Let’s begin the day with beauty. You know when I wrote yesterday about Michael McIntyre’s reaction to Brandon Flowers’s face? Click here for a refresher. I’ve seen people sprain themselves after seeing Matt Bomer’s face. Jesus, I almost did a couple of years ago at the TCAs when he came out of an…      

Leah Remini famously left Scientology two years ago for many reasons. At that point, she was desperate to escape the cult mindset after years of “interrogations” and “thought modification.” This was her punishment for daring to ask David Miscavige what happened to his wife. Leah later came out swinging and even filed a missing person report on Shelley Miscavige (sadly, the LAPD dismissed the report).

In the wake of HBO’s excellent Going Clear documentary, Leah appeared on the Oprah: Where Are They Now. She discussed her ongoing transition, which still involves “a lot of pain.” Leah’s been publicly meangirled by both Kirstie Alley and the CO$ organization, which has slammed and trashed her at every opportunity. As a celebrity, Leah has more resources than the usual Scientology member, but she’s still had a rough time. Ultimately, Leah says she she left CO$ for her daughter, Sofia (who is now 10):

She never chose the CO$: “My mother was in Scientology my whole life. Most people don’t know that we were raised in it. I didn’t decide to get into it — I was brought into it by my mom.”

The CO$ study requirements: “I don’t think people know the amount of dedication it takes to be in this organization. I mean it was every day, three-and-a-half hours minimum, seven days a week usually. You know, I’m working most of my time, and then the other time was spent at the church, so minimal time is really spent with your family.”

She left for her daughter: “I was at one of these hotels in Florida, and I saw my daughter swimming for the first time while I’m reading this thing,” she recalled. “And a tear came down my face. And I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ It was a culmination of things, but that was a big one in my mind.”

She’s not over it yet:“Our decision to leave the organization — it’s not just something you get over. It’s people and a lifestyle you’ve known all your life. It formed who I am, good and bad. It formed the way I think, good and bad. And so there’s a lot of pain connected to it, there’s a lot of healing. When you are raised in something, and you are taught to think a certain way, a lot of times you grow up thinking, ‘That’s the way I think.’ I’m learning there’s a new world out here, and there shouldn’t be any kind of judgment toward somebody who has a belief system that is not yours.”

[From OWN – Where Are They Now]

Leah’s made a brave decision to spare her daughter from a life growing up in Scientology. I remember how the cult’s permissive parenting style affected Sofia’s temperament at a young age. Hopefully, the damage can be undone.

Once again, Scientology has decided to trash Leah. In a statement to Us Weekly, a CO$ spokesperson stated, “Given Leah Remini’s insatiable desire for attention, it comes as no surprise that for two years she has been incapable of moving on with her life and remains obsessed with shamelessly exploiting her former religion in a pathetic attempt to get publicity.” This is one reason why the CO$ is a cult. No “church” in their right mind would issue statements like this about former parishioners.

Here’s an OWN clip from Leah’s interview.

Screencaps courtesy of YouTube/OWN, photos courtesy of WENN

The Royals Season 1, Episode 10 recap

Spoilers but let’s be honest, who really gives a sh*t?

It’s the final episode of The Royals season one—amazingly, this garbage show got renewed for a second season—and somehow, defying all the odds, Ted is still not fired. “I can’t wait to fire you,” …      

One of the things I’ve always loved and hated about Chris Pine is that he really doesn’t date at his “level.” He’s not a Leonardo DiCaprio-type in that Pine isn’t looking for some hot, up-and-coming model to be a perfect accessory. Pine is also not the type to date some total non-famous civilian, like Matt Damon did. Pine tends to go for C-listers, reality stars, lingerie models, that kind of woman (he notably dated Audrina Patridge, for example). Considering Pine is A-list, that is a little bit unusual. Like, he gets invited to the Oscars but he dates like he’s Brody Jenner.

