Celeb chef sparks more whispers

MIAMI (PGN) >> Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito did little to put rumours about his sexuality to rest last weekend.

Sources claim the cookbook author and former star of NBC’s reality series The Restaurant escorted a male companion to several events during White Party weekend, a popular annual AIDS fundraiser targeted at gay men.

The two also reportedly had dinner at Prime 112, an upscale steakhouse on Ocean Drive.

DiSpirito, 41, has been dogged by gay rumours for years. In April 2005, DiSpirito was seen at a party with openly gay actor Mario Cantone and another man. According to one blog, “Rocco grabbed the unidentified man's hand and they held hands across the dancefloor. They then canoodled in a very low-key way the rest of the evening.”

A few months later, DiSpirito was publicly linked to former Queer Eye for the Straight Guy co-host Jai Rodriguez. In an interview with New York gay magazine H/X, Rodriguez said the two are nothing more than friends.

“He’s my straight boyfriend - every gay guy has one! We went to a movie premiere together, and then he came to a gay bar with me for a drink,” he explained.

Cops bust movie pirates

TORONTO (PGN) >> Police here have busted a major DVD counterfeiting operation, seizing thousands of illegal copies of movies such as American Gangster and Transformers.

The raid took place Thursday morning at a storage rental unit near McCowan and Finch. Behind a garage door, police found a plywood wall and wooden door hiding a sophisticated DVD burning and packaging operation.

The unit contained shelves with rows of colour printers; DVD burning machines and stacks of counterfeit DVDs. Investigators believe the illegal business operated for about four months.

A 37-year-old man was arrested at the scene and charged with fraud and possession of stolen property. Police are seeking other suspects.

Canada's richest men

TORONTO (PGN) >> Ted Rogers’ net worth has grown by 67 per cent this year, making him the second wealthiest Canadian and bumping Galen Weston from the No. 2 spot for the first time since 2000.

According to Canadian Business magazine, this year’s Rich 100 list includes 54 billionaires, up eight from last year.

Ranked first is the Thomson family, with an estimated net worth of $25.35 billion. Rogers follows with $7.6 billion, followed by Weston with $7.27 billion.

Canadian Business is published by Rogers.

The rest of the top 10 consists of Paul Demarais ($5.64 billion); the Irving brothers ($4.52 billion); James Pattison ($4.52 billion); Jeff Skoll ($4.48 billion); Michael Lazaridis ($4.36 billion); James Balsillie ($4.09 billion); and Bernard Sherman ($3.61 billion).

New to the Rich 100 list this year are mining investor Rob McEwen and Lululemon Athletica’s Dennis Wilson.

Buble silent on cheating report

VANCOUVER (PGN) >> There is still no comment from Canadian crooner Michael Buble about accusations that he cheated on his girlfriend, British actress Emily Blunt.

In an interview with the tabloid Globe, Tiffany Bromley claimed she had an on-again off-again relationship with Buble for about a decade.

She claimed they last had sex on Aug. 13 at Buble’s Vancouver home. The singer shares a two-bedroom condo in Yaletown with Blunt, one of the stars of The Devil Wears Prada.

“Michael is a cheater,” alleged Bromley, a 28-year-old Canadian who owns a wig business in Los Angeles. She also accused him of being cheap, cocky and arrogant.

Bromley told the tabloid that Burnaby-born Buble, 32, enjoys being tickled on the arms and chest and, on their last night together, was an exceptional lover.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, he was an 11,” she said, adding that Buble also asked her if she would be open to a threesome.

Before leaving Buble’s apartment after their final tryst, Bromley swiped one of his designer shirts and snapped several photos of the naked singer sleeping.

According to Globe, Buble and Bromley met in 1997 when he was performing at a Vancouver club and dated casually for about six years. Their relationship became physical in August 2003, she claimed, when Buble flew her to Los Angeles. Bromley said she was introduced to the singer’s powerful friends, Canadians David Foster and Paul Anka.

In 2004, Buble was engaged to longtime girlfriend Debbie Timuss, whom he met while both were in musical productions in the late 90s. They split in 2005, the same year he met Blunt, now 24.

The return of Dorff

TORONTO (PGN) >> Hollywood star Stephen Dorff is back in Ontario – this time to work on a mini-series based on the popular comic book series and video game XIII.

