Dear Gossips,

Time to talk about the Tiger. My ma, the Chinese Squawking Chicken, was born in the Year of the Tiger. As you know, the Year of the Goat/Sheep is underway. The Goat/Sheep comes before the Monkey. And the Monkey is the Tiger’s antagonist. So while this year won’t be s…      

Warning: spoilers for the latest episode of The Walking Dead, which aired Sunday, follow
Just when you thought that The Walking Dead had killed off their last major character for the time being, they came in with a doozy on their mid-season return. I’m grateful that I was able to watch this show during the day, because it was incredibly hard to take. I had nightmares about it last night.

I’m not going to do a full recap of episode 509, What Happened and What’s Going On, I’m assuming you’ve seen it already. There’s an excellent recap on i09 if you’re interested.

The episode was a departure from what we’re used to seeing. It was full of bizarre scenes and dream sequences and kept teasing a burial, which I assumed was Beth. The burial was in fact of fan favorite character Tyreese (Chad Coleman), who was bitten by a walker and succumbed. Much of the second half of the show was taken up by Tyreese’s fever dreams. Tyreese hallucinated that there were other departed characters in the room, like The Governor telling him he had a debt to pay, that douche Martin warning him that he was weak, and Beth, Mika, Lizzie and Bob telling him that it was ok to let go and go to the other side. Just remembering the episode has put a pit in my stomach again.

This was a powerful episode and while Tyreese’s death makes some sense in the scheme of the plot (he was too sensitive, he was conflicted) it still feels so manipulative. I wish they would have killed off Eugene, Abraham or the sneaky preacher, but of course no one would have cared about any of those people.

There’s been criticism that Walking Dead is killing off too many black characters. Remember that poor first guy, T-Dog? T-Dog was a cardboard cutout of a character, and WD has worked to diversify following criticism of how they handled T-Dog’s death. Other black characters who have died include of course Bob, and at least one secondary death, Oscar (killed after Tyreese was introduced). So now that Noah has been introduced it seems a little suspicious that Tyreese was just killed off.

Walking Dead executive producer Gale Anne Hurd addressed the criticism that the show is quick to kill black characters. She said that they don’t discriminate when it comes to who lives and dies.

“Look, this is something in this world that we should be cognizant about, so my feeling is: Sure, let’s get it out there, let’s talk about it,” Hurd told me. “We’ve killed a lot more white characters than African-American characters. And not only that, I think it’s important to point out that we did cast two African-American actors in roles that were not African-American. In the comic books, Bob was white. And the character of Noah was not an African-American. We just cast the best actor.”

Hurd wouldn’t comment on any new actors coming on board, but pointed out that, “Noah is still alive and so is Seth Gilliam, playing Father Gabriel. And obviously both Sasha and Michonne. And let’s not forget the character of Glenn has been on the show since the very beginning.”

[From E! Online]

It’s worth nothing that Tyreese was also killed off in the comics, and earlier than he was here, so that surely factored into the decision to let him go. However, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) is a character that never even existed in the comics and he’s still around. I was starting to warm to Tyreese to the point where I considered him on par with Daryl. I was as upset by Tyreese’s death as I would be by Daryl’s death, and Daryl isn’t even in the comics.

Cinema Blend has an interesting take on the Tyreese/Daryl dynamic. They claim that Daryl’s existence could have necessitated Tyreese’s death, because they have the same place in the hierarchy with Rick.

On Talking Dead, Coleman seemed touched by all the fans upset over Tyreese’s death. He said that Andrew Lincoln called him after taping wrapped to congratulate him on his acting and let him know that he’d miss him. Talking Dead also had on WD director Greg Nicotera, who explained this arty episode as similar to a Terrence Malick film. I just found it sad and pointless and I’m questioning whether I want to keep watching the show. You can see a bonus clip from Talking Dead here. Chad Coleman sings at about 2:30 and it’s glorious. I hope he gets another reoccurring role on a major TV series soon. He’s an incredible actor.

