Actress Eva Mendes, 34, went to rehab early this year for an apparent substance abuse problem. Not much came out about Eva’s issues and she had them treated kind of quietly and then emerged in plenty of topless and racy photoshoots, which definitely served to distract the public from whatever mild image fallout she may have otherwise suffered. Eva recently spoke to E! News’ Marc Malkin and told him that she’s in therapy and is open about it because she thinks there should be no shame in it. She also said that a lot her earlier problems stemmed from the inequalities in the world and her inability to accept that she was so rich and successful compared to most:

“I’m big on therapy,” Mendes told me yesterday. “I’ve always said I love talking about therapy, because there’s nothing wrong with it. Why wait until something goes terrible in your life to start fixing things?”

Mendes, 34, has never talked details about why she did a stint in rehab earlier this year, but she did tell me that one of her biggest issues was coping with her own success. “Up until recently, I was really uncomfortable with having success and enjoying it,” Mendes says. “I just couldn’t deal with that. How can I have so much? It’s not fair. How can the world have so little?…I allowed it to mess with me in the sense that I just didn’t know how to handle it.”

Things are different now. “I’ve really broken it down to this simple thing: I deal with everything by giving it away,” Mendes explains. “It’s genius. It works.”

She literally gives things away, like the new pair of Cartier sunglasses she insisted an elderly friend of hers keep when she tried them on. “I said, ‘You need to have them. They look really good on you,’ ” Mendes says.

[From E! Online]

Mendes also talked about her group of female friends and how they’ve helped her get through problems and mentioned the boyfriend she rarely talks about, filmmaker George Augusto, saying he understands her as he’s from a family of five sisters:

In director and writer Diane English’s upcoming The Women, Mendes plays Crystal Allen, a smokin’ hot Saks salesgirl having an affair with married businessman Stephen Haines. Like Stephen’s wife Mary (Meg Ryan), Mendes credits the women in her life for getting her through the tough (and happy) times. “I’ve run into some women in my life who are like, ‘I don’t have any girl friends. I only have guy friends,’” Mendes says. “And I’m like to the guys, ‘Run for the hills when you hear a girl who says she only has guy friends.’ That is a bad situation, because all women should have their base of girls.”

Where does that leave her longtime filmmaker boyfriend George Augusto? “He actually grew up with all women in his family,” Mendes says. “His mom has five sisters, so he gets it.”

[From E! Online]

Mendes next stars in The Women with Meg Ryan, Annette Benning and Jada Pinkett Smith. There are no men shown in the film, just like the 1939 original version it’s based on. Mendes joked that she pictured someone specific when thinking about the married man her bombshell character is having an affair with but says she can’t say who he was because “Those are secrets of the trade.” The Women is out the US on September 12.

File photo of Angelina Jolie in Iraq on 2/7/08. Credit: Fame
The National Enquirer’s inset cover story about Brad and Angelina’s twins, which reads “Something is wrong with the twins! Medical team called in,” has to do with a common but often scary medical condition in newborns - colic. Both Knox and Vivienne, who turn two months old next week, are said to suffer from colic, in which babies cry for extended periods of time and appear in distress. Colic is often assumed to be caused by digestive trouble in babies, but medically it’s unknown what causes it exactly. Of course two colic-suffering newborns along with four other children at home is said to be causing Angelina countless stress and worry. She has a doctor staying at the family’s villa in France to ensure that everything is ok, and he has his own medical team. She also has another doctor and nurse on 24 hour call. According to the Enquirer she does have nannies, but she insists on caring for the twins herself.

“Both twins are suffering from colic, and Angelina is an absolute wreck from not getting enough sleep. Even though she’s raised four other children, the twins’ seemingly constant discomfort is stressing her out.

“She’s called in a doctor, who’s brought along his own medical team, and she has another doctor and nurse on 24-hour call.”

According to sources, the medical problems began shortly after the couple brought the twins home…

“Immediately after feedings, both babies start howling in pain, and Angelina has been running ragged trying to get them to sleep…

“She’s either trying to lull them to sleep in a rocking chair or pacing the floor with either Knox or Vivienne.

“Sometimes she puts the babies in their swings and sits nearby until they fall asleep. But when she gets them into their cribs, they’ll often wake up and start screaming all over again!

“Angelina says she can’t remember the last time she slept more than two hours straight.