Dorff will be shooting XIII in Hamilton and Toronto until the end of January. He was last in Toronto two years ago shooting the direct-to-DVD feature .45 and was in the Cambridge area in 2002 starring opposite Sharon Stone in Cold Creek Manor. Dorff was also at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival to promote Shadowboxer.

The $20 million four-hour mini-series also stars Caterina Murino, who appeared in this year’s Casino Royale, and Val Kilmer.

XIII is the story of an amnesiac (Dorff) accused of assassinating the president during her Veterans’ Day speech. With a tattoo of “XIII” as the only clue to his identity, the man goes on the run from police, government agents and a mercenary (Kilmer) while trying to uncover the truth and his identity.

Facebook continues to grow in Canada

TORONTO (PGN) >> Facebook is the fourth most popular website in Canada, according to statistics released today.

The social networking site had 14.4 million visitors in October, up from 13.8 million in September, comScore Media Metrix reports. A year ago, Facebook had about 1 million Canadian visitors.

Microsoft sites are in the top spot, attracting 22.2 million visitors last month. Google and Yahoo! follow with 22 million and 16.8 million respectively. In fifth spot is eBay, with 13.9 million visitors.

Time Warner Network, Wikipedia, Yellow Pages, Amazon and Canoe also made the list of the top 10 Internet properties in Canada.

The statistics compiled by comScore do not include sites accessed through mobile devices or at public terminals like Internet cafes.

The biggest growth in October happened at NHL Network sites, which grew 44 percent from September to 3.9 million visitors. Video site Crackle.com helped Sony Online jump 27 percent to 2.6 million.

Will marmot be Winter Games mascot?

VANCOUVER (PGN) >> Hundreds of school children will get the first look at the mascots for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics Winter Games tomorrow.

The official characters will be unveiled Tuesday morning at the Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey, B.C. in front of about 800 young students.

Speculation about the mascots has been swirling for months, with everything from bears to geese. Calgary used bears for the Winter Games in 1988.

Hoary marmots are common in Whistler, where many of the Olympic events will be held, and are protected from hunting in B.C.. The silver-haired animals are related to squirrels.

The official symbol for the Vancouver Olympics is the Inukshuk Ilanaaq, which is the Inuktitut word for friend.

Morissette to be honoured

TORONTO (PGN) >> Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette will be inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame next year.

Morissette, 33, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Canadian Radio Music Awards at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto on March 7.

The Ottawa-born star has 12 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards and was twice nominated for Golden Globe Awards. Her first two albums – released only in Canada – were followed by the global smash hit Jagged Little Pill, which sold more than 30 million copies.

Morissette has released several follow-up albums, including Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie and So-Called Chaos. Her new CD, Flavors of Entanglement, is out Feb. 19. She hits the road Jan. 25 with Matchbox Twenty, stopping in Toronto Feb. 22 and Vancouver on March 9.

Tickets for the Canadian Radio Music Awards are available by clicking here.

Pop! takes a break

Pop! Goes the News will be back on Monday with daily updates. Be sure to check back, and thank you for visiting.

Exclusive! Celeb couple snaps tourists

TORONTO (PGN) >> Drew Barrymore and her boyfriend, actor Justin Long, were strolling through Toronto's trendy Yorkville neighbourhood tonight when a small group of Mexican tourists asked them to take their picture.

Perhaps realizing that the visitors from Monterrey had no idea who they were, the famous couple happily obliged. Long, the TV spokesman for Mac computers and star of this year's Live Free and Die Hard, took their camera and snapped pictures while Barrymore smiled and stood at his side.

The grateful group -- still seemingly unaware that they had just posed for two Hollywood stars -- walked off into the night and Barrymore and her beau headed back to their hotel.

The actress is in the city shooting the HBO movie Grey Gardens, in which she plays Edith Bouvier Beale. Long appears next in the feature He's Just Not That Into You.

Cruise company gets in deep

MIAMI BEACH (PGN) >> Ongoing financial problems have forced Windjammer Barefoot Cruises to cancel more sailings.

The company, which hasn’t operated any of its four tall ships in several weeks, has pulled the plug on cruises scheduled for Nov. 17, Nov. 24 and Dec. 3.

“There are just so many difficulties, obstacles and legal issues that stand in our path to continue with enough time for these cruises to sail,” wrote Windjammer’s Danny Walsh on a message board. “Please, please, please understand we are not giving up and Windjammer will sail again.”

