If you’ve read Mindy Kaling’s first book, you know she has a pretty tight girl posse, mostly friends from college and from her early years in New York. She recently complained about how difficult it is to make good friends in LA, so I’m guessing that she’s hung on to those early girlfriends and they are her main squad. So, it’s unsurprising to learn that Mindy has been to her fair share of weddings and even served as a bridesmaid a few times. That’s what happens when you have close girlfriends – you end up going to a lot of weddings. When Mindy appeared on Wednesday night’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, they ended up talking about bridesmaiding and how much it sucks.

Seth sets her up – because they’re friends and they obviously did a rehearsal – by talking about how they’ve both been in a lot of wedding parties and how groomsmen have it a lot easier than bridesmaids. Mindy says:

“Yeah, I think that when you’re a bridesmaid at a wedding, although it sounds kinda glamorous when you’re younger, you’re essentially like a maid. You’re like a slave, an unpaid slave to the wedding and you’re job is to—you’re a maid and you know it because you’re wearing a dress that’s the same color of the other maids. Like, your uniform. And you’re job is to just, like, guide grandparents and talk to foreigners and meet people who look confused. Find the rings and stuff. But when you’re a groomsman, you’re technically supposed to be helpful. But, all they do is drink beer and like play with the dogs and stuff.”

[From E! News]

Honestly, the excerpts from Mindy’s book and her interviews thus far have just made me want to read the second book even more. I would read a book devoted to Mindy’s experiences at weddings. And yes, for some ladies, bridesmaiding is like slavery. Only so many bridesmaids have to shell out a significant amount of money for the pleasure (travel to and from, hotel room, bridesmaid’s dress, shoes, etc).

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

As we discussed yesterday, Brian Williams is now officially out as anchor of NBC Nightly News. Lester Holt, who has been the temporary, substitute anchor for months, was officially named as Williams’ replacement, and Holt is now the first African-American man to anchor a network nightly newscast. Progress! Williams will be moving to MSNBC in some capacity, and he will still have something to do with news programming at NBC Universal. Williams issued a statement to Variety yesterday:

“I’m sorry. I said things that weren’t true. I let down my NBC colleagues and our viewers, and I’m determined to earn back their trust. I will greatly miss working with the team on ‘Nightly News,’ but I know the broadcast will be in excellent hands with Lester Holt as anchor. I will support him 100% as he has always supported me. I am grateful for the chance to return to covering the news. My new role will allow me to focus on important issues and events in our country and around the world, and I look forward to it.”

[From Variety]

Well, “I said things that weren’t true” is better than his first excuse, which was that he “misremembered.” NBC released a statement about their internal audit of Williams’ lies, and their summary judgment was that Williams “made a number of inaccurate statements about his own role and experiences covering events in the field” but those inaccurate statements mostly came on late-night shows like The Late Show, The Daily Show, The Tonight Show, etc. So… if you’re a so-called legitimate journalist telling lies on a variety show, it’s somehow not as bad.

Part of Brian’s public mea culpa was a sit-down, no-conditions interview with Matt Lauer. Part of the interview aired this morning on Today, and it will also be shown tonight on NBC. Williams again admits “I said things that weren’t true” (which is the kissing cousin of “Yo, I totally lied”). When Lauer asks Williams how he’s doing, Williams says: “It has been torture. Looking back, it has been absolutely necessary. I have discovered a lot of things. I have been listening to and watching what amounts to the black box recordings from my career. I’ve gone back through everything — basically 20 years of public utterances.” He says that he left his journalistic ethics at the door every night when he appeared on late shows and he became “sloppy.” Lauer actually presses Williams significantly on the whole issue of Williams’ Iraq story. Williams talks around the issue that he was blatantly lying to make himself look better and more heroic, but he does say that his lies were “ego-driven.” He also says “I own this…I am sorry and I will be different.”

Photos courtesy of WENN.

E tu, Mickey?

