MONDAY, JANUARY 6

NATIONAL HEADLINES:

FROSTY TEMPERATURES HITTING MUCH OF U.S.

Freezing temperatures set in yesterday over more than half the continental U.S. and were expected to continue through today into tomorrow. Dangerous driving conditions brought on by snow, winds and ice stretched from the Dakotas to Missouri to Delaware. Plus, wind chill warnings were in effect from Montanato Alabama. The forecast was predicting 25 below zero in Fargo, North Dakota, minus 31 in International Falls, Minnesota, and 15 below in Indianapolis and Chicago. As if that wasn’t brutal enough, several states got hit with a fresh batch of snow over the weekend. Five to 7 inches fell in the Chicago area, while 8 to 10 inches was expected in central Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

SEC. OF STATE KERRY SAYS U.S. NOT SENDING TROOPS TO IRAQ

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday that the U.S. will not be sending troops to Iraq to fight against al Qaeda-liked militants. The insurgents overtook the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi in an uprising last week. Bombings in the capital of Baghdad killed at least 20 people yesterday. Kerry said that while the U.S. supports Iraq in their fight against terrorists, sending American soldiers back to the country is not an option. He said, "this is a fight that belongs to the Iraqis.”

PLANE CRASH IN ASPEN KILLS 1

A private plane en route from Tucson to Colorado crashed at the Aspen airport yesterday afternoon. Three people were on board at the time – one was killed and the two others were injured. The plane burst into flames as it hit the runway at Pitkin County Airport and fire and emergency officials rushed to the scene. Of the two injured, one was seriously hurt, while the other suffered what appeared to be a minor injury. Comedian Kevin Nealon and singer LeAnn Rimes, who had been vacationing in Aspen, witnessed the crash and posted about it on Twitter.

PLANE SKIDS OFF RUNWAY AT JFK/SMALL PLANE LANDS ON NYC HIGHWAY

Flights at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport were suspended temporarily yesterday after a plane skidded off the slippery runway. Delta Connection 4100 from Toronto landed safely, but slid into snow as it turned onto a taxiway. No injuries were reported and passengers remained on board as the plane was towed to a gate. Operations for domestic and international flights were halted because of the icy ground conditions. In a separate incident on Saturday, a small plane had to make an emergency landing on a New York City highway. The aircraft experienced engine failure and the pilot managed to land it safely on Bronx’s Major Deegan Expressway. Neither he nor his two passengers were seriously injured. No one on the ground was hurt either.

POPE FRANCIS ANNOUNES TRIP TO HOLY LAND

Pope Francis announced yesterday that he would be traveling to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan this spring. The three-day trip will take place from May 24 to 26 and will mark the pontiff’s first visit to the Holy Land. He said his main goal of the journey was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and the then-spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Atengora. The trip will also highlight Francis' close ties to the Jewish community, his outreach to Muslims and the Vatican's longstanding call for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

THE WEEKEND BOX OFFICE FROM YAHOO! MOVIES

ROCK NEWS:

EVANESCENCE VOCALIST LEE SUING RECORD LABEL OVER ROYALTIES

A dispute over unpaid back royalties is at the center of a lawsuit filed by Evanescence frontwomanAmy Lee against Wind-Up Records. TMZ reports Lee is seeking over $1.5 million, claiming the label attempted to sabotage her band by forcing Evanescence to deal with under-qualified promoters, eventually costing the group millions. To date, Evanescence has sold over 25 million albums worldwide.

WHITE WRAPPING WORK ON NEW ALBUM

During a recent online chat with fans, Jack White broke the news that he is nearing the finish line on recording a new studio album. White, whose bands includes the White Stripes, Raconteursand Dead Weather, said via the message board on his Third Man Records website, “I’m producing two albums this month, and finishing them. One of them is mine.” If the project is a solo album, it will be White’s first solo set since 2012’s Blunderbuss. The Dead Weather is also slated to release a new album in 2015.

DAFT PUNK, WONDER TO TEAM FOR GRAMMY PERFORMANCE

French electronic music duo Daft Punk and Motown icon Stevie Wonder are set to partner for a live performance at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The live appearance will be the Daft Punk’s first in support of their current album, Random Access Memories, which came out last May. Daft Punk is nominated for five Grammys, including Album of the Year and Best Pop/Group Performance for their smash single “Get Lucky.” The 56^th Annual Grammy Awards will air on CBS on January 26.

