Here are some photos of Madonna out and about in London last night. She had dinner with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian and then they all went to Annabel’s for a party and I guess Madonna gave a private performance. Check out her shoes!!! I know we’re supposed to think that Madonna is bringing back the big-soled shoes that were popular in the 1990s, but those look totally orthopedic to me. Like, she needs a wide, sturdy shoe so she won’t bust her ass again, like she did at the BRIT Awards. Speaking of, Madonna appeared on the Jonathan Ross Show (in an episode to be aired next month) and she talked about her fall at the BRITs.
“I didn’t hurt my butt, I hurt my head,” the Material Girl, 56, said Thursday during a taping of ITV’s The Jonathan Ross Show in Britain, for an episode that will air next month. “I know how to fall. I’ve fallen off my horse many times, and I tucked, and I have good core strength … but the thing is, I had a little bit of a whiplash, and I smacked the back of my head. So, there was a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3 a.m. making sure that I was still compos mentis.”
She said the incident was bruising for another reason, too.
“It was a horrible nightmare, because I like to be amazing,” she said. “Seriously, I rehearse and I rehearse and I rehearse, so that when I do the show it’s effortless and I create magic, and I did the opposite. I actually created a horror show for everyone.”
Some people actually thought it was a stunt, based off the “Living for Love” lyrics, which include lines like, “Took me to heaven and let me fall down … Lifted me up, and watched me stumble.”
“I’m never writing lyrics like that again! The universe was trying to teach me a lesson, I guess,” Madonna joked.
She also described the incident itself in further detail, saying she was thrown off from the very beginning of the number.
“I’m a creature of habit, and I rehearse everything – everything, everything, everything – and I was thrown a wrench at the very beginning of my entrance,” she said. “I was told to tie my cape and start much further back than we had rehearsed.”
She added: “Everybody was worried that my cape was going to slide off because it’s quite heavy, so they tied it really tight around my neck … So here I am marching in like a queen, and I got to the top of the stairs and I pulled my silky string, and it would not come undone. And my two lovely Japanese dancers basically strangled me off the stage. I had a choice: I could either be strangled or fall with the cape, and I fell.”
[From People]
I believe her. I think that’s what happened – she had rehearsed it differently and the cape was tied too tightly. The question I have is: who choreographed this mess? Madonna’s performances at the Grammys and the BRIT Awards have been very, very careful. Even before the fall, she’s been moving like she’s afraid she’s going to hurt herself. Who has been choreographing these complicated routines for her and why does she agree to it?
Incidentally, Madonna talked about ageism in her Rolling Stone interview this week, saying:
“It’s still the one area where you can totally discriminate against somebody, and talk s**t. Because of their age. Only females, though. Not males. No one would dare to say a degrading remark about being black or dare to say a degrading remark on Instagram about someone being gay. But my age – anybody and everybody would say something degrading to me. And I always think to myself, why is that accepted? What’s the difference between that and racism, or any discrimination? They’re judging me by my age. I don’t understand. I’m trying to get my head around it. Because women, generally, when they reach a certain age, have accepted that they’re not allowed to behave a certain way. But I don’t follow the rules. I never did, and I’m not going to start.”
[From RS via Pink News]
Yeah… I mean, I see where she’s going and I sort of agree. But I also think that it’s ageist to expect a 56 year old woman to compete at the same level with the 20-something pop stars of the moment. Is Madonna perfectly capable of being a badass in her 50s? For sure. But seeing her so desperate to appear younger, like one of the kidz, makes me uncomfortable and sorry for her.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
The world hasn’t forgotten about the ongoing Bill Cosby scandal. Almost every week, I spot a fresh set of allegations against the disgraced comedian. Vulture hasn’t wavered with their constantly updated timeline of developments, and this mess isn’t going away. Bill Cosby would love for it to disappear though. He does seem to have gained confidence after Eddie Murphy refused to play him on SNL40. Cosby’s had his fervent supporters all along, and he tried to manipulate the media. None of that changes the reality of the situation.
Cosby is a sexual predator who hides behind his “Hello friend” sweatshirts. This is what Hannibal Burress was getting at with his stand-up routine in the first place. Cosby refused to drop an f-bomb onstage and pushed a ridiculous family image to the public for decades. All along, he was drugging women and doing unspeakable things. Cosby’s still trying to push a G-rated appeal, as a new statement reveals:
As more women come forward with new accusations, disgraced comedian Bill Cosby is continuing to move forward with business as usual, and maintaining his silence on the scandal.