The company hopes to sail the S.V. Legacy on Dec. 8.

Walsh said customers who decide not to reschedule their cruises will be given a refund “in a short time.” But the company will not compensate for air or hotel charges.

“Even if we wanted to we do not have access to funds yet,” he explained.

The S.V. Legacy cannot sail again until Trinidad’s Maritime Service Division completes an audit of the vessel’s management company. Windjammer is also being sued by credit-card processing company NCMIC Finance for allegedly selling cruises despite being unable “to provide the cruises already paid for by customers.”

NCMIC Finance wants Windjammer to put $500,000 in escrow to cover future charge-back claims.

There is no mention of the Miami Beach-based company’s woes on its official website but clicking on the reservations page brings up a blank page.

According to Cruising With Pride, an all-nude cruise for gay men aboard the S.V. Legacy scheduled for Feb. 16 is almost sold out.

Site offers the best of both

TORONTO (PGN) >> Canadian web users can now search Google and Yahoo simultaneously and see the results side-by-side one screen.

InternetLabz.com today launched SearchBoth.ca, which allows people to choose two search engines and displays the results on a split screen. In addition to Google and Yahoo, the site includes Ask.ca, MSN.ca, MetaCrawler.ca, AltaVista.ca and SearchCanada.ca.

The U.S. site, SearchBoth.com, has added a feature allowing users to search any two travel sites – including Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and CheapTickets – at the same time to compare results.

SearchBoth.com also lets people search YellowPages.com and SuperPages.com at the same time.

A toolbar plugins for Firefox is currently available and one for Explorer will be available by the end of the month.

Barrymore goes back in time

TORONTO (PGN) >> Drew Barrymore was on Front Street this afternoon shooting scenes for Grey Gardens, the HBO movie in production here until early December.

No fan of the paparazzi, the actress ducked behind umbrellas as she made her way to and from the set in front of the Royal York hotel. In the photo, at right, Barrymore is seen in the passenger seat of a vehicle taking her to her luxury trailer on Bremmer Boulevard.

Tonight, Barrymore is shooting a winter scene outside the lower level of Union Station.

Grey Gardens is based on the true story of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (Jessica Lange) and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale (Barrymore) who made headlines in 1971 when the health department raided their run-down mansion in East Hampton, New York. Authorities found dozens of cats as well as raccoons and piles of garbage and excrement but agreed not to evict the women when family member Jacqueline Onassis (Jeanne Tripplehorn) stepped in to pay for a clean-up. (The women died in 1977 and 2002 respectively.) A musical play, based on a 1975 documentary, opened on Broadway last year.

Barrymore hasn’t worked in Toronto since shooting the comedy Fever Pitch here in 2004.

Grey Gardens also stars familiar TV faces Malcolm Gets (Caroline in the City), Arye Gross (Ellen) and Ken Howard (Crossing Jordan). Troubled actor Daniel Baldwin, who arrived at Pearson International Airport tonight, is also part of the cast.

Morissette to shine again in '08

OTTAWA (PGN) >> Canadian singer Alanis Morissette will be back in the spotlight early next year with a new album and tour.

Morissette, 33, is set to release Flavors of Entanglement, her first studio CD since 2004’s So Called Chaos on Feb. 19. She will also open for Matchbox Twenty on the band’s first North American tour in more than four years.

The tour kicks off Jan. 25 in Florida and will stop at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre on Feb. 22 and GM Place in Vancouver on March 9. (There is also a stop at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, NY, on Feb. 16.)

Morissette, who lives in Los Angeles but has a condo in her hometown of Ottawa, will also star next year in the movie Radio Free Albemuth.

Exclusive! Branson invited to ring Peace Bell

TORONTO (PGN) >> Sir Richard Branson has been formally invited to ring the Peace Bell at the United Nations in New York City next March, popgoesthenews.com has learned.

The chairman of Virgin Group, a longtime environmental crusader, received the invitation tonight from Derek W. Dixon, liaison for the Earth Society Foundation of the United Nations.

Branson, 57, was asked to join other dignitaries on Earth Day (March 20) to ring the Peace Bell in honour of the UN-declared International Earth Year.

He received the invitation at the Direct Energy Centre, where he was hosting a gala in support of the new Canadian division of his charitable foundation, Virgin Unite. Entertainers include Dita Von Teese, Elvis Costello and Criss Angel.

