New & Noteworthy

“I’ve met someone who understands me [and, presumably, her accent] and my life,” she told reporters. “[He knows] what makes me happy and what’s important to me.”
Of course, there was one overriding factor that tipped the scales in her cowboy’s direction after a whirlwind, four-month romance.
“He really is cute,” she giggled. Sounds like he had her at “Howdy.”

Briefings
He doesn’t have a slew of exes, and the one he has doesn’t live in Texas – and how I hope that reference actually refers to a Garth Brooks song, since he’s the focus of this next item.
The country music superstar popped the question to his sweetie, fellow singer Trisha Yearwood, on stage in front of thousands of fans last weekend. Trisha, a solo star in her own right who first met Brooks when she worked as one of his backup singers in the early 1990s, said yee-haw . . . um, she said yes.

Believe it or not, Mariah Carey is now the most popular female singer in the history of the American pop charts. The multi-octave singer just scored her 16th number one hit on the Billboard singles chart (even though all her songs sound exactly the same). With “We belong Together,” the Irish-Brazilian singer has earned an overall ranking of number three, behind the Beatles, who had 20 number ones, and Elvis Presley, who had 18.

In case you were wondering, Liam Gallagher is the best blankety-blank rock and roll singer that England has ever produced. Yeah, I didn’t know that, either, but he said so himself. So it must be true, right?
The singing half of the Gallagher Brothers Family Band – er, make that, Oasis – took some time out from promoting the new album, “Don’t Believe the Truth,” to ruminate on the twisty road to superstardom. For example, it seems that Liam believes that too much thinking is bad for a band.
Upon hearing that U2 often analyze videotapes of their live shows with an eye to making improvements, Liam appeared astounded – and disgusted.
“Haven’t they got [bad word]-all better to do?” he laughed to the Sydney Daily Telegraph. “I’d rather be out there [drinking].”
Liam snickered as he imagined a conversation between the band members: “‘Oh, Edge, the fourth guitar solo wasn’t right tonight,'” he mimicked. “‘Oh, sorry, Bono.'”
While conceding that the Irish band’s work ethic was one of the keys to their success, Liam obviously espouses a more old-school approach to the position.
“No wonder they’re the biggest band in the world,” he said. ‘[But] if that’s what people think rock and roll is . . .”

Kevin Spacey may have a couple of Oscars, a Tony Award and a slew of other acting accolades cluttering his mantelpiece, but deep down, he wants to be Nick Lachey or Sylvester Stallone. Or some other reality TV star.
The actor, who’s currently serving as the artistic director of London’s Old Vic theater, is jumping feet first into the murky waters of unscripted drama. He will act as the co-host of something called “Going Hollywood,” in which will follow the adventures of some young actors as they work towards their Big Break In Hollywood. The show will air on the Learning Channel, which means it’ll have sort of a high-brow spin. In other words, the contestants won’t have to sell lemonade while trying not to giggle at The Donald’s hair.

Bratty Welsh soprano Charlotte Church has a lot to say for herself these days, now that she’s 18 and has a rugby star boyfriend and an album coming out and all. The “Voice of an Angel” warbler is, like, so mad at the Pope because His Holiness is not a “Harry Potter” fan.
To be fair, the teen singer is understandably confused about the church’s position on the wizardy tomes, since the late Pope John Paul II praised the books and “Potter” author J.K. Rowling. In contrast, the current pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI considers the series’ message “a subtle seduction, which has deeply unnoticed and direct effects in undermining the soul of Christianity.”
Charlotte, like, totally disagrees. She told the Sun newspaper that even though she’s “from a Catholic family,” she “[doesn’t] like this new pope.”
“If he bothered to sit down and read it, he’d understand the morals of it,” she huffed.

The producers of the upcoming Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie movie, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” say that they’re worried that the romantic scenes are so smokin’ hot that audiences will boycott the film.
The problem stems from rumors that an on-set romance between the photogenic pair led to Brad’s split from his soon-to-be-ex wife, Jennifer Aniston. The World Entertainment News Network quotes the film’s director, Doug Liman, who insists that he’s been pressured to turn the heat down in the finished product.
“[The producer] said, ‘I don’t want to lose that audience of people who are huge Jennifer Aniston fans, who are going to hate Angelina Jolie because the sex scene’s too sexy,'” reported Liman. “‘[They’ll think] She used her wiles to seduce him’.”

Former Hollywood superstar Mickey Rourke, whose promising career derailed in the 1990s after a stint as a boxer and roles in crappy films like “Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man,” is on the comeback trail. He’s in a new film, “Sin City,” alongside such heavyweights as Bruce Willis and Elijah Wood, as well as hot starlets Brittany Murphy, Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson. But while life looks good for the 49-year-old actor, he’s still pining for The One That Got Away. Specifically, his ex-wife, Carre Otis.
Mickey, whose films include the 1987 camp classic (and my personal favorite, “A Prayer for the Dying,” clings to the hope that he and Carre will reconcile someday.
“We are best friends,” he told entertainment web site www.iol.ie. “We talk every day. I’d have her back in a heartbeat. I can wait for her.”
After all, it’s not like Mickey could forget her, even if he wanted to.
“I’ve got her name tattooed on my arm,” he revealed. “And her face right here in my shoulder. I ain’t taking them off, ever.” Which, when you think about it, is kind of sweet. Weird, but sweet.

The snipe-fest between photogenic celebs Tom Cruise and Brooke Shields is turning into a full-fledged, wigs-on-the-green, take-no-prisoners-type war. Which is a boon to gossip journalists everywhere, since it gives us an excuse to run pretty pictures – and report the increasingly snarky comments from each side.
You’ll recall that Brooke got steamed when Tom, a zealous Scientologist, criticized her use of the prescription drug Paxil to combat post-partum depression, and implied that this was the reason her career was in decline.
“Look, I care about Brooke Shields because she is an incredibly talented woman,” he told a reporter. “But look where her career has gone.”
Well, Brooke didn’t take kindly to Tom’s insinuation that she was a big ol’ has-been – especially since the 40-year-old actress has reinvented herself as a musical theater star. This week, she offered Tom a chance to see her in action, by arranging free tickets to her hit West End production of “Chicago.” And she’s even made provision for him to bring his new girlfriend, twentysomething ing