STANLEY SOURS HOPES OF ORIGINAL BAND PERFORMING AT ROCK HALL

Immediately after Kiss fans got the good news that their heroes had finally been picked for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the conversation commenced on whether the four original members would be on hand to perform at the April induction ceremony. On Saturday, Paul Stanley seemed to suggest he, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss would not share the stage when he responded to a fan who tweeted him the question of whether the four would “play the hof together” by writing, “Seems unlikely.”

KISS PICKED TO PLUCK STRINGS, POUND SKINS PRE-PUCK DROP

If playing outdoor hockey in Los Angeles seems like a farfetched idea, having makeup-wearing rockers Kiss perform before the puck is dropped sounds just as bizarre, but both scenarios are in fact going to take place. The recently announce Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band has been tapped to perform at L.A.’s first outdoor hockey game at Dodger Stadium on January 25 as part of the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series. The bombastic rockers will play before the game and during intermission of the matchup between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks.

MORELLO HONORED TO PLAY AND SING ON NEW SPRINGSTEEN ALBUM

Proclaiming himself “a big Bruce Springsteen fan,” guitarist Tom Morello told Rolling Stone it “feels like such an honor to be a part of” his hero’s forthcoming album, High Hopes,” which comes out on January 14. The Rage Against the Machine six stringer says he plays on eight songs and sings on several, including a duet with the Boss. He adds, “It’s a tremendous honor to be able to collaborate in that way and to be asked to keep lending my guitar to songs is something I would have never dared to dream. But I’m happy to do it, man.”

MORRISSEY PROMISES FANS WILL SEE MORE FROM HIM SOON

There will be no shortage of new words and music coming from Morrissey in the near future. In a recent interview, the former Smiths frontman said he is currently working on a new novel and a new album, adding that he is “midway through” writing his next text and “about to record our new album, and one of the tracks is called ‘Istanbul.’ It is second to Rome as my favorite city in the world.” On February 25, Morrissey will release a deluxe version of his 1992 solo album Your Arsenal.

LORDE ANOINTED FUTURE QUEEN OF MUSIC BY ROCK ROYALTY

New Zealand teenager Lorde was certainly on many people’s year-end best of and favorite new artist lists, but she was paid one of her biggest compliments by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer David Bowie. The 17-year old star told Rookie Magazine, “To have someone like that tell you that listening to you felt like listening to tomorrow. It was super cute, though, for some reason, we were holding hands and just staring into each other’s eyes and talking, and I was like, ‘This is David Bowie’s hand, what am I doing?’ It was insane. A beautiful moment.”

DEF LEPPARD SET TO REENTER STUDIO IN LESS THAN A MONTH

Still riding a high on the heels of their wildly successful Las Vegas residency, Def Leppard has set a February 1 date to return to the recording studio to begin work on its first collection of all-new material since 2008’s Songs from the Sparkle Lounge. GuitaristPhil Collen recently said, “We’re all excited and buzzy about new material. I can’t remember the last time we were like that.”

SHOWBIZ NEWS:

EVANDER HOLYFIELD BELIEVES HOMOSEXUALITY IS A CHOICE THAT CAN BE FIXED

Boxing great Evander Holyfield compared being gay to being handicapped while appearing onUK’s Celebrity Big Brother. When he was asked by housemate Luisa Zissman if there were any gay boxers he replied, “that ain’t normal.” He then compared homosexuals to “handicapped people,” saying they can be “fixed” just like “if you’re born and your leg would turn this way, what do you do, you go to the doctor and get it fixed that way.” When Zissman told Holyfield that being gay is not something someone chooses he disagreed. “Yes it’s a choice” he said.

PAUL WALKER AUTOPSY RELEASED

The autopsy report on Paul Walker was released Friday and it concluded that the Fast & Furiousstar died from “combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries.”    The accident was blamed on speed, with the report suggesting the Porsche driven by Roger Rodas was traveling over 100 miles when it swerved out of control. According to the report, obtained by TMZ, Walker’s entire body was charred  in the November 30^th car accident and he was burned so badly he could not ‘be positively identified visually.” Walker’s body, which was in a defensive position as if he were bracing himself for impact, had multiple fractures,  including ones to his jaw, collarbone,  left upper arm, various ribs and his pelvic region.    There was “scant soot in Walker’s trachea” which suggest he  took a few breaths after impact.  There were no traces of alcohol found in either Paul’s body, or Roger’s body. Both men had high amounts of carbon monoxide in their blood with Paul at 14% and Roger at 10%. The normal level is 2%.