"I humbly invite you to be one of a select few," Dixon wrote in a letter to Branson. Others invited to participate include the Dalai Lama and Al Gore.

It is not yet known if Branson plans to accept the invitation.

Canadian company helps AIDS fight in Africa

TORONTO (PGN) >> A Canadian company is donating $1 million worth of its groundbreaking HIV testing kits to clinics in AIDS-ravaged communities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

bioLytical Laboratories of Richmond, B.C., pledged 100,000 of its INSTI kits, which are among the fastest and most reliable HIV diagnostic kits in the world, at a gala in support of Virgin Unite tonight.

The company boasts that results of the tests are available in 60 seconds.

Virgin Group chairman Sir Richard Branson, who was hosting the event, was on hand to accept the donation.

According to bioLytical Laboratories, the INSTI tests require no refrigeration and have a 12-month shelf life, making them ideally suited for remote parts of Africa.

Branson makes Angel appear

TORONTO (PGN) >> Billionaire Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson was joined on stage this morning by Mindfreak star Criss Angel to unveil details of new Virgin Mobile services and the launch of Virgin Unite in Canada.

Early next year, Virgin Mobile will offer phone plans in Canada (until now it has only had pre-paid mobile service) aimed primarily at the 18- to 34-year-old market. The company isn't releasing many details, citing competition, but insists it will take the "con" out of "contracts."

An advertising campaign will encourage the expected 800,000 holiday season mobile phone buyers in Canada to not sign contracts with other providers. Marketing manager Nathan Rosenberg said talks are underway with Angel to promote the brand.

Virgin also announced that it will be offering HIV tests, with results in 60 seconds, in Montreal and Toronto around World AIDS Day.

Today's media event was a warm-up for tonight's Virgin Unite Midnight Magic gala, which is raising funds for the Virgin Unite charitable foundation. Branson and Angel will be joined by Dita Von Teese and Elvis Costello.

Jessica Simpson in and out

TORONTO (PGN) >> Jessica Simpson slipped out of Toronto this afternoon after a low-key visit to shoot a hush-hush scene in the Mike Myers comedy, The Love Guru.

Wearing a parka with fur trim, Simpson stepped out of the Four Seasons hotel at around 11:30 am Saturday and into a black SUV that drove her to the alley behind Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street. Simpson stayed in the vehicle for about 10 minutes, waiting for staff to bring out a bag containing one of her purchases from the previous day.

The star headed for Terminal 3 at the airport, where she remained in the SUV while her bodyguard Jim obtained American Airlines boarding passes and U.S. Customs forms. Shortly after 1:00 pm, Simpson walked into the terminal and was whisked into the secure area.

In addition to filming and shopping, Simpson went out to eat while in Toronto. On Thursday night, she cruised around Yorkville and had Jim bring menus out to the SUV before she settled on a sushi joint and dashed inside.

A Love Guru insider told PGN that Simpson's cameo in the film -- which also stars Jessica Alba -- is "very sexy."

Exclusive! Bana goes bananas

TORONTO (PGN) >> Aussie actor Eric Bana went berserk Saturday afternoon when he thought the paparazzi was taking pictures of his children.

Leaving his wife and two children behind, the 39-year-old star of Troy and Hulk ran across Bloor Street in Toronto's trendy Yorkville neighbourhood and got in the face of a photographer.

"You take pictures of my kids and we're going to have a conversation," he said firmly. After being assured that no pictures had even been taken, Bana moved on to another snapper sitting in a nearby SUV (see photo, at right).

The star, who's in the city finishing up work on The Time Traveler's Wife with Rachel McAdams, reached into the open passenger-side window and tried to grab a camera. After uttering more threats, the actor compared the photographer to Adolf Hitler and stormed off down the street.

Watching from afar was Bana's wife, publicist Rebecca Gleeson, and the couple's children Klaus, 8, and Sophia, 5.

Union urges inquiry into CanWest plan

OTTAWA (PGN) >> CanWest MediaWorks will be in breach of its broadcast licenses when it centralizes operations, the country’s largest media union claims.

The Communications, Energy and Paperworks Union of Canada (CEP) filed an official complaint today with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

"We are calling on the CRTC to expedite a public inquiry into CanWest's plans to centralize its broadcasting operations,” says CEP vice-president Peter Murdoch, in a release.

The company is planning to centralize operations at the new CanWest News Service office in the nation’s capital. As many as 200 employees in the broadcast division have already received layoff notices and insiders claim layoffs in the publishing division are imminent.

