Jane_Yamamoto's Blog

It's that time of year again when Hollywood honors, well, Hollywood. A week from Sunday the Hollywood Foreign Press will hand out the Golden Globes.

The Race for Best Picture is a mixed bag of movies including, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost-Nixon, The Reader, Revolutionary Road and Slumdog Millionaire. Any predictions?

The Supporting Actor Category should be an interesting one to watch..will Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. -- both nominated for their roles in Tropic Thunder -- cancel each other out giving it to the late Heath Ledger??? Thoughts?

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The USC Trojans will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Leading up to the big game, both teams take part in various activities around the Southland. One of those activities is the annual Beef Bowl at Lawry’s Prime Rib in Beverly Hills.

The Trojans strapped on the feed bag Sunday night, and I covered it for both Fox Overtime and the 10p News.

Arriving to great fanfare, the Trojans were led off the bus by head coach Pete Carroll, who flashed the victory sign as the Trojan Marching band played Conquest. One by one the players followed.

I interviewed quarterback Mark Sanchez live during Fox Overtime. He was great, joking about how much his lineman eat while saying he was “a 3-plate guy”.

I also talked to All-American linebacker Rey Maualuga, who told me he didn’t eat all day in anticipation of the traditional pre-Rose Bowl meal.

When all was said and done, the Trojans wolfed down 680 pounds of meat, which was about 20 pounds less than the Nittany Lions put away a day earlier. Not sure if that means anything for the game.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday!

JY

Rapper 50-Cent told me he still gets nervous before he goes on stage and that was the case before he performed his song "Get Up" at the Video Game Awards. You can hear the song in his upcoming videogame called "Blood on the Sand." He says so many videogame companies came to him to license his music including, Grand Theft Auto...he's excited that his music is now on his own game. His game will be out next month, lot's of other games are getting hyped from "Fight Night Round 4" to "Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned".
So, I'm curious to find out from gamers what's on your playlist and why? Later, JY

If you’ve ever dreamed of going on tour with the Jonas Brothers, or maybe you’re a parent looking for a great stocking stuffer, now fans can get up close and personal with Kevin, Joe and Nick. A book filled with photos from their world tour – taken over the past year – is now out. It’s called ‘Burning up: On Tour with the Jonas Brothers.”

I interviewed the brothers at a book launching party. They told me the pictures document nearly every move they made on tour, and that the book is dedicated to their huge legion of fans.

Thousands of Jo Bros fans are expected to pack California Adventure this week for the official book signing. It should be quite a scene.

If you love all kinds of food like I do, you’ll love my feature later this week on chef Guy Fieri. He’s the host of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on The Food Network (you know, the guy with the spiky hair on those T.G.I Fridays commercials).

For the feature, my photog Kim Gardiner and I met Guy at The Stinking Rose on La Cienega and we did the interview in where else, the kitchen. It’s obvious that’s where Fieri is most comfortable. He was great, cooking and eating and talking at a frenetic pace. Kim and I even got to eat – yummy crab and mussels.

I have to admit I’m a fan of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”. Not too long ago they featured Baby Blues BBQ in Venice, and if you don’t think those shows help business, consider this -- the day after that episode aired, Baby Blues ran out of food. I know because a co-worker tried to order ribs to go that day, and they told her they were all out of food because they were so busy.

Baby Blues is one of Guy’s favorite LA eateries. He told me about a few more, but you’ll have to watch the piece to find out which ones (I can’t just give it away!).

 

 

AEG opened their newest venue Sunday night at L.A. Live – Club Nokia. Smaller and more intimate than its big brother the Nokia Theater, Club Nokia is already attracting some big names.

Beck was the opening night headliner. He took the stage around 10pm and rocked the house for a couple hours.

Before the concert, I got a tour of Club Nokia from AEG VP Michael Roth. The stage is 40 feet by 30 feet and the venue holds 2300 people, so there really isn’t a bad seat in the place. It has a VIP lounge that’s also pretty cool.

Everyone from Usher to Sarah Silverman to Wilson Phillips is scheduled to perform there in the coming weeks. If you get a chance to check out a show, I think you’ll be impressed with LA’s newest club.

 

Actor, Director and Producer Clint Eastwood was honored Sunday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The legendary Eastwood honored for his achievements and charity work during the Thalians 53rd Anniversary Ball. The gala event, which was emceed by actor/comedian George Lopez, benefits the Thalians Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

If you don’t know much about Thalians, it was started by a group of well known young actors back in the 1950’s. The group’s first meeting was at Jayne Mansfield’s Pink Palace in Beverly Hills, and they called themselves “Thalians” after the Goddess of Comedy, Thalia.

According to their website, the mission is to "educate, and enlighten the world about mental illness thereby eliminating the stigma attached to it". The annual gala raises funds for the all volunteer organization.

Sunday night’s gala was well attended, with celebrities from past and present showing up to honor Eastwood and raise funds at the same time. I talked with Mr. Eastwood on the red carpet. He told me he was honored to receive the group's Lifetime Achievement Award.

For more information about the Thalians Mental Health Center, check out their website at www.thalians.org.

 

If you’re looking for some Halloween fun, I’ve got the perfect place. It’s the “Halloween Harvest Festival” at Pierce College.

We went out there Sunday night and had a great time. The festival features a pumpkin patch, rides for the kids, a petting zoo and a haunted house. But the coolest feature is the incredible Corn Maze, which is cut out of a huge corn field on campus.

