This week’s issue has more reports on tensions between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, citing the actress’ newly antisocial habits, a side effect of her marriage to “svengali-like” Cruise. Another sticking point in their marriage is the couple’s daughter Suri, who is said to be “growing up too fast,” and is already accustomed to high heels, manicures, and mineral water. John Mayer is taking on the role of relationship expert, and generously doled out advice to the ladies at Saturday Night Live’s afterparty: “You’ll know when the right guy comes along. Don’t settle.” But when it does come time to cut ties, he said, “My therapist told me: Have an exit script.” Mayer protégé Jon Gosselin may be creating a new holiday tradition, plotting a “Thanksgiving showdown” to prevent Kate’s bodyguard/alleged lover Steve Neild from spending the holiday with Gosselin’s eight children. Kate, on the other hand, couldn’t be happier. The telltale sign? “I haven’t heard her yell in two weeks,” a source told the magazine. And sources are saying that Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale are in “family mode” and trying for another child to add to their growing rock dynasty.
Another chapter unfolds in the neverending fight between Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie—there are reports that Jennifer has been “calling and texting” with ex-husband Brad Pitt and an insider says “he’s on the edge, waiting for the right moment to split with Angelina.” After reports of her husband's fling with a press-loving stripper, Fergie has allegedly put the brakes on plans to have kids with Josh Duhamel. And backstage things were more tense than they seemed onscreen during the filming of Sarah Palin’s big interview with Oprah Winfrey. The vibe was none too friendly between the politically opposed women (Oprah is an outspoken Democrat and endorsed Barack Obama), and a source on the show said “the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.”
In a bit of unsurprising—yet obviously well-deserved—celebrity news, Johnny Depp has been named this year’s Sexiest Man Alive by People, heading up an eclectic list of sexy male stars from Nick Cannon to Penn Badgley to Alec Baldwin. He didn’t make the list, but Billy Joel is rumored to have a love connection with fellow singer Shania Twain, though the Piano Man’s rep denied the story. In the midst of her media blitz/book tour, Sarah Palin opened up to the magazine about her favorite purse (friends made it for her out of otter they hunted) and said of her time with John McCain’s campaign, “I refuse to sit down and shut up as they wanted.”
Katie Holmes, auteur? Star reports that after her three-year marriage contract expires, Katie is planning a tell-all book about Scientologist hubby Tom Cruise, lifting the veil on his junk-food habit, obsession with his looks, and his “Scientology mobile unit,” a black van where he retreats to get in touch with other Scientologists. “She’s done letting him run her life,” an insider said. On Katie’s agenda as a newly independent woman: a bigger clothing allowance and more cash to dole out for Scientology, career help, and a cash bonus for a second pregnancy, says Star. Meanwhile, another couple is on the rocks as Drew Barrymore kicked on-again boyfriend Justin Long out of her house and back into his own because of his messy, “couch potato” ways. But his faults aren’t quite on par with Jon Gosselin, who allegedly has a “hit list” of Hollywood hotties he wants to date. “He’s like a kid in a candy store and going absolutely wild,” said a source. Possibly looking to compete with the Gosselins, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt may be thinking about having a seventh child. The power couple stepped out for a gala at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and when asked if they had plans for more kids, Angie said, “I’m always thinking about it. I would love to,” and Brad chimed in: “Yeah, you never know.”
Lindsay Lohan may be nearing rock bottom, and a Los Angeles photographer told OK! that the troubled actress parties “all night, every night, seven days a week,” which may explain her rather sparse acting schedule. Says another source, “We ask, we beg, but she won’t listen,” as friends try to steer Lohan toward another visit to rehab. Britney Spears, on the other hand, looks to be turning things around and got domestic with current flame Jason Trawick (he’s also her manager), bringing along her two sons on a recent boat trip. “The kids adore him,” said a source. In an added bonus, Trawick has had a hand in Spears’ recent fitness kick, encouraging the junk food-prone singer to get back in shape. Twilight co-stars and rumored paramours Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are also gearing up for the long haul, and a source told the magazine that the publicity-shy pair have “said in no uncertain terms that they will love each other forever.” And in more vampire love news— Adam Lambert confessed his devotion for HBO’s steamy vampire drama True Blood to the magazine.
Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian gush to Life & Style about their tight-knit family after Kourtney’s pregnancy caused tension between the sisters, a result of boyfriend Scott Disick’s alleged habit of cheating on Kourtney. “I was like, ‘Dude, stop screwing up!’” Khloe tells the magazine. Reportedly he’s changed his ways, though, and Kourtney says, “I feel like if that stuff hadn’t happened, things wouldn’t feel as good as they do today.” Kourtney’s not the only celebrity with babies on the brain, and in spite of an unsuccessful in-vitro fertilization procedure, Celine Dion is still “more determined than ever” to have a second child, according to her husband, Rene. After a summer filled with tributes, reports are out that Michael Jackson’s burial cost a whopping $1 billion, partially due to extras including a bronze casket. “It was a worldwide event, and that was the impetus behind the massive expenditure,” said a family attorney.
A fussy Leonardo DiCaprio is said to have kicked occasional DJ Lindsay Lohan out of the booth at his birthday party and saying, “She’s not spinning what I want to hear.” In the wide world of celebrity health, Jennifer Aniston has reportedly been keeping her figure by avoiding “white food,” while Penny Marshall is trying to cut back her staggering four pack-a-day smoking habit. And, after much speculation, a source says Anderson Cooper has found his “Mr. Right” and is moving in with boyfriend Ben Maisani, the owner of a gay bar in New York. Vanessa Hudgens isn’t quite so lucky, and rumors have surfaced that Zac Efron is plotting the nicest way to break it off with his High School Musical co-star so that he can “experience being single in Hollywood,” said a source. Not everyone is eager to play the field though, and after just a few weeks of dating, 17-year-old Taylor Lautner reportedly proposed to 19-year-old Taylor Swift, leading to an immediate disapproval by both teen stars’ parents.
