Lauren Conrad Gets Film Deal For Her Book

Lauren Conrad, known for her pasts roles on MTV reality shows Laguna Beach and The Hills, has gotten a movie deal for her debut book, L.A. Candy, says Us Magazine. Temple Hill Entertainment has acquired the screen rights to the novel.

"Lauren, who became an icon in that reality show world, came to us with a structure of how to tell the story in an interesting fashion that was separate and apart from the book," Temple Hill producer Marty Bowen said. "We loved her take. Her book is an honest portrayal of what it must be like to set out to be normal, then sign on to become famous and eventually realize, wow, this isn't at all what I'd planned for myself."

Like Lauren's life, L.A. Candy -- which has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 14 weeks since its June release -- follows a 19-year-old girl named Jane Roberts who moves to Hollywood and finds fame as a reality star.

Lauren, who plans to write two more books in the series, will serve as the movie's executive producer.

Man, people can say whatever they want. Lauren is killing the game and she is definitely smarter than people think! I had to tell my friend last night, when he joked about me watching The Hills season premiere last night (which just was not the same without Lauren btw...still good but would've been better with her, but I digress). Lauren is working on getting her fashion line established, she has this book deal, and now she is going to have a movie for the book. She's doing good for herself. Haters, back down. That's my word.

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith To Host Nobel Peace Prize Concert

One of the hottest Hollywood couples, if not the hottest, will be hosting this year's Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway. According to Access Hollywood, organizers have announced that Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith will cohost the event.

The show is set to take place a day after the actual Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on December 11. It will feature performances from Wyclef Jean, Toby Keith, Donna Summer, Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi as well as Amadou&Mariam, a blues and jazz duet from Mali.

“The opportunity to recognize the laureate’s contributions to the world peace movement will be an awe-inspiring experience,” the Smiths said in a joint statement. “We are both humbled and honored to take part in the Nobel Peace Prize Concert this year.”

The winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize is to be announced in Oslo on Oct. 9. The award is always handed out Dec. 10, the anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel’s death in 1896.

“We’re excited to have Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith join us as hosts for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert,” said Geir Lundestad, secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. “Together they’ve had a global impact on the arts and philanthropy and will be excellent ambassadors for peace.”

It's always good to see Will and Jada out and about. They are a classy couple, so the event should be a good one.

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Kate Plus Eight

I'm just reporting some celeb news yall! See that pic up there? The beautiful Gosselin family before all this mess between Jon and Kate got started. Well, scratch Jon out of the picture. Kate thought she could do better without him, and, apparently so does TLC. TLC's Jon & Kate Plus Eight will make the name change to "Kate Plus Eight" starting November 2, according to the Associated Press.

The renamed show will continue to chronicle the lives of the Gosselin kids (5-year-old sextuplets and 8-year-old twins) but will also focus on Kate being a single mother.

"It's not a huge shift, but it's reflective of where the show was already going," said Eileen O'Neill, TLC's president and general manager.

"Jon's going to be involved in the show," she said, adding that he will be seen less often than before. TLC retains an exclusive arrangement with him, as well as the rest of the family, O'Neill said.

And here I was thinking that the show was about to be over. For those of you who believed the tweet that Kate supposedly sent out, you were fooled. Kate doesn't even have a Twitter account, according O'Neill. Well, who needed Jon anyway? Kate's name is the one that rhymes with "eight." Plus, he's not at their house much anymore anyway, so the show title might as well reflect it. Are you guys gonna watch?

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom Married!

Wow...they actually did it. Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom got married Sunday in Beverly Hills, according to People magazine. I reported that they were planning on getting married, but wow....I didn't expect it so soon! They've only been going out a month, but hey, I guess when you're really in love, ain't no need to wait.

Khloe's stepfather, Bruce Jenner, walked Khloe down the outdoor aisle with sisters Kim and Kourtney by her side. Khloe and Lamar wed in front of triple arches of white roses.

Khloe wore a Vera Wang gown and carried a bouquet of white roses, stephanotis and lilies of the valley. Her bridesmaids — including half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, actresses (and twin sisters) Khadijah and Malika Haqq (the twins from ATL and actress Lauren London — wore lavender gowns and carried white roses.

Kim said Khloe and Lamar's wedding was magical. "Tonight was one of the best nights of my life!" she Twittered Sunday after the ceremony.

Well, congratulations goes out to Khloe and Lamar! While your wedding was somewhat spur of the moment, you're obviously in love, so I wish you both the best.

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Baby Phat 2010 Spring Collection

Here are some pics from the Baby Phat 2010 Spring Collection, courtesy of BET. Kimora Lee Simmons KILLED. Shoot, I may have to break down and buy some Baby Phat, regardless of the cost...

HOTNESS!!!!!


Tell me you wouldn't rock this...


Fly combo...