As we kept discussing during our Grammy coverage – because it was literally the most interesting thing about the Grammys – Kanye West threw some major shade at Beck. Beck won Album of the Year for his album Morning Phase and that meant Beck beat out Beyonce’s self-titled album. Kanye “jokingly” jumped on stage with Beck, like he was going to pull an “Imma let you finish” but ‘Ye laughed and went back to his seat. But it wasn’t over. On the E! post-Grammy show, Kanye spoke about how Beyonce should have won and Beck should have given her the Grammy, saying in part:

“I don’t know what he said, all I know is if the Grammys want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us. We ain’t gonna play with them no more. ‘Flawless,’ Beyoncé video. Beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to Beyoncé, and at this point, we tired of it… Because what happens is, when you keep on diminishing art and not respecting the craft and smacking people in the face after they deliver monumental feats of music, you’re disrespectful to inspiration and we as musicians have to inspire people who go to work every day and they listen to that Beyoncé album and they feel like it takes them to another place…Then they do this whole promotional event, they’ll run the music over somebody’s speech, the artist, because they want commercial advertising. Like, no, we not playing with them no more. By the way, I got my wife, my daughter and my clothing line, so I’m not going to do nothing to put my daughter at risk but I am here to fight for creativity. That’s the reason why I didn’t say anything tonight. But you all know what it meant when ‘Ye walks on the stage.”

[From E! News]

Beck handled the whole situation with a surprising amount of grace, discussing how much he loves Beyonce and Kanye, and even calling Kanye a “genius.” Just my opinion: Kanye already looked like a crashing bore and Beck came out of the night looking gracious and kind. But Shirley Manson – best known perhaps as the frontwoman of Garbage and one of the best frontwomen to come out of the 1990s music scene – decided to chime in on the whole situation. She wrote on Facebook:

Dear Kanye West

It is YOU who is so busy disrespecting artistry.

You disrespect your own remarkable talents and more importantly you disrespect the talent, hard work and tenacity of all artists when you go so rudely and savagely after such an accomplished and humble artist like BECK.

You make yourself look small and petty and spoilt.

In attempting to reduce the importance of one great talent over another, you make a mockery of all musicians and music from every genre, including your own.

Grow up and stop throwing your toys around.

You are making yourself look like a complete twat.

Ps.I am pretty certain Beyonce doesn’t need you fighting any battles on her account. Seems like she’s got everything covered perfectly well on her own.

[From Facebook]

Word. I love her for “daring” to tell Kanye that he’s acting like a douchenozzle because he IS. It would have been fine if he had done the stage-rush thing and it would have been fine if he said “I thought Beyonce should have won, but Beck is a great artist too.” I would have even been fine with Kanye talking about racism in the context of the Grammys, like the fact that the Grammys tend to award white artists much more than black artists in general. But, the way Kanye went about it… it was rude and Shirley is dead-on. He does look “small and petty and spoilt.”

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

Fans of Orange is the New Black will recognize Dashca Polanco, who stars as Dayanara Diaz. Dascha doesn’t have a huge filmography. OITNB was definitely her big break. If this story is to be believed, Dascha thinks she’s enough of a celebrity to yell, “Don’t you know who I am?” when confronted with wrongdoings.

There have been Reddit murmurs about this story, but the red flag is a series of Facebook posts. People are writing under their real names and calling Dascha out for bad behavior. One account comes from a private user, so I’m sourcing a public profile, Tara Green. Her profile is filled with animal rescue stories and links to shelters. She volunteers for a society that dealt with Dascha returning her two adult cats. I’m including the photos of Dascha’s alleged handiwork of stuffing two cats into a box. The damning details include her name on a shipping label. One chilling detail — eight tiny breathing holes were punched into the box’s side. So this story could be worse, I guess:

Last year, Dascha Polanco dumped two cats her BF had adopted on a rescue. Sometimes people go through hardships and have to return cats they adopted. We all understand this, and that’s why the good rescues take back the animals they adopt out for the life of those animals. However, when something like this comes up, rescues do ask that you give them notice so that they can try to make room, and that you understand if it takes them a few weeks to find an appropriate placement.

