The controversial new biography of President Barack Obama claims that his wife, Michelle Obama, planned to leave the future president in 2000.
Is the divorce story real? Is anything in the book?
The unauthorized biography, which Klein claims is based on nearly 200 interviews, has been dismissed by presidential spokesperson Eric Schultz.
“Ed Klein has a proven history of reckless fabrication in order to sell books,” he said. “Nobody in their right mind would believe the nonsense in this one.”
Nevertheless, the Obama divorce story is the latest revelation in the book – which also discusses his ex Genevieve Cook – to generate major buzz.
In The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House, out this week, Klein claims the divorce nearly happened eight years into the Obamas’ marriage.
After Obama failed to listen to his wife’s warnings in challenging Bobby Rush for his U.S. House seat in 2000 and got creamed, their relationship cooled.
“During the dark days that followed his defeat, he turned to Michelle for comfort. But she was in no mood for sympathy,” Klein reportedly writes.
“He had refused to listen to her warnings about taking on Rush.”
The primary left them in debt and Barack depressed, Klein claims. “Michelle actually had divorce papers drawn up,” he writes, citing one of her friends.
“Obama was so depressed that some of his friends worried that he was suicidal,” the book adds, without elaboration on that particular point.
Obama, of course, was still in the Illinois State Senate, and went on to win a U.S. Senate seat in 2004 that helped establish his national credentials.
But Michelle almost vetoed the Senate race, too.
Northwestern University professor Steven Rogers told Klein that Obama talked about his ambition after they met at a golf fund-raiser.
“My wife will not allow me to run for the Senate until I clear up the debts from my unsuccessful run for Congress,” Obama said, according to Rogers.
[Photo: WENN.com]
He didn’t drop any condoms on the red carpet, but Will Smith experienced his own unusual situation during a movie premiere press line this week.
The actor was in Moscow on behalf of Men in Black III when a reporter from the Ukraine embraced the star with a hug… and then tried to follow that up with a kiss on the lips.
“He’s lucky I didn’t sucker punch him,” Smith is heard telling someone else soon afterward, though he responds very well from the saliva-based attack and is quickly seen below laughing about it.
It’s hard to blame Smith for his initial, surprised reaction, though, isn’t it? Watch it all unfold now:
Well, at least she’s no longer pregnant and abandoned.
However, according to a pair of tabloid cover stories this week, Kourtney Kardashian is pregnant… and betrayed! It’s a darn shame, isn’t it?
Naturally, Kris Jenner has already spoken out against rumors that Kourtney kicked out baby daddy Scott Disick and that E! cameras caught the blowup for an upcoming Keeping Up with the Kardashians episode.
“None of it is true,” Kris tells E! News of talk that Disick is actually hiding sex tapes from his girlfriend and skipped out on her baby shower May 12 because the couple was fighting.
One thing is for certain: we’ll be hearing a lot more about this when season seven of this scripted series premieres on Sunday. Another thing is also for certain: if you care one iota, you need to take a very long look in the mirror.
Amber Portwood has been released from jail. She got sprung yesterday.
The troubled Teen Mom star was placed back behind bars last week after violating the terms of her probation by failing to appear in an Indiana court.
The 22-year-old allegedly lied about a medical condition to get out of a drug test. Her probation officer called the bluff, asking her doctor directly.
Some very sleepy-eyed Amber Portwood mug shots soon followed.
How’s the reality star feeling now that she’s back on the other side?
“OK,” Amber told E! News. “Just hustling. I’ve got a lot on my plate.”
Naturally.
According to her brother, Shawn Portwood, Amber’s “new goal is to join the military.” Yes, apparently he’s serious. “She was going to work hard to get her charge reduced,” added Shawn. “She’s been doing so well.”
The Teen Mom trailer would suggest otherwise, but here’s hoping.
Might the success of Phillip Phillips on American Idol be jeopardizing his health? Without a doubt, YES, according to the singer’s doctors.
TMZ reports that the finalist’s physicians are adamant: Phillips needs surgery to repair a kidney issue as soon as possible. His family doctor even spent the entire day last Saturday – during Phillip’s Idol-sponsored trip home to Georgia – by the contestant’s side.
But Phillips would be sidelines for six weeks if he underwent the recommended procedure, so he is choosing to soldier on through at least next Thursday’s American Idol finale.
In the meantime, Phillip is simply taking medication, but that’s also resulting in dry mouth and possibly impacting his singing. Either way, though, win or lose, the talented young man’s journey will come to an end in one week.
Who do you think should win American Idol?
Sean Penn isn’t a fan of us right now. Or you, or anyone else.
On Friday at the Cannes Film Festival, the actor-activist slammed the media and public for abandoning Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010.
