The Daily Mail was on this story first after going through the Sony archive through Wikileaks. What an incredible trove of gossip this hack has been.

So Ben Affleck was profiled on PBS’s Finding Your Roots last year, hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. During the research process, they found that…      

And here’s the full trailer for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which leaked like crazy for days until Zach Snyder finally released it officially. [Buzzfeed]
Bobby Brown says Bobbi Kristina is awake. [Dlisted]
Game of Thrones recap: so much Arya! [LaineyGossip]
I actually liked last night’s Mad Men. [Pajiba]
Kyle Richards keeps talking about her sister. [Reality Tea]
Woman breaks steak-eating world record. [Starcasm]
Ricky Martin is still around, still touring. [A Socialite Life]
The sexiest social media photos of the past week. [Celebslam]
Royal round-up – the Queen looks awesome. [Go Fug Yourself]
Selena Gomez returns from a Mexican holiday. [Moe Jackson]
Demi Moore is selling her NYC apartment for $75 million. [Wonderwall]
Olivia Wilde is made of sparkles. [Popoholic]
A$AP Rocky gets messy over a bagel. [The Blemish]

If I’m being completely honest, I don’t mind that Kim Kardashian gets invited to “legitimate” events. She’ll show up to the opening of an envelope, and her red carpet style has gotten progressively worse through the years, so she’s always fun to discuss from a styling/fashion perspective. But even I – a partial Kardashian Apologist – have grown increasingly disturbed by the increased legitimization of Kim Kardashian. There was no reason for her to be included on Time Magazine’s most influential list. And there was no reason for Kim to be named one of the “Inspiration Impact” honorees at Variety’s “Power of Women: New York” event. Seriously, that happened.

The five acclaimed honorees at Variety’s ­upcoming “Power of Women: New York” have among them Oscars, Tonys, Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, a Grammy — and one sex tape. Eyebrows were raised when reality star Kim Kardashian was added to a lineup of “Inspiration Impact honorees” led by Glenn Close, Rachel Weisz, Lena Dunham and Whoopi Goldberg.

Some of the honorees’ reps were shocked that, after confirming their cultivated clients for the event to “recognize the extraordinary achievements and leadership of women in entertainment,” they learned their stars would share the stage with Kardashian.

“Everyone had their own version of, ‘Huh ?’?” said one insider after Kardashian was added to the roster “at the 11th hour.” “None of the honorees knew about Kim” when they agreed to accept the award, the source said, and “every single person had a hard time with it. No one knew about Kim until very recently, and everyone thought, ‘This isn’t what I signed up for. The company we keep is important.’?”

Another source close to one honoree explained: “People were surprised Kim was selected, considering the event is for a ‘New York power issue.’ Kim’s not a New Yorker.”

But a different source insisted that it was only one star’s representative who had any issue with Kardashian’s involvement, and that their client had no problem with the choice. And Goldberg’s rep told us, “Whoopi has no issues with Kim being involved with the event.” But despite any behind-the-scenes drama, a source pointed out all the stars will be in attendance, and “at the end of the day all their charities are getting money — they’re showing up for a good cause.” A Variety rep didn’t comment.

[From Page Six]

Whoopi Goldberg was the one complaining about Kim initially? Out of that group, I would have said… Rachel Weisz or Glenn Close, not because Glenn and Rachel are known for being mean (they are not) but because their star power would be the most diminished by being grouped with Kim Kardashian. I’m sort of surprised Variety is holding fast to their position too – I wonder if there was some money changing hands? Like, “I’ll donate this amount of money to this cause if you give me an award”?

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

My Obsession is travelling. The Avengers: Age Of Ultron UK premiere is tomorrow at Westfield. I’m in London right now. This is not on the agenda for Tuesday night though. Am planning on touring Windsor Castle instead, then staying home with Lorella because she hasn’t seen the first movie and we c…      

As we discussed on Friday, the Sony Hack has gotten a new lease on life because Julian Assange has put the entire cache of documents into a searchable database on Wikileaks. Sony still isn’t happy about it, and their lawyers are advising people not to wallow in the information revealed in the hack. While the juiciest bits came out last December – and everyone covered it then – there are some newly discovered smaller gems of information worth some coverage. Like, Benedict Cumberbatch actually has a small part in the Sony Hack too! Huzzah. Apparently, Benedict met with Amy Pascal in January 2014 for what seems to be a general getting-to-know-you meeting about various future projects including Angelina Jolie’s Cleopatra project. Then Benedict’s agent contacted Pascal later on, raving that Benedict adored Pascal and that he would love to play David Bowie in the long-gestating Freddie Mercury bio-pic.

Pascal met with Benedict Cumberbatch in January 2014. A follow-up email from Tracey Jacobs, a partner at the United Talent Agency and co-head of its talent department, has the same found-poetry style that makes so many of the hacked emails such a bizarrely entertaining read:

Benedict loved you.
Hed be right for cleopatra and god knows what else. He mentioned something about bowie.
He loved you. And you? Xo

That would presumably be the same Cleopatra, starring Angelina Jolie, that was at the center of one of the more memorable exchanges of the Sony leak. While Pascal and producer Scott Rudin’s thoughts on that project are well known, Cumberbatch wanting in on the Mercury film is news.

