Demi Lovato thanks fans for support during 'darkest time of my life' [Video]

Demi Lovato posted a video Monday thanking fans for their support during her recent stint in a treatment center and saying she is "excited to get back to work."

"I can't tell you how much light you guys brought into my life in probably the darkest time of my life," said the "Sonny With a Chance" star, who looked healthy and happy. "Without you guys, I wouldn't be here today." She said she read every tweet, every trending topic, all the fan mail.

If comments we received at the Ministry were any indication, there was a ton of radiant fan support for the Disney star.

One thing Lovato did not do was get any more specific on what her reps in November described as some "emotional and physical issues" that made it necessary for her "to get her life in order."

She went into treatment in November after abruptly leaving the Jonas Brothers tour in South America; around Christmas, the attorney for backup dancer Alex Welch, whom Lovato allegedly punched while on tour, said that a settlement had been reached between the performers. Though many rumors have swirled, reps have consistently denied any substance-abuse problems and insisted that Lovato's time in an Illinois rehab facility was not to be called "rehab."

"The journey I have been on has been very, very difficult over the past few months," Lovato said in the video, which was taped at her home and promoted last week on the website Cambio. "I was dealing with issues that I know not only girls just my age but of all ages are dealing with."

So she knows, but we still don't -- and we must admit it's killing us just a little bit. However, she hinted that she won't stay mum forever: "I hope to one day raise awareness of everything so that I can help people too, just like you helped me through this rough time," she said.

Lovato returned from treatment at the end of January.

RELATED:

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— Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Demi Lovato was spotted in Santa Monica on Jan. 28. Credit: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Adrian Grenier says leave paparazzi bait Paris Hilton alone

Japan may have bounced Paris Hilton, but she has safe passage with actor Adrian Grenier.

The "Entourage" star premiered his new documentary "Teenage Paparazzo," which heavily features the heiress and entrepreneur in a larger discussion of celebrity culture, in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

"Leave Paris alone, is what I say," Grenier told us. "I don't know the details of her case, but I wish her the best."

Grenier was inspired to make his second documentary after meeting Austin Visschedyk, then a 14-year-old working as a paparazzo in Los Angeles. Home-schooled, snarky and working as late as 3 a.m. chasing the likes of Lindsay Lohan, the boy grabbed Grenier's interest.

"I was coming home one night and I was photographed by this kid and I thought, this paparazzi culture has just -- there's something rotten in Denmark," he said.

'Entourage' creator blasts rumors that Kevin Connolly is difficult as a director

Talk about a tight "Entourage" -- Doug Ellin, creator of HBO's long-running comedy, is speaking out in defense of his actor Kevin Connolly.

It was announced last week that Connolly was stepping behind the camera to direct one of the new season's episodes. Quickly on the heels of that news, a report surfaced online saying Connolly was difficult to work with -- that he'd forced long hours on cast and crew and displayed "extreme perfectionism."

"Ridiculous," Ellin told us on the phone Friday, "absolutely ridiculous. He was as prepared and focused as any director I've had. There's a rat on this set and it's a weird thing. It's got to be somebody with a personal thing against Kevin."

Ellin was so impressed, he's giving Connolly another shot at the director's chair. "I'm going to let him do another one next year."

Rumor had it that Connolly and costar Adrian Grenier had words, but Ellin insists boys will be boys.

"He had a little argument with Adrian, whatever," Ellin said. "Boys have arguments."

Connolly is next slated to direct the feature film, "Adrenaline," currently in pre-production. The seventh season of "Entourage" premieres Sunday.

-- Matt Donnelly

Photo: Kevin Connolly at a 2009 Lakers game. Credit: Getty Images

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At 'Entourage' Season 7 premiere, life imitates art -- witness Adrian Grenier's hair [updated]

If you've thought that life for Vince and the guys on "Entourage" is just an endless stream of parties and meetings with agents and being on set, HBO's Season 7 premiere event Wednesday would have done nothing to dissuade you.