“And even though she has a staff of nannies and assistants to help, the only other people she allows to handle the colicky babies are a doctor or nurse.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, September 15, 2008]

My son had colic for a few weeks after he was born, and I found that if I cut out all milk and bread/gluten from my diet he was much calmer and the colic went away. I limited my diet to just rice, turkey, chicken and only a few non-citrus fruits and non-gassy vegetables. It was difficult, but the improvement in his well being seemed worth it to me. That is just anecdotal evidence, and most doctors and even La Leche League will tell you that maternal diet has no effect on nursing babies, citing other cultures where mothers eat spicy foods. Some of my friends who nursed also told me that their babies were much calmer once they went on an elimination diet.

Nicole Richie has also touted the benefits of limiting her diet when nursing a newborn, saying after Harlow was born that “There’s just so much I can’t eat because she’s sensitive… I eat really bland [food].” Usually a newborn’s sensitivity to foods the mother eats goes away after a few months.

If Shiloh was a calm baby and wasn’t affected by Angelina’s diet maybe she’s not aware that the twins may be sensitive to the proteins from food that pass through into her milk. It’s also possible that something else is causing the twin’s colic and that it has nothing to do with what Angelina is eating. The babies are supposedly fussing right after they feed, though, which suggests that it has something to do with it.

The article also says that Angelina is upset that Brad had to go to the Venice and later the Toronto Film Festivals. It is said that she “resents that Brad pretty much comes and goes as he pleases,” but that she understands that he has work obligations and has to make appearances. They end with a funny story about how Brad called Angelina to tell her he loved her and she had to go because the babies were crying.

“On the festival’s final night [Brad] called in late just to tell Angie how much he missed her and to say, ‘You are the love of my life.’

“Angie was deeply touched and said she felt the same way. But a second later, she whimpered, ‘I’ve got to go - the babies are crying!’”

Jessica Simpson keeps insisting on giving awkward and downright bad performances, along with oversharing about everything in her life, from her relationships to her bodily functions. Jessica gave what was clearly a nervous performance in Nashville recently, where she babbled incessantly and also talked about maybe needing to throw up.

You’d think Jessica Simpson would be an old pro at performing. But at the Nashville listening party for her new country album, Do You Know, on Thursday night, the singer was just a bit freaked out. “I’m a little nervous,” said Simpson to a crowd of nearly 200 record industry folks at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. “If I throw up, I’m sorry.”

Brushing her blonde hair from her face, she continued: “Thank you so much for coming and for giving me a chance. I hope you get to experience what my heart’s been going through the last few years.”

Leading into “Remember That,” Simpson urged women “in that [abusive] situation to take their hearts and run.” She later smiled tearfully to her preacher dad Joe Simpson and mom Tina in the audience while explaining that “Pray Out Loud” is a song about faith and family. And before the bittersweet song, “Sippin’ on History,” Simpson said, “It’s about a relationship in my life that could have been a fairy tale, but wasn’t.”

Simpson got warm applause after each song. But she seemed most proud of something else entirely.

“I didn’t throw up!” Simpson exclaimed at the end of her set.

[From People]

And to think some people believe Simpson oozes anything but class! Her recent concert in Niagara Falls, Canada, was similarly panned (though much more specifically). The critic noted that she babbled too much, for too long, and in a completely pointless manner. And she does it before every single song, which ruins whatever momentum she gets going.

It almost seems compulsive. I can babble when I’m nervous, and as a rule the more nervous I am, the stupider the stuff that falls out of my mouth will be. But I try to stay mindful of this. Simpson is a professional, and should be able to control her incessant jabbering, whatever the reason. She needs some kind of life coach or something; basically that person that’ll tell you things your friends and employees won’t. First she’ll have to find someone she can pay to be around her, and considering how annoying she sounds, she may not have any lucky.

Celebitchy thinks that Jessica needs people to like her and is too much of a people pleaser. That makes sense… except you’d expect her to be more likeable. If this is her trying, that’s pretty sad.

Damn what I wouldn’t give to know what’s in that Victoria’s Secret bag Hilary Duff is carrying.  Well actually, what I wouldn’t give to see Hilary Duff wearing what’s in that bag is more like it.

We haven’t seen too many revealing pictures of Hilary, so my imagination is freaking running wild here and it’s killing me!  For the love of God, please model what’s in the bag!

