As we begin a new season of Celebrity Rehab on VH1, the celebs are doing some promotional work for the show. Here are some candid photos of Mackenzie Phillips and Dr. Drew Pinsky that were taken as she left his hit radio KROQ show Loveline.

Be sure to watch the new season of Celebrity Rehab on VH1.

[Photos: Coqueran/ARC/Fame Pictures]

[Photo: Zuma Press]

My fellow blogger Brittany found this important news item. It seems that an Olympic athlete sent a letter to Rihanna telling her of the fact that he had just been diagnosed with leukemia. He’s still hoping to be in the Olympics in the skeleton sledding event, but needs a bone marrow transplant. The 26-year-old Nigerian man’s letter moved Rihanna so much that she teamed up with Grey’s Anatomy star Justin Chambers to raise awareness and hopefully find potential bone marrow donors to help out.

“Leukaemia interrupted Seun’s dream of being the first Nigerian in the Winter Olympics, but together we can help him make his dream come true. We need to find him a bone marrow donor! Please sign up with DKMS!”

I love it that she’s so compassionate about this important issue. And this young man is only one of many people affected by diseases that need bone marrow transplants. It’s not that hard to find out if you could be a potential donor and you could be the person to save someone’s life! Please visit the web site to find out how you can take part!!

With her new VH1 reality series about to begin, Fantasia was in great spirits as she spent some time on the beach yesterday. Here are some photos of her in her bathing suit. She looks like she was having a great time, until she spotted the paparazzi. I don’t blame her for not liking them intruding on her day.

Fantasia For Real premieres on VH1 tonight at 10:00 pm ET.

[Photos: INF]

The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards are set to air live on Friday, January 15, 2009 at 9:00 PM ET/PT on VH1. This year’s event will take place at the Hollywood Palladium and will be hosted by Kristin Chenoweth.It promises to be a very cool awards show, with some really great nominees.

This year, there are seven new award categories – Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, and Best Sound. And the nominees in each category are all wonderful.

“The expansion of categories from 17 to 25 has given the members of the BFCA the opportunity to fully express our critical acumen,” noted BFCA President Joey Berlin. “Most members watch hundreds of movies each year and report back to millions of moviegoers each week. We are proud of our role in helping audiences find the best movies – culminating in the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards in January.”

Here are the nominations we can look forward to on Friday:

BEST PICTURE

• Avatar
• An Education
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Invictus
• Nine
• Precious
• A Serious Man
• Up
• Up In The Air

BEST ACTOR

• Jeff Bridges – “Crazy Heart”
• George Clooney – “Up In The Air”
• Colin Firth – “A Single Man”
• Morgan Freeman – “Invictus”
• Viggo Mortensen – “The Road”
• Jeremy Renner – “The Hurt Locker”

BEST ACTRESS

• Emily Blunt – “The Young Victoria”
• Sandra Bullock – “The Blind Side”
• Carey Mulligan – “An Education”
• Saoirse Ronan – “The Lovely Bones”
• Gabourey Sidibe – “Precious”
• Meryl Streep – “Julie & Julia”

Read More – Nominees for the Critic’s Choice Movie Awards

[Photo: © 2009 VH1, all rights reserved]

During the entire season of I Want to Work for Diddy, it was Daniel who managed to turn any disadvantage or obstacle into a positive in some way. He was the one person who didn’t panic on the yacht and it drew cudos from the judges. So it’s no big surprise that he was even positive about Ebony winning the competition.

In this short excerpt from an interview he did after the finale, he tells his feelings about Ebony’s win, what it was like to rap for Diddy and why he thinks people were under the impression that he wasn’t passionate about the job.

How disappointing was it to lose out to Ebony?

Just being a competitor, I was disappointed. But on the other side, I was so tremendously happy for Ebony and for what it’s going to open up in her life. And it really was a learning experience: you can get close to the top, and not win. That’s been motivation for me to continue to work hard.

I had a feeling that you would put a positive spin on it.

Exactly. Even in defeat you can find an element to pull from. I believe in what positive energy and inspiration can do for people, and just knowing that her dreams can come true because of that just shows me that I have work harder for mine. She’s an incredible, amazing woman.

Were you happy that you two were the finalists?

I was, because of how much I respected her. I told her, “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met,” and I honestly believe that.

What did you think of the widespread allegations that your heart wasn’t in the competition?

