by tyler | Oct 30, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Would you want to revisit your life and your past in order to share it all, both the good and the bad?
I certainly wouldn’t, but I’m not famous nor do I have famous people problems (knock on wood). Being a celebrity is something many people dream about, but while the riches certainly make life more comfortable, what comes a long with it probably isn’t what most of us would want.
Let’s talk about it.
Both Britney Spears and Jada Pinkett Smith grasp the concept that drama sells.
Before their memoirs – Spears’ book is titled “The Woman in Me” and Pinkett Smith’s is “Worthy” – were recently released, there were plenty of tabloid treats from them teased throughout the media landscape.
The two biggest revelations from the stars’ tomes both happened to involve their celebrity relationships.
Spears shared that she had an abortion during her time with Justin Timberlake in the early aughts, while Pinkett Smith went public with the news that she and Will Smith have been living separate lives since 2016.
While both of these revelations sparked conversation, they also showed how there’s a delicate dance when it comes to the art of publishing a celebrity tell-all.
On the one hand, you have to share enough to get people excited for the book. Yet at the same time you don’t want to reveal too much, because then what is the incentive to purchase said book?
It should be said, though, that both Spears and Pinkett Smith are most probably used to a lot of attention by now.
Another instance of a star laying it all out there for public consumption is the “Beckham” docuseries on Netflix.
I am far from a soccer fan, but I greatly enjoyed visiting the highs – and lows – of David Beckham’s stellar career. The series is really well done and filmmaker Fisher Stevens got both Beckham and his wife, Spice Girls member Victoria Beckham, to open up about difficult times.
One of those tough times featured in the doc is the decades-old alleged affair between David Beckham and his former personal assistant Rebecca Loos.
In a recent interview, Loos complained that Beckham was portraying “himself as a victim” in the series. That’s another tricky area when it comes to celebs telling their life stories – it affects others who were also there, and who are portrayed via the star’s lens and recollections.
At this point I am aiming to see how many newsletters in a row I can talk about Taylor Swift.
This time it’s the fact that she’s dropping “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” Swift’s latest rerecording of her old music after losing her masters.
Yes, much of the recent attention paid to Swift has more to do with her love life than her love of music, but if you know Swift you know that there is a direct correlation between the two.
I don’t even have to sell it here because it’s Taylor Swift, the star of the moment, and her music. Enough said – except that the new(ish) album debuted Friday.
Reader you know it’s true – Milli Vanilli was the duo to beat back in the day. Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan had hits in the late 1980s/early 1990s and were flying high in the music industry.
Until they weren’t.
A new self-titled documentary traces their rise and eventual fall when the world learned they weren’t actually singing on those songs. It’s a more tender look at the pair than one might expect, given the vitriol that was spewed about the controversy at the time which resulted in their best new artist Grammy being revoked.
The “Milli Vanilli” documentary is streaming on Paramount+.
by tyler | Oct 26, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
The woman who accused actor Jonathan Majors of assaulting her during a dispute in March was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of assault and criminal mischief related to the same incident, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
Grace Jabbari, Majors’ former girlfriend, voluntarily surrendered to police in New York City and was given a desk appearance ticket to appear in court at a later date, the source said. The charges are both misdemeanors.
Jabbari and her attorney have not publicly commented on the case, which will not be prosecuted. CNN has been unable to reach Jabbari.
“The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has officially declined to prosecute the case against Grace Jabbari because it lacks prosecutorial merit. The matter is now closed and sealed,” Doug Cohen, a spokesman for the Manhattan DA, told CNN in a statement on Thursday.
In a Sept. 21 court filing in the case against Majors, the DA’s office said it did not plan to prosecute Jabbari.
Majors is charged with assault and aggravated harassment related to the dispute with Jabbari on March 25. Through his attorney, Majors has denied the allegations against him, which, according to the complaint, include striking her “about the face with an open hand, causing substantial pain and a laceration behind her ear.”
Majors filed a counter-complaint against Jabbari in June, claiming he was assaulted by her in the same March dispute, according to court filings obtained by CNN.
A New York judge on Wednesday denied a motion to dismiss the case against Majors.
His trial is set to start on Nov. 29.
by tyler | Oct 26, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Richard Roundtree, the stage and screen actor best known for his performance as a tough-talking private eye in 1971’s “Shaft,” has died. He was 81.
The news was confirmed by Roundtree’s theatrical talent agent Artist and Representatives, who said in an email to CNN that the actor died Tuesday afternoon after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. His family was with him at his bedside.
“Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree. His trailblazing career changed the face of entertainment around the globe and his enduring legacy will be felt for generations to come,” their included statement read. “Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Roundtree has the distinction of being among a handful of actors who enjoyed top billing with his first-ever screen credit. Until then a theater actor, his starring role in the 1971 Blaxploitation epic “Shaft” propelled him into the cultural limelight, launching a franchise that would see sequels, a TV series and a 2019 reboot starring Samuel L. Jackson.
The actor would go on to enjoy a career spanning 50 years with over 150 screen credits. Notable television credits include “Roots,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Roundtree also costarred in films such as “Se7en,” “Speed Racer” and “Brick.”
Actress Gabrielle Union shared a tribute to Roundtree on X, formerly Twitter, reposting images showing the pair from their time together on the TV series “Being Mary Jane.”
Jackson, who costarred with Roundtree in the “Shaft” reboot, called the late actor “The Prototype, The Best To Ever Do It!!” in an Instagram tribute on Tuesday evening.
