Soap hunk Thom Bierdz admits having liposuction

PopGoesTheNews.com • Actor Thom Bierdz, best known for his recurring role on The Young and the Restless, has admitted to undergoing liposuction surgery. The 48-year-old star says he did it to look his best at auditions.

"I needed it if I am to be taken seriously for ... the parts I want. I can't take the chance that the casting people will discount me if I look strange from some angles," he explained on Friday, just hours after having excess fat sucked out of his neck and upper stomach. Bierdz, who returned to Y&R last month to portray Phillip Chancellor III, said seeing himself on the daytime drama convinced him to have the procedure. "I noticed that when I look down my shirt collar pushes my neck to look loose and very fatty."

The lipo was done by Dr. Harvey Abrams of Wilshire Aesthetics in Los Angeles. Although the swelling will last at least a week, yesterday Bierdz said he already likes what he sees. "I am really pleased how the fat bump was completely removed from my upper middle stomach," he shared. "It is a big difference! Now I have a normal looking abdomen."

Bierdz, whose acting credits also include roles on Melrose Place and Murder, She Wrote, said he decided on liposuction because he's been self-conscious of his body despite working out three times a week for the last three decades. "I wish I could have gotten this body myself."

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, liposuction is one of the most common cosmetic surgeries. Although popular in Hollywood, few celebs are willing to discuss the procedure as openly as Bierdz. "So many known actors do this," he said. "For some reason I am compelled to share everything."

Bierdz's character on Y&R was killed in a drunk driving accident in 1989 but he returned to the show 20 years later to reveal that Phillip had faked his death. The character was back again in September for several episodes. Also a renowned artist, Bierdz has shared private moments of his life before. He wrote the book Forgiving Troy after his youngest brother Troy beat their mother to death with a baseball bat (Troy is serving a life sentence). His other brother Gregg committed suicide in 2002. 

Top photos courtesy Thom Bierdz. Bottom photo courtesy CBS.

LeAnn Rimes has a bizarre reaction to being snapped

PopGoesTheNews.com • LeAnn Rimes wasn't about to smile for the camera this morning at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ont. The country superstar hid her face from a lone photographer outside her hotel – and then stretched the truth about the experience.

Upon leaving The Famous restaurant after breakfast with her friend, songwriter/producer Darrell Brown, Rimes spotted the photographer and quickly turned to Brown to shield her face. She even tried to walk backwards.

Rimes then took to Twitter and fudged the facts about the innocuous encounter in hopes of gaining some sympathy from fans. "Ok, seriously out of hand!!! [Brown] and I were having breakfast in the cafe in our hotel and as soon as we walk out there's paparazzi!!!! IN the hotel!! Darrell had a few choice words for him. It was kinda funny actually!"

But, in fact, the café is not in the hotel and neither was the photographer. Rimes was photographed from a distance inside the main lobby of the Fallsview Casino Resort. And if Brown had "a few choice words for him" he never uttered them.

Rimes' online complaint prompted Eric Bahn of Dallas to Tweet: "One simple word for them.. RATS! Sorry y'all had to endure that this morning. Kinda spoils a good morning.. So sorry!" Rimes replied: "It was so quiet and undercover and chill! Not gonna let that ruin anything." She then warned that Brown was "going down to kick some @$$." (Brown returned to the lobby only to discover the photographer had already left. "I got her upstairs," he told the valet drivers, as if he had saved Rimes from some horrible fate.)

Later, follower Scott Karas of New York City messaged Rimes via Twitter asking why she cares about having her picture taken. "U have a blessed life, so y does having ur pic taken make you mad?" She responded: "When do I get a chance to just be me and people not scare the crap out of me and stalk me? I'm not complaining, but I guess no one can understand unless you've lived with the invasion of privacy."

On Thursday, Rimes used Twitter to complain about being snapped at Toronto's Pearson International Airport by two photographers representing the INF agency. "Um, scary to me when people take pics of you and you don't even know they're there. I just got off a red eye! Wasn't it too early for paps?!"

Rimes, 28, performed the first of two nights at the Avalon Ballroom in Fallsview Casino Resort on Thursday.

Click HERE to see more photos of LeAnn Rimes in Niagara Falls!

Photos by Todd Gillis / SplashNewsOnline.com

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10/21 • LeAnn Rimes to work in Toronto

LeAnn Rimes to work in Toronto

PopGoesTheNews.com • Country music star LeAnn Rimes will be spending springtime in Canada working on a new movie.

The 28-year-old singer, who arrived in Niagara Falls this morning after flying into Toronto's Pearson International Airport on the red-eye from Los Angeles, is keeping the details hush-hush for now but did let on that "it's a sweet, romantic, family comedy."

Rimes is performing concerts tonight and tomorrow at the Fallsview Casino Resort. The Grammy winner says she is looking forward to returning to Ontario in April. "I get to really come enjoy this beautiful place."