Read More – I Want to Work For Diddy 2: Daniel Talks About the Results

[Photo: © 2009 VH1, all rights reserved]

This week, we saw the season 2 finale of I Want to Work for Diddy. After running both Dan and Ebony through the wringer, and then some, Mr. Combs decided that Ebony was the best candidate to work for him as his new assistant.

I liked both Dan and Ebony, so would have been very happy either way. However, I don’t find it one bit surprising that Ebony didn’t go to work at Bad Boy yet. If she had, people would have been tipped off about the season’s winner far before the finale. That would be a very bad thing for the show. However, I hope she gets to start at Bad Boy very soon.

Here’s a short excerpt of an interview she did recently about the show:

Have you been working for Diddy?

No.

I talked to Mike and Suzanne at this point last season and they hadn’t started yet either. Are you worried?

Yeah! I’m unemployed! I lost my job. I taught algebra and coached basketball and football. They said a teacher is a public servant, and the thing that got me was the profanity. That was a violation against our code of conduct, per our teacher handbook. I didn’t find this out until they fired me, but they did so Friday, October 30, which was a few days before the show came on. They said it was bad PR for the school. So I’ve been unemployed ever since, and they also denied my unemployment. This is the most broke I’ve ever been in my life.

That’s terrible.

It’s been tough.

Has anything good come from the show at this point?

Now I’m not afraid to step out and do what I love. I don’t regret it. No matter how broke I get, I don’t regret it. Nothing huge besides that. People want to pay you a couple hundred dollars to show up at a club. I haven’t gotten a team together yet. I’m hoping to have a job at Bad Boy.

How did they leave it?

“Don’t contact us, you’ll be contacted.”

Besides the final outcome, how was being on the show?

Read More – I Want to Work For Diddy 2: Ebony is the Winner

I have no idea whether or not The Pickup Artist will return to VH1 for a third season. But I did find some very interesting photos of Mystery! In them, he’s pushing a stroller containing his daughter Dakota. His girlfriend is walking alongside. The three were making their way down Melrose Avenue.

What do you think of Mystery’s family? Do you think he’ll continue to do his seminars and “training” sessions?

[Photos: Bauer-Griffin]

Today, the nominations for the 41st NAACP Image Awards were announced and there were many notable nominations to get excited about.

The awards celebrate outstanding work by people of color in a number of different entertainment categories. We won’t know the winners until the show airs on FOX on Friday February 6, 2010. I’ll let you know more as the air date approaches.

There are some exciting new artists among the nominations this year and some surprising missing names. all in all, it’s a great group of nominations.

Here is the nomination this year and the categories for the nominations:

Outstanding New Artist

• Jeremih (Def Jam)
• Keri Hilson (Mosley Music Group/Zone 4 Inc/Interscope Records)
• K’Jon (Universal Republic Records)
• Kristinia DeBarge (Def Jam)
• Melanie Fiona (SRC/Universal/Motown)

Outstanding Male Artist

• Anthony Hamilton (SoSo Def/Jive Records)
• Charlie Wilson (Jive Label Group)
• Jay-Z (Atlantic Records)
• Maxwell (Columbia Records)
• Ne-Yo (Def Jam)

Outstanding Female Artist

• Alicia Keys (Columbia Records)
• India.Arie (Universal Republic Records)
• Mary J. Blige (Matriarch/Geffen)
• Rihanna (Def Jam)
• Whitney Houston (Artista Records)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration

• 3 Mo’ Divas (MariMo’ Music Inc.)
• The Black Eyed Peas (Interscope Records)
• Day26 (Bad Boy Records)
• Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys (Atlantic Records)
• Jay-Z ft. Rihanna & Kanye West (Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Jazz Album

• “Detroit” – Gerald Wilson Orchestra (Mack Avenue Records)
• “He and She” – Wynton Marsalis (Blue Note Records)
• “Kind of Brown” – Christian McBride & Inside Straight (Mack Avenue Records)
• “Poetically Justified” – Marcus Johnson (Three Keys Music)
• “The Real Thing” – Vanessa Williams (Concord Records)

Outstanding Gospel Album – (Traditional or Contemporary)

• “A City Called Heaven” – Shirley Caesar (Light Records)
• “How I Got Over” – Vickie Winans (Destiny Joy)
• “Love Unstoppable” – Fred Hammond (Verity Records)
• “Still” – BeBe & CeCe Winans (B & C Records)
• “We Are All One: Live In Detroit” – Donnie McClurkin (Verity Records)

