Newsstand Friday: People Magazine

Cover
A heartbroken Angelina Jolie mourns the loss of her mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, after a long battle against ovarian cancer

Actors unite! Reese, America and the docs from Grey's Anatomy shine at the Screen Actors Guild Awards

Actress Anne Heche splits from her husband of five years as her romance with Men in Trees costar James Tupper heats up

Just out of rehab, Miss USA Tara Conner opens up about her drinking and drug use

According to authorities in Belgium, a love triangle gave rise to a bizarre parachute murder in a chilling case of sabotage

Oscar-nominated actor Forest Whitaker is ruling the awards season with his riveting role in The Last King of Scotland

Childhood obesity is a national epidemic. Meet three kids who are trying to win the fight against fat

Todd Bequette survived a long kidnapping ordeal, and says he knows why Shawn Hornbeck did not escape his captor when he had the chance

Sean "Daddy" Combs does double diaper duty with twin daughters Jessie and D'Lila

Debbe Magnusen saved 564 babies from abandonment in 10 years

As New York City's Fashion Week gets underway, design doyenne Diane von Furstenberg speaks frankly about sizing up superthin models

With recent L.A. transplant Victoria Beckham as her style guru, Katie Holmes ups her fashion quotient

Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore opens up about being single, his ailing mom and, of all things, baking cookies

A temper tantrum got 3-year-old Elly Kulesza – along with her flustered mom and pop – kicked off a plane and into the news

Eight months after triumph at the Kentucky Derby, beloved racehorse Barbaro is euthanized

Another Beauty Queen Bites the Dust

First it was Tara Conner and her partying, which put her Miss USA crown in jeopardy (and sparked the never-ending Rosie and Trump debate). Next, Miss Nevada, Katie Rees, gets photographed doing naughty things and ends up losing her crown. Now it's Miss New Jersey, Ashley Harder who has given up her crown because she is pregnant, according to the Star-Telegram.

Harder, who was crowned in October, is 20 years old and says that she resigned because the pageant rules do not allow her to be pregnant and Miss New Jersey at the same time. The baby is due in "late summer" and Harder "plans to marry her live-in boyfriend."

Photo from Star-Telegram.

No-Go for Miss Nevada, Katie Rees

When Miss USA Tara Conner got a second chance from Donald Trump, Miss Nevada Katie Rees had hoped for the same repreieve, asking for leniency from pageant officials who were taking away her crown. They said no, following up with this statement from organization President, Paula Shugart, "The Miss Universe Organization has thoroughly considered the request of Ms. Katie Rees to be reinstated as Miss Nevada USA 2007. In light of the serious nature of the circumstances, there is no recourse but to stand by our decision."

Miss Nevada lost her crown largely due to the racy pictures of her that were shown all over the internet and television. I'm sure her parents are very proud.

The Miss Nevada first runner-up, Helen Salas, has assumed the title and will compete in Los Angeles on March 23 for the Miss USA 2007 crown.

Photo from E! Online.

It's Official: Miss USA Gets a Second Chance

Oh ye merciful Trump. Thou hast granted Tara Conner one more chance at being Miss USA. Trump announced today that Tara Conner is not fired. He is giving her a second chance, but the barely 21-year old is headed off to rehab as part of the deal.

The Trumpster said: "I've always been a believer in second chances. Tara is good person. Tara has tried hard. Tara is going to be given a second chance." Conner apologized for drinking underage and said that she has "personal demons." People reports that Conner had this to say:

"In no way when I walked into the meeting with him did I think it would be possible to be given a second chance," Conner said of her discussion with Trump. "You know what (Trump) could have said – 'You're fired' – that's what everyone expected, including me."

[Photo from People]

Donald Trump is a Media Hog

Not that that should come as any surprise, but Donald Trump is a media hog. Seriously. This whole Miss USA thing could have been dealt with very swiftly. Instead, he took the better part of a week to think about the whole thing. Why? Because as soon as he announces his decision, the attention on him goes away, so he might as well drag it out as long as possible.

And then in true Donald fashion, he can't just make a decision and be done with it. He has to call a press conference for the whole thing. I love Donald's business sense and The Apprentice, but this is ridiculous.

He is holding a press conference this morning at 11 a.m. in New York to announce the fate of Miss USA Tara Conner.

Presumably he will announce that the former Miss Kentucky Conner will be replaced by runner-up Miss California Tamiko Nash because of Conner's "behavioral and personal issues" lately.

Photo from People.

Trump Can Fire Miss USA?

People magazine reports that Donald Trump is threatening fire Miss USA, Tara Conner due to her "behavioral and personal issues." Pageant organizers say a decision will be made with a week. Trump told the AP that he couldn't discuss it now, "But we have to make a decision. There is no question about that."

Conner is the same Miss USA who appeared on Project Runway. She currently lives in New York City, but is from Kentucky. Conner is only 20, but TMZ says she has been seen at New York City bars. If she loses the title, it will go to runner-up Miss California Tamiko Nash.

Who is the idiot that decided that Donald Trump would be involved in making the decision of whether or not Miss USA should be fired? I know he co-owns the pageant and all, but haven't we learned from The Apprentice that he isn't always entirely rational about these things? MSN reports that Trump has no problem firing beauty queens. He said: "We had a Miss Universe from Russia that was a total disaster, and we fired her, and Miss Panama took over and she did great."