SCOTUS has just ruled in favour of same sex marriage. The Hollywood Reporter posted a story yesterday about Hollywood’s “stromos”, identifying a Hollywood trend among straight actors appealing to the gay audience:

Today’s stromos are the flip side of gay actors who want to read straight for t…      

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Yesterday we reported on PBS’s somewhat scathing report detailing their internal investigation as to whether journalistic integrity had been compromised on the genealogy show Finding Your Roots. It came out during the Sony hack that Ben Affleck had petitioned executive producer and star, professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., to remove clips referencing his slave-owning ancestor. Gates instead focused on other ancestors in Affleck’s past, which removed the common theme throughout the episode of race and slavery. (Affleck didn’t ask for the changes until 6 months after his part was taped, when production was presumably close enough to completion that they couldn’t move his segment to a more relevant episode.)

PBS found that Gates’s edit, which he did not inform PBS about, did violate standards. As a result they suspended production of the show and delayed the release of the third season, pending the appointment of additional staff members to fact check the genealogy findings. It’s possible that Finding Your Roots could be canceled if standards for journalistic integrity fall short of PBS’s expectations.

This story has been picked up by the NY Times, and they did a good job recapping the background. The relevant part to me is that Gates has commented, he basically repeated the same statement he made previously that this was an editorial decision that did not compromise standards, and that Affleck refused comment. The article was titled “A PBS Show, a Frustrated Ben Affleck, and a Loss of Face.” Damn.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Mr. Gates said he regretted not informing PBS about his conversations with Mr. Affleck. He did not apologize for omitting the detail in the broadcast. Mr. Gates said in April that other relatives of Mr. Affleck’s were more interesting, such as an occult enthusiast and a relative from the Revolutionary War.

Mr. Gates still contends the omission was an editorial decision, his spokesman said on Thursday. That assertion is in stark contrast to opinions he expressed in emails to Mr. Lynton last July, in which he expressed exasperation over how Mr. Affleck “asked us to edit something about one of his ancestors — the fact that he owned slaves.” He said that it was in “violation of PBS rules” and that “once we open the door to censorship, we lose control of the brand.”

If it became known that he cut that part of the interview with Mr. Affleck, Mr. Gates wrote, it would embarrass Mr. Affleck and “compromise our integrity.” Mr. Affleck said in a Facebook post in April that he was embarrassed to learn about his relative and that he “lobbied” Mr. Gates, who also goes by Skip, about what should go into the show. He said it was Mr. Gates’s decision alone.

“To clarify, because I see this story being framed as ‘censorship’ on some sites, when I told Skip I was uneasy about the slave owner, he told me he had not included it in his preliminary cut because there wasn’t much detail — a name and no details, so he wasn’t going with it to begin with,” Mr. Affleck wrote on Facebook.

While PBS treated this as a violation of standards, Mr. Affleck was quick to point out in April that the program “isn’t a news program” and that the celebrities voluntarily provide information about their family history.

Mr. Affleck declined to comment on Thursday. PBS also declined to comment further. The investigation that it conducted will remain private, a spokeswoman for PBS said.

The show has featured other celebrities who have had slave-owning ancestors, including Derek Jeter, Ken Burns and Anderson Cooper.

In a statement released Wednesday, PBS’s chief programming executive and general manager, Beth Hoppe, said that “improved editorial and production processes will ensure that all future projects will adhere to PBS’ editorial guidelines.”

[From The NY Times]

Make no mistake, this is a HUGE blow to Affleck’s ego. This is not TMZ or a handful of gossip blogs complaining that he’s an arrogant diva, this is PBS and the NY Times reporting the facts. Affleck just compromised the future of a highly regarded show run by a fastidious academic who bent the rules for him. Affleck refused comment to the NY Times because he realized that he made it worse last time by sounding defensive and then changing his story. The Times picked up on that and worked it into their coverage.

