SkimIt
To paraphrase Heidi Klum: In the entertainment world, one day you're in, and the next, you're out. Some of the celebrities you'll see in this space each week (should) have the spoils of fame and fortune to show for the years that they were in, but may have found themselves closer to being out of the loop recently before climbing their way back toward the top.
While his acting career is only gaining momentum -- Pattinson has already starred in Cosmopolis and Bel Ami this year, not to mention another Twilight film coming up -- the world's most popular vampire is about to experience a monster comeback in the other career he seems meant for: Hollywood playboy.
After finding out recently (along with the rest of the world) that longtime girlfriend and Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart had cheated on him, Pattinson moved out of the couple's L.A. home. And assuming he doesn't go back to Stewart right away, Pattinson's foreseeable future is going to be full of women chasing him.
The man was already one of the top heartthrobs in Hollywood, but now that he's got the whole sympathy thing going for him thanks to Stewart? Pattinson is poised to begin a run of girlfriends that could rival that of New York Yankees star Derek Jeter. He's going to be a 26-year-old behaving like a man in a midlife crisis.
The unveiling of a new cast of Dancing With The Stars means I could easily fill all five slots in this column without looking any further, but I'll be fair and limit DWTS to one candidate. The upcoming all-star edition of DWTS features Bristol Palin, Shawn Johnson, Joey Fatone, Apolo Anton Ohno, Kirstie Alley, Helio Castroneves, Gilles Marini, Kelly Monaco, Drew Lachey, Melissa Rycroft and Emmitt Smith. But none of them needs a comeback like Pamela Anderson.
It's been two years since Pam's last notable on-screen role, when she was in the indie flick Hollywood & Wine alongside David Spade, Chris Kattan and Chazz Palminteri. And according to her IMDB page, Pam's only upcoming project besides DWTS is some movie called Jackhammer where she plays "Groupie." That sounds like something you should be doing as an actress just getting started in Hollywood, not when you're 45 years old and have more than 20 years of work under your belt.
Paul Thomas Anderson
Hard to believe it's been five years since Anderson knocked it out of the park as the director of There Will Be Blood. Even harder to believe is that Anderson hasn't done a movie since then. The drought is going to end soon, however, as The Master is slated for a September 2012 release to mark Anderson's return behind the camera.
The Master, which has been in the works for about three years, is about a controversial religious leader in the 1950s. (Is there such a thing as a non-controversial religious leader?) With a coast that boasts Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams, plus Anderson's talent as director, it should be a critical hit.
Chris Mann
Nowhere is fame more fleeting than in the world of singing competition shows, especially for the singers who don't win. Whether it's American Idol, The X Factor, America's Got Talent or one of the other 384 similar shows, contestants come and go from the spotlight faster than we can keep track. How often has a potential star been eliminated and you thought, "They'll be fine. They got a lot of exposure," thinking a record deal is inevitable, only to never see them again? (Remember Stacy Francis from The X Factor?)
For recent The Voice alum Chris Mann, he needed to make a "comeback" from his last appearance on the show real soon if he wanted to stay relevant. So far, so good. The popular classically-trained Mann is reportedly wrapping up his first studio album, and he also has a Christmas album on the way.
If you paid any attention at all to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, you know the story of Lolo Jones. She was the American hurdler with the rags-to-riches story and the pretty face who did everything required of an Olympic hero -- except win a gold medal. Lolo actually didn't win any medal, as she stumbled on the last hurdle in her final race and finished outside of the top three.
So unless you actually pay attention to track and field during non-Olympic years -- and as a fan of the sport myself, I've learned that a lot of people don't -- this week is probably the first time you've seen Lolo in four years. She's back, having qualified for the 100-meter hurdles for Team USA, and she's as big of a star as ever. Lolo has been all over magazine covers and TV ads lately, reclaiming her spot as one of the most marketable athletes in the country. Now she just has to win gold -- or win something -- to fully capitalize on her celebrity potential.
