Geraldo Rivera is the very definition of low-hanging fruit, but let’s do this anyway. He’s an awful, terribly unpleasant human being. From the days of his talk show featuring skinhead fights to the fateful moment when he revealed troop coordinates live on Fox News, Rivera isn’t anyone you’d trust on any level. He’s someone who shouldn’t be on television, but people keep handing him money to talk.

Geraldo’s currently promoting his run on Celebrity Apprentice. He stopped by HuffPo Live to unleash some random verbal diarrhea. Let’s just say that Geraldo won’t be watching Straight Outta Compton in theaters. He does want to make sure we don’t call him a racist, so he takes great care to mention his “dear friend,” hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. Once Russell gets wind of what Gerry boy said, I don’t think they’ll be friends anymore:

Hip hop “I’m a militant moderate. I borrow from both. For instance, immigration reform, gay marriage, abortion are all things … that’s why I voted for Barack Obama … but … for instance, hip-hop. Hip-hop has done more damage to black and brown people than racism in the last 10 years. When you find the youngster, a Puerto Rican from the South Bronx or black kid from Harlem, who has succeeded in life other than being the one-tenth of one-tenth of one percent that make it in the music business. That’s been a success in life, walking around with his pants around his a** and with visible tattoos.”

Geraldo has a black friend: “I love Russell Simmonss. He’s a dear friend of mine. I admire his business acumen. At some point, those guys have to cop to the fact that by encouraging this distinctive culture that is removed from the mainstream, they have encouraged people to be so different from the mainstream that they can’t participate other than, you know, the racks in the garment center and those entry-level jobs, and I lament it. I really do. I think that it has been very destructive culturally.”

[From HuffPo Live]

Yep, I’m still gonna call Geraldo a racist. He’s namedropping Russell Simmons as a friend and also telling the guy he’s ruining the world by “encouraging this distinctive culture.” The funny thing is this — Geraldo clearly doesn’t realize hip hop’s origins as a creative outlet for voices who found no recognition in the mainstream. Geraldo is relying upon the image pushed by the corporatization of hip hop and one that is readily accepted by the mainstream. He may very well be operating on the basis of a hip hop song he heard in an elevator. He doesn’t even know what he’s criticizing.

Considering what this guy said about Treyvon Martin wearing a hoodie, I’m not surprised at his stance on hip-hop music. STFU, Geraldo.

Photos courtesy of WENN

Dear Gossips,

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

It is the Year of the Goat/Sheep. For some signs, when your year comes around, it’s not a great turn on the cycle. For example, if you’re a Tiger, your worst year is the Year of the Tiger. Because of how Chinese astrology perceives the nat…      

I can’t believe we’re STILL talking about Kanye West’s NYFW Adidas show from last week. But that is (legitimately) the genius of Kanye West: he’s usually the most interesting person in a dull world. Yes, he’s crazy. Yes, he’s a delusional megalomaniac. But still… we’re talking about him. Even people who think he’s a fashion fraud are still talking about him. Take Kelly Cutrone, the famous fashion publicist and judge on ANTM. Cutrone has a hate-on for Kanye and Kim Kardashian. Last year, she told the NYDN that there’s no one “who really works in the fashion industry who gives a flying f— about Kanye West.” She said that Kim and Kanye “have no influence in the fashion world whatsoever.” Cutrone was telling Hard Truths and most of you loved it. Now she’s back with her thoughts on Kanye’s Adidas show:

Kelly Cutrone, founder of fashion public relations firm People’s Revolution, didn’t hold back her opinions when it came to the rapper’s latest collaboration. “I’m not into his fashion thing,” she told PEOPLE Now. “I think he’s fine as a rapper. I think he’s a joke as a fashion designer.”

When asked if she at least liked the shoes in the line, Cutrone answered bluntly, “I mean, it’s not, he’s not legit. Have you seen the product?” she said. “Didn’t he have his own line in London, which was a disaster that he spent $10 million to do, that no one wore?”

