Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Scrap the Show, Says PEOPLE TV Critic

A reality show may present itself as a grand mansion, but it's essentially a prefab house plunked down on what the owners hope looks like solid ground: If an earthquake rumbles below and splits open a fizzure, the foundation of the house goes, goes, goes down, down, down. Bravo has set about trying to repair the tragic mess that is now season 2 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The season, which wasscheduled to premiere Sept. 5, will be reedited and possibly postponed in light ofthe suicide of Housewife Taylor Armstrong's estranged husband, Russell. According to Variety, it's likely that Russell's presence – that is, his life – will be reshaped or reduced. The fact remains that public interest in the show is now higher than ever. But, in a better world, Bravo would just go ahead and scrap not just the season but the entire series. And I say that as a fan of the show. The first season was one of the most entertaining things ever to come out of Bravo. The death of Russell can’t be treated merely as an act of God or some incidental tragedy. His suicide by hanging weeks before the premiere was intimately connected with Taylor's public and personal life. It may very well be that his death would have happened without press scrutiny, without Taylor's overnight fame and the disturbing revelations about his abusive behavior, but the possibility can't be eliminated. This isn't a garnish of parsley that can be scraped aside and off the plate. Russell, although unseen, figured heavily in the season premiere screening disc Bravo sent out to critics earlier this summer: At a dinner reuniting the Housewives, Taylor, 40, was openly distraught over the state of her marriage – weeping in the powder room – but assuring everyone she was doing all she could to save her marriage. Lisa Vanderpump suggested that Taylor knew how to turn the tears on and off, and her husband, Ken, mocked marriage counseling. Even beforeRussell's suicide, they came across as stupendously cavalier. How much of this will remain? Even if Taylor were to quit the show and move to an undisclosed island, claiming the need to shelter her daughter and her own spirit, Camille Grammer and the others would still be required, somehow, at some point, to address the issue. Awkward, one might say. And if Taylor remains, as the show spills into seasons 3 and even 4, how naturally can she be expected to mourn and recover with women who are not so much friends as costars? Or even possibly hostile costars? These aren't things that can be properly handled in a reunion show or onWatch What Happens Live.

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'One Day': Should the ending have been changed?

To be fair, I knew it was coming. Having already read David Nicholls’ charming 2009 international best-seller One Day, about the ups and downs of friends Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew’s relationship over the span of 20 years, I knew the movie was also going to end on a major — if not pretty shocking — downer. For those of you who have not read the novel or seenthe adaptation starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess(and it seems like that’s plenty of you), beware of MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

It would be an understatement to say I was disappointed with the ending of One Day. After nearly two decades of putting up with Dexter’s flip-flopping feelings (all while she was stuck in a lukewarm relationship with Ian), Emma finally got him to settle down, only to find that she couldn’t have a child with him (mind you, he already got to experience that joy with his first wife Sylvie) and then… she dies?! City of Angels-style, no less: Emma was hit by a vehicle while riding her bike. To me, the ending seemed grossly unfair to Emma (hadn’t she suffered enough?) and a bit of a cop-out, really. Why couldn’t this story about the complexities of friendship and love avoid becoming a weepy melodrama? Granted, life isn’t always that nice and fair to us. Nicholls’ book felt light, smart, and sweet throughout — but when Emma died, it suddenly felt sad and schlocky.

So when I first found out One Day was being made into a movie, I began to hope the film’s writers would commit the ultimate Hollywood sin and change the ending. (Gasp!) I know, it sounds crazy, but, loving Nicholls’ characters, I found myself wishing Emma and Dexter would find their happily ever after on the big screen. Hollywood could have made it happen, right?! Of course, had the film’s writers altered it, it likely would have caused as much ire as the My Sister’s Keeper adaptation, which delivered a shiny, happy ending that was dramatically different than the final pages of Jodi Picoult’s beloved book. In a way, adaptingOne Day was something of a lose-lose situation from the get-go. If writers had changed the ending, they’d delight some fans of the book (myself included), but others would leave the theaters seriously miffed. (Including many in my screening — when Emma was hit, gasps echoing through the theater were louder than the film itself.)