Remember how we talked about Kim Kardashian’s appearance on NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me over the weekend? That was the same interview where Kim said the idea of naming her second child “South West” was “the stupidest thing ever” and “just ridiculous.” Well, funny story: NPR got CRAZY backlash for allowing Kim to appear on that show. NPR’s ombudsman had to compile all of the hate mail they got from NPR snobs after Kim’s appearance. Here’s just part of NPR’s ombudsman’s post:

Kardashian’s presence on the show sent several hundred listeners over the top. By the dozens, they say they are “disgusted” and “disappointed,” and a handful are sure the show has “jumped the shark.” Paula Poundstone’s “exposition on the proper preparation of Pop Tarts” is OK, wrote Gary Miller of Charles Town, W.Va., but Kardashian? “She has no business in any civilized forum,” he wrote.

The listeners are self-aware and unapologetic about their outrage. “I have enjoyed your show for years, but I found the inclusion of Kim Kardashian so misguided and offensive, I fear I will never be able to listen again (hyperbolic, yes, but vapid, talentless, and shallow individuals who have not earned fame or fortune through an ounce of hard work have no place on a show of such caliber),” wrote Brianna Frazier of Laguna Beach, Calif.

They are threatening to pull their donations, or claim they have already done so. Kerry Castano, of Burlington, Vt., wrote, “I recently gave a small gift to my local NPR station. Had I heard your Saturday show before I made my gift, I wouldn’t have donated. The Kardashians represent much of what is wrong with America today — and I listen to NPR to get AWAY from Kardashian-like garbage.”

Monthly sustaining donor Sharonn Flaucher of Tuftonboro, N.H., is “seriously thinking about dropping my membership. I thought NPR had a certain class/values and it looks like we might be heading in another direction that I’m not willing to go with you. Just thought I’d give you a heads up. Have a sparkling day!”

[From NPR.org]

Bless their hearts. I love NPR snobs. I’m more of a PBS snob – I watch Nature, Frontline, American Experience and of course, Masterpiece. I would be devastated if American Experience did an episode about the Kardashians (although it would probably be bizarrely fascinating). But I was raised by two NPR snobs. I’ll never forget my dad’s excitement when he realizes we not only got NPR but PRI (Public Radio International), with tons of news from the BBC. So what I’m saying is that I feel the NPR snobs’ pain. It’s funny, but I feel you.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and Kim’s Instagram.

Around this time last year, Casper Smart cheated on Jennifer Lopez with “a transsexual model” named Sofia Vissa. Casper and Sofia’s relationship was seemingly brief and orchestrated by Casper, and Sofia quickly sold her story to the tabloids. Jennifer Lopez hung in there with Casper for another month or so and then they “broke up.” Within weeks, though, there were already stories that J.Lo had let Casper back into her life and maybe they weren’t really broken up for real. Whenever Jennifer was asked about Casper or her dating life, she always claimed she was single. That ruse died a quick death back in March of this year, when paparazzi repeatedly caught Casper and Jennifer making out. As it turns out, they had been back together the whole time. As it turns out, HE was the one who wanted to keep on the downlow because for some reason, he was embarrassed to be seen with J.Lo. ARE YOU JOKING?

That’s the background. The TL;DR version is “Casper Smart is a cheating douchebag and Jennifer Lopez is an idiot.” Well, guess what? You know how Casper and J.Lo were dating in secret all those months? Yeah, he was dating other women too.

Source claims Casper Smart has cheated on Jennifer Lopez with Lebanese pop star Haifa Wehbe. Casper starred in and choreographed Haifa’s “Breathing You In” music video. Sources say that Casper was hooking up with Haifa around the same time that he started seeing Jennifer Lopez again, months ago.

Apparently, Casper made a move on Haifa and began hooking up with her after the cameras stopped rolling. Casper had been in negotiations to choreograph Haifa’s next music video, but was forced to pull out of the shoot due to Jennifer becoming possessive and controlling.

In Touch Magazine’s inside source reveals, “They began a secret affair that lasted until this spring. J-Lo saw texts between Casper and Haifa, that’s how she uncovered the affair. She became possessive and controlling. She was furious and forced him to sever all ties with Haifa.”

“Casper had told Haifa that he and Jennifer were broken up, so Haifa was shocked to see him turn up at the Billboard Music Awards with J. Lo,” says the insider.