The fashion publicist goes on to explain exactly why she thinks the rapper should stay in the music industry and leave the designing to the professionals. “I just think that you should stay focused at what you’re good at. Just because you’re a good rapper doesn’t mean you’re going to be a good fashion designer,” she told PEOPLE. “I mean, we’ve seen that over and over. Sean John is a really successful line, but you know, no one in the fashion industry is waking up and going, ‘Hey did you get that … did you like, trade up your Moncler for your Sean John?’ No. Nobody’s saying that.”

[From People]

Eh. I enjoy some Goop-esque snobbery as much as the next blogger, but I do think Cutrone is being unfair… to Sean John!! Sean John is a huge label and go-to sportswear/lifestyle for a lot of people. Sportswear is a multi-billion dollar industry, and maybe the real snobs should sniff their noses at the stupid couture lines that only get worn by 22-year-old, white, size-2 ingénues who get to borrow it (not buy it). But yeah, Cutrone’s words about Kanye… very interesting.

Incidentally, I mentioned in some of my previous coverage of Kanye’s line that it looked like some of the runway models were wearing bulletproof vests. Turns out, I was right. Kanye designed some kevlar-like vests for the Adidas line. Fashion + social commentary? And he made a toddler-sized one for North too.

Look at my little cutie!!! #DaddysMuse #BabyYeezyBulletProofVest

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Feb 16, 2015 at 9:10pm PST

Photos courtesy of WENN, Kim’s Instagram.

Actress Jennifer Garner covers the March issue of Southern Living and opens up about growing up in West Virginia with her parents Patricia and William, and sisters Melissa and Susannah. She goes on to talk about family life with Ben Affleck and their three kids: Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and Samuel, nearly 3.

On raising her kids with a sense of community: “I feel so fortunate to have grown up in a place where people look out for each other. Community is the one thing people crave most, and it’s hard to come by. I grew up with such an excess of it that now wherever I go, the first thing I do is build my group. It’s really important for my kids to see that everyone doesn’t have the lives they see in Los Angeles. That doesn’t reflect the rest of the world. I want them to grow up with the Southern values I had–to look at people when they say hello and to stop and smell the roses. If I could do half as good a job as my mom did, I’d be pretty happy.”

On being the middle child: “Being the middle sister of these three girls is the relationship that defines me more than anything else. More than being my kids’ mother, more than being my husband’s wife, I’m first and foremost the middle Garner girl.”

On outer beauty: “We are doing this shoot so people can finally stop asking if my lips are real. What my mom did that I valued so much was to not place beauty high on the list of priorities. It was a shock when I got to college to hear people say I was pretty.”

For more from Jennifer, go to Southern Living…

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It still surprises me a little bit that Mo’nique ended up winning the Oscar for Best Support Actress in 2010. She won for her role as the abusive mother in Precious, and while her performance was widely acclaimed, Mo’nique’s Oscar campaign (or lack thereof) left something to be desired. Mo’nique very publicly stated that she would not campaign or do any behind-the-scenes work (attend screenings, shake hands, kiss babies) and that she wanted her performance to speak for itself. That strategy ended up winning her the Oscar, but it also alienated her from much of Hollywood. She was seen as someone unwilling to play the game. She was seen as rude and unwilling to pay her dues. Post-Oscar, Mo’nique hasn’t been doing much. And now, five years later, Mo’nique is talking about how she was blackballed from Hollywood.

Mo’nique claims that she now knows why the offers didn’t star flooding in after her big Oscar win in 2010. The former star of The Parkers, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the title character’s abusive, domineering mother in Precious, writes in an essay in the Feb. 27 issue of The Hollywood Reporter that director-producer Lee Daniels clued her in just a few months ago.

Noting that an Oscar win “normally does” lead to “more respect, choices, money” in the business, Mo’Nique writes, “But I got a phone call from Lee Daniels…And he said to me, ‘Mo’Nique, you’ve been blackballed.’ I said, ‘Why?’ And he said, ‘Because you didn’t play the game.’”

After steamrolling the competition throughout the 2009-10 awards season, Mo’Nique famously didn’t campaign for her Oscar, going on to say in her acceptance speech that she was grateful to the Academy “for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics.”

“I said, ‘Well, what game is that?’” her THR piece continues. “He gave me no response.”