Dascha not only didn’t want to wait, she didn’t even tell them she was coming. She asked a pet store worker when that particular rescue held adoption events at the store, and according to her, that was all she needed to do.

Here is how she brought them: two adult cats in in a tied up cardboard box. Specifically THIS cardboard box, in the below photos taken by a shocked customer who witnessed her behavior.

When the rescuers told her that they had no idea she was bringing any cats to return, and that they were not in a position to take her cats on the spot like that, she flipped out, pulled the “celebrity card,” started screaming. She actually used the phrase “Don’t you know who I am?”

[From Tara Green on Facebook]

All of this may have gone unnoticed by gossip sites, but Dascha posted fresh kitten photos to her Instagram page. Commenters called her out. She removed the pictures and Instagrammed a statement about bullying. She quoted Maya Angelou and issued a statement: “I am human, & love all parts of life. I walk with my head high and im nauseated by the ppl that bully and choose to express such hurtful words. So much progress to be done. #IEATBULLIES #TEAMDASCHA #ILUVMYFANS #hairflipbye.”

I don’t have enough eye rolls for Dascha’s statement. It’s possible that the story isn’t true, but it looks like Dascha tried to cover her tracks (by removing kitten photos) and sees herself as a victim. If she really did dump two adult cats so she could adopt kittens, that’s completely cruel. Some people see pets as disposable toys, fit to be dumped when they don’t fit the “cute” bill anymore.

Photos courtesy of Tara Green on Facebook & WENN

View image | gettyimages.com

Back in October of last year, Taylor Swift went to see Hozier in concert. Hozier is that HOT Irish singer with the hit “Take Me to Church.” He’s deep and he’s real and he’s talented and he’s got GREAT hair, the latter of which is incredibly important to Swifty. So, it was sort of interesting when Hozier and Swifty were spotted hanging out with each other last week, right? She even tried to cover her face with a hoodie, a sure sign that there’s some cuddlefesting going on. And now this – E! News says Swifty and Hozier were spending a lot of time together at the Grammys after-parties. Huh.

Looks like Taylor Swift went to church last night. The “Shake It Off” superstar was spotted looking “really cute” with Hozier at Sam Smith’s super-VIP Grammy after party.

“They were hanging out a lot and talking with each other,” a fellow party guest tells me. “They looked really cute together.”

We’re not saying the two were getting along in a romantic way, but sources did see Swift, 25, give the “Take Me to Church” singer, 24, a few kisses on his cheek. The two were at the party into the wee hours of the morning. One source saw them chatting at 3:30 a.m. And it was just five days ago that they were spotted together at a Haim concert in L.A.

[From E! News]

My God. It’s on, people! Battle stations!!! Taylor Swift might actually be hitting it with a guy I legitimately find attractive. I didn’t realize Hozier was so young – he’s only 24? So soulful and talented for such a young age. And he’s tall too. And he’s got that hot Irish accent. He’s going to RUIN Swifty. And it will be a glorious mess and I really, really hope it’s happening. DO IT, SWIFTY!

Meanwhile, Swifty spent her whole Grammy night making peace with just about everybody. Everybody but Katy Perry and John Mayer, obviously. But Swifty hugged it out with Kanye West and she even spent some time with Diplo. That one surprised me, because Diplo publicly slammed Swifty’s flat butt and he dared to criticize her in his GQ interview. How can Swifty make up with Diplo and Yeezy but not John Mayer? That seems odd.

Then this happened @taylorswift vs taylor spliff #grammys2015

A photo posted by diplo (@diplo) on Feb 9, 2015 at 12:00am PST

Photos courtesy of WENN, Getty & Instagram.

