As we assumed, Brian Williams will not be returning to the anchor desk at NBC Nightly News. The final internal report on all of Brian’s many, many lies will not be completed until July or August, probably, but what NBC has discovered so far must have been pretty bad, because we’ve been hearing for more than a month that Brian is definitely going. In fact, the only reason his exit was ever in question is because Brian has some kind of hardcore management/legal team threatening to sue the bejesus out of NBC if Brian doesn’t get a generous exit package. So, what does Brian’s departure from the Nightly News look like? Well, he’s probably going to stay with NBC Universal in some capacity, likely moving to something “newsy” on MSNBC.

NBC and Brian Williams have finally reached an agreement that the disgraced anchorman will not return to “NBC Nightly News,” but will stay at the network in a different news role. Multiple sources confirmed to Page Six that after weeks of complex negotiations NBC is likely to announce Thursday that Lyin’ Brian is out of the anchor chair, but will remain a part of the news division.

The deal was hammered out between Williams’ agent Bob Barnett, NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke and NBC News chairman Andy Lack, amid speculation that Williams could leave the network altogether and walk away from his $50 million, five-year deal.

An insider said, “There is an agreement. Brian won’t return to the anchor chair but has agreed to a different, news-oriented role. The negotiations have been complicated and difficult.” It was not immediately clear how much of Williams’ huge contract would be honored by NBC. A second source told us that Williams’ new role, which has been negotiated in strict secrecy, “is something very different, but within news, that gives Brian room to grow and to rebuild his reputation.”

The source added the role was “very different” from that given to Ann Curry, who was made an NBC News national and international correspondent after her excruciating departure from “Today” in June 2012. She left the network in January, unhappy that she was “basically doing nothing.”

The source added that Lester Holt, who has stoically stood in for Williams during his ongoing six-month suspension, is certain to be promoted to anchor of “NBC Nightly News.”

CNN Money first reported Wednesday night on NBC and Williams’ tentative deal, saying details of his next role were “unknown to all but a very small number of executives.” The talks have also centered on how Williams would further apologize for his storytelling which included an exaggerated account of an Iraq war mission. Reps for NBC News and Williams could not be immediately reached.

[From Page Six]

Of course they won’t treat him like Ann Curry! Ann Curry is a woman and therefore deserved to have her reputation and career shredded by NBC for no real reason (other than Matt Lauer didn’t like her). Brian Williams has been caught out in a dozen major, public lies, so obviously he needs to be treated gently, like a little fluffy bunny with feelings. A source told CNN Money that Williams “will be the face of MSNBC” post-scandal and he will be “handling big breaking news stories” for MSNBC, I’m assuming. I watch MSNBC pretty consistently (go ahead and make fun of me, but I like Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow) and let me just say… I don’t appreciate this idea of “Put Brian Williams on MSNBC, no one will notice.”

Oh, but I’m happy that Lester Holt will be staying as anchor. I LOVE LESTER HOLT.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

Proud new dad Chris Brown shared a sweet shot and some cute clips with 1-year-old daughter Royalty.

In a new Instagram image, the Forever rapper, 26, is seen posing with his baby girl.

In a series of videos, the adorable tot is seen dancing and spending quality time with her famous papa.

Last month, the rapper wished his “lil lady” a happy birthday on social media. “I love you,” the notorious bad boy wrote.

Brown had a fling with Royalty’s mom, model Nia Guzman, last year.

Baby looking like wtf!! Lol

A video posted by @chrisbrownofficial on Jun 17, 2015 at 4:42pm PDT

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Earlier this month, Jaguar revealed their newest commercial, which is once again in the theme of “It’s Good To Be Bad.” In the past year or so, Jaguar has done ads with British actors famous for playing villains, like Mark Strong, Ben Kingsley and Tom Hiddleston. In the latest ad, Strong and Kingsley are no more (having been killed by Hiddleston, likely with help from the Dragonflies and a very pretty jaguar) and Hiddleston is just bossing around his helper monkey, played by Nicholas Hoult. Here’s the ad again:

It’s a cute ad. And Jaguar knows what they’re doing by using Hoult and Hiddles – they’re really playing into the swoon-worthy element of two of the hottest young Brits. So it’s no surprise that Jaguar is milking this for all it’s worth. Jaguar released a behind-the-scenes video which features the first on-camera Hiddleston interview in, like, more than a year. It’s nice to hear his voice again!

Nice. Tommy always takes these things a bit too seriously, but since I’ve been missing him, I’m all for it. I’m surprised he didn’t mention Shakespeare’s great villains or how he based his Jaguar villain on Iago or something.