“It’s not only celebrities who went for a day,” Penn told reporters of his perceived injustice. “It’s the whole f–king world. It’s all of you. The reason we have ‘Haiti fatigue’ is because there was never a commitment in the first place.”
A vocal proponent of humanitarian aid, Penn also called upon President Barack Obama to meet with Haiti’s newly elected president Michel Joseph Martelly.
“It’s time our elegant, formidable president stood side by side [with Martelly],” he said.
The outspoken actor was part of a news conference with Petra Nemcova and director Paul Haggis, all of whom work with nonprofit organizations in Haiti.
The trio joined forces for a benefit for the country at the famed cinema gathering.
[Photo: WENN.com]
Call it the most disappointing $16 billion raised in investment history.
Facebook stock is off to a rocky start after its highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO), jumping more than 10 percent in the first few minutes of trading before sellers swept into the market and that gain evaporated.
“The stock is trading right at the IPO price,” one expert told the L.A. Times. “They didn’t want that in a million years. A traditional IPO is up 10% or 15%.”

The stock most recently hovered at about $40, only $2 above what shares were priced at late Thursday. Shares touched $38 multiple times during trading.
Investors also had to deal with a nearly three-hour delay for the stock to open. The Nasdaq kept the stock halted as it processed a crush of buy and sell orders.
The inauspicious opening after the Facebook IPO suggests that retail investors paid close attention to reports of soft financials and big selling by insiders.
Still, Facebook raised $16 billion in what will go down as the third-largest public offering in U.S. history and the biggest ever for a technology company.
Could be worse, right? Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg rang the Nasdaq opening bell from company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif.
Eduardo Saverin, one of the company’s co-founders, made news this week by giving up U.S. citizenship as a means of limiting his tax liability.
The 2012 Teen Choice Awards will, once again, arbitrarily celebrate the hottest teen icons in television, music, film, sports, fashion, comedy and the web!
In a star-studded event Sunday, July 22, the hottest of the hot will be feted.
The Vampire Diaries leads the way with six nominations, with American Idol and Justin Bieber garnering five nominations a piece. Not shabby totals.
Starting today, fans ages 13-19 can vote once each day per category for their favorite nominees at the official Teen Choice Awards website. Go to it!
Host(s), performers, presenters and more nominees will be announced soon, but expect a who’s-who of entertainment and celebrity gossip staples.
New categories added this year include Choice Book, most likely because of The Hunger Games, and Choice Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Artist.
Read the full list of Teen Choice Awards nominees after the jump:
Choice Movie: Action
“Abduction”
“Act of Valor”
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”
“Red Tails”
“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”
Choice Movie Actor: Action
Tom Cruise, “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”
Robert Downey, Jr., “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”
Tom Hardy, “Warrior”
Taylor Lautner, “Abduction”
Logan Lerman, “The Three Musketeers”
Choice Movie Actress: Action
Salma Hayek, “Puss in Boots”
Milla Jovovich, “The Three Musketeers”
Paula Patton, “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”
Noomi Rapace, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”
Zoe Saldana, “Colombiana”
Choice Movie: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
“The Avengers”
“The Hunger Games”
“Mirror Mirror”
“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1”
“Wrath of the Titans”
Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Robert Downey, Jr., “The Avengers”
Chris Hemsworth, “The Avengers”
Josh Hutcherson, “The Hunger Games” and “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island”
Taylor Lautner, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1”
Robert Pattinson, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1”
Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Lily Collins, “Mirror Mirror”
Vanessa Hudgens, “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island”
Scarlett Johansson, “The Avengers”
Jennifer Lawrence, “The Hunger Games”
Kristen Stewart, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1”
Choice Movie: Drama
“Drive”
“The Help”
“The Lucky One”
“The Vow”
“We Bought a Zoo”
Choice Movie Actor: Drama
Matt Damon, “We Bought a Zoo”
Zac Efron, “The Lucky One”
Ryan Gosling, “Drive”
Channing Tatum, “The Vow”
Justin Timberlake, “In Time”
Choice Movie Actress: Drama
Sandra Bullock, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Scarlett Johansson, “We Bought a Zoo”
Rachel McAdams, “The Vow”
Emma Stone, “The Help”
Choice Movie: Comedy
“21 Jump Street”
“American Reunion”
“Crazy, Stupid, Love.”