WALKER TO BE WRITTEN OUT OF FAST & FURIOUS 7

Meanwhile, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Paul Walker’s Fast & Furious character Brian O’Conner will retire and not be killed off in the upcoming Fast & Furious 7. Instead, sources say Universal plans to use footage Walker already filmed and tweak the script in order to write the character out of the franchise.

VIN REMEMBERS PAUL

Vin Diesel is still grieving over the loss of his friend and Fast & Furious co-star Paul Walker. On Thursday, Diesel posted a photo of himself and Walker, writing, "There was always moments of child-like laughter…We had accomplished so much by 2013. P.s. The complexities of Brotherhood, and the painful void…of it's absence." Walker died November 30^th when the car he was driving in crashed into a tree in Southern California. He was 40.

KE$HA IN REHAB FOR EATING DISORDER

Pop star Ke$ha checked into rehab Friday for treatment of an eating disorder. “I’m a crusader for being yourself and loving yourself, but I’ve found it hard to practice,” Ke$ha said in a statement. “I’ll be unavailable for the next 30 days, seeking treatment for my eating disorder…to learn to love myself again, exactly as I am.” The 26-year-old is receiving treatment at Timberland Knolls outside of Chicago, the same facility where Demi Lovato sought help back in 2010/2011.

MADONNA BLASTED FOR PHOTO OF SON WITH BOOZE

Madonna is getting some flack for posting a picture of her 13-year-old son Rocco and his friends partying with bottles of booze. “The party has just begun! Bring it! 2014,” the singer wrote Saturday night along with the photo. While some media criticized Madge’s photo, she doesn’t seem to care. “No one was drinking we were just having fun! Calm down and get a sense of humor!” she later wrote on Twitter. “Don’t start the year off with judgment!”

MOHR APOLOGIZES TO MILANO

Comedian Jay Mohr has apologized to Alyssa Milano for making jokes about her weight. "She's very tiny, in height…. It seems like she had had a baby and said, 'I don't really give a s–––' … I read it on her gut," Mohr said after appearing with the Charmed star at the NASCAR Spring Cup Series Awards in Las Vegas last month. "Somebody sat in the director's chair was not wearing Spanx and I was like 'Jesus Christ!'” After Milano tweeted about Mohr’s need to “fat shame” her, he responded with an apology.   "She's stunning. I mistakenly thought the absurdity of what I was saying would have [been] taken as a joke. #fail," he tweeted, and then later posted a longer apology on his blog., writing, “Sometimes comedians go too far. I went too far. I cannot change what I said, but I can assure you that my heart is broken that I hurt her. I am very sorry." And apparently that was enough for Milano, who tweeted, “Apology accepted, “ adding, “(She grunts while aggressively yet cautiously prying off her head-to-toe Spanx.) #PassTheCookies"

LENA & SHIA HAVE TWITTER BEEF

Lena Dunham has somehow gotten caught up in Shia LaBeouf’s ridiculous plagiarizing apology saga. After Shia hired a skywriter to apologize to graphic novelist Daniel Clowes for plagiarizing his work, the Girls creator tweeted, “I’ve always felt, utterly and unchangeably, that only sociopaths hire skywriters,” adding, “The worst part is I’d probably totally drop my morals, and my pants, if someone skywrote to me.” Shia then retweeted Lena’s post, and added, “I don’t mind creating debate with thoroughly considered artistic expressions but I don’t want to offend with a tweet. Sorry world,” which was apparently an old tweet of Lena’s. “Vaguely recognized Shia LaBeouf’s latest twitter apology and realized it was MINE! Touché, Louis Stevens,” tweeted Dunham, (Louis Stevens was LaBeouf’s character on the Disney series Even Stevens.) She continued, “Projecting a lot of rage against my 7th grade boyfriend on LaBeouf. Think this is the start of something really productive #2014.”