People who would say that she’s “difficult,” “tactless” or “tacky” would “probably be right,” the actress writes. “That’s why I have my beautiful husband because he’s so full of tact. I’m just a girl from Baltimore. But being from that place, you learn not to let anybody take advantage of you.”

Mo’Nique also writes that she was offered the role of Forest Whitaker’s wife in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, a part that ultimately went to Oprah Winfrey; a role in the Daniels-produced Fox hit Empire; and the role of Richard Pryor’s grandmother [also now set to be played by Oprah] in the upcoming biopic Daniels is working on—but, she adds, “they all just went away.”

In response to Mo’Nique, Daniels said in a statement to THR: “Mo’Nique is a creative force to be reckoned with. Her demands through Precious were not always in line with the campaign. This soured her relationship with the Hollywood community. I consider her a friend. I have and will always think of her for parts that we can collaborate on, however the consensus among the creative teams and powers thus far were to go another way with these roles.”

[From E! News]

Do you think what happened to Mo’nique was unfair? Or was she justly labeled a “difficult” personality, not a team player, not worth the effort? I think she does have a chip on her shoulder, still, to this day. But lots of celebrities have difficult personalities – why does Mo’nique get blackballed and the other “difficult” actors get to work? Is it a racial thing? Or is it just an issue with an unpleasant personality mixed with being seen as “not having proved herself yet.” My take: she got in her own way during the 2010 Oscar season and she’s still getting in her own way. While she’s probably being honest in this essay, this isn’t going to win her any fans in the establishment.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Last year, I became obsessed with Prince William’s schemes to avoid the royal work he so loathed. He will literally do anything else besides his princely duties. He’s already spent years barely fulfilling his RAF duties, he’s taken a second gap year, done a “bespoke Cambridge program” and his current scheme involves becoming an air ambulance pilot with the East Anglia Air Service.

We were told last year that William had worked out a particular scheme in which the Air Service would create a position for William (out of thin air) and pay him £40,000, which he would then donate to charity. This position takes a lot of time to prepare for, and William has to complete a long series of exams to fulfill the requirements for the job. Allegedly, that’s what he’s been doing since December. That’s the explanation for why he hasn’t made any public appearances in two months, not even to come out to the BAFTAs (he’s president of BAFTA). But of course, he could still get away for two weeks to Mustique, but nevermind about that. Anyway, the story was that William would begin with the East Anglia Air Service in the spring. Not so much.

Prince William will start flying as an air ambulance pilot in the summer. He has been taking exams in preparation for his new role with East Anglia Air Service. It had already been announced that William would join the service, based at Cambridge Airport, in spring – but now it’s been revealed that he won’t actually be operational until a few months later.

The pilot-Prince will welcome a few months breathing space as he will have to juggle his new job with a second baby. The Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton, is expecting a brother or sister for Prince George in mid-April.

He is expected to donate his £40,000 a year salary to charity. A typical day will involve an eight-hour shift starting at 7am or the follow-on night shift from 4.30pm to 1am. Crews usually deal with five call outs a day but can fly up to ten flights in one shift. The Prince will have four days on followed by four days off. The service operates two helicopters out of Cambridge and Norwich airports which are both within 50 miles of the couple’s new home Anmer Hall.

Aviation consultant Gerry Hermer said:”The Prince’s job will be to react to 999 calls as required by ambulance control. He will be deployed in any emergency medical situation where using a helicopter will be in the best interests of the patient. He is already a qualified professional pilot and the main difference between this and his previous role is there will be less flying over sea and the helicopter will not be equipped with a winch.”

He added: “He will also be dealing with more injured people than he is perhaps used to. In some cases this can be quite distressing but I’m sure he is well equipped to cope with that. Ultimately he will be part of a crew and will sit with them all day so they are likely to become very close.”