Pascal then passed on the news in an email to Graham King, a producer of several Martin Scorsese films, including Gangs of New York and The Departed, as well as Argo and World War Z. She memorably refers to Cumberbatch as “cum batch,” an abbreviation that manages to be funnier than anything this parody name generator could come up with:

Benedict cum batch wants to play bowie

Graham’s response was… less than enthused. In fact, he seems to assume that Pascal hasn’t even read the script, penned by The Queen and Frost/Nixon writer Peter Morgan! Burn!:

He’s not a character in script.
Let’s talk after you’ve had a chance to read it.

[From Flavorwire]

Pascal then did read the script and sent an ALL-CAPS message with her thoughts on the project, temporarily forgetting about Benedict as David Bowie. But she still wanted Bowie in the script – her favorite song EVER (apparently) is Mercury and Bowie’s “Under Pressure.” I guess if Pascal was going to produce a Freddie Mercury bio-pic, she was going to make sure Bowie was in it come hell or high water.

As for Benedict wanting to play Bowie, even if it was just an extended cameo situation… honestly, I could see it. I’m not saying Cumby’s Bowie would be the best thing ever, but I could see it. For real. But Benedict in Cleopatra? Who would he play? MARC ANTONY?!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot is flying under the radar, as far as superhero movies go. This one has the least amount of hype and pre-release attention focused on it, and I can’t help but think that’s a good thing: With expectations low, even a mediocre result will feel like a win. But it actually …      

These are photos of Amber Heard at the London premiere of When I Live My Life Over Again. The title sounds pretty existential. This is actually an FSU student film where Amber plays a punk rock singer (even though she says she can’t sing) alongside Christopher Walken. Amber’s wearing a Temperley London dress, which is covered in bronze sequins. I preferred her version of this look last week with a dress from The Row.

Page Six has a new story about Amber’s happy fun time in New York. They say she’s hanging out with photographer Io Tillet Wright, and Johnny Depp has a problem with it. Wright identifies as a bisexual woman. She’s also a former child actor who pretended to be a boy for 8 years. Wright is an LGBT activist, and Page Six says Amber’s close friendship with Wright is causing “problems” for the bisexual new bride and her husband.

Eh. I think Johnny and Amber have plenty of problems, and Amber’s friendship (or flingship) with a female photog would be the least of their troubles. They could have an “open” marriage too, who knows. But yes, warning signs aplenty. They’ve only been married since February, yet I wasn’t surprised to hear that they could be on the rocks already. I’m including some of Wright’s recent Instagram photos. The captions could be considered suggestive or simply poetic. Page Six made a big deal about how Amber’s staying at the Bowery Hotel, and Wright posted a photo of a rumpled Bowery bed. Yet the famous Bowery teddy bear is still in place, so I don’t know.

Meanwhile, nobody knows where Johnny is right now. He’s not in New York with Amber. He’s not hiding with Marilyn Manson (who is in Tulsa, working on a film and visiting Skateland with his child co-star). He’s certainly not where he’s supposed to be, in Australia shooting Pirates 5. Johnny did have surgery on his hand after a go-carting accident. He was supposed to be back on set by late March. Something went wrong, and producers agreed to wait until today (according to Sydney Confidential). Then Johnny didn’t make his Friday flight. The movie’s publicist (Michael Singer) says everything is fine, and there’s no cause for alarm. He “assumes” Johnny is still recuperating.

Here are those semi-suggestive Instagram shots of Amber and Wright.

I am so proud of my dear friend Amber Heard, for her performances, for defying stereotype, and for being a strong, out bisexual woman in a world that wants her to pick a team. It’s a big week for this birthday girl, and I’m so grateful to call her my family. ????

A photo posted by iO Tillett Wright (@iolovesyou) on Apr 17, 2015 at 7:45am PDT

Through the keyhole of a room. The past and the future on either side you can’t see, a little slice of time for us to attach our fantasy narratives to.

A photo posted by iO Tillett Wright (@iolovesyou) on Apr 14, 2015 at 7:52am PDT

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN

Blake Lively at The Age Of Adaline New York premiere last night. She posed on the carpet with the Khaleesi’s boyfriend, Michiel Huisman in a red Monique Lhuillier with a leather wraparound and a feathered skirt. ENOUGH WITH THE FEATHERED SKIRTS. Ryan Reynolds was back in Vancouver working on Dead…      

View image | gettyimages.com

Here are some assorted photos of Taylor Swift from this weekend. She was in NYC for much of the weekend (getting pap’d solo), but she flew down to Texas for the ACMs last night, to pick up her Milestone Award. Her mother was the one who presented the award to her, and this came just a week after her mom was diagnosed with cancer. It was sad and emotional for Swifty – you can read more about it here. Swifty’s ACM gown was Reem Acra. It’s pretty.

