New York, June 22-26, 2007 – With all of the breathless news about Kelly Clarkson canceling her summer tour due to poor ticket sales, and her battle with music industry guru Clive Davis over the artistic direction of her new album, My December, we don’t know what to believe. But even early in the morning, we sure noticed that when Clarkson performed on Good Morning America’s summer concert series this week, the crowd gathered in Manhattan’s Lincoln Center plaza was sparse, even though the concert was free of charge and open to the public.

Just a few days before, fans packed Bryant Park when Miley Cyrus, star of Disney’s Hannah Montana, performed for GMA.

The GMA staff noticed too – a snarky stagehand looking out at the small audience during Clarkson’s show muttered, “Just last week it was 7,000 [people] for Miley Cyrus, and today it’s 75 for Kelly Clarkson.”

Los Angeles, June 26, 2007 – At the 2007 BET Awards, old school – Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle – met new school – Ciara, Amerie, Chris Brown. And some attendees were right smack in the middle, career-wise – Don Cheadle, Queen Latifah, Eve, Chandra Wilson.

The red carpet arrivals at the Shrine Auditorium seemed endless, starting at 1 P.M. and going until 5 P.M. The long lead time was probably necessary to repair melted makeup – the weather was boiling, as in past years. 50 Cent didn’t have much of an entourage with him, but Mo’Nique, who hosted, couldn’t make it down the carpet without a posse of ten surrounding her. Although Diana Ross is a diva, the large group trailing her was just her family, there to see her honored with a lifetime achievement award.

Beyonce Knowles returned from Europe in time for the BET Awards, and she looked great and showed it off, arriving in a metallic Dolce & Gabbana dress, and changing outfits several times during the evening. Beyonce stopped on the red carpet to catch up with her Destiny’s Child band mates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. 50 Cent was also a social butterfly, greeting Al Sharpton and others on his way into the venue.

Los Angeles, June 25, 2007 – Mandy Moore says she’s not yet ready for marriage in real life, but the 23-year-old sure looked quite grown up in a revealing gown by Jenny Packham at the premiere of her wedding-themed movie License to Wed. Moore and costars Christine Taylor and Angela Kinsey did look like a bridal party in their matching emerald green frocks at the Cinerama Dome screening on Monday. Robin Williams’ 17-year-old daughter Zelda, however, took the precocious kid award, making out with her boyfriend while posing for photos with her parents!

If the movie’s stars Robin Williams and John Krasinski of TV show The Office weren’t funny enough, comics Billy Crystal, Rachael Harris and Ben Stiller also kept everyone laughing on the red carpet.

New York, June 22, 2007 – It was more gridlock than free living for Manhattan commuters at rush hour on Friday evening, when midtown streets were closed off for the premiere of Bruce Willis’ new flick, Live Free or Die Hard. Willis explained the chaos to the hordes of fans packing the middle of 51st Street: “I’m excited to be here in New York City tonight. We were going to have it at another theater, but apparently six or seven thousand people weren’t going to ever get in, so we’re having it here at Radio City Music Hall.”

The movie promises lots of action. Willis said that his favorite stunt was jumping out of a car, but Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who plays his daughter in the film, told us the less macho version: “Bruce got kicked in the head with a high heel, and went to the hospital.”

Director Kevin Smith said that his small role in Live Free consists of the one scene in which there is literally no action. “Nobody throws a punch at me; I don’t throw a punch at anybody. Nobody shoots me; I don’t shoot anybody. No gun even makes an appearance”, he said. “So when you ask me what it’s like to be in an action movie, I’m like, I honestly don’t f--king know.” Did Smith give his old buddy Ben Affleck any advice on directing movies now that he’s working that side of the camera? “I’m like, Dude, just don’t make ‘Jersey Girl’.”

The director of Live Free or Die Hard, Len Wiseman, said that he was nervous because this evening would be one of his first experiences watching the film with an audience. “It’s nervous and exciting at the same time. I can’t tell if it’s the ulcer, or just the nerves”, he said

New York, June 21, 2007 – Ripley’s Believe It or Not invited a collection of oddballs to the grand opening of its Times Square Odditorium. Seriously, in this crowd, Kelly Osbourne’s pink hair was not the least bit odd; the guy who is remaking his face into that of a cat – complete with holes for whiskers and sharpened teeth – now that was….freaky. Jalisa Thompson, whose real eyes are bugged out in the photo at left, was one of the least-likely-to-cause-you-to lose-your-lunch circus freaks at the party.

The red carpet of “hot coals” turned out to be some smoking things meant to look like coals lying benignly to one side of a real red carpet, so Carmen Electra and Jenny McCarthy did not actually burn their shoes on anything. Partying with the members of Mini Kiss – a tribute to the heavy makeup band Kiss comprised of Little People – Carmen said, “I think it’s great to have a museum, a place like this, to go and actually celebrate people and their diversities.”

New York, June 19, 2007 – Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos unveiled two new unrelated developments at a party in the New York flagship on Times Square this week. DJ Mark Ronson captured the sound of Hard Rock on a new CD titled Mark Ronson Presents Hard Rock. “They wanted us to help them find the sort of new iconic rock. And that’s what we’ve done here”, he told us.

But Mark is leaving clothing design to his designer sister Charlotte Ronson, and to Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, who unveiled new uniforms he designed for the Hard Rock staff. “They’re gonna be fresh”, was all that will would say before the fashion show. Staffers will sport the new uniforms when the Hard Rock opens in Biloxi in July, followed by San Diego in October.

Apparently, will.i.am’s band mate Fergie is only shacking up with her man Josh Duhamel – when we asked if he’ll design her wedding dress, will said, “She’s getting married?”