I want to mention something related. Today is the last Friday before Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s tenth anniversary. You gossip sleuths know what I mean.

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Supreme Court of the United States of America have just ruled on the constitutional right for LGBTQ to marry. In a 5-4 decision, with the majority opinion written by “swing vote” Justice Kennedy, SCOTUS has declared that every gay person in America has a constitutional right to marry. *mic drop*

Every single gay person in a red state has the right to marry. Every single gay person in a blue state has the right to marry. Every single person in America has the right to marry whomever they want.

Apparently, the conservative justices were so butthurt that every single one of them wrote their own minority opinions. HAHAHA!! I can’t wait to read more of Scalia’s jiggery-pokery nonsense.

Coming on the heels of SCOTUS reaffirming the Affordable Care Act, upholding the Fair Housing Act and now this… this week has been like Liberal Christmas for me.

USA!! USA!!! USA!!!!

#LoveWins. pic.twitter.com/s5aiwIsFz8

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 26, 2015

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos courtesy of Getty, Flickr, social media.

How I Met Your Mother alum Neil Patrick Harris posted photos of 4-year-old twins Gideon and Harper via Instagram Thursday.

“Gotta love the awesomeness of random playgrounds in Central Park. Gideon rocking the scooter and his@janieandjack finest. #rainbow,” NPH captioned the image of his son.

The proud papa, 42, went on to share a shot of his daughter.

“Harper loves playing in the water, but takes safety precautions. @janieandjack swimsuit, but not helmet. #rainbow,” the Gone Girl actor wrote.

The actor’s husband, David Burtka, 39, recently said their daughter might be biologically his because, as he put it, “She’s like, ‘Hey everybody, I’m here!’ ”

Harper loves playing in the water, but takes safety precautions. @janieandjack swimsuit, but not helmet. #rainbow

A photo posted by Neil Patrick Harris (@nph) on Jun 25, 2015 at 12:32pm PDT

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Forbes will release its Celebrity 100 list on Monday, ranking entertainers by annual income. In advance of the list coming out, Forbes posted a preview yesterday: World’s Highest Paid Celebrity Couples. Last year it was Beyonce and Jay Z. This year?

Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris with combine…      

We have been suffering through such a major Tom Hiddleston drought this year. Hiddles has seriously been in the wind! Barely any social media, very few red carpets, a handful of interviews conducted last year but only published recently, only some meager gossip about his dating life (he might have hooked up with Elizabeth Olsen?). I miss him. But maybe – MAYBE! – we’re get to see him soon. According to Variety, Legendary Pictures announced their Comic-Con San Diego line-up and MAYBE Tom Hiddleston is going to do the panel discussion for Crimson Peak. Maybe.

Legendary will show footage and present cast members from “Crimson Peak,” “Krampus” and “Warcraft” at its July 11 panel in Hall H at Comic-Con in San Diego. Nerdist’s Chris Hardwick will host the event.

“Crimson Peak,” directed by Guillermo del Toro, is a gothic horror story starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston and Charlie Hunnam. Legendary Pictures produced, with Universal set to release “Crimson Peak” at the height of the Halloween season on Oct. 16.

[From Variety]

See? No confirmation on which cast members are coming to San Diego this year. I can’t imagine there’s a lot of pressure for Jessica Chastain to come, although if she’s there, God bless. Mia Wasikowska will probably be there, considering she’s the lead of the film, of course. But all the press will be around Charlie Hunnam and Tom Hiddleston if they come. And they better come. Please let it happen. Hiddles at Comic-Con is always a pleasure. There will be such a nerd meltdown if he comes to San Diego this year. Lord Dragonfly, please go to San Diego!!!!

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN, PCN and Legendary.

Date night!

Expectant parents Kim Kardashian and Kanye West enjoyed dinner at Hakkasan restaurant in London, England on Thursday (June 25). Donning a ripped tee and a snug skirt, the mom-to-be, 34, accessorized with a belt and strappy heels.