So Chris has a new girlfriend. These are the first photos I’ve seen of them together – they were out in Hollywood on May 17th. Who is she? Her name is Vail Bloom and if you watch the Bravo reality shows, you might recognize her. She’s a hostess at SUR, one of Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurants, and Vail appears on Vanderpump Rules. Vail also appeared on The Young and the Restless. So… there you go. Chris Pine has a new girlfriend and she’s a player on a Real Housewife spinoff show.

Meanwhile, the National Enquirer had this utterly stupid story about Pine and a cat.

Studly “Star Trek”-ker CHRIS PINE, riding his bicycle around LA’s Silver Lake district, braked suddenly for a tiny kitten, scooped it up for an affectionate nuzzle – then blinked when a little girl nearby suddenly cried, “Daddy … that man is STEALING MY KITTY!”

Said My Cat Tattler: “Chris looked all embarrassed, but the tyke’s dad ran up and said, ‘That’s not her kitten. It’s just been roaming the neighborhood and she plays with it.’

“So Chris smiled and said, ‘Well, why not adopt the poor thing?’ And the little girl cries, ‘Oh, Daddy – CAN I?’

“So Dad shoots Chris a ‘thanks-a-lot’ look and tells Daughter, ‘We are NOT getting a cat!’

“So Chris says, ‘Sorry, no problem,’ tucks Kitty in his sweater and pedals it home!”

[From The National Enquirer]

I would love it if this story was true. I would love it if Chris Pine picks up random kitties, brings them home and loves them. I would love it if Chris Pine was a crazy cat lady. Please let this be true!

PS… I love a man in flip-flops.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

Matt! Happy 32nd Birthday with love from Saraah who wants me to give you sh-t about not being surprised about your second baby because she was shocked. Here are Anna Kendrick and Miley Cyrus from your Five List. Also, can you believe it’s been over a year since we met in San Francisco?       

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West got together “for real” back in 2011, after knowing each other and being friends (possibly with benefits) for years beforehand. Amber Rose always said that Kanye was fooling around on her with Kim, and Kris Humphries tried to make it sound like Kim cheated on him (although Humphries could never really make it stick). It was shortly after Kim and Kris Humphries’ nothing marriage that Kim apparently contacted Kanye and basically pointed out that they were both single at the same time and maybe they should finally do this. That’s what Kim told Billy Bush this week!

Kim Kardashian says there was an instant attraction between her Kanye West when they first met years ago. Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush sat down exclusively with the reality star, who said she was “always attracted” to the rapper, long before he became her husband.

‘When I first met him, we worked on a project together and there was definitely a spark, but we were in other relationships and we kept our distance,” she said. “We stayed in touch here and there and then when he wasn’t in relationships, you know, it’s just our timing would always not really coincide. And then, I think it was six months after I was newly single in like 2012, I was like why not? Like, what am I waiting for?” she continued.

It was actually Kim who pursued Kanye after her short-lived marriage to Kris Humphries ended.

“I called [Kanye] because I’m sure it was really hurtful that I got married and, even though it’s not like we communicated all the time, I knew what he was thinking. So I thought he was going to call me as soon as he knew that I was single again,” she explained. “He didn’t, and so I called him and I said, ‘Hello? I thought you were at least going to call me and ‘I told you so,’ something?’ And then – he’s always been a good friend to me, like, we’ve always been there for each other – then he invited me to a fashion show of his in Paris and I went, and then the magic happened.”

Having come out of a very public divorce, Kim was initially hesitant to start a new relationship.

“But then in my head I was like, ‘You know what? Screw it. Like, this is probably what I’ve been waiting for, it’s been in front of my face,’” she said.

[From Access Hollywood]

I enjoy the little lies Kim tells, like we won’t figure it out – she did NOT wait six months after her marriage to Kris Humphries. Kim and Kris split in October 2011. She was seen publicly with Kanye as early as December 2011. And she was pregnant with North while she was still technically married to Kris! But whatever, it’s fine. It all worked out in the end.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Dear Gossips,

Have you watched the Feeling Myself video yet? I can’t stop watching Beyonce and Nicki Minaj dedicate an entire video to celebrating themselves.

Please.

Isn’t every video a self-celebration? If you’re going to do it – and they ALL do it – you might as well do it with rea…      

Mom-to-be Leah Jenner shared an updated baby bump photo via Instagram.