[From Hello]

I’ve seen some people mention that William might have to fly with his security personnel, or at least one bodyguard or something like that? How in the world is that going to work? I have no idea. I have to wonder if this scheme really was all William hoped for, or whether this whole thing is turning out to be just as tedious as his “royal work.” And I wonder why the change from spring to summer – is William having problems passing all of his exams? Or did he just decide to take his time with all of his pilot preparations? He can’t be expected to change his holiday schedule, after all.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

When the Brian Williams catastrophe exploded several weeks ago, Brian’s daughter Allison Williams went dark. This is unusual for her, mostly because she’s a young actress on a trendy HBO show and Allison tends to love to be seen and discussed. She’s trying to be a “real actress” and a Fashion Girl. But Allison’s silence could not go on forever. So she came out to some Michael Kors events during NYFW on Tuesday and Wednesday. These are photos from the Kors eyeglasses launch yesterday, and I’m also including some of Allison’s Instagram photos. With the IG pic of Allison and Kate Hudson, Allison wrote “Back at it. Thank you all for the love and support.” But that’s not all! Allison also did a Q&A with Seth Meyers last night and they ended up talking about her dad. Some highlights:

Brian Williams’ suspension: “This has been a really hard time. We have also been very lucky, counting our blessings. We have our health, we have each other. It’s been incredible to experience the outreach from people you love, family, friends, and then people we don’t even know, strangers, just reaching out saying we want him back on TV. It’s been tough, though. Obviously, toughest on my dad, who bears the full burden of responsibility for it, but my mom has been so strong and my brother has been amazing. My dad has always been there for us a 100-percent of the time… so to be here for him is the least we can do.”

She still thinks her dad is trustworthy: “One thing the experience has not done is shake my trust and belief in him as a man. He’s a really good man. He’s an honest man. He’s a truthful man. He has so much integrity. He cares so much about journalism. And yes, he’s a really good dad. I know you can trust him because, as any good daughter does, I’ve tested him on that.”

In 2003, she worried that her dad wouldn’t come back from Iraq in time for a father-daughter dance: “As that date was coming, it didn’t seem like he was going to make it like he had promised. And then a couple days before the dance I was so upset and I got a surprise call from Iraq from my dad and he asked me if I had a date to the dance. So, that’s the kind of man he is and I can’t wait for him to be back on TV and I know many of you guys feel that way.”

Her wedding plans are on hold: “It’s been a very full year. You sort of think, ‘What could possibly come along that would make me not think about this?’ And then I get Peter Pan and I think, ‘Okay, I will think only about Neverland and then we’ll go back to planning our wedding’ and then current events started happening and so that derailed it a little bit, but it has been this really beautiful throughline in our lives. It’s just something we haven’t focused on, but, spoiler alert, we are excited!”

[From Us Weekly & Page Six]

Well, I mean… what’s she going to say? We were in such a rush to hear from Allison, but she didn’t say anything new or controversial. She supports her dad. And she wants to believe that he’s always told the truth. Even when it’s pretty obvious he was (and is?) a liar and a fantasist. I feel sorry for Allison a little bit, but I do think this is funny: “Obviously, toughest on my dad, who bears the full burden of responsibility for it…” She supports her dad but she just wants to stress that: it’s HIS issue. Her dad was awesome when nepotism was helping her career, but now that he’s persona non grata, even Allison wants to stress that it’s HIS issue.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Instagram.

This is one of my favorite parts of the Oscar season, and I love that The Hollywood Reporter keeps doing this. For a few years now, THR sits down with Oscar voters from various branches (actors’ branch, directors’ branch, etc) and records them as they fill out their Oscar ballots. All of it is done under the condition of anonymity – all we know is which branch the voters belong to. THR published their first ballot article yesterday and it’s from a member of the “public relations branch” – likely a publicist working for a studio or a larger agency. These articles are just for unmitigated dirt and gossip about the inner workings of Oscar campaigns and what Oscar voters really REALLY think of nominees. I would suggest reading the full piece here. But here are some highlights:

The voter is tired of hearing about Selma’s “snubs”: “What no one wants to say out loud is that Selma is a well-crafted movie, but there’s no art to it. If the movie had been directed by a 60-year-old white male, I don’t think that people would have been carrying on about it to the level that they were. And as far as the accusations about the Academy being racist? Yes, most members are white males, but they are not the cast of Deliverance — they had to get into the Academy to begin with, so they’re not cretinous, snaggletoothed hillbillies. When a movie about black people is good, members vote for it. But if the movie isn’t that good, am I supposed to vote for it just because it has black people in it? I’ve got to tell you, having the cast show up in T-shirts saying “I can’t breathe”— I thought that stuff was offensive. Did they want to be known for making the best movie of the year or for stirring up sh-t?”

