Beck/Smith Hollywood

Will Kristen Stewart’s Tacky cheating episode land her in the top?

It’s that time of year again, when we ask readers to select the entertainment celebrities most deserving of our annual Beck/Smith Hollywood Tacky Taste Awards.  This year marks the 35^th such cavalcade of the crass, the churlish and the contemptible, and obviously, you will have no shortage of candidates for Tackiest Celebrity in 2012.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, with his memoir that capitalized on his own tacky and embarrassing  behavior, is bound to get some attention.  So is Kristen Stewart for cheating on Robert Pattinson – and Chris Brown for cheating on Rihanna, right on the heels of the unwise rekindling of their rocky romance.  It was a year when the showing of more skin than intended made for the strangest of celebrity groupings: the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and…Hulk Hogan?  The sad spectacle of Lance Armstrong’s fall from hero status may elicit some Tacky votes.  And no doubt various tacky types at the forefront of politics this election year will, too.   We’re sure that, as always, readers will remember many more.

Tell us who’s your choice for Tackiest and why – by writing to stacy@becksmithhollywood.com, or by dropping us a note in the comments area of this post.  The winners, if you can call them that, will be announced Thanksgiving week.

SPEAKING OF POLITICS:  “It’s hard to find the funny sometimes.  You get so upset,” admits political humorist Will Durst, who’s been keeping crowds laughing throughout the run-up to next month’s election.  “You just have to plumb deeper.”

Durst, whose writings include his Elect to Laugh! A Hilarious, Common Sense Guide to American Politics book, his syndicated column, and his pieces on Huffington Post and elsewhere, takes jabs at Republicans and Democrats – and performs before audiences of both persuasions.  “I do theater shows and corporates, and they’re two different crowds, but they laugh at both sides,” he tells us.  He’s received his share of angry emails.  However, he notes, “The only real trouble I’ve had is with the true believers – Orange County and Berkeley.”

Durst cites an anecdote that he used in his book, recalling an occasion when Abraham Lincoln told a joke – and a woman approached him to complain.  “Madam,” he reportedly said, “we all laugh in order not to cry.”

 Happy Thanksgiving to all, and a special thank-you to the readers who joined in with their votes and comments for our 34th Annual Tacky Taste Awards.  In a year when some of the biggest scandals in the news — from Penn State to politics — took place outside the Hollywood realm, there’s still a banquet of show business celebrity turkeys to chew on.  And heeeeere they are.

1.  Kim Kardashian & Family.  Riled up over Kim’s 72-day marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries, readers voted to bestow 1st Place, Tackiest Celebrities of the Year dishonors on the Kardashian clan.  Among the comments:

“KarTRA$Hian is KarKA$Hingin — the fake marriage down to the crappy clothes at Sears.” — Hannah L., New York, NY  

“She went from saying Kris was so nice and down to earth to saying he was only in it to climb the fame ladder practically overnight.  Of course people are suspicious. She made more than $17 million from the wedding.” — Pam R.,Canton, OH. 

“Kim Kardashian was made for your Tacky Taste Award.” — Nathan P., San Francisco, CA

Steve M. from Dallas, TX had a different take: “I think all the dimwits who watch the Kardashian family and then complain about them deserve a Tacky award.  Idiots, change the channel!”

2.  Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen  So many voters mentioned the “Two and a Half Men” creator and his former star together, it seemed appropriate to reunite them just this one last time in the annals of Tacky Taste.  For example: 

From Julia in AZ:  “Charlie Sheen’s year of tirades, drugs and hookers and Chuck Lorre’s repeated endcaps and on-air rebuttles have really done it for me.  I thought by now the banter would be over and bringing in Ashton would let the show stand on its own, but Chuck doesn’t seem to want to let go.  Week after week they have to rehash all of Charlie’s downfalls.  Come on, kill the show now if you are going to make it a year of Charlie-channeling.  Even Charlie seems to have learned to shut his mouth.” 

G.M. in Santa Monica, CA wrote, “Not that I’m buying Charlie Sheen’s good behavior act, but Chuck Lorre needs to get over being bitter and stop sniping at Charlie and try to improve the show, which sucks now.”  

In the opinion of witty Bernice R. of Naples, FL, “It has been a close race this year for the Tacky Taste Award.  Charlie Sheen was the star of the pack early on, but his admitting to his foolish rages took the edge off criticizing him.  Darn.  But then when all seemed lost, Kim Kardashian came along with her whirlwind romance, brain-free husband, check cashing acrobatics and surprise (not) divorce, and challenged Charlie for the lead.  I’ve got it!  How about a Tacky Couple Award? Theirs would be a match made in Hollywood heaven.  Oh, those two have got to meet, or what’s a Hollywood for?” 

3.  Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Grace H. of Burbank sums it up:  “Former governator Arnold Schwarzenneger makes Bill Clinton look like a cub scout.  First he let Maria find out the hard way that he sired a child by his housekeeper.  Then after they split up he went out in public sporting a T shirt that said, “I survived Maria 1977 – 2010.” 