The day before, the reality star stepped out in a see-through ensemble while yachting in Cannes.

The A-list couple – who are already parents to 2-year-old daughter North – reportedly underwent IVF gender selection to ensure a son.

But the KUWTK star slams these reports.

“False,” Kim tells TODAY. “It came from a tabloid and I’m grateful just to be pregnant and we would be happy with a boy or a girl.”

She went on to talk about pregnancy weight gain.

“I’ve gained like 15 pounds already!” she says, adding she doesn’t have a bump yet because those 15 pounds went “everywhere!”

She adds: “It’s in my boobs right now. My boobs are huge!”

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Lee! Happy 10th Anniversary from Jessica! Have a great time today and an even better time tonight at the party and the best, best time in Europe for a MONTH, what!?!? You and your Jordan Catalano deserve it. So celebrate and indulge and oh my god get away from those teenagers for as long as you c…      

There is still a big question mark hanging over Charlize Theron and Sean Penn’s breakup. We know that the breakup happened post-Cannes Film Festival. We know that Sean Penn is a hyper-critical douchebag. And we know that Charlize ghosted him hard, refusing to speak to him or “explain” why she was dumping him. Now Star Magazine has some additional information, and while they don’t know the exact situation, there is some interesting info in this story.

After Charlize Theron and Sean Penn’s happy outing at the Cannes Film Festival, they traveled to Vienna for the annual Life Ball on May 20. They seemed to be having a blast, but something went down after the ball – and it’s wasn’t pretty.

“Charlize refuses to tell anyone the specifics, but they had a fight that left her completely shaken,” says an insider. “Sean later blamed alcohol and begged her not to leave him,”

But Charlize ultimately decided Sean’s temper – a trait that has long plagued his relationships – was too explosive to live with and she left him flat.

“When the split came, no one was surprised,” says one of Charlize’s pals. “Charlize is extremely sensitive toward physical or verbal abuse; she just won’t stand for it.”

At a park in LA recently, Jackson hit another child and Charlize got very upset – “She immediately removed Jackson from the park. She told him it was not OK to hit anyone, ever.”

“Charlize knew about Sean’s past yet was convinced he was over that period of his life,” reveals the source. Yet more and more she came to see the dark side of Sean. “It got to the point where she didn’t trust him around her son anymore. For his sake as well as her own, she pulled the plug on the relationship.”

When they returned from Europe, Charlize insisted that Sean vacate her Hollywood home. He begrudgingly obliged, hastily taking his Malibu pad off the market.

“Charlize is a strong, mature person and Sean is a bully who drinks too much and throws tantrums. She just couldn’t take it anymore.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition]

I think this story is probably very close to the truth. He was drunk and belligerent and he said or did something that scared her and it was so big that there was no coming back. And I believe that whatever happened, it was so big that she no longer wants him around Jackson at all. There was some debate about the maturity of “ghosting” someone when you’re dumping them, and while I think that’s generally speaking an interesting debate, in this specific case, I love Charlize for it and I hope she completely rebuffs any and all of Sean’s attempts to get back together.

Here are some photos of Charlize and Sean at the Life Ball in May. This is where it all fell apart.

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View image | gettyimages.com

Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.

Meet Henry Benioff!

We caught our first glimpse of Amanda Peet‘s 6-month-old son at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday (June 25). While making their way through the busy terminal, the Togetherness actress, 43, was seen holding hands with her daughters – Frankie, 8, and Molly 5 – while babywearing her son in a baby carrier.

The actress and her husband, Game of Thrones producer David Benioff, welcomed their son in Dec. 2014.

One month after welcoming her son, Peet shared a funny breastfeeding tip on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

“That’s cabbage,” Peet said in regards to a photo of her sporting the leafy green veggie in her bra.

“Apparently … after the babies are born [and] the milk comes in, some people get very painful engorgement and you can put cold cabbage leaves on your boobs and apparently it stops the milk,” she added.

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