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Anderson Cooper is a serious journalist most of the time, reporting not just on select angles but on the full circle of news events. (I hope you get that because meager as it is, it took me a long time to come up with.)  Cooper doesn’t discuss his personal life, saying, “The whole thing about being a reporter is that you’re supposed to be an observer and to be able to adapt with any group you’re in, and I don’t want to do anything that threatens that.” He does have a lighter side, however, and he’s not afraid to voice his disdain for certain members of the pop culture world.  For instance, he famously told Kelly Ripa he thought the Lohan clan and their show were trash.  Who doesn’t, but it’s not something you expect to hear from a CNN news anchor.

Last night Cooper spoke with My Life on the D-List star Kathy Griffin. The face of celebrity smut herself, Paris Hilton, came up in the conversation, and Cooper did not hold back on his impression of Hilton’s parents. Watch here to see what adjective he uses (more than once!) to describe Rick and Kathy. Apparently this TV personality can report breaking news and race Olympic athletes and talk trash about celebs with a self-proclaimed fame whore. Now that’s versatility.

No matter what you think of her fashion sense, Mary-Kate Olsen seems like a fun gal. This December she’s been spotted out and about enjoying the season in her two favorite cities, New York and L.A. She’s a true city girl, appearing at art openings with artist beau Nate Lowman and a posse of hipsters at wine-glass littered tables. 

Lately she’s gotten into the Christmas mood. Here she leaves Bardot nightclub in west Hollywood sporting festive Santa sunglasses. Stars like Paris Hilton seem to have every aspect of their clubbing attire tailored to the trends, whereas MK doesn’t hesitate to show her sense of humor with a kooky accessory.

MK also got some wholesome exercise in NY while iceskating with pals.

Whoa, don’t fall! Not at all a demure ice princess, MK looks like a regular gal on the ice, even with the paps documenting her every slip and slide. I get the sense that MK can handle (and might even enjoy) a wipeout or two; she’s tougher than she looks.

Don’t even bother turning on the TV to see what’s on. You already know: reality shows involving women sobbing to Sharon Osborne. Reality shows with annoying people racing through different forms of public transportation in search of a clue. Reality shows where people compete to be the biggest personality in fields ranging from fashion to cooking to real estate.

Now with Jay Leno taking over Primetime NBC, we may not even be able to count on Law & Order, one of the last remaining examples of the hour-long drama. I’ve started renting DVDs from my public library. Go for a series, like Slings & Arrows, Wire in the Blood or Brideshead Revisited. There are tons of quality series out there to fill your need to be entertained, and unlike films, they last for more than a night. Other great series I’ve enjoyed are Friday Night Lights, and now I’m looking into The Wire. Just a suggestion to get you over this unpromising season.

News broke recently that Scott Ruffalo, the brother of actor Mark Ruffalo, had been killed from a gunshot wound to the head. The thirty-nine-year old hairdresser was shot in his condo in Beverly Hills, and was in critical condition for a week. Two people subsequently turned themselves in to police and were held as possible suspects.

Yesterday, however, it was determined that Ruffalo shot himself while playing Russian Roulette. According to the attorney of one of the former suspects, this was not the first time Ruffalo had engaged in dangerous behavior with a gun. The lawyer alleges, in fact, that he made a habit of playing Roulette while taking drugs, reportedly cocaine. The Ruffalo family has started a fund in Scott’s honor, and Mark has since pulled out of his next film project.

In other tragic news, People Magazine reports that Macaulay Culkin’s sister, Dakota, was killed yesterday after being hit by a car.

I’ve missed Cate Blanchett. There were a few months there where she wasn’t in anything and didn’t have any movie premiers to attend. She was probably having babies, which as a rule is what she does during her down time. Now she’s back on the scene, promoting her new film with Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Thank heavens! Here’s an outfit that landed her on Go Fug Yourself:

Not so surprising really; we all know the woman LOVES metallics. Looks a little like a Christmas ornament. The flesh-tone nylon peeking out kind of bugs me, but without it the dress might be painful. It appears to be a mosaic, and as we all learned in Art History 101, mosaics are made of broken glass pieces. So who knows if she can even sit down?  

Next Blanchett donned a pleated aluminum foil flapper dress (or is it fish scales?), also garnering her a place on Go Fug. I don’t think this is terrible or fabulous, maybe a tad unflattering in the shin area. Let’s hope that for her next event, Cate goes wild and wears a color. Shiny’s great once in awhile, but it’s time for a new fashion infatuation.

