Celebrity Watch
'One Tree Hill' creator signs up for 7th season
The creator of the TV series "One Tree Hill" hopes the CW will decide by the first of the year whether to bring back the series now that he's agreed to head a seventh season.
In a phone interview from Wilmington, where the series is based, Mark Schwahn said he told the network he would like to know if the show is returning before filming begins on the last four to five episodes. To do that, he would need to know by Jan. 1.
"They (the CW) doesn't owe me that, but I feel like they owe it to the fans," Schwahn said.
Mark Schwahn has signed three deals, including a one-year agreement with Warner Bros. TV to continue as executive producer for a possible seventh season. His other deals include a two-year deal with CBS Paramount Network TV to develop new projects and a deal with CBS Records to begin his own imprint.
The CBS television deal allows him to remain at the helm of "One Tree Hill" if a seventh season is negotiated with the actors, whose six-year contracts end after this season.
In interviews in August, the actors who play Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, Nathan and Hayley were divided on whether they were interested in a seventh season.
But minds change, even over two months, and a regular paycheck can be a good thing in this economic climate.
"We all make a lot of money making this TV show," Schwahn said. "We feel very fortunate to have jobs."
On the other hand, it's a young cast and "when you're young, you're inclined to wonder what else is out there," he said. "They may want to go out and explore."
Slash to play at Rock Hall's tribute to Les Paul
Slash couldn't miss a chance to pay tribute to his own guitar hero, Les Paul.
The former Guns N' Roses guitarist signed up to play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's tribute concert Nov. 15 without even hearing who he'd be playing with on stage.
"I'm just coming with my guitar," Slash said.
The concert at Cleveland's State Theater includes a lineup of guitar virtuosos like Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, The Ventures and Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi.
Slash, a member of Velvet Revolver, said he'd do anything for the 93-year-old Paul, known as the "Father of the Electric Guitar." Paul's many contributions to music include building the first solid-body electric guitar in 1941.
"The legion of guitar players I grew up listening to would have been completely different had Les not been around," Slash said.
Paul is expected to attend the American Music Masters series event. Slash said he previously played with Paul and couldn't keep up with him.
"He just cleaned the stage up with me," the 43-year-old Slash said.
Slash recorded Guns N' Roses' masterpiece "Appetite for Destruction" on a replica of a 1959 Gibson Les Paul that was made by a private builder.
This is the second time Slash will be involved with a Rock Hall gig in the last two years. Velvet Revolver performed when Van Halen was inducted into the hall last year.
Slash said someone pointed out to him at the performance that Guns N' Roses would be eligible for the hall in 2012. Artists are eligible 25 years after recording their first single or album.
Hugh Hefner opens up about Holly Madison breakup
Hugh Hefner is down a girlfriend.
Hefner and Holly Madison, one of E!'s "The Girls Next Door," are no longer dating. Hefner said he's been "down in the dumps" about the split.
The 28-year-old model-actress stars in the reality series with Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt as one of the 82-year-old publisher's girlfriends who live with Hefner in the Playboy Mansion.
"If Holly says it's over, I guess it's over," Hefner said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "She's still here in the house. Until a few days ago, we were still sharing the same bed."
Hefner was surprised to hear Madison discussing their breakup, but acknowledged he knew a split was imminent after he told Madison that they would never wed or have children.
In a video posted on TMZ.com Tuesday, Madison said she's no longer with Hefner. She also said she is "still filming stuff together" with Wilkinson and Marquardt.
Hefner said Madison learned the pair would never have children or get married six months ago, adding: "The fact that she was depressed after that, I didn't know at all. That was a revelation in the last days and weeks. Quite frankly, we thought when the time came, we would make a combined statement and we expected that combined statement would be somewhere in the weeks and months ahead."
"The Girls Next Door" premiered on E! in 2001 and is in its fifth season. Hefner said he and the three women are committed to a sixth season, but he plans to seek out new live-in lovers. Hefner said 19-year-old Playmate twins Karissa and Kristina Shannon are living in the mansion, but they're aren't his girlfriends — yet.
"It's now apparent there will be some new faces in my personal life and on the show," he said. "There's been moments that I've been down in the dumps about all this, and (personal assistant) Mary (O'Connor) told me to cheer up and pointed out that there are girls lined up outside the front gate. At my age, that's hard to believe, but it seems to be true."
Hefner's relationship with his remaining two girlfriends — Marquardt, 35, and Wilkinson, 23 — may also be in flux. Hefner said Marquardt is in Europe filming the new Travel Channel series "Bridget's Beaches," and Wilkinson may soon move out of the mansion and get her own apartment. Hefner said E! is interested in spin-offs with all three women.
The Playboy mogul expects to maintain a business relationship and friendship with Madison, who — along with Marquardt — originally was one of seven girlfriends living with Hefner in 2001 after his separation from Kimberley Conrad. Wilkinson was later asked to move into the Playboy Mansion in 2004. Hefner said he may again seek out seven — or more — girlfriends.
"It's a big house," he said. "And I'm not going to live alone. I'm definitely not going to live alone."Only two members of Van Halen showed up for their induction. Slash said if Guns N' Roses were inducted, he wouldn't want to follow a similar path.
"I hope whatever differences we'd accrued over the years, we'd be able to show up as professionals and accept it with dignity," he said
