I saw these photos yesterday and I thought, “Eh, I’m not going to cover it.” Bobby Flay was getting his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, because yes, they give stars to celebrity chefs now. I mean, I could see giving a star to someone like Wolfgang Puck, who actually has a close association with all things Hollywood. But Bobby Flay? Eh. It doesn’t matter, celebrities pay for these stars.
So why am I covering these photos? It’s because someone spent some money to publicly slam Flay at his big event. In the middle of his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, a perfectly timed plane flew overhead with a banner that read “CHEATER.” Hahahaha. I’m including some photos below.
Is this a fair assessment by the plane? Did Flay’s estranged wife Stephanie March organize this? Or was it someone else, like… January Jones? Last week, In Touch Weekly got their hands on March and Flay’s court papers, and March explicitly accused Flay of having a full-on affair with January in 2010. March also accused Flay of having at least two other affairs that she knew about, including a years-long affair with his food stylist. For what it’s worth, Flay has denied everything and he’s claimed that March is just trying to malign him to get their prenup thrown out.
CHEATER!!!!!!!!!!!
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
The Duggar Family’s first post-scandal interview has already been conducted, and the first part will air tonight on Fox News. Megyn Kelly – arguably one of the better Fox News anchors, although that’s setting the bar pretty low – conducted the interview. After the airing tonight, there will also be a special on Fox News on Friday night with previously unaired segments. My understanding of the interview is that it’s mostly going to be with Michelle and Jim-Bob Duggar, although there will be parts with the kids and maybe even Josh Duggar. As I said in the post on Sunday, I was willing to give Megyn Kelly the benefit of the doubt on all of this and I really hoped she would call out the Duggars for this horror show. Unfortunately, we got a little preview – with Megyn speaking to Howard Kurtz – and if you can make it through this without screaming at the video, you deserve a medal.
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com
Let’s take this piece by piece.
In Touch Weekly got the police record with a FOIA request. Megyn Kelly says that outright, then continues to make the specious claim that “Josh Duggar’s private personal sealed records have been improperly released. It doesn’t excuse any of his behavior. It’s one thing if the Duggars want to talk about it… [but] the media didn’t even pause.” While there is an issue to be made about the release of Josh Duggar’s VICTIMS’ NAMES, that argument does not extend to Josh Duggar. In Touch didn’t even release the names of his victims – In Touch made the editorial decision (correctly) to redact the names. When the police began investigating Josh’s criminal acts, he was 17 and 18 years old. He was not a minor in the state of Arkansas, unlike his victims. And the reason the investigation was part of the public record was because the investigation was launched years after Josh molested his sisters and after the statute of limitations had passed.
“Feasting on this carcass.” The liberal media, you see, is so gleeful to take down a family of conservative Christians that no one is asking why the Arkansas police released the information. They released the information because of In Touch’s FOIA request. In Touch made the FOIA request because they got a tip – likely from another conservative Christian with close ties to the Duggars and their community – that something was not right about Josh Duggar.
The conservative politicians posing with Josh Duggar. If the “liberal media” is going to town on certain politicians, it’s because those politicians openly courted Josh Duggar’s support specifically. Megyn tried to play it off like conservative politicians are being targeted because they posed with “some random member of the family.” Nope. They posed with Josh specifically, because he was director of an ultra-conservative, anti-gay, anti-reproductive-rights political group. I don’t believe it’s bad journalism to ask those politicians how they feel about Josh Duggar right now. Some of them (Huckabee) STILL support Josh. Some of them (Santorum) are disgusted. I’d still like to know what Scott Walker, Ted Cruz and many more have to say.
“Bill Clinton was accused of rape.” Yes, honey. Because that’s exactly the same thing. Because if Bill Clinton was accused of it at some point, that means Josh Duggar should totally be forgiven for molesting five children over the course of two years (that we know of).
“Nothing is off limits.” Except a lot was off limits. Megyn says: “I don’t plan on getting into the specific details about what was done because my understanding is the victims don’t want to discuss that either.”
This is going to be an utter disaster. Or worse, it’s going to be a Fox News advertisement for the Duggar Cult.
Photos courtesy of Duggar’s social media, WENN.