Very hot shoes...your feet would be dying but they look good!!!


Kimora and her kids...cute fam


PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Sarah Michelle Gellar Has A Baby Girl!!

Sarah Michelle Gellar, known for her role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and actor husband Freddie Prinze, Jr, have a new addition to the family. Sarah and Freddie welcomed their first child, a baby girl, named Charlotte Grace Prinze, on Saturday, a rep told Usmagazine.com. The couple, who wed in 2002, announced they were expecting in April.

"I'm so happy for her; it's extraordinary," her former Buffy the Vampire Slayer costar Michelle Trachtenberg told Us.
"She’s going to make a great mommy. They’re going to be extraordinary parents."

Congratulations guys!!!

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Rising Back Up: Naturi Naughton

So I decided just now that I would do a little segment for In The Spotlight called "Rising Back Up." Not an every day, or even an every week type deal. Just when I notice somebody getting back up on their feet after a fall, I will do a little something on them.

Yall know who I have noticed is on the up and up now? Miss Naturi Naughton.

Ok, so Naturi started out with the now defunct girl group 3LW (still have some of their stuff on the iPod...ahhh memories). She left the group in 2002 and there was debate about what all happened with that. You know, Naturi throwing a plate of food at Kiely or something like that. Kiely and Adrienne went on with the group for all of two seconds with another girl Jessica Benson, and when that was done, they moved on to form the Cheetah Girls, which officially disbanded this year.

So for a while, Naturi was gone. Nobody saw her or heard from her. At least I didn't. Then BOOM! She comes back as Lil Kim in Notorious, the biopic about the Notorious BIG. I remember looking at the plot of the movie on Wikipedia and seeing her name, thinking dang...where has she been?!! Then I found out that she had been in "It Must've Been A Typo", one of my favorite TRUTH commercials (you know, the commercials that put the truth out there about the dangers of smoking). Now, she will be seen in the remake of Fame, hitting theaters this Friday, which I can't wait to see!!

After all that drama with 3LW and her going into oblivion for a spell, the girl has interviews with BET, MTV, and the like. Photoshoots to promote her movies and everything. It's just good to see her back. I liked her in 3LW, and she is showing that she has talent as an actress as well. For right now, Naturi has stated that she wants to stay focused on acting, but is thinking about a solo album. Go head Naturi. Good to see you rising back up.

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

REPORT: Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom Getting Married

According to E! News, Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom are reportedly planning on getting married!!!!

"They instantly hit it off," one source close to the couple claimed. "It's like they've known each other for years."

Khloe's sister and fellow reality starlet, Kim, told E!, "He's a great guy."

Nothing has been confirmed or denied by members of the Kardashian family. However, if the couple were to get married, it would be the first wedding for both of them.

Wow....so I was not expecting this. I mean, Khloe and Lamar just got together a little while ago, right? But hey, if you're in love, then you're in love. If they want to make it official on paper, I say go for it! If this wedding is really going to happen, I wish them well with the planning! Hopefully, they stay together...

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Patrick Swayze Passes Away...

I have to honestly tell you guys, I am sick of reporting about people passing away. But I wouldn't be a real journalist if I didn't.

As you all may have heard, actor Patrick Swayze, known for his roles in the movies Dirty Dancing and Ghost, has passed away today at the age of 57 of pancreatic cancer.

"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," his publicist, Annett Wolf, said in a statement. No other details were given.

Patrick was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2008 and had been undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments ever since.

Life is way too short sometimes and it seems like the great ones go way too soon, but I'm sure that Patrick lived his life to the fullest. He has left behind a wonderful legacy and great movies for us all. Rest in peace. Prayers go out to his family.

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

REVIEW: 2009 MTV VMAs

***WARNING: If you did not see the VMAs tonight, and wish to see it later, do not read this post.***

Ok, so I didn't honestly think that I was going to watch the entire MTV Video Music Awards show, let alone write a review on it, but shoot, the thing got more and more interesting as the night went on so I had to! LOL so let me talk about some of the key moments.

Ok, first, the real reason why I even turned on MTV tonight was to see the Michael Jackson tribute at the beginning. One word: AWESOME!!!! Madonna's speech really touched me. Many people did turn their back on Michael, and now they see what his true fans knew. This man was a genius and a great human being!!!! Some of the dancers were a little out of sync and that one guy cheated with the anti-gravity lean on Smooth Criminal LOL but they were overall good. I really did enjoy it. And what can I say about JANET?!!! Aaaahhhh!!!! SHE KILLED IT!!!! and did yall see how they blocked her out on the video with the dance scene with Michael and she danced with him on stage?!!! Truly great tribute!!! {BET were you watching?!!}

Second, MR. KANYE WEST. Kanye, Kanye, Kanye.....ummm...NO!!! I seriously got up and started screaming out of embarrassment for Taylor Swift. For those of you who for some reason don't know what happened LOL, Taylor won Best Female Video, and Kanye proceeded to take the mic away from her while she was making her speech, saying basically that Beyoncé deserved the award. Ughh...Kanye. Now I completely agree that Beyoncé deserved that award, but it was not Kanye's right to speak up and take away Taylor's moment. I can't believe him sometimes. That was so rude! Kanye needs to just sit down sometimes and shut up. Just sit there! Dang!