CHARLIZE LINKED TO SEAN PENN

Is Charlize Theron dating Sean Penn? Well, the media sure thinks so. The two Oscar winners, who have been friends for years, were seen vacationing together at Penn’s home in Hawaii over the New Year’s holiday, which led many to speculate they are more than just buddies.   The two were spotted surfing and relaxing at the beach, with one witness saying they looked “very close and comfortable together.” Their vacation ended Wednesday, and they were spotted arriving in LAX on the same plane, although they left separately.

WOLF OF WALL STREET SETS F-BOMB RECORD

The Wolf of Wall Street is a record holder. According to Variety, the Martin Scorsese-directed film has set the record for the most uses of the F-word in a U.S. feature film. The expletive appears in the movie 506 times in 180 minutes, beating Spike Lee’s 1999 flick Summer of Sam, which had 435 F-bombs in 142 minutes.   Of course, the word is not uncommon for a Scorsese picture, with three of his other films – Casino (455), Goodfellas (300) and The Departed (237) – ranking high up there for expletive use.

PINE CALLS WORKING WITH LINDSAY “CYCLONE OF INSANITY”

Before landing the starring role in Star Trek, Chris Pine appeared in several less than stellar movies, including the critically-panned romantic comedy Just My Luck opposite Lindsay Lohan. The 33-year-old said working with Lindsay in the height of her fame was a bit crazy. “It was a real cyclone of insanity, like being around The Beatles,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It was fascinating to watch, and in hindsight it’s really a distinct moment in someone’s life when you see what’s really wonderful about what we get to do and what’s really dangerous about it.” Pine is a very private person, and doesn’t like to share very much, which is why you won’t be seeing him on Twitter anytime soon. “No, f— no," he says. "What am I going to tweet about? My sneakers? Or, 'I have 140,000 friends on Facebook.' What does that even mean? I find it to be a waste of time. The Internet is so caustic; just a place where people get to spew nonsense and bullsh–."

HUDSON BUYS ASSISTANT HOUSE/SHARES HIS REACTION

Jennifer Hudson sure is a generous boss. The Oscar-winner gifted her best friend/long-time assistant Walter Williams with a house this Christmas, and needless to say he was excited. In fact, his reaction was so great, Jennifer felt the need to share it on Instagram.   “My assistant Walter's reaction when he found out I was buying him a house for Christmas!” Jennifer wrotealongside the video, in which Williams is seen jumping for joy and tackling Hudson.

FALLON TONIGHT SHOW PROMO RELEASED

NBC released their first promo for Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show, which features clips of previousTonight Show hosts, including a brief glimpse of Conan O’Brien, who was fired as host after only seven months. Fallon will replace Jay Leno on February 17^th.

SHEEN CALLS KUTCHER LAME

Charlie Sheen once said he was okay with Ashton Kutcher replacing him on Two and a Half Men, but apparently he’s had a change of heart. On Sunday, Charlie posted a picture of his former co-star Jon Cryer and Ashton, writing, “hey Jon!!! u r a GENIUS!!! I effin love and MISS YOU old pal! Q; who’s your lame sidekick?” He then added, “#NiceTryCanonBoy,” although Kutcher is a spokesperson for Nikon.

CELEBRITY WEDDING NEWS

Former Party of Five star Lacey Chabert revealed on Twitter Friday that she recently got married. "I'm starting off 2014 as a Mrs!" the 31-year-old wrote. "Over the holidays, my best friend & love of my life…we became husband & wife! #soblessed #love." Chabert didn’t reveal exactly when she tied the knot, or the name of her new husband, although she did post a picture of herself with her maid of honor, her sister Crissy.

The Hangover’s Justin Bartha married personal trainer Lia Smith Saturday on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The ceremony, attended by no more than 20 people, took place by a lagoon at the Kualoa Ranch, with the reception taking place in the valley where the Hunger Games was filmed.

Former Spy Kids star Alexa Vega married Big Time Rush singer Carlos Pena in Mexico Saturday. The couple announced their engagement in September. It is the first marriage for Pena, the second for Vega, who divorced Sean Covel in 2012.

THAT 70S SHOW STAR DIED FROM DRUG OVERDOSE

An autopsy report on That 70s Show actress Lisa Robin Kelly reveals she died from “multiple drug intoxication.” The L.A. Coroner ruled her death an accidental overdose, but did not reveal exactly what drugs were in her system. Kelly died August 15^th at an alcohol rehab center in Los Angeles.

