Browsing Tag

Patrick Stewart

Viola Davis’ Vanity Fair Cover Makes History

viola davis vanity fair

Viola Davis is on the stunning new cover of Vanity Fair, in which she talks about the BLM movement not being her first form of protest (“I feel like my entire life has been a protest. My production company is my protest. Me not wearing a wig at the Oscars in 2012 was my protest. It is a part of my voice, just like introducing myself to you and saying, ‘Hello, my name is Viola Davis’ “) and the difficulties of being Black in Hollywood (“We know as women, when you speak up, you’re labeled a bitch—immediately… As a woman of color, there is very, very, very little you have to do. All you have to do is maybe roll your eyes, and that’s it”).

-The Viola Davis cover was shot by Dario Calmese, marking the first time in its 100+ year history that Vanity Fair has had a Black photographer shoot a cover. He told NYT how it’s meant to be an image of protest, referencing an 1863 photo of a slave titled “The Scourged Back.”

-There’s also lots of chatter on social about how Calmese lit Davis much better than Annie Leibovitz recently lit Simone Biles.

Meghan Markle urged girls to “build each other up” and to “rebuild the world around them” in a powerful Girl Up Leadership Summit speech. Everyone’s going gaga over her longer hair.

-Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan announced they are creating a college fund for Naya Rivera‘s son, Josey.

-All of the Glee cast’s memories and stories that they’re sharing of Naya are heartbreaking.

-I spent a very long time on this thread of Naya’s best performances.

Chris Evans‘ website, A Starting Point, launched today. It aims to, in its own words, “create a bipartisan channel of communication” through short videos from elected officials. I’m not sure both-sides-ism is what the world needs right now, but at least they’re saying it’ll be “fact-based and fact-checked.”

-The cast of Happy Endings is set to reunite and perform new scripted material from the writers of the series as part of a fundraiser. I recently rewatched that show and man, it still holds up.

Miranda Kerr and Evan Spiegel cover WSJ Magazine.

-A federal judge has rejected a $46.8 million settlement of the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct cases, saying it is not suitable for a class action. “The idea that Harvey Weinstein can get a defense fund ahead of the claimants is obnoxious.”

Bryan Fuller keeps teasing another season of Hannibal and honestly there’s nothing I want more.

-MythBusters’ former co-host Grant Imahara died suddenly following a brain aneurysm. He was 49.

Trina McGee, who went public with the racism and general poor treatment she received from three stars of Boy Meets World when they were filming, said her relationship with two of them (Will Friedle and Danielle Fishel) has improved.  However, she added “I do not talk to Ben Savage at all.”

Christopher Nolan‘s Tenet is likely to be delayed again, as theaters in LA are shut down again.

-In Johnny Depp‘s libel suit against The Sun, the court saw a pic of him passed out and covered in ice cream.

Patrick Stewart‘s quotidian sonnet readings are often the highlight of my day. He read number 80 today — on the eve of his 80th birthday. His BFF Ian McKellen took over sonnet 81.

-Peacock, NBC’s new streaming service, launches today for free. In Canada, it looks like most of the new shows are coming to Corus.

-Stranger Things’ Natalia Dyer discovers masturbation in the trailer for Karen Maine’s Yes, God, Yes.

Madonna’s Bathtub Diaries

-Of all the weird videos celebs are posting while self-isolating, this clip of Madonna in a milk bath is the weirdest (so far).

This is what I always think about when I see videos like that. The poor assistants!

-Meanwhile,  John Boyega is doing god’s work by posting this video of Oscar Isaac.

Sophie Turner’s subtle drag of Evangeline Lilly was wonderful.

Harvey Weinstein has reportedly been placed into isolation in a New York prison after testing positive for COVID-19.

-Barbados’ PM says Rihanna has offered to purchase ventilators worth a total $700,000 US for Barbados. Her foundation is also donating $5m to help fight the virus.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are also donating $1M toward relief efforts.

-In other ‘celebs doing good’ news, Britney Spears is asking her followers to DM her so she can help them with anything they need during quarantine, including diapers and groceries.

Rita Wilson nailing ‘Hip Hop Hooray’ while she and husband Tom Hanks are in coronavirus quarantine was not the content that I was expecting…but I don’t hate it.