And what can I say Lady GaGa and her outfits? LOL she is truly unique, I must say. The blood at the end of her performance was completely baffling to me, but she is starting to grow on me. But did yall see that one outfit, the all red one and she had her face completely covered with that mask? LOL she had to take that thing off to keep from suffocating on stage when she accepted her award! But I do acknowledge that Lady GaGa is definitely her own person and she's cool.

Beyoncé killed her performance too. I loved it! And Miss Beyoncé, you are a real class act. Letting Taylor have her time to shine after you won your Video of the Year award! That was very, very nice of you man. I was seriously impressed. People can say it was for publicity or whatever, but she definitely did the right thing, showing again why Beyoncé is a real classy woman.

And yeah DMV was in the building tonight!!!! Wale ripped the stage all night on the sidelines!!!! LOVED IT ALL!!!! DC CHILLIN, PG CHILLIN!!!

Jay-Z, shout out to you. You and Alicia Keys were cool too.

And I finally got to see my preview for "This Is It!", the new Michael Jackson movie coming up on October 28! It was great!!! I can't wait to see it!!!!

Yeah, BET you were DEFINITELY outdone this year. Sorry. Better step your game up!! MTV gonna mess around, come back, and stomp yall to the ground. Just saying.


PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Ellen DeGeneres Becomes New Idol Judge

Well, by now I'm sure you all have heard about Ellen DeGeneres, known for her self-titled hit talk show, is going to take Paula Abdul's place on American Idol. My first reaction was WHAT IN THE WORLD DOES ELLEN KNOW ABOUT SINGING?! I mean, I give it to her. Ellen is a beast in the media industry. Her show is awesome! My roommate last year had me watching it religiously. But come on, American Idol though? American Idol, Ellen? Yall know yall were thinking it too LOL

But then, I hear her side of the story. Here's what she had to say on her show:
"Hopefully, I'm the people's point of view because I'm just like you. I sit at home and I watch it, and I don't have that technical ... I'm not looking at it in a critical way from the producer's mind. I'm looking at it as a person who is going to buy the music and is going to relate to that person."

That may just be a good thing. I mean, a lot of times, producers get so caught up in all the technicality of singing, which is good and all, don't get me wrong. But sometimes all that isn't really necessary. Music is about how you relate to a person's songs, how it touches you, motivates you, makes you feel good, you know? Not saying that you can go up on stage, and just sing any old note LOL, but it's just so much technicality in it. Maybe Ellen will bring a new outlook on the competitors, since she's really on the outside looking in.

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Mary J. Blige and Chris Brown Will Perform At MJ Tribute in Vienna

Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown and Natalie Cole are some of the top artists performing at a Sept. 26 Michael Jackson tribute concert in Vienna, organizers said Tuesday.

Event promoter Georg Kindel said that up to 25 performers are expected to participate in concert that is being billed as the main global tribute for the King of Pop, who died June 25 in Los Angeles. More names will be unveiled later this week in London and Berlin, Kindel said.

Sister Sledge, Akon, Angela Bassett, and the Germany-based boy band US5 also are among the 13 artists confirmed so far, Jermaine Jackson said. Michael's original band and dancers will also take part.

"We're very excited — the list is growing more and more," Jermaine Jackson said, adding that "many major Bollywood names" and artists from the Middle East also would be involved.

All the artists will play some of Michael's greatest hits at the concert, including "Thriller," "Billie Jean," "Black or White" and "Bad."

"We will honor on this night not only the musician and artist Michael Jackson but also the humanitarian," Georg said. "He's really someone who changed the history of music."

Michaels's family and children and also 65,000 fans —are expected to attend the tribute. It will be held on a large stage with a crown on its roof and two runways in front of Vienna's former imperial Schoenbrunn Palace, one of the Austrian capital's top tourist attractions, Georg informed the press. A "significant portion" of the proceeds from the event will be donated to charity, he added.

Over the course of the evening, Jermaine will perform live, with a video of Michael projected onto nearby walls, organizers said. All artists will sing either "Heal the World" or "We are the World" as a grand finale.

Negotiations are also being made to broadcast the concert on TV.

Can't wait!!! Yall mark your calendar for September 26!!! I'm excited to see the tribute to Michael. He deserves a great one! Mary J. and Natalie Cole?! Yeah that's gonna be a hot one. And is anyone as excited as I am to see Chris Brown back on stage?!! It's about time all of this nonsense was over. He needs to get back to doing what he does best--PERFORMING! That's just how I feel.