Before @katyperry shot whipped cream from her cones, I had a pair of my own. #14 #whatwereyoudoingat14 #stillsurreal #goodlucktoallthisyearsnominees #momtoomanycurlsandtoomuchhairspray #flashbackfriday

A photo posted by LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (@leannrimes) on Feb 6, 2015 at 4:58pm PST

Last Friday, LeAnn Rimes posted this photo to her Instagram. In case you couldn’t decipher the hashtags, LeAnn posted a vintage photo of herself at the Grammys when she was 14 years old, and she made a point of writing: “Before @katyperry shot whipped cream from her cones, I had a pair of my own.” She added the hashtag #whatwereyoudoingat14.

Some people think she was throwing shade at Katy Perry specifically, but I don’t know. I mean, sure, LeAnn is a passive-aggressive person and maybe her intention was to throw shade, but the effect is to make LeAnn look like she’s A) old and B) aged out of the Grammys. As for what we were doing at the age of 14… I would assume most of us had normal childhoods and 14 was the age that we started caring about dating and goth music. Plenty of people have managed to not win Grammys at the age of 14 and still be successful people. And Katy Perry is one of them.

It also just serves as a reminder that LeAnn doesn’t get nominated for big awards anymore, right? Who knows if she was even invited to the Grammys this year? Incidentally, she also posted this photo, below, with the message “We seeeee youuu! Daft Punk backed me up tonight #grammy’s #privateevent #creepy.” So she got hired to play a “private event” instead of getting a Grammy invite. Was the event in a post-apocalyptic bunker?

Here are some photos of LeAnn leaving an animal clinic with one of her dogs on Saturday.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

Immediately after the Grammys, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian got the hell out of Dodge (LA). They left so quickly, it was like they were fleeing the scene of a crime. Maybe Kanye didn’t mean to go so hard on Beck? Whatever it was, they didn’t even have a moment to change out of their Grammy ensembles and Kim had to wear that stupid Jean Paul Gaultier robe as she walked through LAX. They flew to NYC and Kim was already wandering around New York on Monday, and the paps were trailing her constantly. These are those photos. Kim wore terrible camouflage pants and she busted out of a white belly-baring shirt that was made for someone smaller. God, she just has the worst style. These pants make you look 20 pounds heavier, Kim.

Meanwhile, you know how Kim posed nude for Love Magazine (you can see the NSFW photos here) and everyone was like “Can we go one month without seeing Kim Kardashian’s T&A, for the love of all that is holy?” Yeah, she also gave an interview to Love Magazine and the quotes are… interesting. Some highlights:

She’s only recently started wearing Spanx (?) and she has issues: “I always pee all over my Spanx, it’s a disaster. They aren’t crotchless enough!”

Her favorite sex position: “From the back”. She adds that there’s no such thing as being “too big” when it comes to the size of one’s manhood.

She wants Kendall’s body: “I’d love to swap bodies with Kendall for just a week, just to look from that little bit higher up and fit into everything perfectly.”

She loves being naked: “I like nudity. Kanye always says, ‘Dress sexier’ — he’s always the most encouraging.”

Her favorite TV shows: “I’m obsessed with murders and dead bodies.”

Kourtney Kardashian urinates everywhere & anywhere: Kardashian claimed her older sister is “notorious” for peeing outside and once popped a squat behind a curtain somewhere in the Delano Hotel in Miami, Fla. “They will probably never let us stay there again,” she said.

She’s famous for more than a sex tape: “When someone asks me, ‘What do you do?’ under my breath I want to say, ‘Ask my f–king bank account what I do.’ But I would never say that to someone’s face.”