And this comment from reader Linda D.:  “Arnold Schwarzenegger deserves the award for being unfaithful to his wife, family, and the state of California.  And then having the bad taste to wear an ‘I survived Maria’ t-shirt.” 

Agrees Paula G.: “It has to be the Arnold:  what he has done to Maria Shriver is so awful.  I used to like him, but now, I am not interested in seeing anything he does.  Thank goodness he’s no longer the Governor of California.” 

4.  Gerard Depardieu.  “Gerard Depardieu deserves your award, hands down, for urinating in the aisle of a plane after being told he had to wait until after takeoff to use the bathroom, causing a two-hour flight delay.  If one of us mere mortals did that, we’d be arrested.” — Ken, Tacoma, WA. 

Peggy S. of Los Angeles voted for Depardieu, adding, “I want to mention Anderson Cooper also.  It was one thing to get the giggles during his report about l’affaire Depardeiu — but then to have Depardieu on his talk show to discuss the incident, and hand out peepee bottles to everyone in the audience?  That was Tacky.  But I still love Anderson.”  

5.  Lindsay Lohan.  The troubled actress, who has been doing community service at the L.A. morgue as a result of violating her probation, drew tacky votes for “blowing chance after chance to straighten out,” as J.Y. of Bell, CA put it. 

“Lindsay Lohan gets my vote.  You know you’ve hit bottom when Heidi Fleiss gets on TV and congratulates you for posing for Playboy and says you’d make a great hooker.” — Tara K., Ohio

6.  Kate Gosselin.  “As always, the tackiest person in America is Kate Gosselin,” contends Dee W.  She explains: “From her trashy clothing to her constant bashing of the father of her children, she epitomizes the word tacky.  Her classifiying her ex as ‘mediocre’ because he prefers to work a regular job and live out of the spotlight was classic Kate.” 

“I would rather listen to nails on a chalkboard than that whiney b#@! any day.” — George F., Woodland Hills, CA

7.  Jesse James.  The reality show star got a late flurry of votes after his ex, Kat Von D, went public with her claim that he’d cheated on her with at least 19 women during their engagement.  “Wasn’t he supposed to have been treated for sex addiction after his cheating wrecked his marriage to Sandra Bullock?  Jesse, you tacky dog, you should demand your money back.” — L.Z.

8.  Courteney Cox and David Arquette.  “Their over-sharing about their sex life problems on Howard Stern’s show has tainted my feelings about them.   Really, Courteney, thought you had more class than to dispense such intimate details with gutter language.  Sad for Coco.” — Linda W., Peoria, IL

9.  Hank Williams, Jr., ESPN and “Fox and Friends.”  The singer’s remark, on “Fox and Friends,” making an analogy using President Obama and Hitler, got his iconic theme song cut from Monday Night Football after 20 years — and both sides chimed in: 

`”Hank totally got the shaft.  If you read the transcript, he never said Obama was like Hitler.  His conservative politics is what really got him ousted from MNF.  And he’s right that ‘Fox and Friends’ set him up.” — Dan H. 

On the other hand, S.B. of Long Island, NY, wrote, “Who gives a damn what Hank Williams Jr. thinks?  He’s a right-wing crackpot with no talent.  Glad to see him go.” 

10.  Brad Pitt.  “Some people continue to add insult to dumping their spouses overboard.  Brad Pitt told Dotson Rader of Parade Magazine that his life was boring when he was married to Jennifer Aniston.  Quote, “I wasn’t living an interesting life, myself.  I think that my marriage [to Jennifer Aniston] had something to do with it.”  – Grace H., Burbank, CA

The only surprise about the latest round of exposes of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
rampant unfaithfulness is that so many people seem to be surprised.

They wed in 1986. By 1992, the now-defunct Spy magazine ran its
remarkably humiliating, detailed story of movie star Schwarzenegger’s womanizing ways, complete with a photo of the body builder in full frontal glory — or not.   Copies are now for sale on eBay, so you can look there to find out what act Arnold referred to as “polishing the helmet.”

By 1993, journalists were exploring a possible tie-in between hugely
excessive costs on his “The Last Action Hero” flop and Heidi Fleiss’
call girl and drug operation. At the time, Schwazenegger used some of
his most breathtaking Terminator tactics for terminating unwelcome
questions — responding with threats of legal action by one of his
attack lawyers. Yes, we remember it well.

The “Action” issue came up again when he ran for governor, which led
Fleiss to threaten suit against The Los Angeles Times and The Boston
Globe — not exactly gossip tabloids — claiming harassment. She was
quoted saying: “Somehow some rumors have gone around that I have some orgy footage of Arnold with two women. I have nothing of the
sort….Arnold has never been a client. I don’t know him, never did
business with him. I have had nothing to do with him.”

Needless to say, everyone rested easy after someone of such obvious
veracity stood up and went on the record at last…Orgy footage? Hm.

All of the above is merely some of the most well-documented detritus
of Schwarzenegger’s past rumor-filled life.

The fact that he managed to lay so much scandal to rest with a meagre
mea culpa back in 2003 is a testimony to 1) how desperate Californians
were to get someone effective into the governor’s office; and 2) the
power of his movie star mystique.

