Monthly Archives

January 2021

Priyanka Chopra Finds the Silver Lining

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra is on the cover of Marie Claire, and says the pandemic has brought her closer to hubby Nick Jonas. “Both of our schedules are so crazy individually that there was no world in which we would have ever had six months together. It only took a global pandemic for that to happen.”

-In a new podcast FKA Twigs talks about the “massive wake-up call” in her allegedly abusive relationship with Shia LaBeouf: when she says he threw her against a car at a gas station and “basically strangled” her in front of bystanders.  “Nobody did anything. That was a really low moment for me because I felt like I would never be believed…Nobody stepped in. For me, that was a real moment of like, ‘Okay, no one is going to believe me,’ because I’m the type of person if I saw something happening, I will go and help somebody, that’s just who I am.”

-Meanwhile, twigs returned with the music video for “Don’t Judge Me,” her first full song since her acclaimed 2019 album, Magdalene.

Elliot Page and Emma Portner have announced plans to divorce after three years of marriage. The pair separated last summer.

Ioan Gruffudd‘s wife says he’s blindsided her with a divorce, tweeting “My beloved husband/soulmate of 20 years, Ioan Gruffudd, has announced he is to leave his family, starting next week. Me and our young daughters girls are very confused and sad. We haven’t been given a reason except that he ‘no longer loves me’.”

-Deux Moi published a rumour that Cardi B and Channing Tatum are being eyed for a remake of The Bodyguard and for the love of gawd Hollywood, just create some new IP already.

JoJo Siwa revealed she had been swatted after coming out. “Basically what happened is we were at our house and all of a sudden there was a whole bunch of police that were telling us to come outside the house and we didn’t know why.”

-Variety’s excellent Actor on Actor pairings continue, with today’s interview between Carey Mulligan and Zendaya. Mulligan talked about calling out Variety’s sexiest review of Promising Young Woman (“It made me concerned that in such a big publication, an actress’ appearance could be criticized and it could be accepted as completely reasonable criticism. It’s important to call out those things, because they seem small & they seem insignificant…But it stuck with me because I think it’s these kind of everyday moments that add up”), while Zendaya expressed gratitude for her Disney roots (“That’s where I started, and I learned so much from that experience… I embrace it a little bit. It’s part of my heritage to a degree”).

-Schitt’s Creek’s Annie Murphy sold her very first red carpet dress for $7k and is donating the proceeds to Toronto’s Encampment Support Network.

-On last night’s Tonight ShowJared Leto delved deeper into his unique experience finding out about the pandemic following a 12-day silent meditation retreat where he had no access to phones or television. I remember the total panic of that week and this being the only story that made me smile.

Gillian Anderson appeared on Seth Meyers’ show and talked about busting a move to Lizzo on the set of The Crown. I want to attend Olivia Colman‘s dance class!

-I tried to watch Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey’s Instagram Live today but I think his recent political comments have ruined him for me.

-A fan asked Lindsay Lohan to come out to her parents for her in a Cameo and it was incredibly sweet.

-If you’ve ever been to a Flaming Lips concert, you’ve probably seen lead singer Wayne Coyne bounce around the crowd in a giant hamster ball. Now the band has taken it to the next step during the pandemic, have staged a unique pair of gigs in Oklahoma with both the band and their audience inside individual inflatable balls.

Penélope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Lily-Rose Depp, and Vanessa Paradis were some of the only guests seated at Chanel’s socially distanced front row.

-Never Rarely Sometimes Always leads the Spirit Awards nominations. I am the worst but I couldn’t get into that movie. If I saw it in a theatre during normal times I bet I would have loved it, but pandemic me has lost the ability to sit through slow, dialogue-sparse films.

-For some reason a skateboarding magazine interviewed director Werner Herzog and it was weirdly great.

-There’s a Revenge reunion happening in a couple weeks, and it sounds as dramatic as the show. Christa B. Allen said she’s been a victim of “bullying” after being left off of the guest list. Madeleine Stowe, who is also not attending, seemed to take her side, saying of their time on the set, “I saw her endure some things at 18 years of age that would bring a weaker person to their knees, but she has such inner dignity that she gracefully kept moving.”

-The stuff going on with Kellyanne Conway and her daughter is wildly disturbing.

-Here’s our first look at Lifetime’s Wendy Williams: The Movie. Oh, hell yes.

-In the trailer for the new Netflix series Ginny & Georgia, a high schooler discovers the perils of having a hot mom.

Billie Eilish Presses Pause

Billie-Eilish-Vanity-Fair

-In her new Vanity Fair cover story, Billie Eilish talks about over-enthusiastic fans (“When you’re excited about something, you forget boundaries and you forget what’s polite and what’s kind of not polite. I’ve had a lot of weird situations—people will kiss me and pick me up, spin me around”), and the intense scrutiny she’s under (“I thought that I would be the only one dealing with my hatred for my body, but I guess the internet also hates my body. So that’s great”).

-To promote Savage X Fenty for Valentine’s Day, Rihanna posted a clip of her dancing in sheer lingerie — and damn if she isn’t making that mullet work for her.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are reportedly dating. They first became friends because their kids hang out together.

Keira Knightley says she’ll never shoot another sex scene for a male director.

Prince Harry dismissed rumors that he and Meghan Markle were giving up social media for good.