"These cutbacks by CanWest at its newspapers and broadcasting stations are the result of high levels of media ownership concentration promoted by the CRTC, actions which federal inquiries and parliamentary committees have been warning about for decades,” says Murdoch.

The CEP adds that CanWest is reducing its newsroom workforce at the same time it is partnering with U.S. company Goldman Sachs to purchases the assets of Alliance Atlantis.

"The CRTC needs to tell CanWest clearly and directly that it can't buy a new property by ignoring the commitments it has made to Canadians and the CRTC in the past about its existing licences,” says Murdoch.

Journalists critical of CBC

TORONTO (PGN) >> Canada’s public broadcaster is under fire for bowing to pressure from Chinese officials and yanking a controversial documentary off the air.

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is critical of CBC News’ decision not to air Beyond the Red Wall, which documents the experience of a Canadian follower of the Falun Gong. The spiritual movement is outlawed in China.

CBC News had planned to air the documentary on Nov. 6 but pulled it after receiving complaints from the Chinese embassy in Ottawa and the consulate in Toronto.

According to CBC spokesman Jeff Keay, the network is reviewing the content “to make sure it’s a good, solid project.”

In a release, CAJ president Mary Agnes Welch says the organization is concerned the CBC has sent “a message of self-censorship by pulling a previously aired and carefully vetted documentary just as it was about to be broadcast.”

The report, by Toronto’s Peter Rowe, aired last spring on the CBC and was shown on the French-language Radio-Canada last month.

The CAJ believes editorial independence is “a cornerstone of good journalism” and urges the CBC to “resist the influence of private and public interests such as governments.”

The square gets soaked

TORONTO (PGN) >> Sometimes you just can’t have enough rain.

On a cold, wet night in downtown Toronto people were surprised to see a rain machine hoisted on a crane in the middle of Yonge-Dundas Square. It was there for a scene in The Session, a TV pilot currently shooting around the city.

Not much is known about the project – which doesn’t seem to have any recognizable stars – except that it comes from Temple Street Productions, the same company that gave us the North American Queer As Folk series. But unlike QAF, this one is set in Toronto.

Produced for the CBC, the pilot received nearly $24,000 from the Canadian Television Fund.

As this exclusive video shows, an actress on her cell phone is suddenly caught in a downpour –courtesy of the aforementioned rain machine – and runs for cover.

Elizabeth Hay wins the Giller

TORONTO (PGN) >> Elizabeth Hay picked up the 2007 Scotiabank Giller Prize and a cheque for $40,000 at a gala ceremony at the Four Seasons hotel.

The jury selected Hay for her novel Late Nights on Air, a story about the people working at a Yellowknife radio station.

"I'd like to thank everyone who wrote a book this year. Reading books and writing books makes life more meaningful," said Hay.

Among those in attendance at the award show, which was hosted by Canada AM's Seamus O'Regan, were acclaimed authors Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood. Former star of The O.C., Kelly Rowan, was also there.

The Giller Prize is the brainchild of Jack Rabinovitch in memory of his literary journalist wife Doris Giller.

The show will be broadcast Wednesday night on CTV.

Fans show r-e-s-p-e-c-t for Aretha

TORONTO (PGN) >> Hundreds of people braved the wind and cold rain tonight to see Aretha Franklin perform a free outdoor concert.

The Queen of Soul took to the stage on outside the Holt Renfrew store on Bloor Street shortly after 7:00 pm and performed a selection of her classic hits as well as a song from her new album. Wearing a white fur coat and sporting a Louis Vuitton scarf on her arm, the 65-year-old Motown icon was in fine vocal form.

Franklin was helping Holt Renfrew unveil its holiday window displays. The event was co-sponsored by ET Canada and American Express.

Alba tries to save face

TORONTO (PGN) >> Jessica Alba returned to the city late last night but ducked the camera as she arrived at Pearson International Airport on a flight from Los Angeles.

Alba kept her head down as she was escorted to a waiting vehicle by airline and security personnel and several handlers. As these exclusive photos show, once inside the minivan the star kept looking away and pulled the visor down to shield her face.

The young star was equally camera-shy at LAX, where she looked at the floor while checking in at the Air Canada counter.

Alba is back in Toronto to continue working on The Love Guru, a comedy feature starring Mike Myers and Justin Timberlake.