-This weekend, a comedian tweeted “Right now we all need a little kindness. You know, like Ellen Degeneres always talks about! She’s also notoriously one of the meanest people alive. Respond to this with the most insane stories you’ve heard about Ellen being mean & I’ll match every one w/ $2 to @LAFoodBank”. Not surprisingly for anyone who follows blind items, the thread blew up.

Patrick Stewart is out here reading sonnets to make us all feel better. It’s working.

Lena Dunham says she’s spending her social distancing time writing an interactive romance novel, as if we’re not all suffering enough.

-Because we all need a distraction, here’s a very good profile on Issa Rae in advance of the new season of Insecure on HBO.

David Harbour and Lily Allen (aka the couple you always forget are a couple) are sparking marriage rumors.

-Speaking of secret marriages, according to Us Weekly Michelle Williams and her fiancé/baby daddy Thomas Kail have tied the knot.

-In case you missed all the Taylor Swift/Kanye West drama this weekend — does this mean we all owe her an apology?

Shania Twain says music executives once warned her that women would feel threatened because she was dressing too sexy: “It was just a little bit scary and new, and there was a lot of unknown to it… People thought I was going to get rejected by the public.”

Simon Rex says the British tabloids offered him $70,000 to lie about hooking up with his former costar, Meghan Markle. “Nothing happened. We never even kissed. We hung out once in a very non-dated way. She was just someone I had met on a TV show and we got lunch. That was the extent of it.”

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas continue to keep the paps employed.

-Everyone’s freaking out about the fact that Jlo’s home looks just like the house in Parasite.

Liam Hemsworth, John Malkovich and Vince Vaughn star in the Arkansas trailer.

Emma Watson Responds To Vanity Fair Photo Backlash

emma-watson-topless-vanity-fair
Tim Walker/Vanity Fair

-I don’t understand all this talk about how Emma Watson wearing a supposedly see-through top in Vanity Fair makes her not a feminist??! Her response to the outrage is kind of perfect: “Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom; it’s about liberation…I really don’t know what my tits have to do with it.” Bless her.

-In case you hadn’t heard, Ryan Gosling is reportedly now in the running to play Bond. (Wait, wasn’t British Idris Elba deemed “not British enough”?)

-The Love Actually reunion pics are making me so happy!

-It’s not a good sign that Netflix is reportedly in “preliminary talks” for new Gilmore Girls episodes and even superfans like Michael Ausiello don’t want it.

-Here’s dreamy Riz Ahmed dreamily talking about representation in the entertainment industry.

-Last night John Oliver took on the latest ripple in the controversies surrounding the president — or as he calls it, “Stupid Watergate.

-Meanwhile, Patrick Stewart says he’s becoming a U.S. citizen so he can fight Trump.

-Wayment, Justin Timberlake is now trying to convince us that “Can’t Stop the Feeling” is about inclusion? Sit down, son.

-This 3-minute Deadpool short is airing in theatres before Logan.

-I haven’t actually seen Logan yet, but I’m liking the interviews about it, from the director taking swipes at the Marvel Studios assembly line, to the screenwriter saying it works better than the average superhero flick because “we didn’t have to sell Happy Meals.”

-The Good Place’s creator Mike Schur has emerged from radio silence to explain that big finale twist.

-The people behind Feud talked about their decision to use the c-word in last night’s premiere.

-This is a really, really good interview with David Letterman. He talks about current late-night hosts (“I don’t want to criticize Jimmy Fallon but I can only tell you what I would have done in that situation: I would have gone to work on Trump”), on being tough during his interviews with Paris Hilton (“She cried and I called her and apologized. I think I bought her a car, too”), and Joaquin Phoenix  (“I mean, he came out begging to be beat up. How can you not take a couple of swings?”) and adjusting to being a normal person (“I needed a pair of shoelaces. And I thought, ‘Hell, where do you get shoelaces?'”)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle looked cozy at their friend’s wedding in Jamaica this weekend.

-Nice: Get Out has already grossed $75.9M on a $4.5M budget.

Chrissy Teigen opened up for the first time about her postpartum depression in Glamour.

Adele has confirmed she’s married to Simon Konecki. Wait, we didn’t know that?

Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep are set to star in a movie about the Pentagon Papers directed by Steven Spielberg, so I guess we already know who’s winning next year’s Oscars.

-I watched this entire clip of Fargo season 3 and had no clue it was Ewan McGregor until I saw someone tweet about it later.