“His passing leaves a deep hole not only in my heart, but I’m sure a lotta y’all’s, too,” Jackson continued. “Love you Brother, I see you walking down the Middle of Main Street in Heaven & Issac’s Conducting your song coat blowin’ in wind!! Angels whispering.”
by tyler | Oct 25, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Paris Hilton is responding to reaction over a photo of her 8-month-old son, Phoenix Barron.
Hilton recently took to Instagram to post pictures of her son with husband Carter Reum. They were visiting New York City together and some people commented that her baby’s head was large.
Hilton replied that her “angel is perfectly healthy” and “just has a large brain.”
In an Instagram story Hilton later wrote, “Living life in the spotlight, comments are inevitable, but targeting my child, or anyone else’s for that matter, is unacceptable.”
She continued, “This hurts my heart more deeply than words can describe. I’ve worked hard to cultivate an environment that is all about love, respect, and acceptance, and I expect the same in return.”
Hilton added, “If I don’t post my baby, people assume I’m not a great mother and if I do post him, there are some people who are cruel and hateful I’m a proud working mom and my baby is perfectly healthy, adorable and angelic.”
She concluded her note with with a request for kindness.
“I’ve dreamt of being a mom for as long as I can remember,” Hilton wrote. “Every day with him is a reminder of what truly matters. It’s hard to fathom that there are people in the world who would target such innocence. I hope that people can treat one another with more kindness and empathy.”
by tyler | Oct 25, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
A New York judge on Wednesday denied a motion to dismiss the assault case against actor Jonathan Majors, moving the case forward to trial.
Majors, a Marvel star, is charged with assault and aggravated harassment related to a dispute with his former girlfriend Grace Jabbari on March 25. Through his attorney, Majors has denied the allegations against him, which, according to the complaint, include striking her “about the face with an open hand, causing substantial pain and a laceration behind her ear.”
According to court filings obtained by CNN, Majors filed a counter-complaint against Jabbari in June, claiming he was assaulted by her in the same March dispute.
Jabbari and her attorney have not publicly commented on the case.
Court filings state an investigatory card was issued by New York police for Jabbari in June, indicating there is probable cause for an arrest in relation to the cross-complaint. However, the Manhattan District Attorney does not plan to prosecute her, according to a Sept. 21 filing in the case against Majors.
The prosecution “informed Ms. Jabbari’s attorney that the People would decline to prosecute Ms. Jabbari if she were arrested,” the filing in response to a Sept. 12 request by Majors’ attorneys to dismiss his case states.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan DA told CNN in a statement on Wednesday, “We look forward to presenting our case at trial.”
CNN has reached out to representatives for Majors for comment.
His attorney Priya Chaudhry maintained her client’s innocence in a statement to CNN in August, saying her client was “unjustly cuffed” and hauled off to jail, and is the “real victim in this shameful ordeal,” who “has had his life, career, and reputation torn apart.”
Trial is set to begin on Nov. 29.
CNN’s Maria Sole Campinoti and Julian Cummings contributed to this report.
by tyler | Oct 25, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Madonna took the stage in London on Saturday in the long-awaited debut of her surprisingly poignant new ‘Celebration’ world tour, which had been delayed after she suffered a serious health scare during the summer.
In the opening night at the O2 Arena, the singer – who turned 65 in August – delivered a show that was at times more somber than celebratory, with tributes to some of the late icons with whom she ascended to stardom, like Prince, Michael Jackson and Sinead O’Connor.
The “Like a Virgin” performer also addressed her health troubles, saying it had been “a crazy year for me.”
“I didn’t think I was going to make it, neither did my doctors. That’s why I woke up with all of my children sitting around me,” she said.
Madonna battled a bacterial infection in June that caused her to cancel the first leg of the “Celebration” tour in North America.
“I forgot five days of my life – or my death. I don’t really know where I was,” she added, going on to thank her children for saving her, as they do “every time.”
“If you want to know my secret, and you want to know how I pulled through and how I survive, I thought, ‘I’ve got to be there for my children. I have to survive for them,’” she said.
In another solemn moment, victims of the AIDS epidemic splashed across the arena’s giant screens, as Madonna sang verses from her emotional ballad “In This Life” off of her 1992 album “Erotica.” Notably, her friend, the late artist Keith Haring, was displayed as the show shifted to her 1986 hit “Live to Tell.”
“Celebration,” of course, also had some joyous interludes, like when Madonna’s daughter Mercy James appeared behind a piano, flawlessly rendering the opening notes to “Bad Girl,” also off “Erotica.”
Her other daughters Lourdes Leon – who was celebrating her birthday – and twins Stella and Estere also got in on the fun, during the performance of Madge’s timeless 1990 hit “Vogue.”
Dancers wore masks and costumes meant to distill her most career-defining moments, those tied to her No. 1 hits and not. Indeed, it should be noted for Madonna’s die-hards that the tour is not at all reserved only for her chart hits. More esoteric songs – like 1994’s “Bedtime Stories” – got major love, too.
The show featured sumptuous lighting and video wizardry. Madonna often faced away from the audience, performing to a camera that then projected a flawless-looking Madge back to the crowd.
Ultimately, though, “Celebration” had a surprisingly pared-down feel, as the iconic entertainer took some time to reflect back on her unparalleled career and personal journey, as well as the journeys of others who touched her along the way.