Donning lacy lingerie and a long, colorful robe, the musician, 32, captioned the image: “Soooo… boy or girl?!?!?! … or burrito?”

And on Mother’s Day, she shared a shot in which she’s cradling her bump, with the caption, “I can’t wait to meet this little person. #alreadyfeellikeamama.”

Leah has been married to Brandon, the son of Bruce Jenner and Linda Thompson, since 2012.

The couple’s music group, Brandon & Leah, and their relationship have frequently been shown on Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Soooo… boy or girl?!?!?! …or burrito?

A photo posted by Leah Jenner (@leah_jenner) on May 18, 2015 at 11:53am PDT

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Nerd rage! I’m sure most of you know Simon Pegg, the geeky British actor featured in two major franchises, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek, plus the writer/star of films like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Pegg is totally a nerd, a geek, and whatever else you want to say about him. He’s always worn that proudly. But in an interview this week, Pegg seemed to slam Nerd Culture and the whole superhero thing, basically saying that he belongs to a generation of 40-something man-children obsessed with men in capes. I’m paraphrasing (but just barely). Pegg told Radio Times:

“Before Star Wars, the films that were box-office hits were The Godfather, Taxi Driver, Bonnie and Clyde and The French Connection – gritty, amoral art movies. Then suddenly the onus switched over to spectacle and everything changed…Now, I don’t know if that is a good thing. Obviously I’m very much a self-confessed fan of science-fiction and genre cinema. But part of me looks at society as it is now and just thinks we’ve been infantilised by our own taste. Now we’re essentially all consuming very childish things – comic books, superheroes… Adults are watching this stuff, and taking it seriously!”

“It is a kind of dumbing down in a way. Because it’s taking our focus away from real-world issues. Films used to be about challenging, emotional journeys or moral questions that might make you walk away and re-evaluate how you felt about… whatever. Now we’re walking out of the cinema really not thinking about anything, other than the fact that the Hulk just had a fight with a robot….But I sometimes feel like I miss grown-up things. And I honestly thought the other day that I’m gonna retire from geekdom. I’ve become the poster child for that generation, and it’s not necessarily something I particularly want to be. I’d quite like to go off and do some serious acting.”

[From Radio Times]

As you can imagine, the Nerd Rage was swift, howling and overall, easy to ignore. But I guess Pegg was getting it online (where nerds live and breathe!), because Pegg ended up writing a lengthy (and I do mean LENGTHY) think-piece on his blog about his interview – go here to read the full piece. To his credit, he didn’t claim he was taken out of context or misquoted. He did say that he was perhaps “being a little bit trollish” and “a bit of a Contrary Mary” (a term I am filing away for future use), but he basically reiterates at length this idea/fact that his generation and younger generations are being infantilized by culture. He does apologize for saying that nerd-culture “dumbs down” society and commits himself to still loving all things sci-fi and fantasy. Honestly, this controversy was totally worth it just so Pegg could write this very thoughtful and provocative post!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Draft Day actress Jennifer Garner went for a morning walk with son Samuel, 3, in Brentwood, Calif. on Tuesday (May 19).

After a wardrobe change, the Danny Collins star, 43, was seen picking up her two daughters – Violet, 9, and Seraphina, 6 – from school later that same day.

On Monday, we spotted the mom-of-three with her kids, who were sporting PJs and crazy hair.

The Alias alum has teamed up with Jo-Ann Fabric to create “We Made It,” a craft line for kids.

The creative kits will be projects that children can work on alongside their siblings, parents and grandparents.

“The We Made It line makes it easy and fun for families to form lasting memories together while developing their children’s creativity and intellectual abilities,” Jennifer said of the line, which hits stores this June.

Jo-Ann Fabric is donating $75,000 to the Save the Children foundation, whose goal is to ensure that every child in America has access to quality education from cradle to cap and gown.

“As a mom and children’s advocate, I believe it’s very important we encourage children to express themselves and explore their imaginations,” Jennifer said of the project.

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