On tonight's Extra, Rebecca Black talked to Mario Lopez about the death threats that have been made against her because of her annoyingly popular song, "Friday." Black said she just was surprised that some people were taking it so seriously: "Yeah, um, I think that's kind of weird. Like, why would you, it's a song! Like, it's not like I ran for President and then I said something really bad."

Ashley Dupre explains to us that by waiting to pose for Playboy, she's somehow removed from her association with Elliot Spitzer. While it's not clear how exactly that works, it's very clear that the interviewer checks out Ashley's rack.

And you think your parents are bad? This Is It comes out this weekend. To celebrate, Joe Jackson isn't remembering his son's life. He's telling Extra that Michael Jackson's worth more dead than he is alive.

First the New York Times and Wall Street Journal published the phone number for Obama hottie Jon Favreau. Now Extra fails to redact Chris Brown and Rihanna's phone numbers from a search warrant.

Tom Cruise continues to bring the weirdness on his Valkyrie press tour, so why should Extra's Mario Lopez be spared?

Though Joaquin Phoenix was once famously saved from a car wreck by wacko auteur Werner Herzog, apparently there's one aspect to the actor still in dangerous need of resuscitation: his love of acting. While attending a Paul Newman charity benefit last night, Phoenix told Extra that he's done, finished, finito with doing films, and he's got one shaky reason why:

We figured the growing on-air hostility between Republican whistle-siren Elisabeth Hasselbeck and the more moderate panelists on The View would eventually erupt into something appropriately spectacular—and it did, with multiple accounts sent to us of a Joy Behar/Elisabeth Hasselbeck backstage Catfight of the Century. Word of the smackdown, full of detonated F-bombs and wishes of co-host conflagration, quickly made the media rounds, such as the clip above from last night's ExtraIn it, quadruple threat host Mario Lopez—he acts, dances, crunches, and reads showbiz news copy!—capably sums up not just our report, but The View's ensuing damage control campaign. Not only did Whoopi hit the Regis high-chair, but she also reassured GMA's Diane Sawyer that no one's life is in immediate danger—in fact, they all love each other! Yes, yes, we're sure that's all true, ladies, but can we suggest bringing back that effective split-screen technique that hastened Rosie O'Donnell's departure? You're really losing half the fun if the camera misses Joy silently mouthing, "IwillburnyoudownIwillburnyoudown" while Elisabeth defends her theories that a 19-year-old Barack Obama was the one who gave John Hinckley, Jr. his Reagan-shooting marching orders. [Extra] Previously:

Though newly minted Extra host Mario Lopez may appear squeaky-clean, longtime readers of Defamer will remember the oh-so-smooth skeleton in his closet: Chesthairgate! Caught in a terrible lie about whether or not he shaves his chest (who can forget the plaintive Star magazine commenter "chris," who said, "He talks about how religious he is, and has such a strong faith. Excuse me...since when is not being honest ok?"), Lopez suddenly found his most valuable physical asset the object of intense scrutiny. Now, as he ascends to the position of respected celebutainment anchorman, a cruel Lopez is threatening to take his smooth, smooth toys and go home:

Recently exiled Extra host Mark McGrath announced his plans to get revenge on Mario Lopez, the newly minted host of the show he recently vacated. McGrath got the idea when he left the popular watering hole, Crown Bar, and saw a giant sign for acting lessons. McGrath said, "If he's going to steal my hosting gigs, then I'm going to steal his acting gigs. So, get ready to see my lovely face all over Lifetime. I'm going to be your worst nightmare. I'm going to be your own personal Nedick."

Mario Lopez, the dimple-cheeked actor who first rose to prominence playing the deeply conflicted Albert Clifford 'A.C.' Slater on the Chekhovian scholastics drama Saved by the Bell, has been announced as the new host of Extra. As we mentioned yesterday, ratings were declining steadily for the syndicated celebrity newsbite service; Warner Bros. was therefore looking to drop its current hosts (Mark McGrath, former lead singer of the Afro-Caribbean-flavored pop outfit Sugar Ray, and Dayna Devon, who apparently is not Nancy O'Dell) in favor of something fresher, absier, and more Eva Longoria-accessible. Weekend co-host Lopez fit that bill: "'He will be a fresh and dynamic presence, and we can't wait for him to assume his new role,' said senior exec producer Lisa Gregorish-Dempsey." Look for new features like the VitaminWater presents Extra's Live! From the DKNY Beach House!, and the Mario Lopez's Knockout Fitness Gym Couture Fashion Report.

For a guy who proclaimed back in 1999 that he only had one second of his fifteen minutes of fame left, Mark McGrath has proven to be a resilient feature on the entertainment circuit (and our weekly Dirt Sandwich) for well over a decade now. Sadly, though, it looks as if that streak may be coming to a close. Today's New York Post reports that the brass at celebrity infotainment staple Extra are looking to salvage the ratings-challenged show by axing both McGrath and his comely blonde co-host, Dayna Devon. Reports have these roles possibly being filled by Bayside High's most successful alum, secret chest shaver Mario Lopez. [NY Post]

Celebrity TV news magazine Extra is launching a search for the New Face of Extra in Las Vegas (the contest is being announced on air today.) So let me get this straight. I get to report for a show where decency, style, and shame go out the window daily, I get to (probably) meet failed Sugar Ray lead singer and now co-host Mark McGrath, AND I get to live in beautiful, not at all horribly depressing Las Vegas?? Screw you, Denton. I'm outta here.

Katherine Heigl's pantsless hubby Josh Kelley is kind of like the poor man's Chris Martin: he sings sad little wimpy songs, isn't the best-looking guy in the room and bores us to tears in interviews, but he somehow still managed to convince a gorgeous blonde actress to pay his rent. But hey! He writes songs for her! So all is forgiven. Well, besides the fact that he says things like "holla!" and "hot diggity dog!" with no shame. In this clip from Extra, we finally get some insight into how exactly he managed to score the insanely hot (yet terribly controlling) Katherine Heigl. Josh, you had her at...actually we still can't figure it out. Anyone?

Perhaps moved by Sarah Silverman's unflattering impression of the clean-shaven vagina for which VMA trainwreck Britney Spears is infamous or by the tear-soaked exit from the ceremony they've exclusively captured on video, the producers of Extra have generously offered the disgraced pop star a chance at nationally televised redemption. From their press release:

[UPDATE: It seems that no one has the exclusive on the video. More on this confusing nonsense here.] A frenzied series of press releases arriving in our inbox this morning have alerted us to Extra's latest "get," a "cry for help" video in which "a shirtless and extremely intoxicated" David Hasselhoff "sits on the floor of a Las Vegas hotel room so out of it that he is unable to feed himself a hamburger," footage reportedly commissioned by Hasselhoff so that he could see what he looks like when he's too drunk to enjoy a room service snack, a rock-bottom moment in any celebrity addict's life.