Rimes has appeared in several TV movies, including last year's made-in-Calgary flick Northern Lights during which she started a romance with co-star Eddie Cibrian, 37. Both split from their spouses to be together (Cibrian, who was a member of boy band 3 Deep, did not accompany Rimes to Niagara Falls today).

Celine Dion talks about twins

PopGoesTheNews.com • Eight-months pregnant Celine Dion, who was admitted to hospital earlier this week, says she is feeling "very well." The 42-year-old Canadian singer, who is expecting twins, also told Hello! Canada she feels "very, very priveleged and fortunate."

In the issue that hits newsstands on Thursday, the superstar is pictured at her Florida home with husband René Angélil, 68, and their nine-year-old son René-Charles. In an exclusive interview accompanying 12 pages of photos, the couple talk about their struggle to conceive and reveal their son's feelings about his new brothers.

"IVF is difficult emotionally, but you have to keep in mind that you are so fortunate to have a family," Celine said. "You are a mom, you have a husband and you are lucky." René called the birth of the couple's first son "a miracle" and admitted: "I would have died for him."

It's the second "exclusive" interview the pregnant star has given in as many months. In September, Celine discussed her pregnancy with French-language magazine 7 Jours.

Dion was recently admitted to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach as a precaution. In a statement from the hospital, doctors wanted to "prevent the early delivery of her babies which is the standard of care for any patient with twin pregnancy in this clinical setting."

Publicly funded Indo-Canadian movie rents trailers from U.S. company

PopGoesTheNews.com • It's a Canada/India co-production heavily financed by Canadian taxpayers – but the feature film Breakaway is spending money south of the border. Producers have rented several trailers from a Pennsylvania-based company for some of the movie's stars.

Rob Lowe and Ludacris on set today.

The trailers, some with an American flag and the words "United We Stand" emblazoned on the doors, come from Haddad's of Pleasant Hills, more than five hours southwest of Toronto. Earlier this month three trailers from Haddad's were spotted on location in High Park and just this week Breakaway star and co-producer Russell Peters was being accommodated in a mobile home with Pennsylvania license plates. A crew member said he isn't sure why trailers were rented from the U.S. company and a spokesperson for the film did not return calls seeking comment. There are nearly a dozen companies in the Toronto area that lease trailers for film and television productions as well as a number in Montreal.

Currently there are about 20 projects underway in Toronto, including the feature film The Vow and series like Nikita, Rookie Blue, Falling Skies and XIII. 

Breakaway is being produced by India's Hari Om Productions (helmed by Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar) and Canada's Whizbang Films (led by actor Paul Gross) and three other Canadian companies. The flick, which has been shooting in and around Toronto since mid-September, is funded by Telefilm Canada and produced in association with public broadcaster CBC. It is also receiving generous tax breaks and incentives from both the city and province.

Indeed, despite using American trailers and a cast including American actors Rob Lowe and Camilla Belle, the production is providing plenty of Canadian jobs and pumping millions into the local economy.

Breakaway tells the story of a young Indo-Canadian man caught between his family's traditional expectations and his dream of making it in hockey.

To see photos of the stars of Breakaway on location go to CanadianTabloid.com.

Photo courtesy of Rob Lowe.

A toast to three great years!

Three years ago today, PopGoesTheNews.com popped up online for the first time. More than 600 posts later, it's a must-read for people around the world and a source of content for a few other websites (including one that blatantly plagiarizes it).

All along, this blog has prided itself not only on being accurate but on avoiding the self-indulgent style of so many others. Look back and you won't find a single photo of anyone responsible for PopGoesTheNews.com on this site. For three years it's been about bringing you fresh, original content – not puffing up anyone's ego.

This is not to say there isn't plenty to boast about. PopGoesTheNews.com has broken stories, covered stories others have overlooked and shared exclusive photos with the world. It has also exposed the blunders of mainstream media and other blogs.

This, the third anniversary, is a good time to thank everyone – the contributors, tipsters, publicists and businesses – who make it possible. Most of all, it's the perfect occasion to thank readers like you. Thank you for bookmarking this site and visiting on a regular basis. Thank you for the feedback you provide. Thank you for linking to it, Tweeting about it and telling friends to check it out.

It's the third birthday of PopGoesTheNews.com thanks to you. Raise a glass!

Walk of Fame ceremony is unabashedly Canadian

Inductees Sarah Polley, left, and Nelly Furtado

PopGoesTheNews.com • The stars came out this afternoon for Canada's Walk of Fame on one of the country's most colorful streets – but you would never know it. Organizers erected a stage in the middle of Yonge Street in front of the Canon Theatre but then inexplicably blocked all views with draping, backdrops and faux-shrubs. The result was an induction ceremony area that could have been anywhere in the city – or the country.