At least about the parties.

The cable network transformed the lawn outside the Paramount Theatre at the Studios at Paramount into a huge nightclub, with black geometric sofas and candlelit tables covered with brown croc as far as the eye could see -- not to mention tempting buffets of Wolfgang Puck's beef strips, tortellini, onion rings and chocolate doughnut holes in peanut sauce. (Click the picture below to launch a gallery of pictures from the red carpet.)

Which brings us to the important question -- how do all those girls at the party in minis and stilettos stay so skinny?

Debi Mazar wore a slinky green snake-patterned L'Wren Scott sheath in one of the first episodes, and the half-full plate in front of her looked like a clue, but we asked her anyway.

"I ate," she said, bursting our illusions. "I have a cooking show about to go on national TV. It's online [at underthetuscangun.com]. I can't tell you more than that. I eat pasta and sweets. My secret is ...

Adrian Grenier is a Gentleman who's doing good. Know any others?

Looking good while doing good is our favorite talent in a leading man, and Adrian Grenier pulls it off perfectly in the June issue of GQ.

The "Entourage" star paired up with Nautica and Oceana to support the cause of overfishing of bluefin tuna, documented by GQ's Gentleman's Fund.

"Hoisting a sign that says 'Save the bluefin tuna' just isn't for him," the mag says of Grenier. Instead, he suited up for a dive off the Pacific Coast and swam with the increasingly endangered species.

"Look, I'm cynical, like we all can be. But as a man, you have to pierce through the cynicism, take responsibility for your choices and find what's important to you," Grenier said.  

"It has less to do with following one particular cause than it does with participation, a willingness to engage."

Do you know a gentleman doing his best to engage? GQ is looking for a few good ones, as part of its Better Men Better World search. 

Nominate someone you think is making a difference here -- prizes include $10,000 donated to a charity of the winner's choice by Movado, a feature in GQ and honors at the Gentleman's Fund Ball in New York City. 

-- Matt Donnelly

Photo: Adrian Grenier suited up for his bluefin tuna dive. Credit: Kurt Iswarienko / GQ 

Read about more leading men and women in magazines, plus dispatches from the charity beat. We're equally handsome and giving on Twitter and Facebook.

Art imitating Rob Weiss: 'Entourage' archetype knows 'How to Make It in America'

Rob Weiss may be a fresh face, but fans of "Entourage" know him well already -- his life experiences have been fodder for essential parts of HBO's zeitgeist Hollywood hit.

Now his upstart years in New York are the focus of the network's new series "How to Make It in America." 

I caught up with the writer-director-executive producer to discuss his on-screen alter egos, his unique break into Hollywood and the shows that echo his real life.

Here are the Rob Weiss essentials:

He's Billy Walsh: Weiss is the inspiration for actor Rhys Corio's popular "Entourage" character, director-on-the-verge Billy Walsh, the man behind the show's smash-flop "Medellin." In real life, Weiss' 1993 festival hit "Amongst Friends" catapulted him to the major leagues, but with no sea legs for showbiz, he was quite the untamed auteur.

"The crazy director part is true. I had a lot of manic episodes in my early 20s," he said. "It's not as bad, but I'm still a perfectionist in a lot of ways."

He's the hustle in 'How to Make It': Brian Greenberg plays a cute-but-tough downtown NYC type, with DNA that's pure Weiss ambition. "The new show, it's the hustle that's most relatable to me. I was always looking to make a buck as a kid," he said. "I had the arts background but I ran with hustlers."

VIDEO: Adrian Grenier on the red carpet at the Golden Globes

So just how excited is "Entourage's" Adrian Grenier to be at the Golden Globes? "On a scale of 1 to 10 -- 12; 14 with the rain."

Filming for the new season starts in March, Grenier reports. "Year 7. Year 7.... I'll be amazed if they keep going when I'm 56."

"Entourage" is up for best television series - comedy.

--Amy Kaufman and Denise Martin