Here are more photos of Kim Kardashian out and about in NYC this week. Now that we know she’s pregnant, I can really see it. Before this week, I just assumed she had been gaining some weight because of the fertility treatments, but you can already see that her body is changing. She’s apparently three months along and due in December. And Kim is telling people that just like her last pregnancy, she’s sick as a dog.
Pregnant Kim Kardashian couldn’t be more excited to be expecting again — except for the fact that she’s suffering from “really bad” all-day sickness. The E! reality star and her husband, Kanye West, made their first red carpet appearance together at the 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York City on Monday, June 1, since announcing they’re expecting baby No. 2, and Kardashian tells Us Weekly she hasn’t been feeling the best.
“To be honest, I’ve had really bad morning sickness, day sickness, night sickness — I can barely get out of bed,” Kris Jenner’s daughter tells Us. “It’s a very different type of pregnancy from my first one, but I’m so grateful to be pregnant when we didn’t even think it was going to happen for us [so] I don’t care how sick I am.”
North West’s mom, who presented Instagram founder Kevin Systrom with the CFDA Media Award at the fete, said feeling like “s—t” is “so worth it” because she couldn’t be more “grateful” to expand her brood.
[From Us Weekly]
One of the reasons many of us thought Kim would opt for surrogacy this time around was because she legitimately had a very difficult, uncomfortable pregnancy with North. I guess she and Kanye really wanted to have another baby and to do it this way. Eh, more power to them. And I do feel sorry for her considering how sick she is. It feels like she’s going to have another difficult pregnancy.
There are also significant rumors that Kim is expecting twins – the NYDN’s sources say that Kim is waiting to announce until her doctors tell her that it’s all good. Plus, she’s waiting until Caitlyn stops stealing her thunder. But a different source tells People Magazine that Kim is NOT expecting twins but this pregnancy is the result of Kim and Kanye’s second attempt at IVF.
As for this outfit… trust me, this is probably as good as her style is going to get this year. Four months from now, we’re going to look back at this dress and think, “How quaint.” You can even see that she’s wearing Spanx! Also: when Kim pulls her hair back like that, she looks like she’s trying to morph into Kris Jenner.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
View image | gettyimages.com
Here’s a photo of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson with their son, Chester, at a 2011 film premiere. Nowadays, Chester calls himself “Chet Haze” and believes that he’s a frat-boy rapper. You can here one of Chet’s songs here, but you might laugh. A lot.
We usually ignore Chet’s antics (there was a weird fight with Howard Stern not too long ago). But Chet has gotten into some trouble for dropping the n-word on his Instagram page. (Unfortunately, he deleted his account as I was typing this story, so there will be minimal photos to illustrate.) Chet’s pretty upset that people are calling him out for using the word, which he believes is “a beautiful thing.” Here’s his defense:
“If I say the word n**** I say it amongst people I love and who love me. If I say “f*** yall hatin a** n*****” it’s because that’s really how I felt at the time. And I don’t accept society getting to decide what ANYBODY can or can’t say. That’s something we call FREE SPEECH. Now I understand the older generation who grew up in the Jim Crowe era might have strong feelings against this. And that’s understandable.
“But what I’m saying is this is 2015 … We have reached a point where the word can no longer have a negative connotation if we so choose. And who is to say only black people can use it? The way I see it, it’s a word that unifies the culture of HIP-HOP across ALL RACES, which is actually kind of a beautiful thing. It’s a word that can be used out of camaraderie and love, not just exclusively for black people. What’s the point in putting all these built up ‘rules’ about it. It’s time to let go. You can hate me or love me for it, but can’t nobody tell me what I can or can’t say. It’s got nothing to do with trying to be a thug. It’s about the culture of the music … Some people will get it, some people won’t. Either way, Ima keep living my life however the f*** I want. ALL LOVE.
“Look, I know the majority of y’all are not gonna get this because the history is still so fresh in our country. But hip hop isn’t about race. It’s about the culture you identify with. And can’t no one tell me what I can’t say.”
