Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagicThis week eerily served as a microcosm of the bigger picture. You know, the really big picture.
We started off celebrating the arrival of Jessica Simpson's baby and ended it paying tribute to the too-short life of a rock-and-rap star who will forever be in our partying hearts.
Of course, everything that happened in between and registered on the pop-culture radar is here, too, so dig in!
MAXWELL'S HOUSE: Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson greeted the arrival of daughter Maxwell Drew Johnson with joy and, probably in the über-pregnant mama's case, great relief. The delivery went down in a deluxe maternity suite at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, but the amount the couple will probably get from a magazine for baby pics should more than foot the bill.
OVERCOME WITH GLEEMOTION: The red carpet rose up to meet Amber Riley, who fainted during a Glee-appreciation event at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood. The fan favorite later said that she was getting checked out as a precaution but thinks she just got dizzy from all the flash photography. A hazard of being a star, indeed.
RIP MCA: Adam Yauch, a third of the pioneering, genre-bending Beastie Boys, died at 47 after a long battle with throat cancer. He had declared himself disease-free a year ago, but missed this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony due to an undisclosed illness. His role in the group that stayed on the soundtrack for our birthday parties, high school dances, college bashes, work commutes and the times when we just wanted to cut loose will be forever cherished.
K-TOWN: Kim Kardashian stood by her man when his pants started to come down. Afterward, we mean. When she explained that Kanye West, who she's not considering marrying just yet, caught his belt on a hook in the car and didn't mean to give the paparazzi an unexpected scoop. But now Kim has apparently taken to driving Scott Disick's blinding car to deflect attention from herself. And just as Kourtney Kardashian isn't planning a wedding for the cameras in Mexico, Khloé Kardashian Odom and hubby Lamar are taking a break from their show.
IDLED: Despite her superior-to-some talent, Skylar Laine only finished fifth on American Idol. The spunky country girl sensed her elimination was coming, especially now that so many girl voters just found out they had to fight that much harder for Phillip Phillips' affections. But did Jennifer Lopez snub the poor kid?!
VIRAL LIKE THE PLAGUE: It took a lot of people to get Ashton Kutcher in his various costumes to play four different ill-suited suitors—including a rather dark-skinned, thick-accented Indian gentleman—for a Popchips viral-video ad. So, no one saw what was wrong with that? Nobody?
HANDLED WITH CARE: Demi Moore ditched the @mrskutcher for a more apt Twitter handle: @justdemi. And that's just fine.
LAST DAYS: Vanity Fair has delved into Whitney Houston's life and death with its usual unsettling thoroughness...Bobby Brown denies being the one who got Whitney hooked on drugs, saying he never used narcotics (other than pot) before he met her.
JOB WELL DONE: Teen Mom 2's Jenelle Evans gave her breast-enhancement surgery a thumbs-up.
OCTONOT: Now that Nadya "Octomom" Suleman has filed for bankruptcy, she's starting to consider her options.
BABY BOOM: Have Bill and Giuliana Rancic already revealed the sex of their baby?!...Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard welcome their second daughter, Gloria Ray...Robert Downey Jr. showed off pictures of 3-month-old son Exton...Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler are having a boy...Mira Sorvino and hubby Christopher Backus welcomed their fourth, daughter Lucia...No. 4 is on the way for Don Trump Jr. and wife Vanessa...It's a girl for J.R. Martinez and fiancée Diana Gonzalez-Jones...Carson Daly and girlfriend Siri Pinter are expecting child No. 2...Natasha Gregson Wagner and Barry Watson are expecting a child, her first and his third...Marley Shelton and hubby Beau Flynn welcomed daughter Ruby, their second child...Joshua Jackson hung out by the pool with Januaruy Jones and baby Xander...Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean and wife Rochelle Deanna Karadis are expecting their first child.
FOX IN THE HOLE: Megan Fox is fine just sitting and watching the Lakers, but she isn't in a talking-about-her-pregnancy place yet.
WEDDING BELLS: Pretty Wild's Alexis Neiers tied the knot with Evan Haines...Kings of Leon's Jared Followill is engaged to model Martha Patterson...The Biggest Loser's Sam Poueu and Stephanie Anderson got hitched.
UNHITCHING POST: The Bachelor's voice of reason, Chris Harrison, separated from his wife of 18 years, Gwen Jones...The Real Housewives of D.C.'s Mary Amons is getting a divorce.
REHITCHING POST: Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated a happy first year together...Dennis Quaid's wife calls off the divorce...Leann Rimes and Eddie Cibrian renewed their vows.
FASHION FRENZY: Kate Upton nearly lost her bikini while shimmying away to Rej3ctz's "Cat Daddy"...AnnaLynne McCord's goes makeup-free in private (minus the Twitter followers)...Megan Fox is the new face of Sharper Image...Who was best dressed at the White House Correspondents' Dinner?
RECAPVILLE: Grey's Anatomy, Survivor: One World, The Biggest Loser finale, Glee, Dancing With the Stars elimination, The Voice final four reveal, Gossip Girl, Dancing With the Stars performances, The Voice performances, Celebrity Apprentice, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, The Real Housewives of New Jersey and Khloé & Lamar.
SCREEN PLAY: Do you think The Hunger Games scored any MTV Movie Award nominations?...First look at Amanda Seyfried as Linda Lovelace...Tom Cruise is the new Van Helsing...Samuel L. Jackson didn't take the New York Times' less-than-gushing review of The Avengers well—but critic A.O. Scott didn't share in the fury...Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart wrapped their role in the Breaking Dawn: Part 2 reshoots...Enjoy this new Snow White and the Huntsman clip...Jeremy Renner was on hand to see Scarlett Johansson get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame...Fox's unfortunately titled Neighborhood Watch is now The Watch...Was the fourth with you on Star Wars Day?...Watch The Expendables 2 trailer...New The Dark Knight Rises trailer in the wild!...Check out our review of The Avengers!
MUSICAL NOTES: Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend" video, anyone?...Rihanna brought her hard-earned cash to a strip club...So much for asking "Where Have You Been"...Behind the scenes of Maroon 5's "Payphone" video...Watch Jennifer Lopez's "Follow the Leader" video...Check out Willow Smith's "Do It Like Me (Rockstar)" video...Kevin Richardson is rejoining the Backstreet Boys.
LAW & DISORDER: The 911 call made by Jennifer Hudson's sister Julia when she found their mother shot to death was played in court...LInda Evangelista and Salma Hayek's billionaire hubby are facing off in court over child support...Lindsay Lohan off the hook in hit-and-run accusation...Wiz Khalifa notched his second pot-possession bust in two weeks...George Clooney and Julia Roberts filed a lawsuit together...Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner's daughter Courtney was arrested for drug possession...Jennifer Lopez sued by her former driver.
FARWELLS: Junior Seau, USC standout turned NFL superstar died at 43 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. His family has agreed to donate his brain for medical research into the side effects of football-related injuries...Charles "Skip" Pitts, guitarist who played with Isaac Hayes, Al Green and Wilson Pickett and played on the Shaft theme, died at 65 after battling cancer.