So, there you go. We’re definitely going to need MOAR HIDDLES to get us through the summer. Maybe he’ll show up somewhere with a girlfriend?

Photos courtesy of Joe Alvarez/WENN, Jaguar.

Taraji P. Henson and her girls (they look fantastic) cover the July issue of Allure. Taraji is really having quite a year, isn’t she? And it couldn’t have happened to a more righteous lady. Taraji’s Allure interview is chock full of interesting quotes and stories and opinions. I would be 100% behind Taraji in everything, but my one qualm is that she’s an apologist for her friend and costar Terrence Howard, who has a lengthy history of physically assaulting women. This is why I don’t watch Empire, even though I want to support Taraji. I just can’t get past Terrence Howard. Some highlights from Allure:

Her Allure shoot: “It was very Diana Ross, very disco, Studio 54, big, big, big hair, lots of jewelry, big earrings, the stuff I like to wear. I’m a ’70s baby so I hate I missed the era of Studio 54 ’cause I would’ve had a good time. I probably would’ve been dead but it would’ve been a good time!”

Working with abusive douchebag Terrence Howard: “I just know him. We trust each other… Let’s pop the trunk to your life and see what’s dysfunctional and what’s bad…. At the end of the day, we’re all human and we got flaws and we got sh-t.”

Her breakout role in Baby Boy (in 2001): “I’ve had so many false starts. If it’s easy, what story are you going to tell? Nobody wants to hear about how easy it was. That doesn’t inspire anyone.”

She doesn’t date costars: “I always wanted to be known for my work. Not who I dated. Not who I slept with…. I have a gift, and my gift is acting. I started in the business at 26 with a kid, so I was smart enough to know reality from fantasy. I didn’t want to blur the lines. This is a job that I have to do. I cannot get caught up in it. And if I sleep with these guys, why would they want to work with me again? The conquest is up. Now I’m just used-up…[she mouths the word ‘p—sy’].”

Men better not interfere with her business: “You have to stay professional. It is a business. I’m not letting no knucklehead dude come between my hard work and my money.”

She knows how to hustle & she’s run her own salon out of her home: “I come from a family of hard workers. Oh, yeah, I knew how to hustle and make money. We used to do wet sets…. I bought a hooded dryer, and I had my box of rollers. I could have gone to jail; I had no license whatsoever. But it was just my friends. They were like, ‘Girl, hook me up.’” Occasionally, Henson still does her own nails. “If I get bored, I’ll put a full set on.”

[From Allure]

Taraji’s defense of Terrence Howard rubs me the wrong way, and it reminds me of Jodie Foster’s constant defense of Mel Gibson. Yes, Taraji is right in that everyone has BS and drama in their private lives. But she’s wrong in that Terrence Howard’s “drama” is not something to be set aside with a shrug and a “nobody’s perfect.” Terrence Howard abuses women. He assaults women. And he gets away with it because too many people shrug and ignore it.

As for Taraji thinking she would be seen as “used up” if she slept with or dated a costar…? I’m sure some men do think that way (men like Terrence Howard), but it just seems like she’s insulting the men she works with and she’s insulting herself.

Photos courtesy of Allure.

Here are some photos of Mark Ruffalo at the premiere of his new film, Infinitely Polar Bear, a few nights ago. I keep calling this film Infinity Polar Bear, which I tend to think is a better name than Infinitely Polar Bear. Anyway, Ruffalo gave a rather epic interview to the Daily Beast to promote his new film – you can read the full piece here. He talks about his new movie (which is kind of boring and I’m not excerpting from that part), sexism, Marvel films and more. Some highlights:

On women taking their husbands’ names: “Where do they come from? It’s a patriarchal system across the board. Literally. Women have long said, “We’ve got to get this under control,” and they’ve been fighting that ever since. We’re having these conversations now in a real way and becoming aware of sexism; it’s so embedded in us. I grew up in an Italian family where the woman stayed home and the father went to work, and that stuff is still inside me. I have to make a conscious evaluation of my own. I have two girls. Even the way I talk to them, and what I expect of them, still has a sexism inside it that I have to be vigilant against. You become aware of it in bits and pieces. It’s so firmly ingrained because we’ve been doing it for so long.