Now Schwarzenegger’s got another “Terminator” movie in the works and
Oprah’s got his estranged wife Maria Shriver for an interview and maybe
a show, and Maria is also working on a book about life transitions.
Someone else is no doubt working on a book about Kennedy women sticking with their men through anything — until now.  And TMZ and its fellow stops on the gossip track are making hay with Schwarzenegger sex
scandals — again.   And probably a couple or more of the cast of characters involved in the latest revelation of Arnold’s secret love child will be selling their stories before we’re done with all this, too.

The money-making possibilities are just breathtaking. If only California got a cut.

DEAR STACY: Could you please tell me if Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Christopher Cuomo from “Good Morning America” are cousins through marriage? – Mrs. Lillian S., Smithtown, NY

DEAR LILLIAN:  No.  Christopher’s older brother Andrew used to be married to Mary Kerry Kennedy, one of Robert F. Kennedy’s daughters, and a cousin of Maria Shriver (daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver), who is married to Schwarzenegger.

Margaret Cho

Funny lady Margaret Cho tells us she’s found a new social life in between shooting scenes of her July 12-debuting “Drop Dead Diva” series.

“We’re about a third of the way through the first season, shooting in Peachtree, Ga. It’s fine. It’s a very small town. I go to Atlanta, which is about 45 minutes away, a lot. I actually fit in very well there. I’m getting to be a wild child again, getting to go out to the clubs. I’m hanging out with a lot of Atlanta musicians and doing sort of the rock thing,” says Cho, who is getting ready to record a music album of her own. Make that a funny music album. A funny music album with song titles unfit for repetition in a family-friendly column.

In Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva,” Cho plays the wise friend and colleague of Brooke Elliott‘s character. It’s about a shallow model who dies, then finds her spirit inhabiting the plus-sized body of a crusading attorney. (Oh, another one of those.) She tells us she and her husband, performance artist Al Ridenour, “are hanging out when we can” — but as far as collaborating anytime soon, “We’re not even, like, living in the same state.”

MEANWHILE: Cho, who for years has been an activist on behalf of equal rights regardless of sexual orientation and of same-sex marriage, found herself inundated with calls this week after the announcement of California Supreme Court’s ruling upholding Prop. 8. She feels it’s a temporary setback.

Cho has been remarkably open about her life — her bisexuality, as well as her past problems with drugs and with being overweight. Has she ever been sorry for baring herself in such a way?

“I’ve found that it’s been very gratifying to talk about personal issues,” she replies. “My talking about weight issues and body image, for example I felt could help women — help people — talk about their own body issues. I feel like that’s been a good contribution. Talking about my personal issues in my work doesn’t feel invasive.”

THE VIDEOLAND TWO: AMC’s Emmy-winning “Breaking Bad” has its season finale Sunday (5/31), and the show’s Aaron Paul — meth seller Jesse to “Breaking Bad” fans — is turning his attention to his other hit series, “Big Love,” which gets back into production June 4, for Season 4.

“I love that my character in ‘Big Love’ is completely opposite from ‘Breaking Bad’ — it’s like zipping on different skins,” says the actor, who plays Scott, the fiancé of Amanda Seyfried‘s character, in the HBO series set in a community of rogue Mormon polygamists. It’s especially gratifying to Paul since his “Breaking Bad” character has led to interest in his playing other drug-related roles — and “I don’t want to be the type of actor who does the same character with different names,” he makes clear.

Paul’s been doing “a little bit of traveling” and getting in some relaxation between “Breaking Bad” and “Big Love” this year. “It’s worked out for me. It didn’t overlap like it did last season, when I had to fly back and forth.”

A GOOD TURN: Jamie Lee Curtis, who was honored with the 2009 Entertainment Industry’s Courage to Care Award at the recent Noche de Ninos Gala, just learned that more than $1.8 million was raised at the star-studded evening benefiting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Jamie Lee’s friend and former co-star California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger presented her with the award. She rewarded him with a big kiss on the lips, which delighted the crowd of close to 1,000 in the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Jamie Lee has been a tireless activist when it comes to the kids. She even wore a bright pink wig that night in honor of a 14-year-old cancer patient she had met while touring Children’s Hospital in Pittsburg several years ago. After the young girl died, Jamie Lee asked her mother if she could have the wig to remember her courageous spirit.

The celebrity-filled room included host Mary Hart, Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, Ed Begley Jr., Noah Wyle, Kevin Sorbo, Jewel, Monique Coleman, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon and Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony. Jennifer received the same honor by the hospital in 2004.

THE INDUSTRY EYE: “True Blood” will soon be adding fresh blood — the character of Sookie’s (Anna Paquin) cousin Hadley, described as a “fresh-faced twentysomething country girl,” who’ll wind up, according to casting sources, “seduced into a whole other world …” and “locked in a steamy kiss with vampire queen Evan Rachel Wood.”

Casting notices have gone out for outgoing, strong, socially active and community-involved housewives, who love to live the good life in Beverly Hills for — can you guess? — Bravo’s next “Real Housewives” series. “They’re coming?” responded one such local lady on hearing the news. “How they lived without us for so long, we don’t know.”

— With reports by Emily Fortune Feimster