The unusual staging was one of several missteps by organizers that had media outlets grumbling and some of the stars and their handlers scratching their heads. On top of unnecessary lighting and a poorly designed red carpet layout, master of ceremonies Rick Campanelli was directed to read introductions before some of the inductees had even reached the stage, leading to long periods of awkward silence followed by lackluster plaque unveilings.

This year's event honored seven famous Canadians: singers Nelly Furtado and David Clayton-Thomas, actress-director Sarah Polley, actor Eric McCormack, athlete Clara Hughes, author Farley Mowat and the late magician Doug Henning.

Eric McCormack, wife Janet and son Finnigan

Among those walking the red carpet was host Howie Mandel and performers Jully Black, Hawksley Workman, Alex Cuba and Nikki Yanofsky (who was honored with the inaugural Allan Slaight Award) as well as actress-singer Jill Hennessy.

It's still not known where the new inductees' maple-leaf-star plaques will be installed (the ones unveiled today were merely facsimiles). The plaques of earlier inductees on the sidewalk in Toronto's theatre district have been damaged by the elements so Canada's Walk of Fame is searching for a permanent location to honor recipients.

The gala show, held inside the Canon Theatre, will be broadcast Wednesday night on Global and Slice.

For red carpet photos from Canada's Walk of Fame, go to CanadianTabloid.com.

Photos by John R. Kennedy / SplashNewsOnline.com. Click on images to see full size.

Canadian trainer stands by his attack on TV's Jillian Michaels

James S. Fell and Jillian Michaels

PopGoesTheNews.com • A Canadian fitness expert who called television personality Jillian Michaels “an actress playing the role of fitness trainer” says he stands behind the comment even though Michaels is threatening legal action.

James S. Fell, a certified strength and conditioning specialist based in Calgary, tells PopGoesTheNews.com the statement was "a bit glib" but insists there is truth to it.

Fell criticized Michaels – best known for her work on The Biggest Loser – in an Oct. 11 review of her kettle bells DVD in the Los Angeles Times. “Typical viewers think she's great,” he wrote, “yet the collective jaws of professional trainers hit the floor after witnessing her regular displays of poor technique and unsafe training practices.”

Fell questioned Michaels’ credentials, claiming that her online bio “goes on and on about her multimedia endeavors, but there is not a single mention of any health-and-fitness education or credentials.” He calls Michaels “unqualified,” “hypocritical” and motivated by profit.

Michaels fired back on Wednesday, telling US Magazine: “I’m going after them. It’s defamation, it’s libel, it’s full-on.”

Contacted by PopGoesTheNews.com this morning, Fell refused to back down. “She’s doing things on TV that knowledgeable trainers [think of as] unsafe and ridiculous and it’s done in pursuit of ratings,” he says. “It’s good TV and not safe and reasonable. That is the behavior of an actress, not a responsible trainer.”

Fell adds that he sent a list of questions to Michaels’ rep 72 hours before his deadline and was told that she was too busy to respond.

Michaels is herself the subject of legal action. Last February she was sued for false advertising over claims made about a diet pill she endorses. In August she was named in a $10 million lawsuit alleging that her Triple Process Total Body Detox & Cleanse contains dangerous ingredients. She told the Associated Press that the lawsuits are “baseless."

Photo of James S. Fell courtesy bodyforwife.com. Photo of Jillian Michaels courtesy jillianmichaels.com.

'Falling Skies' stars have fun with their guns

PopGoesTheNews.com • Battling aliens can get a little boring so Noah Wyle and Drew Roy amused themselves this afternoon by having a little fun with their guns.

The actors, co-stars in the sci-fi series Falling Skies, balanced their weapons on their fingers in between takes on location in downtown Toronto.

The Steven Spielberg-produced show is set to debut on U.S. cable channel TNT next year. Ten episodes are being shot in the city, which is standing in for Boston.

It's the first series for Wyle since playing Dr. John Carter on the long-running hit ER. The 39-year-old father of two, who recently separated from his wife, plays a widower and Boston University history professor who is second-in-command of a group of citizens battling an alien invasion that has wiped out 80 per cent of the human race.

Falling Skies is also the first starring role in a TV series for Roy, 24, who currently appears on the big screen in Secretariat.

For another photo of Wyle on location go to CanadianTabloid.com.

Photos by John R. Kennedy / SplashNewsOnline.com. Click on image to see full size.

Hockey comedy brings stars to Winnipeg

Jay Baruchel

PopGoesTheNews.com • Cameras are about to roll on yet another feature film about Canada's favourite sport. Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel and Liev Schreiber are in Winnipeg to start work on Goon, a hockey comedy that comes hot on the heels of Score: A Hockey Musical and the Indo-Canadian hockey flick Breakaway.