[From In Touch Weekly, print edition]

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Casper was fooling around with Haifa Wehbe and anyone else who would have him. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Jennifer Lopez just put up with it, or if she demanded to be his #1 Girlfriend, because J.Lo seriously doesn’t understand that she really is a catch. She doesn’t need to put up with loser-douchebags who cheat on her. Especially when those guys are NOT EVEN ATTRACTIVE. That’s what offends me the most, honestly. I’m offended that she’s hung up on a douchebag, I’m offended that the d-bag cheats on her, but what really bugs me is that Casper Smart is not worth the fight, in personality OR looks.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

Brandi Glanville will not be on the next season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Did she jump or was she pushed? That’s the question. E! News’ sources say that the decision was made at Bravo, following Brandi’s crazy antics last season. After joining RHOBH first as a guest star/friend in 2011, she then joined the cast full-time in 2012. Feels like longer, right? At first, she was popular and she became known as the fun good-time girl, always up for a drink and some gossip. But her “character” grew to the point where Brandi seemed to be manufacturing insane drama and she was feuding endlessly with other cast members. So this is what E! News says:

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ unfiltered blonde is gone: Brandi Glanville will not return to the series as a fulltime Housewife, E! News has learned exclusively. A source close to the Housewives confirmed to Giuliana Rancic that it was Bravo’s decision not have Brandi return, citing the bad blood between Brandi and various other cast members. According to our source, Brandi is upset, but she understands and is grateful for the opportunity to be on the show. Bravo had no comment.

[From E! News]

Now, People Magazine left some wiggle room – they say that Brandi is leaving as a full-time cast member but may return in future episodes. Sources also tell People that “Glanville says she was not fired and is deciding whether or not she will return to the show in any capacity.” Yolanda Foster and Kim Richards are also exiting the show.

Brandi tweeted some lukewarm sentiments when the news broke on Thursday. When someone tweeted her, saying that Brandi being bitchy on the show is a “defense mechanism,” Brandi tweeted back: “it can be a hard show to do &I’ve often cared about making it interesting even if it was to my own detriment #JOB”. I know this isn’t the most popular opinion, but I do think that Brandi “helped” the show in that she did manufacture drama. That’s what the Real Housewife shows are all about – stupid, petty, immature drama. And Brandi did her job. But whatever. I’m worried that Brandi might struggle without that kind of revenue stream, but I’m sure she’ll land on her feet somehow.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

By Star Magazine’s records, Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz have not walked a red carpet together since spring 2014. They were never really a huge red carpet couple, and I often get the impression that Daniel views the red carpet as something akin to torture. But they did walk many red carpets as a couple, and I was actually surprised to see Rachel flying solo throughout the Cannes Film Festival last month. Granted, Daniel has been endlessly filming Spectre, the latest James Bond film, and maybe he couldn’t get away. Or maybe he didn’t want to. Sources tell Star that Daniel and Rachel’s four-year marriage is on the rocks. And then some.

Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz kept their 2011 wedding ceremony quiet, but they can’t keep their marriage troubled under wraps for much longer.

“They’re virtual strangers these days,” a source tells Star. “It’s like they don’t see the point anymore.”

On the surface, it appears ambition is driving the split. Daniel, 47, is immersed in filming Spectre while Rachel, 45, shoots a biopic about tragic yachtsman Donald Crowhurst. Absence, however, is not making their hearts grow fonder.

“They’d vowed to never let work come between them, but that’s exactly what’s happening. Gone are the days of them texting and calling each other incessantly. They’re both in England – he’s filming in London, she is Devon – but they haven’t bothered to meet up.

“She flew from NYC to London and went straight to the set. You’d think if your husband was a couple of hours away, you’d make an effort to connect.”

Insiders say that Daniel has been flirting heavily on the set of Spectre. “He clearly gets carried away with women he works with, and he’s taken a shine to one in particular,” says the source. While the source refused to divulge which of his costars he’s smitten with, the insider insists, “He’s lavishing attention on her.”

As for Rachel, there isn’t a hint of impropriety between her and her current costar Colin Firth, but people are still buzzing about her scenes with Rafe Spall while starring in Betrayal in 2013 (with Daniel as well).

Also, when Rachel threw a birthday party for her 9-year-old son Henry, Daniel failed to show up. “He adores Henry, but he’s picking work over family. They both have a lot going on and their marriage has gone by the wayside.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition]

Star doesn’t say it explicitly, but I come away thinking that there might be something between Daniel and Lea Seydoux, who is one of the Bond Girls in Spectre. The other choices are Monica Bellucci, Stephanie Sigman or… Naomie Harris. Damn, now I want it to be Naomie. I mean, I love Rachel and if Daniel is cheating on her then he’s a douchebag, but IF he is cheating, I hope it’s with Naomie.