I devour celebrity news like it’s my job, but this tidbit I actually noticed and verified myself.  SNL’s Kristen Wiig, known for her Target Lady and gum-chewing A-hole characters, has definitely had her nose smallified. It used to be a regular nose; now it looks flatter and a lot like Mary-Kate Olsen’s. I’m not a regular SNL viewer so I can’t say exactly when it was done. It had to have been after 2007’s Walk Hard,  because that’s the movie she’s doing press for in this carefully selected “before” clip:

Now compare her September ‘08 appearance on Letterman:

In addition to her new button nose she’s tanner and sleeker. Looks like she’s gearing up for mega-fame a la Tina Fey.

These tough economic times are taking their toll on every industry, including the movie biz. Empire has just released a helpful feature titled “Credit Crunch Casting,” which lists cheap replacements for A-list actors. For example, Johnny Depp in the role of Captain Jack Sparrow could command up to $56 million. Movie studios on a budget might want to consider “swagger-meister” Russell Brand instead. Brand already looks the part too, so less hair and makeup necessary. 

If you’re looking for a sexy but substantive, intelligent female lead, you might think of Natalie Portman. But as Empire points out, Anna Friel provides smarts and dark-haired beauty at a sweet discount. Casting a role for a sweet-faced young brunette? Look past It Girl Anne Hathaway to former almost-It Girl Emmy Rossum, who hasn’t worked since Phantom of the Opera.  Angelina Jolie is pretty pricey these days, so how about giving the similarly sexy, dangerous, and intense Shannyn Sossaman’s career a boost? The list goes on, with 18 alternatives to big name stars. Check out other suggestions here.

Isn’t she loooovely? Isn’t she won-der-ful? Everybody’s favorite fashion oddity attended an event in Miami Beach with beau-of-the-moment, artist Nate Lowman. MK’s always been a fan of unexpected style combinations, and here her ensemble is classic Olsen. She looked boho chic on top, with an ankle-length turquoise coat and patterned hippie-ish dress paired with the shoes of a dominatrix. Let’s examine those babies: studded ankle braces, open-toed and open-backed, with giant black screws that look quite capable of drilling through the floor for heels. If she’s planning on being locked in a closet or handcuffed to a bedpost later those shoes might just be her ticket to freedom. Smart girl. (Maybe I’ve been watching too many Wire in the Blood DVDs .)

In fact, we do know a little something about what went down later on and it involved sucking face. That’s right, MK and Master Lowman were photographed making out.  Quipped that nasty Perez Hilton, “Even cute little trolls fall in love.”

Kristen Stewart did Letterman last week and the interview was riveting in its painfulness. It was like an exchange at a family reunion where a grumpy uncle is trying to talk with a teenage niece, and, not getting the answers he wants, instead opts for laughs at her expense.

I don’t think Stewart was stoned during the interview, but rather this increasingly rare thing called “shy.” In fact, maybe she should get stoned before her next interview. Letterman tries to get her talking but she seems to be suffering from an attack of fog on the brain. It happens to the best of us. She’s physically responsive but utterly, deeply blank.

I was so intrigued I watched some other Stewart interviews on Youtube and found her to be distracted and nervous in many of them. On Letterman, her nerves weren’t helped by his dry wit. At one point he makes a devastating quip, and the poor girl, only 18, not even out of high school, doesn’t seem to know exactly what’s being said but senses the sarcasm in the air and collapses into nervous tics.

Other stars have done way more embarrassing things on Letterman. Remember Farrah Fawcett talking like she was high and Madonna swearing up a storm and Drew Barrymore (or was it Courtney Love?) jumping up on his desk and flashing her tits? This interview is painful in a different way, partly because I can relate to Stewart’s discomfort. Commenters on Youtube decry Stewart’s awkwardness, as if they’ve never fumbled a wisecrack and then looked down at their hands. Maybe what’s riveting to me about the interview is that Stewart acts like a normal 18-year-old and not someone groomed for stardom since infancy. She’s the anti-Hayden Panettiere. Check out the ultra TV-friendly Panettiere versus Stewart. Which one were you at 18?

Actress Kristen Stewart, who played vampire-loving Bella in the box office smash Twilight, is rumored to be starring as Joan Jett in the upcoming rock biopic The Runaways. The film chronicles the rise and fall of the Runaways, the first successful all-girl hard rock band. The group formed in 1975, assembled as a sex kittens-on-guitar novelty act. The members, including guitarists Jett and Lita Ford, and singer-keyboardist Cherie Currie, weren’t in the band for easy fame, however, and have since been recognized as serious and talented musicians. The film will focus on Jett and Currie, following the rags-to-riches-to-disillusionment formula we all grew to love on shows like VH1’s Behind the Music.

Some, like the always opinionated Perez Hilton, have expressed doubt over whether Stewart can put enough sexy swagger into her performance. Hilton accuses the actress of pouting her way through Twilight, and believes she’ll make a “stiff” Jett. Sure, she was overshadowed by Robert Pattinson in the vampire love story, but I wouldn’t discount her abilities just yet. Check out some of her rocker poses below.