The Cosby Show alum, 77, released a new statement this week ahead of an upcoming comedy show, and chose not to directly address the now more than 30 women who have spoken out about the alleged sexual misconduct on Cosby’s part. Cosby is scheduled to perform a stand-up set in Lafayette, La., on Friday, Feb. 27.
While many of Cosby’s shows have been canceled due to protests and objections over his past, the formerly family-friendly star is still planning to play his show at the Heymann Performing Arts Center, and gave a now-rare statement ahead of the gig.
“Dear Fans: For 53 years you have given me your love, support, respect and trust,” he said in a statement through his PR team, which was obtained by Agence France-Presse. “Thank you! I can’t wait to see your smiling faces and warm your hearts with a wonderful gift – LAUGHTER. I’m ready!”
“I thank you, the theatre staff, the event organizers and the Lafayette Community for your continued support and coming to experience family, fun entertainment,” Cosby continued. “Hey, Hey, Hey — I’m far from finished. Sincerely, Bill Cosby.”
[From Us Weekly]
His attitude is disgusting. It’s even worse that people are still coming out to see his standup act. He cancelled some shows during the biggest wave of allegations, but ultimately, Cosby hasn’t suffered from this scandal in a financial sense. What a shame.
Photos courtesy of WENN
A week ago, Mother Jones published a piece called “Bill O’Reilly Has His Own Brian Williams Problem.” The Brian Williams Problem being “a newscaster is a fantasist and a liar and has openly told lies on camera.” Which, if you have an even passing familiarity with Bill O’Reilly, is the opposite of shocking. The Brian Williams thing was awful because he was a network news anchor, on a network with one of the most expensive and organized news divisions in the world. With O’Reilly, he’s a primetime anchor on a cable news station, Fox News, which might have high ratings but they also have a reputation for telling outright lies on the air.
In any case, I’ve been loosely following the controversy even though I think most people already knew that O’Reilly was full of it. The reason O’Reilly’s history of untruths is being unearthed now is because A) the Williams stuff is making every media figure suspect and B) Bill O’Reilly went after Williams repeatedly as BW’s lies were unearthed. In the past week, various accounts and stories taken directly from O’Reilly’s show and interviews have been called into question. Like, was O’Reilly really on the ground during the Falklands War? Probably not. But he’s repeatedly claimed just that. Mother Jones fact-checks many of O’Reilly’s claims over the years involving all of the times he’s faced down death and riots and war. And most of it is probably… lies and half-truths. Oh, and did O’Reilly lie about witnessing the murder of nuns in El Salavador?
But does it even matter? The Daily Beast did a summary/analysis of the O’Reilly situation, which you can read here. Some people think that O’Reilly should be seen as merely an “entertainer” and not really a journalist, so the standards are different. But one of the big problems is that O’Reilly is going crazy now that his record is being questioned, and he’s attacking anyone trying to fact-check his history. He said – ON THE RECORD – to a NYT reporter this week: “I am coming after you with everything I have. You can take it as a threat.” Damn. Now I’m kind of hoping everyone continues to pile on.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
This is actually the biggest surprise of the week! Prince Harry is leaving the military this year. Harry has served two tours in Afghanistan and it was widely reported that he was committed to rising through the ranks of the British Army as he continued to focus on veterans’ issues and his founding of the Warrior Games. But sources are buzzing that Harry is definitely leaving:
Prince Harry is expected to leave the military later this year, according to Sky sources. The move comes as a surprise as the 30-year-old Prince is a passionate member of the Armed Forces, who appeared to be focused on a long career serving as an Army officer. He served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. An Army spokesperson said: “We would not comment on the future careers of any of our soldiers and officers.”
Kensington Palace would not comment on the news. It said in a statement: “Prince Harry is currently focused on his work supporting the Ministry of Defence’s recovery capability programme to ensure those who are wounded, injured or sick have appropriate recovery plans and the necessary support they require.”
The statement said the current job is “a natural progression from the work he did organising the Invictus Games”.
Sky’s Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said Prince Harry had a “pretty distinguished” career within the Armed Forces.
“This is a natural time for Prince Harry to leave the Army. He could be expected to be promoted from Captain to Major next year, at which point he would undertake a nine-month course at the Staff College in Shrivenham. This sets you up for a long career in the Army. It is therefore a moment when a lot of young officers find themselves at a junction: to stay or leave and pursue something else.”