The latest edition of Star Magazine, that bastion of truth in journalism, is reporting that 7 months pregnant Ashlee Simpson is devastated by her doctor’s assessment that she’s gained too much weight during her pregnancy. The singer burst into tears after her latest checkup and reportedly stocked up on size zero jeans as motivation to help her lose the weight after the baby is born.

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz is looking for inspiration to adopt healthier dieting practices after the pregnant singer was told that she has gained too much weight during a recent prenatal visit.

“Ashlee broke down in tears at a doctor’s appointment in early August when she found out she’s gained more weight than is considered in the healthy range,” a Star source says.

A long-faced Ashlee immediately took a trip to Malibu’s Planet Blue and stocked up on six pairs of size zero jeans to motivate her to curtail her eating:

“She can’t wear them now, but she hopes it will give her the incentive to watch what she eats.”

Ashlee will welcome her first child with husband Pete Wentz in October.

[From Star Magazine print version, Sept. 5, 2008]

Give me a break. I’ve seen recent photos of Ashlee and she looks absolutely fine- well within the suggested 25-35 pounds most doctors recommend. This article makes it sound like she’s the size of a whale or something, when anyone with eyes can tell she looks good. She’s been seen attending pregnancy yoga and even has a trainer and nutritionist. And furthermore, while she was thin, I don’t think Ashlee was a size zero before the pregnancy.

Meanwhile, Ashlee told People that she and husband Pete Wentz will spend the next two months getting the nursery ready.

The singer, who confirmed the pregnancy back in May, says she and husband Pete Wentz have been knee-deep in baby-proofing their Hollywood home.

“We’re getting the nursery ready,” said Simpson. “I can’t wait to be a mom and he can’t wait to be a dad, so it’s fun.”

“I have the greatest husband,” she said. “He’s so awesome. It’s fun to have somebody that I love to do this with.”

Having her family around has been comforting too. “My mom and my grandmother [have] given me good motherly advice,” said Simpson, “but it’s one of those things where your mother instincts kind of kick in right away.”

Other things on their to-do list? Picking a baby name. But Simpson says they haven’t settled on one yet.

After joking about calling their kid “Orange,” Simpson said, “I don’t think it’s something we’ll decide until the baby comes.”

Jennifer Aniston’s life just keeps getting better and better. First there was Friends. Okay I guess. Then she married that Brad guy – less than memorable. I don’t think anyone even remembers what happened there. Then she ditched John Mayer – definitely another step forward in life. And now it’s been confirmed (albeit by anonymous sources) that Aniston will be guest starring on 30 Rock this fall. And I say this without the slightest bit of sarcasm – this is absolutely the peak of pretty much anyone’s career. Actually their whole life.

Wow. Holy TV goodness!

Jennifer Aniston will be returning to NBC’s Must See Thursday this fall, appearing in an episode of NBC’s 30 Rock, a very solid source familiar with the deal just confirmed to me.

“She is shooting now,” says the insider. “We are not giving out any specifics on her character.”

Aniston is actually the second Friends alum to come on the series—David Schwimmer also guested as Greenzo during the environmental episode.

Given that the SNL-nature of the series, Aniston could be playing herself, or a scripted character. As soon as we have more details, we will post them right here.

[From E! News]

30 Rock is pretty much the greatest thing ever. Whenever I walk by Rockefeller Plaza or think about throwing someone under an F train, I bow in their honor. It confuses the crap out of tourists, which I enjoy.

I read an article recently that said the show wasn’t as popular outside of the tri-state region because people don’t get all the jokes. For example there are all these anti-terrorism signs here that say, “If You See Something, Say Something.” 30 Rock had exact replicas that said, “If You Suspect Something, Do Everything.” Or jokes about the random weird smells that suddenly waft throughout the city – like maple syrup – that often result in a lot of federal agents swarming the area. And it’s generally due to something that’s gone wrong in Jersey. I guess I can understand how you could miss the jokes if you’ve never been here. But the show is still so great that you should visit New York, just so it makes more sense when you watch it.

Here’s one of my favorite guest appearances by former Vice President Al Gore. The guy in the cape in the background is David Schwimmer. Hopefully Aniston’s performance will be just as good. Header of Jennifer Aniston meeting Woody Allen for lunch at Madeo on Tuesday in Beverly Hills. Images thanks to Fame.