Posts Tagged ‘alexa ray joel’

Billy Joel’s Daughter Talks About His Separation

June 17th, 2009

Following the revelation Wednesday afternoon that Billy Joel and his wife Katie Lee Joel had decided to end their marriage, the music legend’s ex-wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley and his daughter Alexa Ray Joel, are talking about the sad news.

“He was the first person that told me," Alexa told OK! on Wednesday night at the sixth annual Wayuu Taya Foundation Gala sponsored by Double Cross Vodka. "Being who he is, he can’t just trust everybody and you know, I like knowing that my dad can talk to me in the same way that I come to him… I’m just supporting him right now.

Alexa also admits she wasn’t surprised when her father told her the news. "I have a pretty good women’s intuition so I could tell," she explained. "I know my dad very well. So I’m behind him, you know."

So with her parents’ marriage — as well as both her mother and father’s subsequent marriages — having ended in divorce, is Alexa turned off by the idea of saying "I do"?

“I’m a real woman. I would love to get married," she told OK!. "I don’t necessarily think you need to get the government involved in order to celebrate your love. You can have a wedding, and have it be big and fabulous and not necessarily complicate it with the papers and all that. In what I’ve seen — sure I have a different perspective on marriage and all of that. But I’m a true romantic and I will be having a wedding,[laughs] At one point, not now!"

Meanwhile, Alexa’s mom Christie tells Extra, “I’m very sad that this has happened and I wish them both happiness… he’s a wonderful father to Alexa. We’ve remained friends. We’ve been friends for many, many years, so obviously I’m very sad that this has happened and I wish them both happiness."

Reporting by Tanzy Alfred

Marriage Not Completely Ruled Out for Christie Brinkley

July 15th, 2008

After a grueling trial that resulted in a settlement with estranged husband Peter Cook, four-times married Christie Brinkley vowed never to walk down the aisle again.

“Getting married again would not be an intelligent thing to do," she said, but friends of the "Uptown Girl" feel differently.

“Like every woman who’s had her heart broken, right now she thinks she will be single for the rest of her life, but she also said that after her divorce from Billy Joel!" the pal tells OK!.

While on the stand, Christie — whom a court shrink says has men issues and needs therapy — announced that she was currently single and wouldn’t dare think to bring a new man into the lives of her children, Jack, 13, and Sailor, 10, during this time.

But, “when she least expects it, she will find someone special who deserves to be with her," the friend believes.

And who might that lucky man be? “She doesn’t have a physical type, but her next man must adore her kids as much as they adore her.”

Christie Hired P.I. to Follow Ex

July 10th, 2008

Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook’s abrupt settlement after days of acrimonious he-said-he-said was the result of damaging evidence gathered against Peter by private investigators.

P.I. twins Ty and Stephen Dux were hired by Christie last year to tail her estranged husband, and the two accumulated footage that most definitely would’ve swayed the case Christie’s way, causing Peter to halt the trial.

"It’s not of sexual nature. More information that would have been damaging to him [Cook] with his relationship to his children and possibly his community," Ty tells Extra. "Some of his actions might have been a little reckless with his kids that could have caused them some harm. Some of it could be considered illegal. But not to the fact that it’s criminal."

Court shrink Dr. Stephen Herman, who labeled Peter as a narcissist with sexual issues, testified on Tuesday that the architect showed "poor judgment" when it came to parenting and his fling with Diana Bianchi caused "irreparable harm" to his children with Christie, Jack, 13, and Sailor, 10.

"They [video tapes] were going to be introduced as evidence," Ty says. "I believe he [Cook] had enough already."

The twins aren’t allowed to release any more information of the content of the videos, but Ty admits it’s probably not needed as Peter is "ruined already." Still, the 49-year-old, who received parenting time in the settlement, "needs some type of relationship with his kids. He’s going to be with them. He’s the father."

As for Christie, who won sole custody of Jack and Sailor and all 18 of their real estate properties, Ty says, "She’s a truthful person. Sincere mom. She’s the queen of the Hamptons."

Christie Brinkley, Peter Cook Reach Settlement

July 10th, 2008

Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook have reached a divorce settlement, putting an end to a weeklong contentious trial.

The supermodel was granted sole custody of their children, Jack, 13, and Sailor, 10, while Peter, 49, will receive parenting time, a rep confirms to OK!. Christie also received ownership of all real estate properties and must pay her ex $2.1 million.

"I was here fighting for custody and I think a mother’s greatest fear is someone trying to take her children, trying to get custody of her children, and that’s what I was up against. [The settlement] is all I could every want," Christie said outside the Long Island courtroom.

Peter was much more succinct, saying, "I didn’t think we’d be here today."

The couple split in 2006 after the 54-year-old bombshell learned of her husband’s affair with his then-18-year-old assistant, Diana Bianchi, who is pleased that the whole ordeal is over, according to her attorney.

"The settlement should put an end to this chapter in all of their lives and Diana is looking forward to moving on and putting this all behind her," Diana’s lawer says in a statement to The Insider. "This has been a media frenzy and put her in the spotlight and she is looking forward to regaining her private life again. She is all grown up and becoming a woman and looks forward to embracing her future."

For more on Christie’s trial, tune in to The Insider tonight!

Shrink: Christie Brinkley’s Hubby Is Self-Absorbed

July 8th, 2008

Peter Cook is a narcissist with sexual issues and Christie Brinkley needs therapy, a psychiatrist testified Tuesday during the estranged duo’s bitter divorce trial.