Scott plays the black sheep of a respected family who, while working as a bouncer, ends up as the crusher for a local hockey team. When he rises in the ranks to protect a star player (Marc-André Grondin), he faces a formidable opponent (Schreiber). Alison Pill also stars in the movie, which is being directed by Michael Dowse (Fubar II).

Goon was written by Baruchel and Evan Goldberg based on a book by Doug Smith and Adam Frattasio. 

Score: A Hockey Musical, which was filmed in Toronto last winter and opened at the Toronto International Film Festival last month, is set for release on Oct. 22. Breakaway is currently in production in and around Toronto and scheduled for a fall 2011 release.

Photo by John R. Kennedy / SplashNewsOnline.com

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09/17 • Another hockey flick starts shooting

'Star' and 'Metro' remain on top

PopGoesTheNews.com • Metro, the free daily newspaper that frequently publishes photos seen here at PopGoesTheNews.com and CanadianTabloid.com, is the second most-read newspaper in Canada's biggest city. With 555,800 daily readers, Metro beats the Toronto Sun (444,900) and its free daily 24 Hours (276,900); the Globe and Mail (354,300) and the National Post (139,800). Nationally, Metro reaches 1.4 million people daily.

According to the latest NADbank survey, the Toronto Star remains the most-read newspaper with 963,100 readers weekdays, 1.2 million on Saturdays and 712,000 on Sundays.

In a story posted yesterday, the Toronto Sun claimed it "clobbered the competition" because its readership increased compared to declines at the Star, Globe and Post – but didn't mention that it remains the city's No. 3 daily.

Justin Bieber attends Jewish wedding in Toronto

PopGoesTheNews.com • He's one of the biggest pop stars in the world but tonight Justin Bieber was just another friend of the groom. The 16-year-old flew to Toronto to attend the wedding of his musical director/guitarist Dan Kanter to fashionista Yael Latner at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Bieber, who wore a baby blue yarmuckle atop his famous mop for part of the evening, arrived in the hotel ballroom a few minutes before the sunset ceremony wearing dark sunglasses, a vest over a dress shirt, shiny jeans and black running shoes. His guest was mom Pattie Mallette, who slipped out of her shoes after sitting down at their table.

After watching Kanter and Latner exchange vows under the elegant chuppah in the middle of the room, Bieber joined throngs of well-wishers on the dance floor as a band performed the traditional Jewish song "Hava Nagila." Then he showed off his dance moves as wedding guests grooved to "Get Down Tonight."

Guests then settled in for dinner of caramelized onion soup followed by a choice of Miso Glazed Halibut with Soya Beurre Blanc or Veal Tenderloin with Mushroom Ragout and dessert of champagne poached pears and figs. Small wedding cakes sat in the middle of each table. The ballroom was decorated with baby blue cloth and flowers as well as silver candelabras.

Earlier in the day Kanter and Latner – who met in a Tel Aviv hotel lobby and were engaged last October – posed for wedding photos on Avenue Road and on Bloor Street (pictured bottom left) before doing a series of family photos in the Lancaster Room on the hotel's third floor. "Dan and I are starving!" Latner exclaimed as the couple exited the elevator before the family photos.

Music was, not surprisingly, a big part of the wedding (as guests arrived, a string quartet played songs by the Beatles). The party included cover versions of songs by Journey and Michael Jackson. On Saturday, Kanter suppressed any pre-wedding jitters by working in the recording studio with producer/songwriter Rob Wells – where he spent most of the previous week. He and Latner hosted an early dinner for family at the Dunfield Retirement Residence near Yonge and Eglinton on Saturday.

Kanter, a native of Ottawa, was hired as Bieber's musical director and lead guitarist last summer after stints working with Canadian acts FeFe Dobson and Shiloh. His brother Jonah is also a musician. Latner, who comes from a wealthy family with a mansion on tony Warren Road, is a fashion blogger who has appeared on MTV Canada. She and her new husband share a home near Yonge and Davisville.

Despite their age difference, Bieber and Kanter (who is in his 20s) have become close friends who share a passion not only for music but for Tim Horton's. Last April, after flying to Toronto from the JUNO Awards in St. John's, Bieber hung out at Kanter's home for several hours before the pair caught a flight for Japan.

Kanter and his boss Bieber are now heading to Hawaii for concerts on Friday and Saturday followed by Vancouver's Rogers Arena on Oct. 19 and a 25-city tour that ends Dec. 23 in Bieber's home base Atlanta (he performs in Montreal on Nov. 22 and in Toronto on Nov. 23).

THE PHOTOS • Top: Justin Bieber and his mother Pattie Mallette watch the ceremony. Middle: Justin joins the fun on the dance floor. Inset: Justin's place card. Bottom: Yael Latner and Dan Kanter wear shades outside the hotel (left) and exchange vows under the chuppah (right). Click on images to see full size. To see a photo of Justin Bieber go to CanadianTabloid.com

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