Todd, Dewey Cox, National Treasure 2…

Honestly, how am I supposed to pick just one? Maybe we’ll do a double feature, or better yet, maybe I’ll get that booklet of Marcus Theaters gift certificates that I want for Christmas so I can see all of these while they’re still in theaters!

I have been waiting for Atonement, the latest Keira Knightley/James McAvoy film, to arrive stateside for months now. It opened in the UK back in September, and the buzz around this movie has just been incredible. I loved the book, and heard that this rendition is pretty faithful to the original, so I can’t wait to see it! Plus, Roger Ebert gave it four stars in his review this morning, saying that it’s a shoe-in as a Best Picture nominee.

BUT — Atonement is just in limited release this weekend!!! Only two theaters in the area are showing it (River East and Landmark Century), both in the city. There’s no way I can make it all the way downtown (45-minute drive if there’s no traffic) just for a movie, so I’m stuck waiting until the film trickles out to the ‘burbs.

Man, I hope it’s sometime soon!

I just read that a musical version of Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder will debut at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis next summer. My mom is a HUGE fan of both the books and the television series, so I’m sure she’ll be excited to hear this news. From what I read, the musical will be limited to Minneapolis at first, but if it’s a hit, there’s a chance it could go nationwide.

I know my mom is going to want to see this thing, so I’m going to check into getting tickets for her. She probably won’t want to take her chances on the show becoming a success before she gets to see it, which means we’ll have to take a weekend trip to Minneapolis for it — not a problem for me, as I went to school in the area and like to go back when I can.

Anyway, I’ll be following up on the musical to see when it opens and all that good stuff.

In the meantime, here’s a photo of the Ingalls birthplace in Pepin, WI (taken from Wikipedia):

I read earlier today that actor Shia LaBeouf was arrested for trespassing at a Walgreens store. There weren’t many details released with the story, but it seems like he was hanging around at 2:30 a.m. when a security guard asked him to leave because he was acting drunk. LaBeouf refused, at which point the rent-a-cop called the real cops. He was brought in, booked, and then released after he posted bail. Now, LaBeouf is scheduled to appear in court again on Nov. 28.

This has got to be one of the strangest celebrity arrests that I’ve ever read about! I mean, what the heck was this kid doing at Walgreens at 2:30 in the morning? It’s not exactly a popular hangout spot, ya know? Most kids around here hit Denny’s or IHOP when they need to sober up after hours… this is the first I’ve ever heard of someone choosing a friggin’ Walgreens!

The really ironic part to all of this is that Shia LaBeouf has said in interviews that he didn’t want to turn into one of those celebrities that was more famous for drug/alcohol or other personal problems than for acting (or something to that effect). Hmmm…!