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Ludacris Gives Away Cars

Happy Labor Day everyone! Hope everybody is enjoying the holiday! I know I am!!!

Rapper Ludacris has given away 20 cars to people who wrote about their struggles to keep their jobs because of their lack of wheels to get around, according to the Associated Press.

"People are getting laid off, and now are looking for jobs," Ludacris said. "To be efficient, you need some transportation of your own to get there. That's why I wanted to give back to those who need it."

Each of the used vehicles included free gas for 30 days. Winning contestants were responsible for tags, registration, tax and insurance. About 4,000 contestants submitted a 300-word essay to the rapper's foundation, explaining why they deserved a car.

One of the most touching stories Ludacris read was by Mading Duor.

Duor described how he moved to the United States six years ago after his mother, father, and five brothers and sisters were killed in Sudan. The man also wrote that a son was killed by a drunken driver in Atlanta a few years back.

"His story touched my heart," Ludacris said. "He's endured so much in his life and he's still here standing. I'm very proud to have helped him."

Mading has been able to keep a steady job at a school, but he was worried everyday about how he would get there. Now that's no longer an issue.

"I'm so happy, that I'm nervous," said Duor, who won a Nissan Maxima. "When I look at my new car, I say to myself, 'Is this really happening?'"

Good job Luda! Like my pastor always says, "A person is blessed to be a blessing." When you've been blessed, you are supposed to give back to others who need a blessing, too. It's really great to see celebs giving their time, money, and even cars to those who need it.

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Updates...

All right, yall, I know that I have faithful readers. LOL it may not show in the followers but people read my stuff. And I appreciate the positive comments I get soooo much. This is what I want to do with my life, so I don't take it lightly. I try to write as much as I can when I can.

However, with school heating up (sophomore status in college! 2012 stand up! lol), from time to time, there may be days when I don't write simply because I do not have the time. There also may be days that I don't write because I don't see anything that interesting to me to put on here or it's just getting worn out. Like these new developments about Michael Jackson (God rest his soul). I'm not going to report all that firstly because I think that people just need to let the man rest in peace after all the hell he caught on earth, and secondly because there seems to be some new report on him or his family EVERY DAY!!! Case in point, yesterday Access Hollywood showed some of LeToya's new video dedicated to Michael called "Home." It never ceases. So unless it's something important (like today I will probably write about his proposed burial), I won't be writing about Michael on here. But I seriously digress LOL. I just say all this to say that I hope yall understand and don't just think that I'm slacking on the job. I have a more important job right now, and that's to finish my education so I can get to what I really want to do and that is writing for the media. You do what you have to do now so you can do what you want to do later. Feel me?

Secondly, from now on, posts on In The Spotlight will be posted on Facebook. So if you're friends with me on there, you can read it on there as well in my notes. If not, the name is Brittany Shawnté. Look me up!

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté

Spencer Pratt Is Changing His Name...

Spencer Pratt....is a fool. Yes I said it. Did you guys hear about his name change? Yeah, the boy actually wants to change his name to KING Spencer Pratt.

Spencer, who is never short on words, had this to say about his new name decision: "I've decided since there is a Queen of England and a Prince William that there should be a king of America," he tells Us. "I nominate myself for that role."

And apparently Heidi gets a new title too. In a recent interview with The Hills: The After Show, he called her "the new, modern-day, 2010 Michael Jackson," who was famously known as the King of Pop. "Michael Jackson's in heaven," he said. "The Holy Spirit now has extra Michael Jackson juice, so boom! For all we know, Heidi gets possessed with some of that Michael Jackson divine spirit."

Ummm.....what?! KING Spencer Pratt?!! Are you freaking kidding me?!! That's worse than Chad Ocho Cinco (which doesn't even mean 85 in Spanish btw...the correct words are ochenta y cinco) Who in the world considers Spencer Pratt to be king of anything?! I might give him king of the douchebags, but definitely not anything else, especially America. This stupidity coming from him does not surprise me, or probably anyone else for that matter.

And what's with this Heidi being the modern day Michael Jackson? I swear, ever since Michael Jackson passed, everybody and their mother is trying to compare him to other people...I'm beyond tired. I have nothing against Heidi, even though her husband is a mess, but I saw her performance at the Miss Universe competition....yeah......she ain't nowhere near the Michael Jackson level. She's a tiny bit ahead of the Cassie level (cuz Cassie is at the bottom of my music totem pole), but nowhere near Michael Jackson.

Point blank cuz I have homework to do (I'm back in school yall!!! LOL), Spencer is an idiot. He's not a king of anything. And his new name is stupid. Heidi, how can you condone this foolishness?!

PEACE.

~Brittany Shawnté