[From Chet Haze on Instagram (dead link)]
Ahem. Well, I’m pretty sure Chet has no idea what he’s talking about. He grew up wealthy and privileged beyond belief. Yet Chet feels like he identifies enough with rap culture that he should be able to drop the n-word without being called out. He thinks everyone should “let go” of the n-word’s connotations because he really wants to say it. He’s so bothered by these “built-up rules” about the n-word. Won’t you let Chet Haze be great?
I didn’t even want to draw attention to Chet Haze, but he’s pulling an Iggy Azalea. Since she got called out big time for her appropriation, Chet also shouldn’t get away with claiming a deep devotion to hip-hop culture without some understanding. He’s acting dismissive like Iggy and needs to take a few lessons from Q-Tip the Abstract. Chet should also realize that his free speech claim runs both ways. People are free to criticize Chet for the stupid stuff that comes out of his mouth.
Photos courtesy of Chet Haze on Instagram & Getty
Kendall Jenner gave a joint interview with little sister Kylie in the Sunday Times. I talked yesterday about the excerpts involving Kylie and Kendall’s fear of growing older (“old” meaning 20+). There were also some tidbits about how Kendall’s grown disillusioned with social media and wanted to throw her phone into the wall.
Thanks to Gawker, some new excerpts surfaced. In an interesting move, Kendall completely shut down the journo’s questions about body image. This was a wise tactic considering the Kardashians’ plastic surgery addiction. Kendall couldn’t say much without dragging her sisters, intentionally or not. Kendall also discusses exactly why she doesn’t like the internet anymore. It doesn’t have to do with bullying. Kendall wants to experience life without being glued to a phone (like Kylie). Kendall’s description of events is very surreal, and there’s some stuff about feminism too:
Why she had her internet epiphany: “We had a two-hour drive from the airport to where we were staying, and I’d left my phone in my bag, so I didn’t touch it the whole way. I looked out the window at everything, and I saw people who live in huts and have dogs that were, like, withering away. And all their food, meat, was hanging in front of their house. It was very sad. Then we pulled up to this amazing house we were staying at, and I looked over and Kylie was on her phone the whole time and didn’t see one thing that I saw.”
Is she a feminist? “I don’t know much about it, so I can’t really speak on it. I get what you’re saying, but I’m not gonna say much because I’d like to be more educated.”
[From The Sunday Times]
Should we give Kendall any credit for straight-up admitting she doesn’t understand
feminism? She wants to be more educated, which is difficult in the Kardashian family (where looks, not books mean everything). That’s a huge step. Kendall’s not rejecting feminism because she misinterpreted the meaning (like Evangeline Lilly, Kaley Cuoco, Mel B, or Shailene Woodley). Kendall knows she doesn’t get it, and she doesn’t want to make dumb statements. I’ll give her some points for that awareness.
Photos courtesy of WENN
A couple of weeks ago, I saw Laverne Cox speak as part of her college tour. She was impressive on so many levels. Laverne spoke fast and had so much to say about gender identity, about trans rights, and about the depressing statistics about violence and murder against trans people. She called then-Bruce sincere and human with a “desire to change the world“. Laverne also urged us, and the media, to focus on the “hearts, souls, emotions and… experiences” of trans people, and not the specifics around surgery and body parts.
Now that we’ve met Caitlyn on the cover of Vanity Fair, Laverne has penned a thoughtful essay about what this means to the trans community, and to those people who are still struggling. She urges us not to focus on beauty and instead to move toward acceptance. Her essay is long and I’ll break it down a little here. I recommend that you read the original which reminded me so much of her talk. I could listen to her for hours. Here’s some of what she wrote and the headers are in my words.
We should go beyond the superficial with trans people
Yes, Caitlyn looks amazing and is beautiful but what I think is most beautiful about her is her heart and soul, the ways she has allowed the world into her vulnerabilities. The love and devotion she has for her family and that they have for her. Her courage to move past denial into her truth so publicly. These things are beyond beautiful to me.