[From Sky News]
Many believed – as I did – that Harry truly wanted to get his promotion and become Major Wales. But the BBC says Harry is “considering his options” and might want to focus more on his charity work now. He’s been working a desk job in London for the better part of a year, hasn’t he? That was partially by design, because he pulled together the Warrior Games from scratch. Also: his military career is believed to have been putting a major damper on his love life. Not only do prospective wives/girlfriends have to deal with the “prince” thing, but they would also have to deal with being a military wife. It would be more romantic to me if he was giving up his military career for a lady, but as far as we know, he doesn’t even have a girlfriend these days.
These are photos of Prince Harry in Newcastle this week, visiting the Armed Forces and Veterans Launch Pad.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
State of Affairs star Katherine Heigl covers the March issue of InStyle Australia and opens up about family life with husband, musician Josh Kelley, and their daughters Naleigh, 6, and Adalaide, 2.
On whether she’d let her girls act: “My daughter just came home with a project from school; she was asked what she wants to do when she grows up. She said: ‘I want to be a musician like Daddy and act in movies like Mommy.’ I went, ‘We’re so screwed!’ I’m happy to support it when they’re adults but I don’t want to schlep them around to auditions and do all the stuff my mom had to do with me.”
On being candid: “I would be so scared that something I said would be used against me that I would go home after an interview and lie in bed thinking, ‘What did I say that could be taken out of context?’”
On State of Affairs: “Charleston [Heigl’s character] is privy to a CIA secret that only she and one other person know about. You’re going to see the ramifications of that secret and what it means to her relationship with the president and her team.”
For more from Katherine, go to InStyle Australia…
Six years ago, Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady got married in a small, intimate ceremony in Santa Monica. It has become my official policy – based on the overwhelming interest that everyone seems to have in wedding gowns – to publish wedding photos whenever possible. Back in 2009, there were only a few blurry, long-distance photos of Gisele’s Dolce & Gabbana wedding gown. Tom and Gisele did not release any official wedding portrait, nor did they sell their wedding photos to a weekly tabloid or a fashion magazine (although I bet Vogue would have loved to publish those photos).
Starting last year, Gisele began to give us a glimpse of her wedding though. She posted one lovely black & white image (I’m including it below) on her fifth anniversary. And then for this year’s anniversary, she posted another wedding photo. This time, we’re getting a much better look at her dress… and the cake. The cake looks insane, right? How HUGE are those bride & groom figures? And is the cake icing yellow buttercream?
As for the dress… as I said, it’s D&G (according to Celebrity Bride Guide). I don’t know you guys… this looks very shiny and sparkly for a wedding gown. Did she wear a full-on sequined skirt? I mean, obviously, she’s Gisele and she can wear anything. But with all of the access she has (and had then), it just seems like she chose the first light-colored dress she saw. I’m not even sure this is a real wedding gown.
Here last year’s anniversary photo:
And here’s a photo Gisele posted of Tom playing with the kids in the snow this week.
Photos courtesy of Gisele’s social media, Fame/Flynet.
During a Thursday appearance on TODAY, actress Olivia Wilde opened up about her upcoming horror film, The Lazarus Effect, and her 10-month-old son Otis.
“He’s about to walk,” gushed the new mom, 30, of her baby boy. “He’s teetering and I just don’t want him to do it while I’m at work.”
And it sounds like Olivia and her fiancé, SNL alum Jason Sudeikis, have a musical genius on their hands.
“He’s so smart and plays the piano all day long,” she shared. “He’s really musical, so we’re trying to encourage that.”
Speaking of Otis, when the actress was 8-months pregnant with him, she shot scenes for her upcoming horror flick.
“If you look really closely you might be able to tell I’m like a little puffier,” she said of doing re-shoots for The Lazarus Effect. “But it was really funny because the image of me with the lenses and the death makeup with this giant belly. It was like a whole different horror movie.”
She added: “It really was just fun letting all the rage out. I’ve always wanted to play the scary part.”
As for Saturday Night Live‘s recent 40th Anniversary special, the actress was thrilled to help her fiancé celebrate.
“I’ve always loved SNL,” she shared. “I was so proud of the entire SNL family and so proud of Jason. Just to see that they properly celebrated was amazing.”