10 | THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM | CELEBRITY BUZZ | MONDAY, JULY 2, 2007
celebrity buzz
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Actor Isaiah Washington arrives at the Disney ABC Television Group All Star Party in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 14, 2007. The former "Grey's Anatomy" star said Thursday that racism was a factor in his firing from the hit ABC series after he twice antiged an anti-gay slur.
TV star canned, racism?
LOS ANGELES — "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington said racism was a factor in his firing from the hit ABC series after he twice used an anti-gay slur.
Washington, who initially used the epithet during an onset clash with a co-star, told Newsweek magazine that "someone heard the booming voice of a black man and got really scared and that was the beginning of the end for me."
He tried to make amends by expressing remorse and volunteering to enter a counseling program to understand how the confrontation got out of hand, he told Newsweek.
"My mistake was believing that I would get the support from my network and all of my cast mates across the board. My mistake was believing I could correct a wrong with honesty and sincerity,"he said in the interview posted online Thursday.
"My mistake was thinking black people get second chances. I was wrong on all fronts." he said.
Associated Press
PETA reveals world's sexiest vegetarians
NEW YORK — Carrie Underwood and Kevin Eubanks have been named the "world's sexiest vegetarians" in PETA's annual contest.
Results were released Tuesday by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Underwood, 24, a Grammywinning country singer, won the title in 2005. Eubanks, 49, leader of NBC's "Tonight Show" band, is a newcomer to the winner's circle.
Eubanks leapt ahead of his competitors with help from Jay Leno, who encouraged viewers to vote for Eubanks and "bring honor" to the late-night NBC talk show.
"I'm gonna keep this campaign going," Leno said during a recent show after sharing a photo of a shirtless Eubanks with his audience. Leno said the shot, in which Eubanks is holding a backpack and posing against a woodsy backdrop, wasn't doctored.
Runners-up in the contest, which the animal rights group said drew more than 110,000 votes on its Web site, included Joaquin Phoenix, Milo Ventimiglia, Kristen Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jared Leto and Lisa Edelstein.
Last year, Prince and Bell, who starred on the "Veronica Mars" TV series, were picked as the two sexiest vegetarians. Previous winners also include Natalie Portman, Andre 3000, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Shania Twain, Tobey Maguire, Lauren Bush, Josh Hartnett and Alicia Silverstone.
Associated Press
Woman released after rapper fails to testify
NEW YORK - A woman charged with assaulting and robbing Foxy Brown was released from jail after the rapper failed to appear before a grand jury to testify against her.
Roshawn Anthony, 23, was released from Riker's Island on her own recognizance Thursday but still faces charges of robbery, assault and grand larceny in the alleged attack last Saturday, according to a spokesman for the Brooklyn district attorney's office. She has denied the charges. Police say Anthony and three other people teamed up to rob Brown of a Louis Vuitton bag, $500 in cash and credit cards in the East New York section of Brooklyn.
The 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Inga Marchand, is no stranger to violence. She pleaded guilty last year to misdemeanor assault charges stemming from a fight with salon workers over payment for a manicure in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. Brown is on probation in that case.
Associated Press
PARIS — Stella McCartney will co-host a virtual anti-fur protest next month in the online fantasy world known as Second Life.
McCartney to host virtual anti-fur protest
The weeklong protest will begin July 12 on a dedicated island in the computer-generated alternative universe, it was announced this week by animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The island will feature stables, a lake, picnic tables and Linda McCartney mini-veggie-burger stalls.
Like her late mother, Linda McCartney is a longtime supporter of animal rights. She doesn't use leather or fur in her designs.
"Sometimes it's nice to have a bit of humor on serious subjects;" the 35-year-old British designer said in a statement.
Associated Press
Hilton says she will stop partying and drinking
LOS ANGELES — Paris Hilton told CNN's Larry King she would never again drink and drive and that her time in jail was "a time-out in life."
In her first televised interview since leaving jail, a demure Hilton said Wednesday that even though she's an Aquarius and "we're social people," her time behind bars taught her "there's a lot more important things in life" than partying.
Associated Press