The backlash against The Hulk & Black Widow’s romance: “I was trying to make a greater point than that. My wife turned me on to that, and I was like, “Yeah, right!” and then that turned into a much larger conversation—the whole thing with Joss Whedon, and the Bruce and Natasha relationship that pissed off so many people. I was like, “Come on, guys! You’re talking about a guy in Joss who does write some pretty strong women. I mean, Buffy. Come on dude! Come on!” So let’s reflect on that. Maybe it’s because we don’t have enough women playing these kinds of roles that you’re taking Joss to task for this.

There aren’t enough good roles for women: “That’s exactly what it is. So a man can be weak and no one says anything, but if a woman’s weak everyone’s like, “What the f–k is this?! You misogynist a–hole!” And you’re like, “What are you talking about? Go watch Buffy!” And I see Bruce Banner as the one who’s constantly being saved! He’s the one who’s emasculated. You don’t say anything about the fact that Scarlett is the one protecting him all the time, and the one time he goes around and does something for her, all of a sudden people are like, “What the F–K!” There’s just nowhere to hide with this s–t anymore.

Whether we could have a female president: “There could be. Unless Bernie Sanders comes in. I don’t know!

On the concerns that Bernie Sanders’ supporters won’t come out: “I don’t know, man! I remember the same thing was being said about Barack Obama. I think Sanders has a message. Hillary’s going to have to adopt Bernie’s message, and I think we’re going to be hearing a lot more from Bernie.

The Republicans: “It’s already a clown show. It’s incredible, the sh-t that comes out of their mouths. They’re going to drive off the cliff! They are, man. It’s out of control. There’s no even censoring it anymore. Americans don’t want billionaires running our government. They just don’t. And they’re sick of it. And they’re aware of it.

Working for Marvel versus doing indie films: “I want to be an indie actor, and want to keep doing these types of movies—Infinitely Polar Bear and Spotlight. They feed me. And Marvel feeds me and my kids, you know?”

[From The Daily Beast]

That’s interesting… I didn’t know that he was into Bernie Sanders and not Hillary Clinton. Sanders’ campaign has surprised me, mostly because he’s already playing perfectly into the wing of the Democratic party that was primed for an Elizabeth Warren candidacy. I wonder how Ruffalo would feel about Warren running? He would probably be all for it. Anyway, I like what he says about sexism and needing to be conscious of patriarchy every day in the way he deals with his daughters. Sigh… so underrated.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Donald Trump’s now-announced presidential campaign is either a goldmine of hilarity or a sideshow. Or both, I guess. I don’t think anyone is taking it seriously, are they? What’s interesting is that Trump actually IS polling better than several big-name Republican candidates. But polling is a double-edged sword for Trump – he has major name-recognition, which is good, but even a majority of Republicans already know that they hate him (which is bad). Trump’s nonsensical Is-this-a-parody announcement speech didn’t help matters either. Basically, the whole thing is already a glorious mess. So let’s go through some Trump headlines this week:

Neil Young is pissed. At Trump’s announcement, Canadian Neil Young’s “Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World” was played repeatedly. Neil Young says that Trump used the song without permission and that during this election cycle, he’s going to be supporting Bernie Sanders. Which… I want to hear that song played at Bernie Sanders’ rallies from here on out.

Trump may have paid actors to cheer for him. There was a good turnout at Trump’s presidential announcement at Trump Tower on Tuesday. THR claims that Trump gave actors $50 each to show up and wave signs for him. THR even had the email evidence, and it’s pretty clear that many of the “homemade signs” were actually distributed by Trump’s campaign. Trump’s people told E! News the story isn’t true but they would not be commenting further. Ha.

Trump loves dictators. The Daily Beast compiled a list!

Trump is probably lying about his wealth. He claims he’s worth more than $8 billion. The truth is that he probably has assets estimated at about $4 billion, if that. And the FEC is going to need more documentation than the one-page assessment Trump handed out.

Trump’s Combover of Secrets. Trump was in New Hampshire this week and he offered to let one woman touch his hair to prove that it is real. Even Fox News was surprised that Trump is putting the Combover of Secrets front and center during his campaign.

Trump insults a dude in a wheelchair. He was dissing George Will and wheelchair-bound Charles Krauthammer and these are Trump’s actual words: “You know when I watch a George Will or a Charles Krauthammer, you know, I watch them for years, they’re losers. They sit there. They haven’t done anything.” THEY JUST SIT THERE.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I’m really enjoying WSJ. Magazine these days. The NYT’s T Magazine used to be great, they used to do these in-depth profiles of interesting celebrities or up-and-coming actors, but T Magazine has sort of stopped doing that so much and WSJ. Magazine has taken up the mantel. Emma Stone covers the newest issue and this is honestly one of the best profiles I’ve ever read with Emma. Emma is smarter than the average starlet and in most interviews, she’s able to successfully withhold and deflect when it comes to personal information. But in this piece, she actually ends up talking about Andrew Garfield, Woody Allen (she’s promoting Irrational Man) and more. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

Moving back to LA after several years in NYC: “It feels different being by the water. You’d be surprised at how much of life can be taken up by doing yoga and nothing.”