I’m curious to know what you thought of the ending though, PopWatchers. Had you already read the book and hoped they would change it, or were you relieved they kept it as is? If you hadn’t read One Day, were you genuinely shocked by the ending? Did it bother you or do you think it will rank high among fellow doomed love story classics like Titanic and The Notebook? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

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Kate Winslet Escapes House Fire on Vacation

Kate Winslet's tropical vacation turned terrifying early Monday morning when a fire broke out at Richard Branson's Caribbean home where she and her family were staying. The actress, 35, her boyfriend,Louis Dowler, and her children Mia, 10, and Joe, 7, escaped, along with 16 other guests from the eight-bedroom Great House on Necker, Branson's private island in the British Virgin Islands. Branson told the AP that the fire broke out around 4 a.m. during a tropical storm. His son Sam, 25, helped guests evacuate, and the house was "completely destroyed" by the fire.

RELATED: Kate Winslet's Life Saved by Mildred PierceCostar Guy Pearce

The cause of the inferno is still under investigation, but lightning is likely to blame. Winslet's rep confirmed that the actress was unharmed. Last month, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo were married on Necker island, saying their "I do's" just steps from the house that burned down Monday.

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'Glee Project' winners relive last night's shocking twist!

Last night, Glee Project judge and executive producer Ryan Murphy surprised everyone, including the contestants, by announcing that there were TWO winners of the reality competition: Samuel Larsen, 19, and Damian McGinty, 18 both won seven-episode arcs this season on Fox’s hit series. But Murphy wasn’t done with the twists: runners-up Lindsay Pearce, 20, and Alex Newell, 18, would ALSO receive two-episode arcs during Glee‘s third season. Says McGinty, “For the four of us, it’s an amazing feeling knowing that as a group and as a unit we have all basically got ourselves a part on Glee. So in many ways all four of us won at this point.”

EW talked to Larsen and McGinty about their big wins last night.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Take me through being named the winners last night.
SAMUEL LARSEN: I think the best way to describe it is I basically forgot how to function as a human being. It felt like I was floating or something. I was flipping out! It felt like I couldn’t do anything.
DAMIAN MCGINTY: Ryan said great things about us. But then he said,” Samuel, you’ve wonThe Glee Project.” For me, it was very much a sinking feeling. My heart sunk. I felt like I got so close but I was a million miles away. But I congratulated Samuel because he deserved it and he worked hard for it and he was consistent. But then Ryan turned around and said, “Well Damian you don’t have to worry because you also won.” Seeing my reaction, I nearly killed myself. I nearly hit my head off of a piano. It was just ridiculous.

What made you both choose your respective songs, “Jolene” and “Beyond the Sea?”
SL: I remember being 11 or 12 and seeing a video of Jack White sing that song and I remember thinking, ‘Whoa I totally forgot this song was from the point of view of a woman. I totally forgot it was a Dolly Parton song. I totally forgot it was a country song.’ I knew if I could get close to that kind of performance for Ryan that it would be risky but I might be working with something. It’s a great tune.
DM: I wanted a song that was lively. Ryan told me that he had seen me as a lead man so I wanted to show him I could own the stage. I wanted to show him that I was strong and a good performer and that I could have fun.

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Natalie Portman Debuts Post-Baby Body While Walking Her Dog

Since giving birth to son Aleph in June,Natalie Portman has been lying low, just as she promised she would. But on Thursday, the Oscar winner – who appears to have lost much of her baby weight – and her dog Whiz stepped out for the first time together since Aleph's arrival.

RELATED: Natalie Portman & Whiz: Best Friends for Life

The pair kept their heads down as they walked the New York City streets in near darkness. Portman's newly slim frame stayed hidden under a loose oxford and sweatpants, but the actress added a touch of star power to her casual ensemble with some oversize sunglasses.