Trans people shouldn’t have to be attractive to be respected
A year ago when my Time magazine cover came out I saw posts from many trans folks saying that I am “drop dead gorgeous” and that that doesn’t represent most trans people. (It was news to me that I am drop dead gorgeous but I’ll certainly take it). But what I think they meant is that in certain lighting, at certain angles I am able to embody certain cisnormative beauty standards. Now, there are many trans folks because of genetics and/or lack of material access who will never be able to embody these standards. More importantly many trans folks don’t want to embody them and we shouldn’t have to to be seen as ourselves and respected as ourselves.
We need more media representation of trans folks
I have always been aware that I can never represent all trans people. No one or two or three trans people can. This is why we need diverse media representations of trans folks to multiply trans narratives in the media and depict our beautiful diversities. I started #TransIsBeautiful as a way to celebrate all those things that make trans folks uniquely trans, those things that don’t necessarily align with cisnormative beauty standards.
We have to lift up all trans people
Most trans folks don’t have the privileges Caitlyn and I have now have. It is those trans folks we must continue to lift up, get them access to healthcare, jobs, housing, safe streets, safe schools and homes for our young people. We must lift up the stories of those most at risk, statistically trans people of color who are poor and working class. I have hoped over the past few years that the incredible love I have received from the public can translate to the lives of all trans folks. Trans folks of all races, gender expressions, ability, sexual orientations, classes, immigration status, employment status, transition status, genital status etc.. I hope, as I know Caitlyn does, that the love she is receiving can translate into changing hearts and minds about who all trans people are as well as shifting public policies to fully support the lives and well being of all of us.
[From Laverne Cox on Tumblr]
That was so powerful, but I didn’t expect anything less from her. Read the first quoted paragraph again. (Or for the first time.) For those of you criticizing Caitlyn and saying that Bruce was a horrible absent father, does that take away from how groundbreaking and meaningful it is for her to earn the cover of Vanity Fair? I don’t think it does. It took Caitlyn her whole lifetime to be able to be herself, and there’s nothing wrong with celebrating that while acknowledging that she’s flawed. As Laverne Cox said in her speech, “we are not what we do” and we are not the worst thing we’ve ever done. (The context is that during Q&A a future public defender asked her for words of wisdom. Laverne quoted civil rights attorney William Kunstler, who believed that everyone deserved a defense.)
In terms of cisnormative beauty, many transgender people have brought this up when it comes to the media narrative around Caitlyn. Vocactiv has an eye-opening editorial about this issue, with a conclusion from the director of Transgender Media at GLAAD, Nick Adams “We have to get to a place where how a transgender person looks — whether they’re visibly transgender or whether or not they meet some conventional standard of masculinity and femininity as defined by our culture — is not the criteria upon which they receive acceptance and support.”
As for how we can support trans people with public policy, Laverne gave an example of a Catholic high school in New York city in which the students successfully lobbied to have some gender neutral bathrooms. (Here’s more on how gender neutral bathrooms can help with access and acceptance for trans people. Many schools are switching “family” bathrooms to the more inclusive “gender neutral”.)
Laverne also reminded us that when we don’t value trans lives “the price can be deadly.” The self-reported attempted suicide rate among trans people is over 40%. So yes, I do celebrate Caitlyn on the cover of Vanity Fair, and I hope to see more trans celebrities, media personalities and neighbors.
Here’s a new video that Vanity Fair released from behind the scenes in which Caitlyn gives a shout out to Laverne Cox, among other pioneers.
I’m so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. Can’t wait for you to get to know her/me.
— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) June 1, 2015
View image | gettyimages.com
Here’s a real question: do you think Leonardo DiCaprio ever gets bored with dating women who generally look like sisters? Erin Heatherton looks like Toni Garrn, who looks like Leo’s newest girlfriend, Kelly Rohrbach. They basically all have the same body, they’re all blonde, they’re all models and they were all under the age of 25 when they started dating Leo. Like, I wanted to believe the Rihanna rumors just because I don’t see how a dude can date so many similar-looking women in a row and NOT be bored. I would be bored if I dated three similar-looking dudes in a row, you know? Not only that, I would probably confuse them.