She had panic attacks as a kid: “It was really bad. The first time I had a panic attack I was sitting in my friend’s house, and I thought the house was burning down. I called my mom and she brought me home, and for the next three years it just would not stop. I would go to the nurse at lunch most days and just wring my hands. I would ask my mom to tell me exactly how the day was going to be, then ask again 30 seconds later. I just needed to know that no one was going to die and nothing was going to change.”

She didn’t write a speech when she was nominated for an Oscar: “Are you out of your mind? Are you actually insane? Patricia Arquette had that thing locked up!”

The rumors about her breakup with Andrew Garfield: “See, I never talk about this stuff for this exact reason—because it’s all so speculative and baseless. Once you start responding—once you’re like, ‘No, that’s not true’—then they’re like, ‘Well, if we push enough, we’ll get a comment, so let’s see what else we can make up.’ I understand the interest in it completely because I’ve had it, too. But it’s so special to me that it never feels good to talk about, so I just continually don’t talk about it.”

When she walked around LA with a bad with Andrew’s name on it: “When I picked up the bag, I was like, ‘This is kind of funny if there are any [paparazzi] out there.’ There’s probably some rebelliousness that comes out in me after all these stories and people texting you for weeks about something that, for the most part, is not true. But even when it’s false, I would rather just let it be false.”

Her pet peeves: Animals dressed in outfits, people who send eight texts instead of one (“Just take a second!”), classic names intentionally misspelled. “Like Emily being E-M-A-L-I-E. Drives me crazy.”

Working with Woody Allen: “It’s terrifying. He doesn’t do table reads or any rehearsal. You can’t even ask questions about your character, because he’ll be like: ‘You know this is a movie, right?’ ”

Why she turned down the all-female Ghostbusters reboot. “The script was really funny. It just didn’t feel like the right time for me. A franchise is a big commitment—it’s a whole thing. I think maybe I need a minute before I dive back into that water.”

[From WSJ. Magazine]

The Andrew Garfield section is interesting. I see her point about not giving in to false reports, but she IS still reacting those reports, she’s just not issuing a statement. It’s like she’s making it more complicated than it needs to be – when People, E! News, Us Weekly and Star all agree that Andrew and Emma had broken up, a simple “No, they’re still together” from her rep would have been the easiest path. Except that I still believe they probably were on a break and they just got back together when they were finally back in the same city together.

There’s also a lengthy part where she talks about the Sony Hack and her personal information ending on Wikileaks, and how she got all these weird emails from fans. What else? There’s a part where she talks about having insomnia while doing Cabaret on stage and she would go online at 3 am and buy stuff to make her own lotions. She also confesses to being a lurker on mom blogs and baking blogs, and she even met one of her favorite baking bloggers and they made apple-cider donuts together in real life. Emma is… quirky.

Photos courtesy of Angelo Pennetta for WSJ. Magazine.

I am SO disappointed. I thought Madonna would release her video for “Bitch I’m Madonna” and the sheer magnitude of Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and… Rita Ora… would be enough to knock Taylor Swift off her game. But after I watched Madonna’s video… nope. If anything, this makes me long for Tay-Tay’s utterly stupid “Bad Blood” video because at least she got her famous friends to SHOW UP for her. Here’s the video for “Bitch I’m Madonna” (incidentally, this song sucks).

Rita Ora, Diplo and Chris Rock are the only ones actually on the set with Madonna. The rest of the cameos are just video clips filmed somewhere else. Beyonce, Miley, Kanye and Katy are literally only on screen for about three seconds total and they have no real connection to the ‘90s rave-nightmare of the rest of the video. Even Minaj – who legitimately contributed a rap in the middle of the song – didn’t even bother coming to the real music video shoot.

And the grillz. My God, the grillz. Madonna is trying so hard to be hip and cool like the youngsters. Her goal at this point is to be referred to in a scathing takedown for being “ratchet.” Seriously, that’s her endgame. She would love it if Salon or The Daily Beast wrote a thinkpiece called “Is Madonna too ratchet?” Then she would be cool. Instead, the headlines are basically “Taylor Swift wins, Madonna’s new video is a budget mess.”