[From Celebuzz, Love Magazine]

This is actually pretty different than the usual interviews Kim Kardashian does. Kim’s interviews are usually pretty basic (in every sense of the word). She usually chats about hair, makeup, clothes, maybe Kanye and North. She really doesn’t talk about sex that much in interviews and she rarely shows that “ask my f—king bank account what I do” side. I think she sounds different here because she was talking to Cara Delevingne. Cara brings out a different side in people. As for Kim liking it from the back… girl, we know.

Photos courtesy of WENN and Fame/Flynet.

Here are more photos of Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter at the BAFTAs. I’m also including photos of the couple as they attended the Grosvenor House BAFTA after-party, in which it sort of looked like Benedict was pulling Sophie away from the bank of cameras, in between gazing at her lovingly. At the BAFTAs, Bendy was all about the loving gaze. Like, he’s so into her. She doesn’t really gaze back at him the same way, but who knows? Maybe her feet hurt. Oh, and I’m including some photos of Bendy solo on Monday morning outside of The Corinthia Hotel. I guess a lot of BAFTA people stayed at the hotel overnight, maybe. In those pics, Bendy’s fly is down. Bad Bendy!

Just a few small stories today. While Bendy was on the BAFTA red carpet, he talked about his friend David Oyelowo and how it’s a shame Oyelowo didn’t get nominated for a BAFTA for Selma: “His performance as Martin Luther King was extraordinary. A spellbinding flawless performance in an exceptional piece of film…I wish David Oyelowo was here tonight. I don’t understand it. He would have got my vote.” Is that shade directed at Eddie Redmayne? Like, people only voted for Eddie because David Oyelowo wasn’t nominated?

What else… Bendy is an EastEnders fan. EastEnders, for those Americans who do not know, is sort of pulpy nighttime soap opera in Britain. Lots of working class accents. Benedict joked that he would love to be on EastEnders but his accent is too posh.

And finally, Benedict has signed up to make an appearance at a London Sherlocked event. It’s a nerd-athon event for all things Sherlock, for fans of the original canon, fans of the films, fans of the TV shows, etc. Benedict will appear for one day of the three-day nerd-athon, and Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat will also be doing a panel discussion or something. For just a regular day pass, it costs £29, but to meet Bendy in person, you have to pay £595 to £2995 for various VIP passes. You can read more about it here. It goes down in April, and I think his baby is due in April. Just sayin’.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

Here’s something interesting: Duchess Kate, Prince William and Prince George didn’t leave Mustique until yesterday, Monday the 9th. The Cambridge family vacationed in Mustique a good long time, by my count… 17 days. So much for William leaving early to catch up on his pilot exams too – The Daily Mail had photos of Will, Kate and George leaving on the same flight yesterday. You can see the photos here.

Initially, it was reported that Will and Kate would only be in Mustique for two weeks, which was sort of true if two weeks includes three weekends. What’s also interesting is that William is the president of BAFTA and he was apparently loosely scheduled to host the big pre-BAFTA celebration at Kensington Palace on Saturday night. Instead, tons of celebrities came out to the event and there was NO royal host. Because William couldn’t tear himself away from his third weekend in Mustique. And you realize he hasn’t done one single event in 2015, right? This pre-BAFTA reception would have been fun too – lots of drinks, food and celebrities. And it would have counted as “work”. But Will just couldn’t tear himself away from his vacation.

So, at what point are we just saying that William is a lost cause? He won’t show up to work for one of his most fun patronages (BAFTA). He doesn’t have any scheduled charity-wise in the coming month either. Meanwhile, Will and Kate’s press office is working overtime to make Kate look like she’s booking things right and left. While Kate was sunning herself on a sandy beach, the KP Twitter account confirmed that Kate will be doing some events on the 18th. The press office has also been tweeting out older photos of Kate working, I guess hoping to make us forget about their long Mustique holiday.