“The Muppets”
“What to Expect When You’re Expecting”
Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
Jason Biggs, “American Reunion”
Ryan Gosling, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”
Jonah Hill, “21 Jump Street”
Chris Rock, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”
Channing Tatum, “21 Jump Street”
Choice Movie Actress: Comedy
Cameron Diaz, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”
Alyson Hannigan, “American Reunion”
Jennifer Lopez, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”
Emma Stone, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”
Reese Witherspoon, “This Means War”
TELEVISION
Choice TV Show: Drama
BONES
“Gossip Girl”
“Pretty Little Liars”
“Revenge”
TOUCH
Choice TV Actor: Drama
Penn Badgley, “Gossip Girl”
David Boreanaz, BONES
Ian Harding, “Pretty Little Liars”
Kiefer Sutherland, TOUCH
Ed Westwick, “Gossip Girl
Choice TV Actress: Drama
Emily Deschanel, BONES
Sarah Michelle Gellar, “Ringer”
Lucy Hale, “Pretty Little Liars”
Leighton Meester, “Gossip Girl”
Emily VanCamp, “Revenge”
Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
FRINGE
“Once Upon a Time”
“Supernatural”
“True Blood”
“The Vampire Diaries”
Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Jensen Ackles, “Supernatural”
Joshua Jackson, FRINGE
Jared Padalecki, “Supernatural”
Ian Somerhalder, “The Vampire Diaries”
Paul Wesley, “The Vampire Diaries”
Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Nina Dobrev, “The Vampire Diaries”
Ginnifer Goodwin, “Once Upon a Time”
Kat Graham, “The Vampire Diaries”
Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
Anna Torv, FRINGE
Choice TV Show: Action
“Chuck”
“CSI: Miami”
“Hawaii Five-O”
“NCIS: Los Angeles”
“Nikita”
Choice TV Actor: Action
LL Cool J, “NCIS: Los Angeles”
Daniel Dae Kim, “Hawaii Five-O”
Zachary Levi, “Chuck”
Adam Rodriguez, “CSI: Miami”
Shane West, “Nikita”
Choice TV Actress: Action
Lyndsy Fonseca, “Nikita”
Linda Hunt, “NCIS: Los Angeles”
Grace Park, “Hawaii Five-O”
Maggie Q, “Nikita”
Yvonne Strahovski, “Chuck”
Choice TV Show: Comedy
“2 Broke Girls”
“The Big Bang Theory”
GLEE
“Modern Family”
NEW GIRL
Choice TV Actor: Comedy
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
Chris Colfer, GLEE
Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”
Ashton Kutcher, “Two And a Half Men”
Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory”
Choice TV Actress: Comedy
Miranda Cosgrove, “iCarly”
Kaley Cuoco, “The Big Bang Theory”
Zooey Deschanel, NEW GIRL
Lea Michele, GLEE
Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”
Choice TV: Animated Show
“Beavis and Butt-head”
BOB’S BURGERS
FAMILY GUY
“Robot Chicken”
THE SIMPSONS
Choice TV: Male Personality
Nick Cannon, “America’s Got Talent”
Simon Cowell, THE X FACTOR
Cee Lo Green, “The Voice”
Gordon Ramsay, HELL’S KITCHEN
Steven Tyler, AMERICAN IDOL
Choice TV: Female Personality
Christina Aguilera, “The Voice”
Tyra Banks, “America’s Next Top Model”
Carrie Ann Inaba, “Dancing With The Stars”
Jennifer Lopez, AMERICAN IDOL
Jessica Simpson, “Fashion Star”
Choice TV: Reality Competition Show
AMERICAN IDOL
“America’s Next Top Model”
“Survivor: One World”
“The Voice”
THE X FACTOR
Choice TV: Reality Show
“Dance Moms”
“Jersey Shore”
“Keeping Up With The Kardashians”
“Punk’d”
“Tia & Tamera”
Choice TV: Male Reality Star
Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, “Jersey Shore” and “The Pauly D Project”
Rob Dyrdek, “Fantasy Factory” and “Ridiculousness”
William Levy, “Dancing With The Stars”
Scotty McCreery, AMERICAN IDOL
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, “Jersey Shore”
Choice TV: Female Reality Star
Lauren Alaina, AMERICAN IDOL
Melanie Amaro, THE X FACTOR
The Kardashians, “Keeping Up With The Kardashians”
Tia & Tamera Mowry, “Tia & Tamera”
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, “Jersey Shore”
MUSIC
Choice Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Drake
Bruno Mars
Pitbull
Blake Shelton
Choice Female Artist
Adele
Jennifer Lopez
Katy Perry
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Choice Music Group
Selena Gomez & The Scene
Gym Class Heroes
Lady Antebellum
LMFAO
The Wanted
Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Artist
Beyonce
Flo Rida
Nicki Minaj
Pitbull
Kanye West
Choice Rock Group
The Black Keys
Foo Fighters
Foster The People
fun.