Photos courtesy of WENN, Madonna’s IG.

Iggy Azalea’s new life, post arena tour cancellation, looks so relaxing. She’s been doing a lot of shopping and gets papped riding horses all the time. Her career continues to go south, and that’s okay for now. Iggy didn’t handle the pressures of stardom very well. I’m doubtful she’ll ever score a song as popular as “Fancy,” but who knows.

Iggy has a new interview with an Aussie morning show, Today, where she talks about being confident in one’s skin. She sounds like she’s full of it (you can see the video here). Iggy pretends like her recent plastic surgery (nose job and chin implant) never happened. She previously spoke out about her cellulite, which is how she approaches things here. People still can’t stop thinking about how different Iggy looks now, so these words ring false:

On her self-esteem: “Some days I want to crawl into a cave because I don’t feel confident at all, and then other days I feel great. I think it’s like that for all human beings, not just young women. I think being confident 100 percent every day is something to aspire to, but I don’t think it’s humanly possible for anybody.”

What is confidence? “Having that honest moment with yourself and … embracing your flaws.”

[From Today Show – Australia]

The show praised Iggy for being candid about her newish bolt ons, as she “totally owned her decision like a boss.” Yeah, I’ll give credit for owning up to her boob job before the media noticed anything was amiss. She still hasn’t admitted to her obvious cosmetic work, which is her prerogative. No one can make her admit getting work done, but she’s telling people to embrace their flaws! Iggy’s only mentioned getting a “laser skin peel thing,” and she’s done far more than visit a spa.

Iggy has been interacting a lot with random fans on Twitter. She revealed that her wedding to Nick Young will be more traditional than her tacky engagement ring. We’ll see.

@LeoRising15 hmmmm im def wearing white or ivory. i do want a pretty traditional style wedding.

— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) June 15, 2015

This tweet gave me a chuckle.

im cheating on target with amazon prime.

— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) June 17, 2015

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN

Norman Reedus is sex on a stick to many of you. I’m more into clean cut guys (Matt Damon, Joel McHale, Chiwetel Ejiofor) but I can see it if you’re into that kind of dude. For many women, Reedus lost the hot when it recently came out that he was dating a 21 year-old model. The model was 20 when they met. Reedus, 46, has since moved on to dating his former costar, Emily Kinney, who is slightly more age-appropriate at 29. I think of Kinney as much younger than that as I know her as Beth from Walking Dead. It seems wrong to me that Beth and Daryl are together. He was like a father figure to her on the show and she’s so young-looking that Reedus looks like he could be her dad. Apparently it’s on though, and Reedus has been seen supporting Kinney at her music shows. (Her music is pretty bad, from what I’ve seen.)

If you are waiting to watch the last season of Walking Dead, there are spoilers below

“They had a connection early on in the show,” says a source close to the duo, “but the romance developed recently. They’re still pretty guarded about it.”

After Kinney’s character, Beth, was shockingly killed off in 2014, she and Reedus, 46, who plays zombie hunter Daryl, stayed in touch through texts, appearances at fan conventions (the two are scheduled to appear at the Walker Stalker Con event in Orlando, Fla., on June 27 and 28), and at Kinney’s music gigs. Says the source, “He was one of the first to support her at her concerts when she was still on the show.”

Recently, the dad of 15-year-old Mingus (his son with model Helena Christensen) cheered on the singer-songwriter, 29, at her May 21 show in Decatur, Ga. An eyewitness tells Us a few die-hard Dead fans noticed Reedus in the audience and got excited. “For some time everyone wanted two of the most beloved Walking Dead characters to be together, but of course, Beth was killed off,” says the observer.

“She always called him the sweetest guy on the set,” says the first source. When Kinney discovered she’d been written off the show, Reedus was among the first to be in touch, she revealed to Us in December 2014. “Everyone reached out, though I remember Norman texted me—he’s so sweet.”

[From Us Magazine]

As US mentions, Reedus has a 15 year-old son from a previous relationship with model Helena Christensen, so he hasn’t always dated women who are over 15 years younger than he is. Also, Kinney is almost out of her 20s. That’s something. That baby face though. Daryl saves Beth from drinking her first peach schnapps, they’re not meant to be together romantically.

Update: Reedus’s rep denied to TMZ that his client is in a romantic relationship with Kinney. TMZ has a photo of the two out together in Georgia and Reedus’s rep says their relationship is “strictly platonic.”

photo credit: WENN and AMC