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Susan Powell's Husband Worries About a Police Frame-Up

If nothing else, the still-unexplained move by police to conduct a high-profile search of Nevada mine shafts got Joshua Powell talking again. The husband of Susan Powell says he worried Utah police scoured Ely, Nev., mine shafts over the weekend to frame him in the 2009 disappearance of his wife Susan Powell, the Salt Lake City Tribune reports. "It occurred to me they were planting something in Ely so they could magically show it to the media," said Josh. Identified as a person of interest in the case, Josh has stopped talking to authorities but says he may be willing to meet with the FBI – for a price. "Yeah, if they pay my attorney’s fees, and he advises me properly, why wouldn't I?" he said. In an unusual move, police in West Valley City, Utah, invited the news media to the search of a mining district outside Ely, located about 230 miles southwest of the missing woman's hometown. Although detectives recovered no physical evidence, Sgt. Mike Powell (no relation) said, "Obviously we were able to successfully accomplish our goals." What those goals were remained unknown. He declined to say how the investigation was helped. He also wouldn't comment on were they searching for or what the "important" and "credible" new information was that prompted the trip to the desert. "Are there any new leads that were generated from this?" he said, according to the Deseret News. "At this point, I don't have an answer for that."

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'Survivor: South Pacific': New cast and new twists revealed!

Russell Hantz may not be part of the new season of Survivor…but his nephew is. 19-year-old Brandon Hantz is one of 16 new contestants that will be competing for the million dollars when Survivor: South Pacific kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 14 on CBS. Among the players joining him is a former Miss America contestant, a country music singer, a Lingerie Football League player, and a medical marijuana dispensary owner. However, these players will not just have to battle each other. They will also have to take on two returning players, whose names will be revealed later in the week.

In addition to the two returning players, two of the new contestants already have experience on reality television. Country crooner Whitney Duncan placed fifth on the fifth season of Nashville Star, while former Miss Washington Elyse Umemoto appeared on Miss America: Reality Check, TLC’s reality show that accompanied the 2008 Miss America pageant, in which Umemoto was the second runner-up. (She later had to deal with a bit of controversy after photos surfaced of Umemoto partying and making sexually suggestive poses). Other contestants with notable occupations include lingerie football player (and Playboy cover girl) Mikayla Wingle and medical marijuana dispensary owner Jim Rice.

However viewers will no doubt be focused on the contestant with the last name of Hantz. “Unless I’m getting played, which I could be, Brandon is the opposite of Russell,” says host Jeff Probst. “I mean, he appears to be a pretty nice guy — a young kid who’s certainly a little rough around the edges, but well mannered, pretty good thinker. Although for a while his loved one was going to be Russell, and at the last minute he said, ‘You know what, I’ve been thinking about this. That may not be such a good idea to let people know I’m related.’”

SURVIVOR: Get the latest news, photos, and more

Filmed in Samoa (the same location for seasons 19 and 20), Survivor: South Pacific will also feature a few twists to the format. The first involves the hidden immunity idols. “This year with hidden immunity idols, we’re hiding the clue,” explains Probst. “No clue as to where the clue is. Once you find the clue, then you have to find the idol.” And while the Redemption Island twist is back, there will be one major change to it, with the elimination of group duels — meaning each competition will truly be a win-or-go-home situation (as opposed to last season, in which players often simply did not have to come in last to stay alive). “We’re not having multi-person duels,” says Probst. “That was part of the experiment [last season]. We wanted to see how many people we could keep in the game until the end. And that’s why we let more people live out there. But we felt like it’s too many people and now we’ve got half the group still in it at the end. So it will only be a one-on-one situation. Loser’s out, winner stays. Otherwise, we’re playing it the same way.”

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Who Wore Temperley Better: Pippa or Lindsay?

For Kim Kardashian’s star-studded nuptials on Saturday, the actress donned a white version of Pippa Middleton’s glamorous green Temperley gown which she wore to her sister’s royal wedding; Temperley’s PR team says they didn’t lend Lohan the gown, but believe she purchased it from their L.A. store for the Saturday wedding in Montecito, Calif.

And while conventional wedding wisdom says that a guest should never wear white, the hue was actually at the bride’s behest, who requested that the 450 guests “please wear black or white.”