Outstanding World Music Album

• “11:11″ – Rodrigo y Gabriela (ATO Records/Red)
• “Black President” – Sila and the Afrofunk Experience (Visila Records)
• “Morabeza” – Maria de Barros (Sheer Legacy [Sheer Group South African Label])
• “ReCreation” – Zap Mama (Heads Up International/Concord Music Group)
• “Seya” – Oumou Sangare (Nonesuch/World Circuit)

Outstanding Music Video

• “Blame It” – Jamie Foxx ft. T-Pain (J Records/MBK Entertainment)
• “Boom Boom Pow” – The Black Eyed Peas (Interscope Records)
• “I Look To You” – Whitney Houston (Arista)
• “Pretty Wings” – Maxwell (Columbia Records)
• “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart” – Alicia Keys (J Records/MBK Entertainment)

Outstanding Song

• “Bad Habits” – Maxwell (Columbia Records)
• “Blame It” – Jamie Foxx ft. T-Pain (J Records/MBK Entertainment)
• “Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys (Atlantic Records)
• “God In Me” – Mary Mary (Columbia Records)
• “Pretty Wings” – Maxwell (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Album

• “The Blueprint 3″ – Jay-Z (Atlantic Records)
• “BLACKsummers’night” – Maxwell (Columbia Records)
• “The Element of Freedom” – Alicia Keys (J Records/MBK Entertainment)
• “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel” – Mariah Carey (Def Jam)
• “Stronger With Each Tear” – Mary J. Blige (Matriarch/Geffen)

Congratulations to them all for their nominations!

Tomorrow night, CBS airs the People’s Choice Awards. Once again, the show will be hosted by the lovely Queen Latifah and should be a fun show, just in general. The show airs at 9:00 pm ET, so be sure to watch or record it! Here’s a promo clip of Queen Latifah telling us about this year’s show:

Here are the reality TV shows that have been nominated for People’s Choice Awards this year. Both Dancing With the Stars & So You Think You Can Dance are among the nominees:

Favorite MALE ARTIST

• Eminem
• Jason Mraz
• John Mayer
• Keith Urban
• Tim McGraw

Favorite FEMALE ARTIST

• Beyonce
• Britney Spears
• Carrie Underwood
• P!NK
• Taylor Swift

Favorite BREAKOUT MUSIC ARTIST

• Adam Lambert
• Demi Lovato
• Kris Allen
• Lady Gaga
• Susan Boyle

Favorite ROCK BAND

• Daughtry
• Green Day
• Kings of Leon
• Muse
• Paramore

Favorite MUSIC COLLABORATION

• Good Girls Go Bad
• I’m On a Boat
• Live Your Life
• Lucky
• Run This Town

Favorite R&B ARTIST

• Alicia Keys
• Beyonce
• Jennifer Hudson
• Mariah Carey
• Usher

Favorite POP ARTIST

• The Black Eyed Peas
• Britney Spears
• Katy Perry
• Lady Gaga
• Taylor Swift

[Photo: Zuma Press]

The charming and lovely Sharon Osbourne, headmistress of the second season of VH1’s Charm School, will be among the new group of celebrities competing on the new season of Celebrity Apprentice. She, and her fellow celebs will take part in many fund-raising activities, trying to be the one celeb to win the season and money for her charity.

Last season, we saw Dennis Rodman on Celebrity Apprentice. Even though he seems like a very cool guy, he showed that he was a perfect candidate for the new upcoming season of Celebrity Rehab. We’ll get to see how that works for him starting later this week when that series premieres. (Be sure to watch the season premiere of Celebrity Rehab on VH1 this Thursday, January 7 at 9 pm ET.)

[Photo: Zuma Press]

And even more surprising to me, Rock of Love’s heartthrob, Bret Michaels will be on Celeb Apprentice this season too. In fact, at the press junket this fall, he was totally sweet and friendly. I’m looking forward to finding out what his charity is and how well he does, working for “The Donald”.

If you love I Want to Work for Diddy, you might also like Celebrity Apprentice. Donald Trump was the first big business mogul to have a reality show to find someone to hire. The new season of Celebrity Apprentice will premiere on NBC on March 14 at 9-11 pm, ET. Be sure to watch for Sharon & Bret on the show!