-Actor/director Asia Argento has accused The Fast and the Furious director Rob Cohen of drugging and raping her while they were filming the 2002 movie XXX. “He abused me, making me drink GHB, he had a bottle of it…At the time, I really didn’t know what it was. I woke up in the morning naked in his bed.” A representative for Cohen denied the allegations “as absolutely false.” Cohen was previously accused of assault by his daughter and and a women who chose to remain anonymous.

-A live-action Harry Potter TV series is reportedly in early development at HBO Max. Great, another project to line JK Rowling’s pockets.

-Variety’s Actors on Actors interviews continue to hit it out of the park. Jamie Dornan and Eddie Redmayne recall their time as roommates, and — in what is the most surprisingly delightful pairing yetPete Davidson and Glenn Close talk about keeping movie costumes and her never winning an Oscar. “Is it better to be wheeled out in a wheelchair and get the lifetime achievement award? You don’t have to make a speech…It might be cool to never get one. I wouldn’t mind being wheeled out when I’m old and drooling, and I have a gray wig to cover my bald head.”

-This story about how power players in entertainment and media are hustling hard to get the vaccine before they’re supposed to is so deeply unsurprising.

Demi Lovato is going back to her comedy roots. She’s signed on to a new sitcom for NBC called Hungry.

This photo of Ben Affleck juggling all the online orders he placed in a pandemic haze is way too relatable.

-Ugh. As someone who works in social media, this is my worst nightmare: Jennifer Lopez tried to make her ‘Love Don’t Cost a Thing’ challenge go viral, and it flopped — mostly because we were all too busy creating Bernie memes. Plus, strolling on a beach and throwing away expensive things? In this climate??

Jodie Turner-Smith will play the role of Éile in a prequel to the hit Netflix series The Witcher. Yes, cast her in all things!

Ellen DeGeneres has one more year left on the contract for her show and negotiations for what happens next will reportedly begin next month, with Kelly Clarkson nipping at her heels.

-My god, the second Euphoria special is somehow even better than the first. I’m enjoying these slowed down, character-driven episodes more than I ever liked the show.

Ellen Pompeo is executive producing a new ABC drama based on Elin Hilderbrand‘s best-selling Paradise book trilogy.

-Meanwhile, ABC has delayed the return of Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, and A Million Little Things to March.

-I’ve previously only read a few historical romances but I was shocked by how dated Bridgerton seemed when I started reading the series before it debuted on Netflix. If those books are what people think romance novels are like, we’re in trouble. This piece nails it: “Yes, romance is having a moment, but it’s bittersweet for the most popular representation of our genre to be based on a series of books from two decades ago.” This list of Regency recommendations seems like a better reflection of what’s happening in the genre now.

Andy Samberg just released a commentary track for Palm Springs on Hulu. I’m actually surprised it took this long for streamers to get into DVD-style extras. I want blooper reels on everything!

-People are losing their minds over the Godzilla vs. Kong trailer. Sure.

JoJo Siwa Comes Out

-After alluding to it earlier this week, JoJo Siwa has come out as gay with a sweet photo. Considering her brand, this is hugely, wildly brave and I hope she is being showered with love and acceptance.

-Well. Dave Chappelle got Covid hanging out with Joe Rogan, Grimes and Elon Musk during his ten-day residency at a BBQ restaurant during a pandemic.

-The first few new episodes of SNL this year will feature first-time hosts John Krasinki, Regina King, and…wait for it… Dan Levy!

Casey Affleck is promoting Our Friend (a movie I really liked, despite his presence) and that means he’s facing lots of awkward questions about his brother Ben‘s relationship status.

-I really adored Sarah Jessica Parker’s Grub Street column, especially when she describes her family meals (so many beans!) and talks about missing restaurants. This part hit me hard: “To me, being on the subway with a book, heading toward a meal, I honestly can’t think of anything better…It’s a vacation — you are literally transported — and I miss it so much it hurts.”

Meghan McCain was trending again for saying some more stupid stuff on The View, but I was too distracted by her contouring to focus.

Jane Krakowski’s publicist had a field day when denying the actress is dating the MyPillow CEO: “She is, however, in full fledged fantasy relationships with Brad Pitt, Rege-Jean Page and Kermit the Frog and welcomes any and all coverage on those.”

-This Barbara Kay column on how text messages “exonerate” Jessica Mulroney is bizarre. They didn’t even verify the texts? And Mulroney admits to deleting a message? And the whole thing starts with a long, rambling screed against cancel culture? What is happening?!

-I kind of lost myself a little bit in this weirdly engrossing oral history of the making of High School Musical.

-There’s a new superhero show coming from the creator of The Walking Dead starring Steven Yeun. I just saw him in Minari and though I’m not sure I loved it as much as critics did, he’s phenomenal.

This is a good piece on how Hollywood giants are developing dozens of shows and spinoff features based on a few valuable franchises to boost streaming services — and we’re all going to get sick of them. Seriously, how many different variations of Batman are coming our way?

-The next Bond movie has delayed its release yet again.

-WandaVision seems to be jumping roughly a decade every episode, so this weekend’s is an homage to the Brady Bunch.

Tiffany Haddish is introducing audiences to six more of her favorite comics in Season 2 of Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready.

-In a new HBO doc Fake Famous, Nick Bilton recruits a trio of random young ‘uns and turns them into influencers.