Dr. Stephen Herman, a court-appointed shrink, examined the couple and their children, Jack, 13, and Sailor, 10, and has determined the supermodel ought to have primary custody due to Peter’s egotism and sexual compulsions.

"Where most people need some quiet ‘feeding’ with their egos, Mr. Cook has an insatiable appetite," he wrote in a report. "He needs constant reassurance that he is a terrific guy, handsome, accomplished, etc."

That’s only the tip of the iceberg. The architect’s sexual trysts — he’s had 35 sexual partners in his 49-year lifetime — show "poor judgment" and his "impulsive, self-destructive, possibly compulsive" fling with Diana Bianchi caused "irreparable harm" to Jack and Sailor.

Because of this, giving Peter joint custody is "not a viable option," Dr. Herman says.

That’s good news for Christie. Not good news though was Dr. Herman’s assessment of her. The doc recommended therapy for the four-time married Christie to work through her men issues.

"She needs to start working on therapy issues relating to her parenting…maybe her choice of male figures with whom to get involved…certain motivations that she had herself that can get her into trouble," he said.

And while he notes that the 54-year-old blonde’s anger is "understandable," Dr. Herman adds it’s necessary for Christie to move on and accept the fact that Peter is still the father of her children.

"It would be important for the sake of the children that Miss Brinkley let go of this," he said.

Christie Brinkley: Split Was a “Nightmare”

July 7th, 2008

Taking the stand Monday again in her acrimonious divorce trial, Christie Brinkley recalled the "nightmare" she had to endure after she learned of her husband Peter Cook’s affair with a then-18-year-old.

Not only was her 10-year marriage over, but so was the supermodel’s picture-perfect lifestyle.

”That’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted,” Christie said on the stand. ”That’s the most important thing — to have a big, happy family.”

The repercussions of the affair meant breaking the news to their children, Jack, 13, and Sailor, 10, for whom they are arguing custody. Christie kept the news flash brief and and succinct, she said, telling them ‘I think daddy has fallen out of love with me," adding that they would always be ”very, very loved.”

The break-up wasn’t as simple as that, of course. Peter, an architect, carried on a relationship with his assistant Diana Bianchi on the side, even paying her off and putting a down payment on a car. In addition to that, the 49-year-old splashed out thousands on Internet porn.

Since the split, Christie’s main focus has been on Jack and Sailor, whom she spirited away for a camping trip, outside of the media’s probing eye, when the news broke. The 54-year-old, who has a daughter, Alexa Ray, 22, with Billy Joel, adds that she has absolutely no interest in dating.

”I think the kids have been through a lot of changes,” she said. ”… I just don’t think this is the time for that.”

COUNTDOWN: Age Ain’t Nothin’ but a Number

November 1st, 2007

News of cyclist Lance Armstrong’s late-night canoodling with mega-twin Ashley Olsen may come as a surprise to some who find the 15-year age difference — he’s a fit 36 and she’s a wee 21 — a surprise. But, in Hollywood, pairings between “dirty old men” and bright young ingenues is nothing new.

A nubile young ladyfriend or wife is par for the course among Tinseltown’s silver foxes (“I’ll take one Beverly Hills mansion, a garage full of fast cars and succession of younger and younger trophy wives, please!”). Just look at Michael Douglas — who settled down with Welsh beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones, 24 years his junior, or Tom Cruise, whose first wife Mimi Rogers had five years on him, but who has gone 16 years the other way with wife #3, Katie Holmes.

But while Lance may simply be following a well-worn path of May-December romances, there are also plenty of Hollywood ladies who are choosing to marry mates 10 or 15 years younger. Courteney Cox, Demi Moore and Madonna all married men significantly younger than them. Heck, even Lance’s most recent high-profile relationship was with Sheryl Crow — a woman nine years his senior.

Keeping all that in mind, here’s OK!’s countdown of Hollywood’s most-intriguing age-defying romances:

(CLICK HERE TO SEE ENTIRE GALLERY)

8. Courteney Cox & David Arquette: On paper, she’s only eight years older than spastic hubby David, but she often seems more like his mother than his wife. Cool Courteney often plays straight man to her wacky husband’s childish ways .

7. Susan Sarandon & Tim Robbins: Dammit, Susan, you’re 12 years older than your beau of almost 20 years — the pair have never married, despite having two children together! — whom she met while seducing him onscreen in Bull Durham.

6. Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes: As a girl, the former Dawson’s Creek starlet had a poster of her future hubby up on her bedroom wall. Now she shares a bedroom with him. Some say “awwww…” Other say “ick!”

5. Madonna & Guy Ritchie: The Kaballah mama is 10 years older — and tons more famous — than her filmmaker husband, who directed wifey in the 2002 stinker Swept Away, which did just that to both of their movie careers.

4. Billy & Katie Lee Joel: Former Top Chef host Katie Lee was 24 — only five years older than her new stepdaughter, Alexa Ray — when she married the piano man, who is 25 years her senior.

3. Woody Allen & Soon Yi-Previn: Sure, these two have 35 years separating them — but that’s the least of their problems. The legendary director met his future bride while in a 12-year relationship with her adoptive mom, Mia Farrow! Daddy issues anyone?

2. Halle Berry & Gabriel Aubrey: The Oscar-winner’s soon-to-be-baby-daddy is nine years younger than she is. Good thing — he’ll need his youthful energy to keep up with their new tot.

1. Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher: The Punk’d dude isn’t just 15 years younger than his bride — he’s actually closer in age to two of her three daughters! Well hello, daddy!

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