by tyler | May 1, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are celebrating their twins’ 12th birthday.
The duo paid tribute to Monroe and Moroccan on Instagram on April 30, with Carey posting a picture of herself with the twins on the beach and at Christmas.
“Happy birthday to my favorite people on the planet!!!” she captioned the post. “I thank God for you every day! Our love is Supernatural!!!’ Ooh darlings ‘cause you’ll ALWAYS be my babies!!!’”
Cannon posted a video of the siblings at Six Flags, saying, “They have the entire park to themselves.”
“Happy 12th Birthday to my first borns Roc & Roe!” he captioned the video. “Daddy loves y’all forever!”
Kim Kardashian entered the comments, writing, “Happy Birthday to the sweetest doll Roe and to the funniest kid Rock!!!!! Can’t wait to celebrate.”
Jermaine Dupri wrote, “Happy Birthday!!!!”
Carey and Cannon married in 2008 and divorced in 2016. The twins are the eldest of Cannon’s 12 kids.
by tyler | May 1, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
A year after filing for divorce from her now ex-husband Billy Ray Cyrus, congratulations are in order for Tish Cyrus.
Over the weekend, she shared the news of her engagement to “Prison Break” actor Dominic Purcell.
“A thousand times…. YES,” read the caption on a pair of photos of Cyrus and Purcell embracing as she showed off her engagement ring.
Cyrus filed for divorce in April 2022 from her husband of 28 years in Williamson County, Tennessee, citing “Irreconcilable differences.”
The pair are the parents of five adult children: sons Trace (33) and Braison (27) and daughters Brandi (34), Miley (29) and Noah (22).
It wasn’t their first split.
Billy Ray Cyrus, 61, filed for divorce in 2010, and Tish Cyrus, 55, filed in 2013. Both times the couple reconciled.
Billy Ray Cyrus became engaged to Australian singer, Firerose, in 2022.
Purcell, 53, is best known for portraying Lincoln Burrows on “Prison Break,” as well as Mick Rory / Heat Wave in The CW’s “The Flash” and “Legends of Tomorrow.”
by tyler | May 1, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have celebrated 35 years of marriage with a heartfelt post on social media.
“35 years of marriage. April 30, 1988. Love is everything,” Wilson wrote in a post on Twitter and Instagram.
Hollywood actor Hanks and actor, singer and film producer Wilson have two children, Chet and Truman Hanks.
In 2015, Hanks revealed that he had felt an instant spark with Wilson when he was asked to explain the longevity of their relationship.
“I think the end result is that we got married for all the right reasons,” said Hanks, an Oscar-winning actor best known for appearing in the 1994 smash hit “Forrest Gump,” 1998 war movie “Saving Private Ryan” and 2002’s “Catch Me If You Can.”
Hanks and Wilson both appeared in 1993 romantic comedy “Sleepless in Seattle,” while Wilson went on to produce a number of movies, including “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” in 2002. She later embarked on a musical career, releasing her debut solo album “AM/FM” in 2012.
The pair survived a run in with coronavirus early in the pandemic, announcing that they had been infected in March 2020 in Australia.
They documented their quarantine experience, and Hanks became an outspoken advocate for the use of masks to prevent the spread of infection.
The couple became Greek citizens in July 2020, receiving brand new passports.
Wilson, who is part Greek, and Hanks, a Greek Orthodox convert, have often been spotted spending their vacations in Greece, where they also own property on the island of Antiparos.
by tyler | Apr 28, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
A former cheerleader on the Navarro College cheerleading squad has filed a civil lawsuit in a Dallas federal court, accusing Monica Aldama, head coach and star of Netflix’s popular “Cheer” series, of discouraging her from reporting a sexual assault, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by CNN.
Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas and two college administrators are also named as defendants in the suit, which accuses them of failing to take action against the perpetrator of the assault – who is also named in the filing– and failing to “halt and implement policies against the culture of sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual hostility, and violence of Navarro Cheer.”
The suit claims that the plaintiff was sexually assaulted in her on-campus dorm room in 2021 by a male member of the Navarro cheer squad.
When the plaintiff attempted to report the incident to Aldama, the suit alleges Aldama told her “let’s not make this a big deal. I want what’s best for you and I will help you cheer wherever you want.”
Aldama also allegedly told the plaintiff, “if you keep quiet, I’ll make sure you can cheer anywhere you want” when she quit the team days after her initial call with the head coach. The suit also outlines alleged interactions the plaintiff had with “veteran” members of the squad who are accused of intimidation tactics and of similarly discouraging her from reporting the alleged assault.
According to the claim, campus police also “discouraged” the plaintiff from reporting the alleged attack and informed her that “this type of thing happens all the time.”
CNN has reached out to Aldama for comment.
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Aldama said she is “heartbroken by the false allegations made against me.”
“As the Navarro Cheer coach, the health and safety of the students I coach is my main concern. I have worked year after year to make sure Navarro Cheer is a safe space for all cheerleaders. We do not condone or cover-up reports of sexual harassment and assault. As an athletics coach and Navarro College employee, I take all Title IX matters very seriously, especially reports of sexual misconduct. I am a rules follower. I always follow all appropriate procedures regarding reporting and responding to any allegations of misconduct in the Navarro Cheer program. I make sure to report, and encourage others to report, any allegations of harassment, discrimination, or assault to appropriate authorities and officials. I would never remain silent, or ask any student to remain silent, if I were aware that any sexual misconduct occurred in the Cheer program. Because there is a pending lawsuit against me, I have no further comment at this time.”