Last Friday, People Magazine also had a propaganda piece about Kate’s endless charity work (ha), full of quotes from people involved with the charities Kate stops by one or twice a year. Go here to read it, and read carefully because People did break some news. You might remember that Kate waited nearly a year into her marriage before finally signing on to become a patron of anything, and when she did, she only chose a couple of charities and then just some museums which would have a lot of galas? We were told at the time that Kate would be adding more charities every year. That never happened. And People says it’s still not happening, that Kate “is not expected to add to any of her formal patronages in the short term.” A source also says that she will “pick up” her interest in charity “after a period of rest following the birth.” No word on how long that period of rest will be (two years, I’m guessing).

Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.

View image | gettyimages.com

So far, all we’ve heard about Bruce Jenner’s transition has been second hand. Jenner has not personally spoken out yet, although mainstream celebrity outlets like People and US Magazine have run cover articles about this using unnamed sources. We’s also heard that Jenner will do an interview with Diane Sawyer in May in which he will package an announcement that he’s transgender with the launch of a new reality series, filming now, which chronicles his journey. (Note: we will refer to Jenner by the female pronoun and by Jenner’s preferred name when and if Jenner expresses a preference.)

May is a full three months away and Jenner’s delay in making an announcement isn’t sitting well with some members of the transgender community. Transgender activist Zoey Tur, a helicopter newa reporter and correspondent for Inside Edition, spoke to TMZ about why many transgender people are suspicious of Bruce’s motivations. Here’s what she said and you can see the video on TMZ’s site:

“A lot of people are very suspicious of what’s going on because of the connection with the Kardashians. They feel that if Bruce is transgender, come out with it. Speak up. We have a 42% suicide attempt rate, six times the national average on suicide. We need our role models and there’s no greater role model than the world’s greatest athlete. What’s the big deal? Many feel that Jenner is pitching a reality show and using this buildup to gain more momentum and get paid to do an interview. They don’t like it because this is a civil rights battle. This is not about selling TV show. This is about saving lives.

“Harvey Milk said that it was really important for gays and lesbians to come out to their families, to their friends and coworkers because that’s how we’re going to gain acceptance. With the transgender community we’re about 30 years behind the gay and lesbian community. We need our role models. This is a public health crisis. So Bruce, come out. How much money do you need?”

[From video on TMZ]

That was very articulate and well said. Tur certainly helped me understand why this could be viewed negatively by transgender people. With the Kardashians, it’s hard to take them seriously when everything is so orchestrated for cash and ratings. A source tells TMZ however that Jenner is carefully timing the announcement to make sure his daughters are old enough to deal with the fallout, and that it’s not about the upcoming reality series. “He’s still going through the motions and wants to take his time to help his youngest daughters cope. It’s not about a TV show or announcement.”

People magazine has a more positive outlook on Jenner’s change. They interviewed transgender author Jennifer Finney Boylan, who wrote She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders. Boylan discussed her own journey and how her over 25 year marriage changed and evolved. She also wished Jenner well. “I wish Jenner strength and love on this journey, and I hope whatever Jenner goes through not only helps Jenner but all of the rest of us.”

Speaking of skepticism of the Kardashian narrative, TMZ has a follow up story about the claim that Kris was blindsided by Bruce’s announcement to her and the family. They say that she knew for years he was transitioning and tried to keep it under wraps. I can see that. I can also see her blanching at Bruce’s insistence that he’s going to go public and cut her out of the production of his show.

In terms of the fatal car crash that Jenner was involved with on Saturday, TMZ has the news that he has hired a lawyer. It’s been speculated that he was driving too closely to the car he rear-ended, the driver of whom was subsequently hit by a larger vehicle and killed, but it’s unlikely he’ll be prosecuted for vehicular manslaughter. Law enforcement has possession of the four cars involved in the accident and a forensics team will use each car’s computer “black box” data to try to reconstruct the accident. Apparently these black boxes “gauge what the driver was doing for the 5 seconds before impact. In one-second intervals, the boxes show speed, braking, the position of the accelerator, etc.” Production of the reality show has not been affected by Jenner’s accident.

Photo credit: FameFlynet and Getty Images