After keeping quiet on his relationship with singer Ashanti for several years, rapper Nelly is finally talking. Nelly told People Magazine that the two have been together and that, "I think it's always serious, when you can hang with a person continuously ... and have fun." Nelly has been linked to Ashanti since 2003, but neither one has come out to the press or public and announced that they were together. They have been seen at award shows and events together but never talked about their relationship. Early this year, Ashanti only called Nelly "a good friend." It's quite refreshing to see two celebrities keep their relationship low key. They should get the privacy that they want.

On the other side of the music spectrum, country singer Alan Jackson was honored by his fellow country singers during a taping of Country Music Television's (CMT) Giants. Artist Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Dierks Bentley, Taylor Swift and George Strait all honored the country legend at the Ryman's Auditorium in Nashville. Jackson, along with the other country artists, sang several of Jackson's popular songs and paid him tribute. The show will air on CMT in December, so if you are an Alan Jackson fan, be on the lookout for it.

It appears that Salma Hayek may be giving love a second chance with her ex-fiancée, Francois-Henri Pinault. The two were seen getting pretty cozy with each other at a soccer game in Rennes, France. Another attendee at the soccer game stated, "They were very together." The couple has a one-year-old daughter together and was engaged to be married before calling it off back in July of this year. It looks like the couple is trying their hand at reconciliation as they have also been spotted in L.A. and Paris together. Heck, I would give my relationship with a billionaire a second chance and probably a third or fourth also!

Source:
www.people.com

In some really good celebrity news, Travis Barker has finally been released from the hospital. Barker was badly burned in a plane accident almost a month ago and has been in the hospital getting treatment ever since. The plane crash killed four people and injured Baker's friend, DJ AM. The musician will continue recovering at home where he can be closer to his kids and family.

Another fight has erupted in Hollywood. This time it is between two unlikely people. Jenny McCarthy has called comedian Denis Leary "stupid" for the jokes that he makes about autism in his new book Why We Suck: A Feel-Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid. Not only is Jenny McCarthy lashing out against Leary, but the autism community has joined her. This includes actress Holly Robinson Peete, who, like McCarthy, has a son who has been diagnosed with autism. I definitely think that McCarthy and Peete win on this one, as autism is a serious matter and should not be used in jokes, even if Leary was misunderstood in the book.

Looks like another celebrity baby is on the way. Country singer Brad Paisley and actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley are expecting their second child next April. The baby will join their son, Huck, who was born in February 2007. Kimberly is currently filming her last season on the television show According To Jim, and Brad is set to host the Country Music Association awards in November. After Kimberley's show is over, she will head back to Nashville, where the family lives. This is one celebrity couple that I am really happy for as they seem down-to-earth and not conceited like some celebrity couples. Of course, it could be because they don't run in most celebrity circles and they don't live in Hollywood.

Sources:
www.people.com
www.usmagazine.com