Anyway, it’s looking more and more like Kelly Rohrbach is Leo’s new official girlfriend. They’ve been seen together in Manhattan and the Hamptons for a few weeks, basically as soon as Cannes ended and Leo moved his international party to New York. Page Six says Leo was seen with Kelly as early as April (they were spotted at 1Oak in LA), although he was definitely acting like a single guy at Cannes, which is what he usually does, with or without an official girlfriend. Page Six says Leo and his P-ssy Posse rented a mansion in the Hamptons over the weekend and Kelly was out there with them. Then Leo and Kelly were seen together Monday night in Manhattan:
It sure sounds like Leonardo DiCaprio and Kelly Rorhbach are heating up! After reportedly spending a weekend together in the Hamptons, the 40-year-old actor and the Sports Illustrated model got cozy at a CFDA Fashion Awards after-party last night, E! News has exclusively learned.
An eyewitness tells E! News that DiCaprio arrived to the star-studded post-CFDA bash late Monday night alone but Rohrbach showed up separately just a few minutes after. The rumored couple met up and sat together at a private corner back table. While they kept their PDA to a minimum, Rohrbach did drape her legs over DiCaprio as they sat and chatted intimately, the source tells us.
They were “very flirty,” the insider added, and Rohrbach looked “very into him.”
[From E! News]
Just once, I’d like to read a gossip story about Leo where the source was like, “Leo was really into her but she just kept giving him the cold shoulder. She kept rolling her eyes at her friends, like she couldn’t believe that such an out-of-shape 40-something bro kept trying to hit on her.”
As for her age… she’s either 24 or 25. That’s cutting it pretty close, right? Maybe this is just a summer thing for him. You can read her SI casting call here.
PS… the photos of Leo are from the Cannes amfAR gala. He looked like a mobster. Gross.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, Getty, WENN.
View image | gettyimages.com
Goldie Hawn features in the June issue of Porter magazine. You can see her editorial here. She looks beautiful, and I can’t believe she’s 69 years old! Goldie was 37 when she got together with Kurt Russell, and their relationship is 32 years long. So Goldie knows a thing or two about keeping things together. She could give relationship advice to nearly everyone in Hollywood. We usually don’t hear her humblebragging. Porter asked the question though, and Goldie was cool with supplying her knowledge. She also weighs in on Patricia Arquette’s Oscar speech and backstage comments for wage equality. Some excerpts:
On aging: “Getting older is a fact of life. By living mindfully you understand that there are many transitions in life. You just go through them. It’s wonderful to know you’re aging, because that means you’re still on the planet, right? It’s all about how you make it. It’s all in your mind.”
Keeping it together with Kurt: “A lasting relationship isn’t about marriage. It’s about compatibility and communication. And you both need to want it to work. If one person does not want it to work, it isn’t going to work. Intention is the key. It’s also about not losing yourself in each other. Being together, two pillars holding up the house and the roof, and being different, not having to agree on everything, learning how to deal with not agreeing.”
On gender equality: “We have made some strides, there’s no question. The relationship between men and women is definitely changing, but when you think that we only got to vote how many years ago? We’re still dealing with these kinds of paradigms. If you look at racial issues–I’m reading Truman’s autobiography at the moment–they were dealing with the very same situations that we’re dealing with today. It’s human nature to create these problems.”
On Patricia Arquette’s speech: “There is a lot of data to support what she said. A lot. Old ways die hard and I think women, in many ways, are still trying to figure out the pathway to being able to have certain things. I think that [Kate Hudson] deals with that on her level. She’s not me. She sees things her way, although we agree on a lot of things. In terms of the business itself, you just have to be smart.”
[From Porter]
The article points out that Goldie hasn’t starred in a movie since 2002?s The Banger Sisters. A full decade of no Goldie seems wrong, but that’s what happens to women in Hollywood, especially in the romantic comedy genre.
I really like what Goldie has to say about making a long-term relationship endure. Learning how to agree to disagree seems like the biggest step, along with both parties wanting to stay together despite differences. She and Kurt make it work with no marriage certificate required. Good for them.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet
FKA Twigs covers the new issue of Complex. You can read her full interview here – I always forget, until those rare occasions when I go on Complex’s site, how annoying that site is. What could have been a pretty straight-forward cover interview is stretched out with endless scrolling past weird moving images of Twigs and more scrolling of dead space and on and on. That being said, this was one of the better interviews I’ve read with Twigs, even if the quotes seem kind of lukewarm. At times she comes across as sort of stuck up her own ass, not really pretentious but more of, like, the kind of fart-sniffing artist that can’t see the forest for the trees. Some highlights:
She went to Croydon College to study philosophy and sociology: “I was banned from two classes for asking too many questions.”