On Birdman: “I never thought that it would make it all the way to the finish line like it has — but then I remember that it’s about a tortured actor, and when you think about who is doing the voting, at SAG and the Academy, it’s a lot of other tortured actors. I just don’t know how much it’s resonating out in the world.”

Voting for The Imitation Game for Best Picture: “On paper, The Imitation Game seemed to be the one to me. It’s a great story, well-crafted, [Benedict Cumberbatch] is really good and it’s been a big success. It’s what you call “prestige filmmaking.” So why isn’t it receiving more recognition? I’d like to believe it’s karma for Harvey [Weinstein]. But I’m going to hold my nose and vote for it anyway because when you vote for best picture, what you should try to do is vote for the movie that, years from now, people will still watch and talk about. ..(1) The Imitation Game; (2) Birdman; (3) American Sniper; (4) Boyhood; (5) The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Vote for Best Director: “I’m voting for Richard Linklater. I think that what he did — as a “thing” — is extraordinary. I’m absolutely comfortable with breaking up picture and director; I wouldn’t know [The Imitation Game’s] Morten Tyldum if I walked into him. I thought all of the others were fine except for one: I could have watched my hair grow during Foxcatcher — it was so slow.”

Vote for Best Actor: “I’m voting for [Birdman’s] Michael Keaton because I love him and for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is he seems like a completely sane person who lives in the middle of the country and works when he wants to work. I’ve loved every interview that he’s done. He seems grateful, not particularly needy, and I don’t know when he’ll ever get another chance at this; the other nominees will. What Keaton had to do was harder than what the others had to do because they had the benefit of playing real people. I mean, Eddie Redmayne did an amazing impression of Stephen Hawking, but Keaton created a character from whole cloth.

Thoughts on Jennifer Aniston: “I’m not sorry that Jennifer Aniston isn’t nominated; she was fine, but I thought her movie [Cake] was ridiculous. …The minute I saw Still Alice, I remember thinking, “This [best actress race] is over. Four other women are going to have to get dressed and go to 5,000 dinners knowing they have no chance.”

Best Supporting Actor: “J.K. Simmons’ performance was in a different league. It’s kind of ironic that he’s in “supporting,” right? I’m voting for him because he was great in the movie — and because he was in 5,000 episodes of Law & Order. In other words, he’s been acting forever, I’ve seen enough of his work to know he is a journeyman, and I’m happy to be able to recognize him.

Best Supporting Actress: “Laura Dern was good, but I didn’t think she was as good as [A Most Violent Year’s] Jessica Chastain. Keira Knightley was fine and got in on the [Imitation Game] ticket. Emma Stone was pretty good [in Birdman], but she can do no wrong — she’s like Meryl Streep, although I wish [the film for which Streep is nominated] Into the Woods stopped after 20 minutes. But I’m voting for Arquette. She gets points for working on a film for 12 years and bonus points for having no work done during the 12 years. If she had had work done during the 12 years, she would not be collecting these statues. It’s a bravery reward. It says, “You’re braver than me. You didn’t touch your face for 12 years. Way to freakin’ go!”

[From THR]

There’s lots of other shade for some more minor players, like this voter strangely despises P.T. Anderson and Edward Snowden equally. The voter also loved The Lego Movie. Did we learn anything new here? Not really – three of the acting categories are completely done and I believe Julianne Moore, Patricia Arquette and JK Simmons should all be practicing their speeches. But I like that at the end of the day, Jennifer Aniston’s CAKE was a joke to some Oscar voters. As for the diatribe about Selma, I think that was really unfair criticism. And I do think Selma was artful or artistic or whatever you want to say – ever since I saw TIG, I can’t believe that Morten Tyldum got nominated over Ava DuVernay.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

It’s Sebastian Zincone!