Linkin Park
Choice Rock Song
“Lonely Boy,” The Black Keys
“Paradise,” Coldplay
“Pumped Up Kicks,” Foster The People
“We Are Young,” fun. featuring Janelle Monáe
“Somebody That I Used To Know,” Gotye featuring Kimbra
Choice Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Artist
DeadMau5
David Guetta
Calvin Harris
Kaskade
Skrillex
Choice Single by a Group
“We Are Young,” fun. featuring Janelle Monáe
“Hit The Lights,” Selena Gomez & The Scene
“Ass Back Home,” Gym Class Heroes featuring Neon Hitch
“Party Rock Anthem,” LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
“Moves Like Jagger,” Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
Choice Single by a Female Artist
“Set Fire to the Rain,” Adele
“Stronger,” Kelly Clarkson
“Dance Again,” Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull
“Part of Me,” Katy Perry
“Eyes Open,” Taylor Swift
Choice Single by a Male Artist
“Boyfriend,” Justin Bieber
“Take Care,” Drake featuring Rihanna
“Good Feeling,” Flo Rida
“It Will Rain,” Bruno Mars
“Give Me Everything (Tonight),” Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, AfroJack & Nayer
Choice Male Country Artist
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Hunter Hayes
Scotty McCreery
Blake Shelton
Choice Female Country Artist
Lauren Alaina
Miranda Lambert
Kellie Pickler
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Song
“Love on Top,” Beyonce
“Take Care,” Drake featuring Rihanna
“Wild Ones,” Flo Rida featuring Sia
“Without You,” David Guetta featuring Usher
“Starships,” Nicki Minaj
Choice Country Song
“Tattoos on This Town,” Jason Aldean
“Crazy Girl,” Eli Young Band
“Storm Warning,” Hunter Hayes
“God Gave Me You,” Blake Shelton
“Sparks Fly,” Taylor Swift
Choice Country Group
The Band Perry
Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Thompson Square
FASHION
Choice Fashion Icon: Female
Miley Cyrus
Zooey Deschanel
Jennifer Lopez
Nicki Minaj
Katy Perry
Choice Fashion Icon: Male
Justin Bieber
Chris Colfer
Cee Lo Green
Justin Timberlake
will.i.am
Choice Female Hottie
Miley Cyrus
Selena Gomez
Katy Perry
Rihanna
Kate Upton
Choice Male Hottie
Justin Bieber
Ryan Gosling
Liam Hemsworth
Robert Pattinson
Ian Somerhalder
SPORTS
Choice Female Athlete
Kelly Clark (Snowboarding)
Maria Sharapova (Tennis)
Hope Solo (Soccer)
Lindsey Vonn (Skiing)
Serena Williams (Tennis)
Choice Male Athlete
David Beckham (Soccer)
Kobe Bryant (Basketball)
Albert Pujols (Baseball)
Tim Tebow (Football)
Shaun White (Snowboarding/Skateboarding/Surfing)
OTHER
Choice Book
“The Hunger Games” trilogy, Suzanne Collins
“The Giver,” Lois Lowry
“The Twilight Saga,” Stephenie Meyer
“Divergent” trilogy, Veronica Roth
“The Lucky One,” Nicholas Sparks
Choice Comedian
Ellen DeGeneres
Jimmy Fallon
Andy Samberg
Daniel Tosh
Kristen Wiig
Choice Twit
Justin Bieber
Miley Cyrus
Jimmy Fallon
Demi Lovato
Ryan Seacrest
We told you Kanye West would appear on season seven of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
And now you can see for yourself.
In a new E! promo for the season premiere, which airs on Sunday, we get a glimpse of Kanye and Kim at dinner, along with Khloe talking about the rapper and making it seem like this relationship is nothing but a publicity stunt. But that would be crazy, right?
Elsewhere: Kim wears wigs; Kourtney cries; Kris recalls a past love; Lamar Odom considers his NBA career; Scott Disick yells; and THG almost loses our dinner. Watch the totally unscripted madness now:
Actor Nick Stahl’s family filed a missing-person report Monday, but there were ongoing issues that predated the Terminator 3 star’s disappearance.
According to court papers, he was involved in a custody battle with wife Roseann, who reported Nick Stahl missing, over their 2-year-old daughter Marlo.
She filed in February requesting that Nick not be allowed unsupervised visits with their daughter. She also requested both legal and physical custody.
Nick and Roseann are still married, but estranged and living apart.
Roseann, 30, also stated that in 2011 she estimated the Terminator Salvation actor’s income to be $500,000 while she listed her own income as $0.
She said her total monthly expenses were $6,065. In March, she subsequently requested Nick pay $3,807 monthly in child support, and he agreed.
It’s unclear if Nick Stahl’s drug problems played a role in his disappearance, but they were bad enough to worry Roseann at the time he vanished.
He was granted only supervised visitation with their child, however, and was barred from consuming alcoholic beverages or narcotics within 24 hours.
He was also ordered to provide a negative drug test result for marijuana, cocaine and alcohol within 24 hours prior to every scheduled visitation.
“Thank you for the kind words,” Roseann tweeted, along with a plea for anyone with information about Nick’s whereabouts to contact the LAPD.
[Photo: WENN.com]