Meredith Phillips must have mentioned to producers of “The Bachelorette” that she likes athletic guys. Either that, or someone in the casting department does.
Three guys who get paid to play sports, plus a personal trainer and a sports facility manager – suggesting a high beefcake ratio for the show -are among the 25 men who will try to win over Phillips on “The Bachelorette.” The second edition of ABC’s dating series debuts Jan. 14.
The group is also heavy on Californians – 10 of the 25 guys currently live in the Golden State, as does Phillips, an L.A. resident.
Phillips, 30, comes to “The Bachelorette” after being one of the final four women on the most recent edition of “The Bachelor.” The other women on the show judged her most compatible with bachelor Bob Guiney early on, but he later decided they weren’t.
“Fans were shocked when Meredith didn’t receive a rose from Bob,” “Bachelorette” mastermind Mike Fleiss says. “They couldn’t get enough of her, so we decided to make her the next “Bachelorette.”‘
The second “Bachelorette” will feature a few tweaks in the format. At the first rose ceremony, Meredith will give a white rose to one of the guys, signifying him as her choice for a one-on-one date. Additionally, fellow Bob rejectee Kelly Jo will move in with the guys and offer her opinions on their chances.
—Zap2it.com
J. LO TOPS ANISTON, AFFLECK ON “ET HOT LIST’
If you still have room for J. Lo, newsmagazine “Entertainment Tonight” is highlighting 2003’s top celebrity stories and scandals, starting with the more bodacious half of Bennifer.
The second annual “ET Hot List” ranks celebrities by their number of mentions on the show over the course of the past year, and Jennifer Lopez usurps the throne of 2002’s leader, Jennifer Aniston, who falls to No. 2.
The King of Pop follows close behind, with “Paycheck” star Ben Affleck and Golden Globe nominee Nicole Kidman rounding out the Top 5.
“It has been an incredibly eventful year of weddings, almost weddings, sex scandals, animal attacks and celebrity deaths,” says Linda Bell Blue, executive producer of “ET.”
The beautiful people populated the remainder of the Top 10 spots, starting with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Brad Pitt and finishing with Cameron Diaz, Britney Spears and Demi Moore.
Eleventh through 20th places include: “Cold Mountain” star and Golden Globe nominee Renee Zellweger, the angelic Drew Barrymore, Halle Berry, Aniston’s “Friends” co-star Courteney Cox Arquette, “American Idol” warblers Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, Madonna, Michael Douglas, the much-missed John Ritter and Evan “Joe Millionaire” Marriott.
Conspicuously absent from this year’s list after making a showing on 2002’s list are “Mona Lisa Smile” star Julia Roberts and “The Last Samurai’s” Tom Cruise.
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JUDGE CHOOSES BOB IN “BACHELOR’ SUIT
“Bachelor” Bob Guiney is free to pursue his music career as he and his label see fit, a Los Angeles judge has ruled.
The ruling, handed down Monday, puts the kibosh on a lawsuit by the producers of the ABC series, who sought to stop Guiney and Wind-Up Records from promoting the album “3 Sides.” AND Syndicated Productions and Telepictures sued earlier this month, claiming the record promotion violated an exclusivity clause in Guiney’s “Bachelor” contract.
“This is a case that never should have been brought,” Guiney’s lawyer, Charles J. Harder, tells People magazine. “Bob Guiney has the right to continue his 12-year career as a recording artist.”
The producers claimed in their suit that Guiney’s contract barred him from promoting anything other than “The Bachelor” without their consent. Harder argued that the clause applied only to television work, not to the music career that Guiney, 32, has pursued on and off for a number of years.
Guiney, who first appeared on “The Bachelorette” last season, starred in the most recent edition of “The Bachelor.” The show ended with him choosing – but not proposing to – 28-year-old Estella Gardinier, a mortgage broker from Beverly Hills. Recent scuttlebutt has it that the two are no longer together.
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AP-NY-12-30-03 1620EST
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