As for the rest of it… I was actually surprised to see Rachel flying solo at Cannes, as I said, and I have noticed the lack of red carpet AND candid photos of Rachel and Daniel together in the past year or more. So… I kind of believe there could be trouble in hot-couple paradise. And Star is right, Daniel does have a history of screwing around with costars and screwing around on his significant other. That’s how Rachel and Daniel got together in 2010 – they both had significant others (Daniel was with Satsuki Mitchell, Rachel was with Darren Aronofsky) and they cheated, split with their partners and ran off and got married.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

In our last story on Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s headline-making presumed split, many of you pointed out that it’s telling that their reps haven’t issued a denial at all. GossipCop reports that they have a source or sources close to the couple (probably a rep off the record), but that the source, who was previously reliable, has not replied to repeated requests for comment. When GossipCop doesn’t shoot down a rumor, you know it’s bad.

Entertainment Tonight does have a kind of weak denial, which dovetails with a report in People last week about their latest outings and social plans. They claim that Ben and Jen are “fine,” which is what people always say when things aren’t fine, right? Whenever I ask my kid to do something he doesn’t want to do he says “fine,” with a sigh. This is basically all ET wrote about it, which sounds just like my kid before doing an unpleasant task.

ET can confirm that the A-list couple isn’t headed towards an imminent split.

Sources tell ET that Ben and Jen “are fine,” and that the pair is actually focusing on spending time together as a family this summer.

[From ET Online]

ET is billing this as an exclusive and add in their video report that “our sources say divorce is not on the horizon.” They add “every marriage has good times and bad, but all is ok for Ben and Jen.” Why is this coming from a “source” and not a rep?

The NY Daily News has a report which may come from one of the neighbors in the Affleck’s posh neighborhood. Apparently the two used to go out to specific places at certain times, but their couple-y outings have dwindled down.

We hear the duo’s once frequent lovey dovey brunches at the private, members only Jonathan Club on Palisades Beach Road in Santa Monica have all but died down in recent weeks, and the duo have been experiencing troubles for some time, says our source.

“The haven’t been seen at the Jonathan Club, the beach one in some time, and Ben and Jen were also talking about land and property expansion as late as December,” says our insider. “That’s all in the past.”

Our source adds that neighboring residents in Affleck and Garner’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood are throwing a private neighborhood block party soon for nearby homeowners, but have yet to hear from Garner, who usually attends most neighborhood functions with her kids.

“They’ve been out of the loop socially for a while,” says our source…

Confidenti@l reported recently that the couple have been leading separate lives for a very long time, and have sadly been on a long, slow drift apart.

“They had good times when they were living in Brentwood and hanging at Matt’s (house),” said one insider. “Things were definitely a lot more upbeat and optimistic then. Now there’s friction and tension between them. They’re like two ships passing in the night.”

[From The NY Daily News]

It’s been well over a month since rumors of their rift have covered a tabloid and now it’s on the cover of US, but still no comment. Affleck has a Facebook account where he addressed the issue of asking PBS’s Finding Your Roots program to edit out his slave-owning ancestor. That was in late April. At any point he could have put up a quick note with something like “I love my wife very much and these rumors are harmful to our children,” but so far nothing. Maybe he really has been living in a hotel and consulting lawyers, which would just be sad.

candid photos are from 5-28 and 6-14 credit: Pacific Coast News and FameFlynet. Event photos are from November, 2014. Credit: WENN.com

Chris Pratt is still promoting the enormously successful Jurassic World. He’s probably feeling desperate for a vacation but powering through interviews in England. Pratt spoke with Radio 4?s Front Row program (via Yahoo!). Chris talks about being objectified for his (sort of) newly ripped body. Dude lets the world know he’s fine with “using it to my advantage” because women have been doing it for ages. Oh boy:

Is being ripped an acting prerequisite now? “Never in a calculated way, but in hindsight, yeah. It was a huge part of how my career has shifted is based on the way that I look, on the way that I’ve shaped my body to look.”