Half of the maze is haunted, and the other half is dedicated to motivating eligible voters to register and vote. From the air, you can see the words “Grow Your Vote” cut out of the cornfield.

So it’s fun and a little educational at the same time.

The festival is open every day through November 2nd, but I think the haunted maze is closed on Monday’s. Check out their website at www.halloweenharvestfestival.com for more information.

Prison Break returns after a week off. Here's a quick recap from 2
weeks ago. Half of the group went to Las Vegas to recover the 5th card
key to Scylla. Roland got greedy gambling and casino police nabbed his
copy device. What will happen tonight? My source tells me a key
character dies ...the first of three deaths in the next two weeks. Who
do you think will be written off?

You probably caught the Dodgers game Sunday night on Fox-11. The Dodgers returned home and beat the Phillies after losing the first two games in Philadelphia. I’m not a huge baseball fan, but I always know when the Dodgers are playing because all the photogs I work with in the field are into it. I admit I kinda get wrapped up in all the hoopla too, but this time around the whole baseball playoffs are bumming me out. They’re bumming me out because Game 4 on Monday night means there’s no Prison Break on Fox. I know, I know. The Dodgers are more important, but I’m really into the show and look forward to watching it on Monday nights. Oh well, I guess I can wait to find out what happens to Michael, Linc and the rest of them next week. Do you care when sports pre-empts your favorite shows?

On Sunday, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi hosted what was billed as a “celebrity-studded gala” to benefit the Yes on Proposition 2 campaign. The statewide ballot measure would prohibit the confinement of certain farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down or fully extend their limbs.

It was held at a private Bel Air estate. On the red carpet, DeGeneres talked about her support for Prop 2, but also talked about her recent marriage to de Rossi. Ellen said they gave their pictures to People magazine…’gave’ not ‘sold’ she said. They did it not to share their personal lives but to represent love and put a face on same sex couples.

Some other sightings on the red carpet: Emily Deschanel, Constance Marie, Corey Feldman, James Cromwell, Olivia Wilde and Esai Morales.

I played golf Saturday and didn’t have to work afterward, so I ended up watching the USC-Ohio State game. Being a Bruin and not much of a football fan, I don’t usually watch the Trojans but I became intrigued from an entertainment standpoint.

Earlier in the week, I got a press release from someone listing all the celebrities who would be attending the game. You know what they say -- “everyone loves a winner”.

And that was clear by the list I saw. A-list celebs like Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx, athletes like Ronnie Lott and Marcus Allen, and plenty of former Trojans and Buckeyes who are now professional athletes.

I used to work in Columbus, Ohio so I know how rabid Buckeye fans are. Here in L.A. it seems like more of a social gathering – a sort of place to be thing.

I’m not sure how many on the list went to the game, but I did see cutaways of Denzel Washington and Marcus Allen. Even Governor Schwarzenegger was there. It was sort of like a Laker game, with all the celebs there. Only in L.A.

Do you think there will be many celebrity requests for the next Bruins game, following that 59-0 loss to BYU? Ouch!

On Sunday I covered the 2008 Video Music Awards, which marked the 25th anniversary of the awards show that, when it started, was way ahead of it's time;however, the awards took a backseat to all the drama surrounding it. Britney's much hyped return (she didn't perform) was all the talk on the red carpet...and all the artists had plenty to say about her comeback.

Paramour's lead singer is a big Britney fan. Ne-yo was cheering her on and told me he wanted her to win. Britney ended up taking home the most VMA's.

The Britney factor took away the spotlight on what the show was about---Music Videos. So, it was interesting to find out some of the star's all time favorite music videos:
Jermaine Dupri's favorite is Run DMC's "Walk This Way"
Kid Rock also like early Run DMC
Ne-yo's favorite is Michael Jackson's "Thriller." He said he had all the moves down and even had a fake leather jacket.
Bret Ratner also picked "Thriller," saying it wasn't so much a music video as it was a movie!

So, what's your favorite music video of all-time?

 A new season of Prison Break is finally here! Michael Scoffield, Lincoln Burrows, Theodore Bagwell, Bellick and the rest of the gang return.  Scoffield and his brother are out of the Panamanian Prison and if you're a true fan of the show then you know Dr. Sara Tancredi is back!  Apparently, there are a few new characters that will be added to the show this season. I recently spoke to a few of the castmembers about  returning to Los Angeles to film the show. Jody Lyn O'Keefe is 'thrilled,' she told me when they were filming in Dallas she was always late because she would get lost driving to the location. She says most of the castmembers are from Los Angeles and they couldn't be more excited to be back home. Now with a new season, what storyline will keep you tuning in?

 

The 2008 Summer Games wrapped up Sunday night. I know I wrote about them last week, and some of you expressed your disdain for the Games, but for the first time in years I really enjoyed watching.
And I got to thinking? Who will be the biggest celebrity to come out of Beijing?
Will it be Michael Phelps, who dominated the first week by winning 8 gold medals? Since he won his 8th, Phelps has been everywhere – and some experts say he could make more than $50 million after his incredible performance.
What about gymnast Nastia Liukin, who won all-around gold in gymnastics? Or maybe Usain Bolt, who ran faster than anyone ever has?
Those are just a few. What do you think? Who will be the biggest celebrity to come out of Beijing?