TY BURRELL WITNESS AT GAY WEDDING

Modern Family star Ty Burrell was the witness at a same sex marriage in Salt Lake City last month. The actor was hanging out at Bar X in Utah, which he co-owns, when he was approached by Constance Anne Anast and her partner Lindi Marie Inman, who decided to celebrate the Supreme Court’s overturning of the same sex marriage ban by getting hitched right there. The couple asked Ty if he’d be their witness and he agreed. Constance later announced the news on her Facebook page, posting a picture with Ty and writing, “Wonderful night for a wedding! Thanks for hosting us and thanks Ty Burrell for being one of our witnesses!“

FANTASIA NOT SUICIDAL

Fantasia Barrino is denying a Radaronline report that claimed she is suicidal over the breakup of her relationship. The site said the American Idol champ has been feeling like her “life is over,” a year after her baby daddy Antwaun Cook returned to his estranged wife Paula. But Fantasia, who has a two-year-old son with Cook, took to Twitter to blast the claims, posting a screen grab of the headline, along with the message, “Lol!!! Who keeps this stuff Going?? It's becoming a Lil questionable lord lord lord. It's almost been a Year and this is still going on, Lol!!” She then added, “He and I are not together. I'm not going anywhere so stop trying to make me Dead.. Lmao!!! I'm just getting started.”

WINSLET DISCUSSES BABY’S LAST NAME

When Kate Winslet gave birth to son Bear last month, many were wondering whether the child was going to have the last name of Kate’s husband, Ned RocknRoll, but Kate says that was never even a thought. "We haven't ever really had that conversation; it was always going to have my name,” she told Glamour UK. “Mia and Joe (Kate’s children from her two previous marriages) have it as part of their name, so it would be weird if this baby didn't. Of course we're not going to call it RocknRoll. People might judge all they like, but I'm a f@#king grown-up."

LAMAR WORRIED HE’LL BE TRASHED ON KARDASHIAN’S SHOW

Now that he and Khloe Kardashian are divorcing, Radaronline reports that Lamar Odom is worried about how he’s going to be portrayed on the upcoming season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.   “The last thing Lamar needs in his life is to be portrayed as a schmuck,” a source tells Radar. “Khloe has assured him that it won’t be bad, but how can it not be? The end of the marriage is going to be Khloe’s main storyline next season and Lamar is afraid that his drug use and cheating will be addressed on the show.” Adds the insider, “He feels he’s going to be used to get ratings for the Kardashians.” Season nine of Keeping Up With the Kardashians premieres January 19^th on E!.

DEPP SETTLES CONCERT LAWSUIT

Johnny Depp has reportedly settled a lawsuit brought by a woman who accused his bodyguards of roughing her up at a concert. Robin Eckert claims that during a 2011 Iggy Pop show in LA she danced a little too close to the actor and his security attacked her, dragging her to the ground, which caused her pants to fall down exposing her butt. Cops refused to bring charges against the actor and his security because Eckert was wasted, but she then sued claiming she was injured during the attack. Details of the settlement were not released.

FARRAH’S FAKE BOYFRIEND SPEAKS

Farrah Abraham will do anything to stay in the public eye. First she shot a porn video, hoping to pass it off as a sex tape, and now she’s faking relationships to get on reality shows. A DJ namedBrian Dawe recently admitted that he lied about being Farrah’s boyfriend so she could get on VH1’s Couples Therapy. Dawes says the entire thing was a sham and Farrah herself asked him to be in a “pretend relationship” after meeting him at a nightclub. Dawes initially agreed, but then had a change of heart, explaining, “In the back of my head I realized I could not participate in a TV show that would further exploit Farrah, and where I would have to lie to be involved.” The VH1 series premiered Thursday night and Farrah showed up alone and tearfully claimed her boyfriend had “completely disappeared.”

WGA ANNOUNCES NOMINATIONS

Nominees for the Writers Guild of America Awards were announced Friday. Nominees for Best Original Screenplay include American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Dallas Buyers Club, Her andNebraska, while Best Adapted Screenplay noms went to August: Osage County, Before Midnight, Captain Phillips, Lone Survivor and The Wolf of Wall Street. Winners will be announced Saturday, February 1^st.