Now, to lighten the mood a little bit, Bedhead sent me this hilarious story about Swifty’s latest boyfriend, Calvin Harris. Allegedly – and the original source for this is a terrible UK tabloid – Calvin Harris has some kind of cat dander allergy. THIS IS AMAZING.

Calvin Harris is allergic to Taylor Swift’s cats. The Scottish DJ has struck up a romance with the ‘Blank Space’ hitmaker but her insistence on letting her beloved furry felines Olivia Benson and Meredith Grey share her bed has caused him a problem.

A source said: ”When he stayed over at Taylor’s LA house last week, Calvin says he was up all night blowing his nose and complaining he couldn’t breathe. Apparently he’s allergic to the long fluffy hair on Taylor’s cats and they usually sleep in the bed so it’s everywhere.”

Taylor’s devotion to her kitties has caused some ”tension” as Calvin is now reluctant to visit her at home.

The source added to heat magazine: ”He left really early the next morning – I think it’s caused a bit of tension because now Calvin wants to meet up in hotel rooms or at his place in LA, but not at Taylor’s house.”

[From MSN]

I grew up with cats and I was always pretty good with them, but it wasn’t until I went away to college that I realized I had just built up a cat dander tolerance. Nowadays, I can’t really be around long-haired cats (like my mom’s Maine Coon) because my eyes go red and puff up and I start itching and sneezing all over the place. I’m pretty good with short-haired cats though, so maybe my cat dander allergy isn’t SO bad. Both of Taylor’s kitties are short-haired Scottish folds, so Calvin must have a pretty serious cat dander allergy if Olivia and Meredith are making him sick. Poor Swifty! And poor Calvin. Meredith and Olivia are probably happy though. They don’t want to share their mom with some terrible Scotsman. Olivia and Meredith are the co-presidents of Swifty’s “I Hate Boys” Club.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, Getty.

As you’ve probably heard, Kim Richards of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was arrested at the Beverly Hills Hotel early last Thursday for being drunk and disorderly. Richards hid in the bathroom from the police and resisted arrest, cursing out the officers who came to detain her. Once she made it to the station, she remained belligerent and uncooperative and kicked an officer. As a result she was charged with public intoxication, trespassing, resisting an officer and battery on a police officer. She was released from custody about eight hours later.

Richards has of course had one stint in rehab, not her first, during her history on RHOBH. She was last in rehab in early 2012. Now sources tell TMZ that producers are considering axing her from the show. Apparently her history and arrest record make her an insurance liability. They’re also urging her to go to rehab again to deal with her serious addiction issues.

Sources close to production tell us producers feel Kim’s substance abuse issues make her a liability. There are insurance issues with the show, and serious concerns that if something happens to Kim, Bravo could be on the hook for keeping her on such a contentious, demanding show.

We’re told a decision has not been made, but the alarm has been sounded and there’s serious discussion about giving Kim the ax.

Here’s where there’s a split. Some production sources says Kim’s substance abuse problem has been in full bloom all season. Several members of the cast and crew say they’ve watched Kim present a public picture of sobriety, but when the cameras are off she goes off the rails.

But other production sources tell us Kim actually did better this season in the sobriety department than she’s done in years. They also think it’s hypocritical for producers to turn their back on Kim now … they say if she was such a problem she shouldn’t have been exploited all year.

The show still has a few months before production starts back up again, so producers have some time to make their final decision.

[From TMZ]

Kim is a mess, but that makes for good television and RHOBH is all about trainwrecks, fights and wasted rich women. If they do cut her, it will be due to high insurance or the fact that she’s uninsurable, I think.

Also, TMZ has a few related articles worth mentioning. They ran a story after Kim’s arrest claiming that multiple stressors in her life led her to drink: like her ex husband suffering from cancer (she’s caring for him, apparently), her son being hospitalized, lack of money and planning her daughter’s wedding. I’ve no doubt that she may have a lot of stress in her life, but to an addict, any reason will do. She can’t drink or abuse prescription drugs period and this article comes across as a laundry list of excuses.

TMZ has a follow up claiming that some people working on RHOBH believe that Kim’s addiction issues were obvious while others thought she was doing fine. Isn’t that how it usually goes with an addict?

In light of Kim’s arrest, everyone is running this clip from RHOBH of Lisa Rinna and Eileen Davidson confronting Kim in Amsterdam about her sobriety. Kim turns it around and insinuates that Lisa’s husband, Harry Hamlin, is cheating. She also accuses Kyle of not having her back. (My favorite part is when Kim says that Brandi defends her more than Kyle and Brandi responds by taking a huge swig of wine.) Lisa freaks out at Kim’s accusations and throws wine at Kim and then smashes the glass on the table. Yeah, I really think Kim needs to be off RHOBH. She is a total drunken mess and she has all the hallmarks of an addict.

photo credit: Bravo