She was raised on the classics: “I went in the opposite direction. I liked punk music. I gave up ballet. I rejected the training I’d had.”
The racism she’s gotten from online trolls: “I wouldn’t say I’m completely numb to it now, but there’s definitely a numbness there.”
Dealing with inane press questions: “If this is what being an artist is, I’m just not really sure this is for me. This”—the press cycle— “is horrific. I could be doing dance class right now.”
On T-Pain telling the world that she & Sparkles are engaged: “I’d rather not talk about it,” she responds, when I ask about the news being broken in this context. Her response isn’t angry, or impatient, but genuinely sad. Has she confronted the situation? “Umm,” she says before looking away, then staring back at me. “It’s fine, I’m a pretty chill person, do you know what I mean?” she continues, before finishing, “If you can’t touch it, it’s not real.”
The Twihards trolling her online: “It is pretty horrible. But ultimately, I’m in an amazing relationship. So it doesn’t matter.”
Voguing is really important: “Voguing has helped me grow into the best young lady that I can be at this time. Through these boys”—the dancers—“I’ve learned to embrace parts of my femininity that I wasn’t in touch with before.”
Everything worked out: “I haven’t had an easy life at all, but everything seems to be working out. I’m so grateful for that, because at times, especially when I was a teenager, I just couldn’t see how things could ever get better, or how I’d ever be able to do this. I don’t know what I thought I’d be doing. I’d always worked hard at music and at dancing, but I never thought I’d get the opportunity to be doing this, and have the belief of people to give me a budget to make a video. These things are incredible.”
[From Complex]
In this interview, she also says that she adopted a sort of alter ego (but not really) called “Melissa.” She tries to make it sound like she did not go all Sasha Fierce, like she just had Melissa to separate herself as an artist and the real Twigs. What else? Oh, Robert Pattinson makes a brief appearance during the LA leg of this interview. The journalist goes to their house and Rob opens the door. So… yeah, it’s happening. It’s for real. Sorry, Twihards.
Photos courtesy of Matt Irwin/Ignasi Moneal/Complex.
Extra host Mario Lopez is featured in the Summer 2015 issue of Parents Latina magazine and opens up about family life with wife Courtney and their two kids: daughter Gia, 4, and son Nico, 21 months.
On their kids: “My wife and I call our son Wreck-It Ralph, because he destroys everything. He’s got a lot of fire in him. My daughter is very dramatic. She’s been sick recently, and this morning she said, ‘Oh, my god, I’m not going to feel better. My cough is never going to go away!’ I told her, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be okay.’ “
On the family’s upcoming summer vacation plans: “We’re going to Puerto Vallarta with my sister and her kids. Altogether, it will be seven kids. We’ve been taking my children to Mexico every year since they were born. Knowing where their culture and language are from is important, and we still have family there. The kids have these funny passports; we had to hold their heads up for the pictures because they couldn’t do it yet.”
On how spirituality plays a major role in his family life: “We try to go to church as a family every week, sometimes without the baby, because babies will act up. If not, my daughter and I will go every week. They’re definitely going to go to Catholic school. It’s really important to me that they get a faith-based education.”
On which big life lesson he will pass down to his kids: “First and foremost, it’s going to be treat others with respect. Be polite: Manners go a long way. Try to come from a good place. And aside from that, stay focused and do the right thing.”
On the biggest lesson that he’s learn about fatherhood since becoming a dad himself: “There are no time-outs, really. Weekends, you think you can catch up on rest, and it’s the opposite. It gets even busier. It’s a different kind of busy!”
On how important it is for him to keep his own kids humble: “I don’t want them to be spoiled. I make sure to communicate, especially with my little girl, how blessed she is – by going to church, Boys & Girls Clubs, to certain events where kids don’t have it so good, where she’ll be able to witness need and recognize it and later be able to help.”