Director's dog monument missing

TORONTO (PGN) >> A memorial to famed director Norman Jewison’s beloved dog has been missing for several weeks.

The small granite monument, inscribed with “In Memory of Barney,” was removed from the doggy drinking fountain in Norman Jewison Parkette between Isabella and Gloucester just east of Yonge.

The fountain was donated by Jewison, now 81, in remembrance of his yellow lab Barney, who died in 2001.

A spokesman for city councilor Kyle Rae says the monument was removed because it was broken and had sharp edges. He says it is currently being repaired and will be put back in place soon.

Jewison, the Oscar-nominated director of such acclaimed films as Moonstruck, Fiddler on the Roof and In The Heat of the Night, is chairman and CEO of Yorktown Productions Inc., located on nearby Gloucester Lane.

Stars come back to town

TORONTO (PGN) >> Adrien Brody, Ving Rhames and Paddy Considine are back in Toronto this season to make movies.

Brody, who was last here in 2005 to film Hollywoodland with Ben Affleck and Diane Lane, is co-starring with Canadian actress Sarah Polley in Splice. Production officially begins Dec. 3 and runs through to early March.

Splice is a science fiction thriller about two scientists who become famous for splicing different animal DNA to create new creatures but then go too far when they start adding human DNA.

Rhames is back in the city – he made the short-lived US cable series Kojak here in 2005 and the zombie flick Dawn of the Dead in 2003 – to play controversial heavyweight boxer Sonny Liston in the movie Phantom Punch.

Directed by actor Robert Townsend, the movie focuses on Liston’s record of 39 knockouts in 54 fights and the so-called “phantom punch” that felled him during a fight with Mohammed Ali.

Rhames is also a producer of the project, which wraps on Nov. 23.

Considine will be shooting Cry of the Owl until mid-December with Julia Stiles and Scott Speedman. The British actor played Simon Ross in this year’s The Bourne Ultimatum, in which Stiles reprised her role as Nicky Parsons.

Considine was last in Toronto in 2004 to make Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger.

Cry of the Owl, based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith, is about a woman (Stiles) who falls in love with the man who is stalking her. Speedman plays her vengeful ex.

Also in Toronto working are Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange (Grey Gardens); Alyssa Milano and Jason Gedrick (Wisegal); Jude Law and Forest Whitaker (Repossession Mambo); and Mike Myers and Jessica Alba (The Love Guru).

More on Paris in the porn shop

TORONTO (PGN) >> Celebrity website TMZ.com and several media outlets are reporting today on Paris Hilton's stop at the Discount Adult Video store on Yonge Street late last month -- old news, of course, if you are a regular reader of Pop! Goes the News, where the details were posted last Friday.

What no one is reporting, though, is that Hilton was accompanied to the store by Louie DeFilippis, the owner of Canadian paparazzi agency LDP Images. In the security camera footage, which can be seen on TMZ, DeFilippis is at her side while she demands that posters promoting One Night in Paris be taken down.

While Hilton was in town shooting Repo! The Genetic Opera, LDP Images had several sets of exclusive images of her around the city thanks to a special arrangement. And who says stars hate the paparazzi?

Mel B helps fans break a world record

TORONTO (PGN) >> Spice Girls singer Melanie Brown was at the Eaton Centre this afternoon to help Virgin Mobile Canada set a new world record for the most mobile phones ringing in unison.

Hundreds turned out to see the Dancing with the Stars competitor, who also signed autographs and posed for photos with fans.

The previous record was set in 2001 by Virgin Mobile UK. Organizers of today’s event claim 558 fans participated.

"The support the Spice Girls get from Toronto fans has always been amazing so as soon as I heard about Virgin Mobile's record attempt I couldn't wait to get here," said Brown, who is better known as Mel B and Scary Spice.

Click here to watch video highlights. PGN was the only media outlet to capture Mel B on video as she made her way to the event!

Amber Alert issued for newborn

SUDBURY (PGN) >> Police have issued an Amber Alert for a newborn baby that was abducted from a Sudbury hospital.

The baby has dark hair and bruising on its face. Weighing 8 lbs. 11 oz., the baby was wearing a white flannel hospital gown and was wrapped in a white blanket.

The woman accused of abducting the baby is Aboriginal, between 26 and 30 years old, about 5’6” tall with a slim build. She was last seen wearing white pants and a v-neck white top with black open sweater.