A representative for Navarro college said in a statement to CNN that “the College denies any allegations of wrongdoing and is prepared to vigorously defend itself in court.”
“The safety and welfare of students is always of utmost priority. Navarro College prohibits sexual harassment and sexual misconduct against all students and is deeply committed to providing an educational environment free from sex discrimination and sexual assault. The College has established robust policies and procedures for reporting, investigating, and responding to all allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Navarro College takes every report of sexual harassment and sexual assault seriously and acts swiftly to provide an appropriate response to protect all students,” the statement continued.
Also noted in the suit is a series of interactions the plaintiff had with a “veteran” Navarro cheerleader, who allegedly told the plaintiff that she should just “drink it off and get your mind off of it” because “that’s what Navarro girls do – they drink. We don’t tell anyone. We just keep it to our self.”
The plaintiff also accuses the same veteran cheerleader, who is not a defendant in the lawsuit, of instructing two male members of the squad to “escort” her around to “ensure that she did not report the assault,” and encouraging her not to not bring the allegations to Aldama or authorities because the school would cut the Navarro Cheer program.
A member of Navarro College’s elite cheer squad has faced legal allegations before.
In 2020, former Navarro cheerleader Jerry Harris was charged in a seven-count indictment that was filed in US District Court in northern Illinois. Harris pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count each of receiving child pornography and engaging in sexual acts with a minor and is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence.
by tyler | Apr 28, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
RiRi smurf?
Superstar Rihanna is set to play Smurfette in the upcoming “Smurfs” animated film.
On Thursday, Paramount Pictures announced the news during their CinemaCon presentation, revealing that the singer will create and perform original music for the film. She will also serve as a producer.
“Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me,” Rihanna said. “I’m usually front and center with everything with my likeness…but this was fun, I got to imagine, I got to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester, and be a blue badass.”
Chris Miller and Matt Landon will co-direct the movie. Pam Brady penned the script.
The “Smurfs” film franchise kicked off in 2011 with “The Smurfs,” starring Neil Patrick Harris. Katy Perry formerly played Smurfette.
“The Smurfs 2” was released in 2013, followed by 2017’s “Smurfs: The Lost Village.”
As for her acting career, Rihanna starred in 2012’s “Battleship” and appeared as herself in 2013 comedy “This Is the End.” She also appeared in “Ocean’s 8,” among television show appearances.
The “Smurfs” movie hits theaters February 14, 2025.
by tyler | Apr 28, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
In hindsight, the most unlikely hit among Marvel’s parade of them was all about the unlikeliest of families. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” drives home that point, with a boisterous and often emotional sequel that feels very much like a true conclusion, fueled in no small part by writer-director James Gunn having migrated his talents over to rival DC.
Building franchises around more obscure heroes always represented the biggest risk in Marvel’s cinematic plans, which made the success of “Guardians” in 2014 and its less-satisfying sequel a minor miracle. As evidence look no further than “Eternals,” another super-team that (while meriting an asterisk due to the pandemic) didn’t fare nearly as well.
The key to Gunn’s earlier movies relied on a mix of abundant visual energy, distinctive characters, cleverly incorporated songs and no small amount of sheer goofiness. All of that is on full display in “Vol. 3,” as well as a darker thread that delves heavily into the past of Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), the unnaturally savvy and bloodthirsty anthropomorphic raccoon, conveying an unexpectedly poignant animal-rights message in the process.
This “Guardians” begins with Quill (Chris Pratt) having become an emotional wreck because of his estrangement from Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), who returned post-blip with no memory of their relationship. He’s jolted from his misery, however, by a threat that forces the team to leap into action to save one of their own, which includes facing off against one of the more visually striking comics characters, Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a creature with enormous power but an almost-childlike mind.
Reinforcing the sense of the movie serving as an extended curtain call, Gunn – who, remember, was fired from the project over social-media posts, and later reinstated – repeatedly highlights the depth of the bond between key players, in a way that perhaps more than anything brings to mind “Toy Story 3.” Yet “Guardians” also revels in broadly comic exchanges between the hulking Drax (Dave Bautista), empath Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and serious Nebula (Karen Gillan), often approximating the banter of squabbling siblings.
That playfulness – recently illustrated by the “Guardians” holiday special – extends to the seemingly unlimited song budget, which has moved beyond Quill clinging to his childhood to setting an overall mood of warmth and nostalgia.
Other than being a bit too busy, and a little too long, the main quibbles would be somewhat underusing Warlock and the generic nature of the principal bad guy, a ruthless madman known as the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), although the villains have been a weak link throughout. The closing-credit sequences also fall in the barely-worth-sitting-through category.
Still, after some second-guessing about Marvel’s invulnerability thanks to disappointing results (creatively as well as commercially) for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and to a lesser degree the “Black Panther” sequel, “Guardians” feels like a return to form on both fronts. And if it does close the books, at least for a while, on this series, give Gunn credit for bidding a fond farewell with both barrels blazing.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” premieres May 5 in US theaters. It’s rated PG-13.