The gown, a floor-length satin dress with a crystal brooch, was first created for the Duchess of Cambridge’s little sis. “I was honored that Ms. Pippa Middleton asked me to design her dress for the Royal Wedding evening reception,” the British designer said at the time. “She loved the green color, which looks great on her skin tone. The dress was designed especially for her with a fantastic open back and a full skirt for dancing in.”

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Box office update: 'The Help' and 'Apes' stay on top as four newcomers badly stumble on Friday

Welcome to the late-August box office! Friday estimates havearrived, and things aren’t looking pretty for the four new releases, all of which majorly disappointed on their opening day. The Helpand Rise of the Planet of the Apes, meanwhile, remained strong, and they will easily finish first and second for the weekend.

The Help sure doesn’t need any at the box office! The well-reviewed adaptation, which is quickly becoming an event film, grossed a terrific $5.8 million yesterday, a drop of only 24 percent from last Friday. It should continue to play nicely over the rest of the weekend and finish in first place with about $19 million, which would push its cumulative total past $70 million.

In second, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, now in its third weekend, fell 42 percent from last Friday to $4.7 million. The reboot/prequel may finish the weekend with $16 million.

SUMMER MOVIES: Get the latest news, photos, and more

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D played the best of the new releases, but it still only managed $4 million on its first day. Spy Kids 3D opened to $33.4 million in 2003, but Robert Rodriguez’s eight-years-later sequel will be lucky if it can match that in its entire run. Give the fourth Spy Kids installment $13 million for the weekend. I guess even Aromascope couldn’t prevent a pretty stinky performance!

In fourth place, Conan the Barbarian finished close behind with $3.7 million, but it won’t play out as well as the family-fueled Spy Kids for the rest of the weekend. Conan is more of a fanboy feature, which tend to be front-loaded at the box office, and it will likely finish the weekend with just under $10 million. Fright Night debuted in fifth place with $2.7 million (Plus an additional $400,000 from Thursday 9 p.m. showings). The Colin Farrell vampire picture should find a truly ghastly $6.5 million, and it will likely get passed by The Smurfs by Sunday.

Way back in ninth place One Day started with $1.9 million, which, to be clear, is not good. Still, a $6 million weekend would make it the only film to not perform well below expectations this frame.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the full box office report.

1. The Help – $5.8 mil
2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes – $4.7 mil
3. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D – $4.0 mil
4. Conan the Barbarian – $3.7 mil
5. Fright Night – $3.1 mil

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Pre-Wedding Kim Kardashian: I'm Going to Be Like a "Drill Sergeant"

Kim Kardashian's fairytale wedding will go down without a hitch, even if that means she has to act like a "drill sergeant!" The 30-year-old bride-to-be told Ryan Seacreston Friday that she's making sure every last detail of her big day is perfect.

PHOTOS: Kim's best white-hot dresses

So what has Kim been doing to prepare for Saturday night's nuptials? "Spray tanning, nails, a midnight call to Anastasia to do my eyebrows," she said. As far as her nerves? She told Seacrest she's only been experiencing "calmness."

PHOTOS: Kim and Kris' cutest moments

"I freaked out about anything and everything," she admitted. "Like Kris [Humphries]' dogs in my space, his shirts on the floor, going over budget, to everything you could possibly think of, you know issues that everyone goes through. You just have a freak out moment where you go crazy after every last thing."

PHOTOS: Celebs who wore Vera Wang wedding dresses

On Sunday, Kim told Extra's Mario Lopez about her one wedding day fear. "I was so nervous to walk down the aisle by myself," she said "For some reason I wasn't thinking, like, 'Oh, Bruce [Jenner] will be there right with me,' so I was thinking, 'I'm gonna fall, I'm gonna faint, oh my God, my train!'"

PHOTOS: Kim's best booty moments

Kim's biological dad, Robert, passed away in 2003 to esophageal cancer at the age of 59. Her mother, Kris, has been married to Jenner, 61, since 1991.

PHOTOS: Kardashian family album

She told Seacrest, however, that her dad will be at her wedding "in spirit." And while the wedding will deliver "glitz and glam," it will also be "so intimate and so just really heartfelt."

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