Trophy Wife star Malin Akerman stepped out with her nearly 2-year-old son at Gelson’s in Los Feliz, Calif. on Sunday (February 15). The pair picked up some quick groceries and enjoyed a snack on the go.

After ten years of marriage, the actress, 36, and Roberto Zincone separated just four months after welcoming Sebastian.

And recently, A-list pal Tom Arnold praised his Sin City Saints co-star, saying that she is “the most inspiring woman” for how she is dealing with the split.

“She’s a single mom. Her deal — and I probably shouldn’t talk about her — but…I have so much respect for her. She is such an amazing woman,” Arnold shared.

Arnold went on to talk about how Akerman continues to support her ex.

“You know, her husband, they’re together 10 years, they have a baby, [and] four months in, he’s like, ‘I’m done,’” he continued. “So she not only pays him alimony to take care of this guy, but I watched her as a mother, and I was like, ‘This is the most inspiring woman. I’m not gonna complain about anything in my life.’ Because she is incredible. She is an inspiration.”

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Kate Hudson covers the March issue of Shape in a pair of camo workout tights. I think she’s promoting her Fabletics clothing line, which offers a subscription service for workout clothes. (I looked into it, and decided it wasn’t for me after reading all the complaints about how hard it is to cancel.) Inside, Kate talks about her personal workout philosophy and how she finds it fun to work different types of exercise into her day. You have to hand it to Kate, she’s always admitted that she works out hard and counts calories, she’s doesn’t just blow smoke about how she “runs after her kids” to get those abs. Here’s some of what she said, with more in the print edition of Shape:

On having to prove herself to her brothers
I’ve always had that girly gene, but I lived with boys. So I’d go out in a party dress looking pretty and come back torn, muddy, and bruised. I was the sister who wanted to keep up. I was that bungee-jumping, rock-climbing kind of girl. My brothers and I would ski the double black diamond. Now that I look back, I can’t believe I did it.

By nature, I’ve always been a ‘dive in the deep end’ person. Literally. My mom says as a kid I used to jump in the deep end the pool without knowing how to swim.

Why she hates dieting
It puts so much pressure on people to lose weight quickly. Getting healthy is not a two-week process, it’s a change of lifestyle.

How shade from a French woman helped her rethink her diet
I was at my favorite French restaurant in Paris … eating everything I love … steak, fries, lots of wine. Then the dessert came, and I was having strawberries and cream pastries plus the wine. [Then,] a svelte, sophisticated woman approached [my] table. She pointed to my glass of wine. ‘This is your piece of cake. That’s how you should be thinking.’ And I always try to remember that: Everything in moderation!

On exercise and being active
I’ve been switching up from the softer stuff, like Pilates and yoga, to more aggressive activities like TRX and boxing. It’s not just about trying to look good physically, it’s important to get oxygen to my brain and feel like my blood is really circulating. I love skiing, walking, hiking and especially riding my bike. It makes me feel like I’m a kid again.

[From Shape via Page Six and Huffington Post]

I agree with her that you feel better when you’re exercising. It’s awesome when you get that high and suddenly feel happy. Exercise improves your whole day. Plus there’s something really wonderful about riding a bike, especially around a city. You feel like everyone else is missing out by walking around like chumps.

The story about that woman in a restaurant telling her not to drink and eat cake too was ridiculous. If some random person tried to tell me not to eat dessert I would have some words for them, I wouldn’t take it as inspiration. Kate has spoken in the past about how she doesn’t believe in diets, but she does count calories. It may sound like she’s arguing over semantics, but diets can be so much more limiting than calories. She’s not telling people to go on juice cleanses or cut out gluten and dairy like so many other celebrities.

Also, last week’s Star has a little blurb about Kate that sounds like it’s true. They claim that she was mistaken for a hostess at a restaurant and she played along by picking up menus and leading the guests to a table. The real hostess stopped her in time and “Kate was laughing her tail off.” It sounds just like her.

Kate is shown yesterday at a Michael Kors eyewear event credit: WENN.com and she’s also shown on 2-6 at a Fabletics photoshoot, credit: Pacific Coast News. Photos from Shape Magazine via Huffington Post