On being “totally objectified”: “I think it’s OK, I don’t feel appalled by it. I think it’s appalling that for a long time only women were objectified, but I think if we really want to advocate for equality, it’s important to even things out. Not objectify women less, but objectify men just as often as we objectify women. There are a lot of women who got careers out of it, and I’m using it to my advantage. And at the end of the day, our bodies are objects. We’re just big bags of flesh and blood and meat and organs that God gives us to drive around.”

[From Yahoo! UK]

Sigh. Should Pratt whip out his pre-written apology? It’s fine if Pratt enjoys being objectified because that’s his choice. We already know the dude enjoys surprising people with nudity, which is already sketchball all by itself. His “not objectify women less” statement is downright bizarre. Pratt’s gleefully deciding everyone should be objectified, and it’s a little unsettling. Welcoming objectification is completely different than having it forced upon you. Pratt doesn’t know what it feels like to hear threatening catcalls and fear for safety while walking down the street. He just doesn’t understand at all.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures & WENN

Tyga released a new rap song called “Pleazer,” and it’s grossing people out for a good reason. The lyrics are absolutely disgusting and NSFW, but you can read them here. If you’re feeling especially masochistic today, the song is on YouTube. In the tune, Tyga drops a line about “catching a felony,” so everyone thinks the song is about Kylie Jenner. She’s still 17, and he’s still 25. Dude thinks he’s doing nothing wrong by dating her, but he knows she’s underage. He also knows he could get in trouble with the law (although he won’t).

After the internet freaked out about the song, Tyga spoke with TMZ to say the song isn’t about Kylie at all. Nope. He recorded the song when he was still with Blac China, oh about two years ago. Nothing to see here until that Kylie-Tyga reality show happens. I don’t believe Tyga. Even if the song was recorded back in the day, he’s known Kylie for years. She was his babysitter! And he’s a gross guy who likes underage girls. Don’t trust the Tyga.

More Kylie news. In a series of videos from Kylie’s Snapchat account, she reveals, “I’ve been bullied since I’ve been 9. From the whole world, it feels like sometimes … and I think that I’ve done a really great job in handling all this.” The natural conclusion is that Kylie’s self esteem has suffered in the spotlight, which is understandable. She was raised in an incredibly superficial family and has lived her teen years in front of cameras and the internet. She’s spoiled, but her adolescence hasn’t been as easy as many would assume.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN

You know how people say #nofilter but you know there’s a freakin’ filter on their pic? Or maybe there’s a smidge of retouching going on but they’re lying and saying it’s all raw & real? Well, this morn, I decided to give you a taste of the really real me. I wanted to smooth out my dark circles so badly!!! But I was like, “Naw, Ty. Show ’em the REAL you.” So…here I am. Raw. And there YOU are…looking at me, studying this picture. Maybe you’re thinking, “Whoa, she looks ROUGH.” And if you are, great! You deserve to see the REAL me. The REALLY real me. #RawAndReal

A photo posted by Tyra Banks (@tyrabanks) on Jun 17, 2015 at 7:28am PDT

Tyra Banks did something awesome on Instagram. She did what a lot of female celebrities do and posted a “makeup free” selfie. Most of the time, these celebs are completely full of it. They’re either still wearing minimal makeup, or they tweak the lighting of the photo. Even worse, they apply generous filters to make themselves look glamorous while still “barefaced.” It drives me nuts when this happens.

In true model fashion, Tyra fully pulled her claim off. You can tell she didn’t apply concealer to hide undereye circles. No nude lip balm, and no ridiculous duck face under soft lighthing. In the caption, Tyra called out the fake #nofilter crowd and said, “I wanted to smooth out my dark circles so badly!!! But I was like, ‘Naw, Ty. Show ‘em the REAL you.’” I usually think Tyra is over the top, but this was really awesome of her to do. These #nofilter photos are usually designed to gather up compliments, but I don’t think Tyra cares.

Not that Tyra isn’t promoting anything. She and Chrissy Teigen will soon premiere their new daytime talkshow, The F.A.B. Life. Some media outlets already tried to start feud rumors, but Chrissy and Tyra shut it down on Twitter.

.@tyrabanks I am just excited I’m cool enough to be in on-set feuds now! We need to write passive aggressive raps about each other now

— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) June 13, 2015

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN