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Published by Radar Online @neneleakes/instagram; @kingbrentt/instagram Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes addressed speculation about her son Brent‘s sexuality after he sent the rumor mill into overdrive by participating in a viral TikTok challenge. RadarOnline.com has learned the former Bravolebrity stopped by The Breakfast Club after Brent seemingly came out. @kingbrentt/instagram “If I miss, I’m gay,” Brent captioned the TikTok clip, showing himself throwing something at a basket and intentionally not making it inside. Leakes said she was out of town when she was flooded with messages asking if she had seen Brent’s TikTok and knew he was gay. “I was like, he is?” she said with a laugh while catching up with Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy. “Brent is not gay,” she told the co-hosts. “Not to my knowledge.” @kingbrentt/instagram Leakes said she would support him wholeheartedly either way and added that it’s 100 percent “ok” if he is, but they previously spoke on the phone and he told her, “I’m not gay, mom.” The Never Make the Same Mistake Twice author revealed several friends had reached out after seeing the TikTok as well. “What’s the big deal?” she questioned. Charlamagne suggested that she should have asked Brent, to which she explained why that was unnecessary. “What I like to say to people, your happiness is the most important thing, right?” Leakes said. “As far as my son is concerned, it doesn’t matter.” MEGA Brent’s TikTok came months after Madonna put her own spin on the trend. The Queen of Pop came out by attempting to throw a pair of neon pink panties into her trash can and purposely missing in the clip, similarly captioned, “If I miss, I’m gay.” As for Brent, the youngest son of Leakes, fans have been overjoyed to see his recovery in the months after he was hospitalized due to suffering from a stroke. The 23-year-old recently showed off his weight loss transformation in a carousel of photos he shared on January 15. “Focus on you until the focus is you. #100poundsdown,” it read. Meanwhile, Leakes has been going through her own troubles that she is working toward overcoming. MEGA RadarOnline.com exclusively learned earlier this month that she was accused of blowing off a photographer’s lawsuit over an alleged unpaid invoice. Leakes had claimed the photographer never worked for her or her lounge, which they disputed. The lawsuit drama came after she dismissed her lawsuit against Bravo and Andy Cohen. However, they are still battling privately in arbitration over alleged discrimination claims. View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega Rock Hudson‘s sexuality was thrust back into the spotlight after a male casting director insisted he had an intimate encounter with the late Hollywood icon — however, RadarOnline.com can reveal that long-standing rumors about Hudson being gay have been whispered around Tinsel Town for years, with sources even insisting his marriage to Phyllis Gates was arranged as a cover story for the brewing scandal. In his book, Rock Hudson: Public and Private, Mark Bego, a best-selling author who highlighted the life stories of superstars like Madonna and Michael Jackson, described Hudson’s double life and a 1955 incident that almost wrecked the actor’s career. Rock Hudson & Rocky Marcianomega Rock played a brief part as himself in the film Four Girls in Town. The movie was about four starstruck girls in Hollywood with the male lead given to George Nader. At the time of the filming, Rock became friendly with George. Confidential magazine was one of the most controversial publications of the Fifties and was famous for printing stories about who was sleeping with whom in Hollywood. In 1955, the magazine discovered Rock was gay. Henry Willson, Rock’s agent and manager, was livid when he found out that Confidential was planning to print the story. Universal-International executives were shaken about the prospect of blowing the fortune they had invested in Rock’s all-American image. According to an article that appeared after Rock’s death: “The studio cut a deal that traded information on Rock for information about a lesser-known actor who was gay.” The actor was later identified as Nader, and his career in movies tanked. Interestingly enough, when Hudson’s will was disclosed, the bulk of his estate went to Nader. Hudson had narrowly escaped a brush with career disaster, but he wasn’t in the clear. mega His manager decided Hudson had to get married — immediately. All they needed was a bride. Gates was Willson’s secretary and the perfect age. On November 9, 1955, Hudson suddenly eloped with Phyllis. The best man was Rock’s boyhood friend, James Matteoni. “Roy (Hudson’s real name) called up at two in the morning and said, ‘I’ve made arrangements for you to be on a 6 o’clock flight. Keep it a secret,” James recalled. For a while, Rock played the happy married man for the press, but he soon grew to regret the marriage. Rock hudson & Kim Novakmega Trying to make the best of her situation, Phyllis reportedly attempted to seduce Rock by dressing in skimpy nightgowns, but Hudson was clearly not interested in her or their marriage. His former leading lady, Arlene Dahl, later confirmed that Rock’s close Hollywood friends knew “Phyllis was not the love of his life. It was an arrangement.” Also, actress Mamie Van Doren admitted she had gone on studio-arranged dates with Rock. “We all knew Rock was gay,” she claimed. “Rock did what was expected of him. RadarOnline.com can reveal that Hudson’s gay scandal has once again been rocked after casting director Joel Thurm declared they were close to having a bedroom romp in the ’70s in his newly released memoir, Sex, Drugs & Pilot Season: Confessions of a Casting Director. mega According to Thurm, Rock invited him into a bedroom but the casting director couldn’t perform when it came time. “I was embarrassed and mortified … getting it up was a specialty of mine,” Thurm, now 80, explained. “I couldn’t do it because he was Rock Hudson! It so intimidated me. Someone said, ‘Well, why didn’t you just b–w him?’ I said, ‘Because I was too …’ I couldn’t do anything.” View the full article

Published by New York Daily News U.S. Rep. George Santos vowed Monday he would cooperate with a looming congressional ethics investigation into his lies about his background and major questions about his campaign finances. Emerging from a morning meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the newly minted New York Republican lawmaker claimed he would finally come clean about the unending string of fibs that have made him a walking political punch line. “I don’t have anything to hide,” Santos told reporters, who have staked him out on Capitol Hill since he was sworn in this month. McCarthy confirmed to reporters that he met wi… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Lisa Marie Presleywas accused of being a manipulative ex-wife who emotionally destroyed Michael Jackson years before her shocking death, RadarOnline.com has learned. In the blockbuster courtroom statement connected to the late King of Pop’s wrongful death suit, Jackson’s longtime makeup artist revealed that Lisa Marie begged Michael to work on their failing marriage and then stunned the unsuspecting superstar by slapping him with divorce papers. Sources said Lisa Marie’s ugly betrayal broke Michael’s heart. Mega “Michael trusted Lisa Marie more than anyone else in his life,” a Jackson family insider stated. “When she betrayed him, he was consumed with sadness and used drugs as an emotional escape.” Lisa Marie married Michael in May 1994, but sources said the union quickly unraveled over his controlling nature, the controversial religion Scientology and accusations that Michael was a child molester. During her dramatic court appearance, Michael’s ex-makeup artist Karen Faye described how a deceitful Lisa Marie manipulated the Thriller singer into thinking their marriage could be saved, and then pulled the rug out from under him by filing for divorce in January 1996. Mega “Lisa Marie Presley was calling Michael, begging him not to divorce her,” Faye testified. “They weren’t getting along. She said, ‘Let’s try to work this out.’ Michael kept saying, ‘No, I don’t think it’s going to work.’ She begged and begged, ‘Please don’t file, please don’t file.’ So he promised her he wouldn’t file for divorce. The next morning it was all over the press — she filed for divorce. “He was devastated. He had decided to really try again with her. Then she turned around and did that.” The couple’s bitter split had lasting effects on Michael. “Lisa Marie’s decision to go behind Michael’s back and file for divorce was definitely a well-planned strategy that left him emotionally and physically wounded,” Ian Halperin, who interviewed Fay for his unauthorized biography, Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson. Mega “Michael was a fragile person who turned to prescription medication for emotional escape. That’s why Lisa Marie’s divorce betrayal was such a damaging turning point in his life.” Jackson passed away from a drug overdose at age 50 in June 2009. Lisa Marie’s family was always concerned about Michael’s agenda, especially her mom Priscilla Presley. The musician was a longtime fan of Elvis Presley and sources claimed that Jackson believed “there was no greater prize than marrying the King’s daughter.” Mega In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Priscilla said she was always “concerned and suspicious” of Jackson’s intentions, adding that she felt he had an “agenda.” “There’s something very calculating and manipulative about how he does things,” Priscilla said at the time. “He wanted children. And he wanted her children.” As RadarOnline.com reported, Lisa Marie died on January 12 hours after suffering cardiac arrest at her home. Priscilla is now trying to gain control of her late daughter’s estate. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jane Fonda is “worried” about the ‘Barbarella’ remake. The 85-year-old actress – who starred in the original 1968 adaptation of a French comic book series as an astronaut from the 41st century who had to stop an evil scientist named Duran Durand – admitted she has been trying “not to think” about the upcoming project, which will star Sydney Sweeney in the lead role. Asked what she thinks about the remake, which she has no involvement with, Jane told The Hollywood reporter: “I try not to. Because I worry about what it’s going to be. “I had an idea of how to do it that [original producer] Dino De Laurentiis, when he was still alive, wouldn’t listen to. “But it could have been a truly feminist movie.” The ’80 For Brady’ star admitted she has considered retiring from acting but has ultimately decided against it because she knows her high profile benefits her activism. She said: “One feeds the other. “I recently thought, ‘Maybe I do want to quit acting.’ I mean, I’m 85. But then I realised, my platform matters. It brings people in that might not come in normally.” Jane spent her 82nd birthday behind bars after getting arrested for a fifth time in a long-running climate change protest called Fire Drill Fridays. She said: “I was happy to turn 82 in jail. Because I knew it would get a lot of attention.” The ‘Grace and Frankie’ star isn’t “scared” of dying – but she’s worried she’ll have regrets at the end of her life. She said: “I’m not scared of dying. I think I’m telling the truth when I say that. “But I am really scared of getting to the end with a lot of regrets when it’s too late to do anything. And when you figure that out, it instructs the way you live between now and the end. “[My regrets] all have to do with children. I didn’t know how to be a parent. But it’s never too late. You can show up.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Claims a photo of Prince Andrew with his arm around Virginia Giuffre is a “fake” have been branded “ridiculous” by a photographer who handled the original image. Earlier this week, Ghislaine Maxwell- who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking and grooming underage girls for late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – again cast doubt on the authenticity of the picture, while the Duke of York also previously insisted he didn’t remember the photo being taken and declared he was “not one to hug” or “display affection” in public. Virginia – who sued the royal for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was 17 after being trafficked by Epstein before reaching an out-of-court settlement – insisted the photo was “authentic” and she had given the FBI the original in 2011. And now, Michael Thomas – who took 39 copies of the image before it was handed over to the FBI – has blasted conspiracy theories surrounding the photo. Virginia first showed the photo – which she claimed was taken the night she had sex with Andrew at the bidding of Maxwell and Epstein – to the photographer Mail on Sunday reporter Sharon Churcher in February 2011. As is standard practice when handling sensitive images, she allowed Michael to take photographs of the original print – the whereabouts of which is currently unknown – and he took dozens of the front and the back. He recalled to the Mail on Sunday: “She handed me the photograph and I put it on the table in the hotel room and I copied it. “I think I took more than 30 frames, which is overkill for copying one photo but I didn’t want to get it out of focus or get it wrong because I knew how important it was. “I was holding the original photo in my hand. It was a normal 6×4 inch print that you would have got from any developer at the time. “It looked like it was ten years old. It wasn’t crisp because it had been developed in 2001. She had held on to it for ten years by the time I saw it. For Ghislaine Maxwell to come out and say it was fake is ridiculous. I held the photo. It was a normal photograph. It was a physical print. It exists. I saw it and that’s what I photographed and that’s what you see now… “When they say it’s fake, they are saying that I’m involved. They are basically accusing someone of faking it and me being party to it. It’s not fake – and it never has been.” The back of the photo, which has never publicly been seen before, shows a stamp that reads “000 #15 13Mar01 Walgreens One Hour Photo.” The information means the picture was developed in a one-hour service on 13 March 2001 at a branch of Walgreens. Meanwhile, amid reports Andrew is planning to attempt to have his undisclosed settlement to Virginia overturned, Maxwell’s family have spoken out in support. While Virginia has alleged she and the disgraced duke had sex in the bath at Maxwell’s house in London, her relatives insisted that it was too small for them to have engaged in any sexual activity and even created a mock reconstruction – featuring two people approximately the size of the prince and his accuser – in the tub and shared its dimensions, 1,359mm by 380mm. Maxwell’s brother, Ian Maxwell, said: “If anything Andrew is a bit bigger, a bit broader than the man in the bath in the photo. You can see how small the bathroom is and how small the bath is. The idea that two people can get in there and she bats her eyes and takes her clothes off and has sex in the bath is impossible. “The only way you can start to change public perception around that is to provide incontrovertible visual evidence. People can now look at this photo in the bath and judge for themselves. I am putting it out, and if that helps Prince Andrew then so be it. If Prince Andrew wants to use it, we will make it available to him.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Steps’ Ian ‘H’ Watkins is close friends with his celebrity childhood crush. The ‘One For Sorrow’ hitmaker was obsessed with pop star and former ‘Neighbours’ star Jason Donovan, 54, when he was younger, so finds it “weird” to think the pair are good pals these days. He told Heat magazine: “Back in the day, I used to fancy Jason Donovan, which is a bit weird, because we’re now pretty good mates.” These days, the 46-year-old singer confessed he has the hots for Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard. Meanwhile, H recently admitted he constantly feels guilty when he’s on tour without his sons. The singer – who has six-year-old twins Macsen and Cybi with former partner Craig Ryder – loves being on the road with the band but feels bad that he can’t take the kids with him any more because they need to be at school. He said: “Although my Instagram and social channels will often show me having a great time on tour (which I am!) I can’t help but struggle with the guilt that the boys aren’t there with me, now they’re both at school. Oh, the joys of parental guilt!” The ‘Better Best Forgotten’ hitmaker admitted having twins is “absolutely exhausting” and thinks only parents who had multiples can truly understand the struggles. He added: “Being a twin parent is like nothing else. And no, it is not the same as having children close together, thank you very much! This is a whole different ball game; it’s messy, it’s fun, it’s hilarious but WOW…. It’s absolutely exhausting.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Dame Olivia Newton-John’s grieving husband has recalled how every day with her was a “bit of magic”. John Easterling has described the ‘Grease’ actress, who died of cancer last August at the age of 73, as “the most courageous and compassionate woman” he had ever met as he reflected on the star’s legacy at the G’Day USA Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday (28.01.23). He told the audience, which included pop star Katy Perry and model Miranda Kerr: “We shared a love and a happiness on an order of magnitude that I didn’t even think was possible. “Olivia and I unexpectedly, madly, deeply, forever fell in love in the Amazon rainforest. “For the past 15 years, I’ve been blessed to share the depth and the passion of her being.” Easterling, the founder and president of the Amazon Herb Company, added: “Every day with Olivia was a bit of magic. Every day with Olivia was supernatural. “She was the most courageous and compassionate woman that I’ve ever known, with a calming capacity to genuinely care about other people.” John was married to the ‘Xanadu’ hitmaker from 2008 until her passing last year and remembered how his wife gave her name to cancer research centres in both Australia and the United States after she battled breast cancer three times. He said: “There’s an old adage that like attracts like, and Olivia knew that her voice and her huge profile of talents were a gift. Her legacy continues as a joyful, healing spirit who is continuously focused on moving things, in her words, ‘into the love and the light.’’ View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Don Lewis‘ former lawyer is questioning the validity of the business mogul’s signature on his will that gave wife Carole Baskin control of his $5 million estate over two decades ago. Lewis went missing in 1997 with no records that he’d gotten on a public flight or even paid for a ticket. His vehicle was later found abandoned at a private airfield near Baskin’s big cat sanctuary in Florida. There were no signs blood or other foul play, but his use of debit and credit cards completely stopped after his mysterious disappearance. mega Attorney Joe Fritz, who was also Lewis’ friend, claimed he’d been suspicious of the wording in his will that allegedly stated Baskin would be entitled to his fortune in the case of his “disability or disappearance.” “In my law office, we have lawyers with more than 100 years combined experience, and none of us has ever heard the word ‘disappearance’ used in a document like that,” he told an outlet. “Never. Not in one case. It leaves me to believe that a non-lawyer did that. Who the f**k thinks they’re going to disappear?” mega However, Baskin had an explanation for that in a 2020 post shared to her BigCatRescue.org website. Lewis, who was declared legally dead in 2002, had property in Costa Rica and according to the Tiger King star, he traveled there regularly and had often talked about moving permanently. “Don had told me about people going to Costa Rica and disappearing, and he was dealing with the mob down there, so I thought that seemed like a potential threat and included the word,” Baskin wrote at the time, referring to the odd wording in the legal document. “I also included disability because of Don’s increasingly strange behavior.” mega She alleged Lewis had been “loaning” money to an organization known as the Helicopter Brothers, which she stated had been a Costa Rican version of the mafia. But Fritz always had his own suspicions that his old pal’s signature had been faked. Later, two independent handwriting experts, as well as the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, reportedly agreed that it was likely a forgery. The handwriting experts, Willa Smith and Thomas Wastrick, claimed the signature looked like an exact copy of the one in his marriage certificate. True signatures will have commonalities but not be a stroke-for-stroke match. Fritz is also calling BS on the Homeland Security letter that allegedly confirmed Lewis was found alive in Costa Rica in the early 2000s. As OK! previously reported, he admitted the document likely “does exist” but that they are simply false. “It’s not like they have a picture or a thumbprint of him,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s just an old document from someone that worked for the federal government who thought he’d uncovered something when they hadn’t.” Fritz spoke with The Sun on his opinions on the validity of Lewis’ will. View the full article

Published by AFP A health worker prepares a Covid booster jab for an airport worker in Bali Geneva (AFP) – All countries remain “dangerously unprepared” for the next pandemic, the Red Cross warned on Monday, saying future health crises could also collide with increasingly likely climate-related disasters. Despite three “brutal” years of the Covid-19 pandemic, strong preparedness systems are “severely lacking”, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said. The world’s largest humanitarian network said building trust, equity and local action networks were vital to get ready for the next crisis. “All countries remain dangerously unprepared for future outbreaks,” the IFRC said, concluding that governments were no more ready now than in 2019. It said countries needed to be prepared for “multiple hazards, not just one”, saying societies only became truly resilient through planning for different types of disaster, as they can occur simultaneously. The IFRC cited the rise in climate-related disasters and waves of disease outbreaks this century, of which Covid-19 was just one. It said extreme weather events were growing more frequent and intense, “and our ability to merely respond to them is limited”. The IFRC issued two reports making recommendations on mitigating future tragedies on the scale of Covid-19, on the third anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the virus an international public health emergency. “The Covid-19 pandemic should be a wake-up call for the global community to prepare now for the next health crisis,” said IFRC secretary general Jagan Chapagain. “The next pandemic could be just around the corner; if the experience of Covid-19 won’t quicken our steps toward preparedness, what will?” The report said major hazards harm those who are already vulnerable the most, and leaving the poorest exposed was “self-defeating”, as a disease can return in a more dangerous form. Breakdown of trust The IFRC said if people trusted safety messages, they would be willing to comply with public health measures and accept vaccination. But the organisation said crisis responders “cannot wait until the next time to build trust”, urging consistent cultivation over time. The IFRC said if trust was fragile, public health became political and individualised — something which impaired the Covid response. It also said the coronavirus pandemic had thrived on and exacerbated inequalities, with poor sanitation, overcrowding, lack of access to health and social services, and malnutrition creating conditions for diseases to thrive in. “The world must address inequitable health and socio-economic vulnerabilities far in advance of the next crisis,” it recommended. The organisation also said local communities should be leveraged to perform life-saving work, as that is where pandemics begin and end. The IFRC called for the development of pandemic response products that are cheaper, and easier to store and administer. By 2025, it said countries should increase domestic health finance by one percent of gross domestic product, and global health finance by at least $15 billion per year. The IFRC said its network had reached more than 1.1 billion people over the past three years to help keep them safe during the Covid pandemic. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Brendan Fraser needed spinal surgery and a partial knee replacement after spending years getting “banged up” while doing his own stunts. ‘The Mummy’ star, 54, has revealed he suffered numerous injuries during his time making action movies and faced a long recovery after doctors discovered he needed several operations to fix his problems. He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I got a little banged up from years of doing my own stunts and needed a surgical fix on the spine and the hinges. That took a lot out of me. I knew I would get better, but it took a long time.” Brendan went on to reveal he was already suffering by the time he made the third movie in ‘The Mummy’ series – 2008’s ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’. He said of his injuries: “I put myself together like a gladiator with muscle tape and ice packs, strapping on this Transformer-like exoskeleton just to get through the scene. There was self-loathing. I think on some level I felt I deserved a beating and wanted to be the one who got in the first punch.” Brendan is currently enjoying a career comeback after receiving his first ever Oscar nomination. He’s in the running for the Best Actor prize at the upcoming Academy Awards for his role in ‘The Whale’ and he admitted he felt “absolutely overjoyed and deeply grateful to The Academy” for the recognition. He added in a statement to People.com: “I wouldn’t have this nomination without [director] Darren Aronofsky, [writer] Samuel D. Hunter, A24 and the extraordinary cast and crew who gave me the gift of [this character] Charlie. “A gift I certainly didn’t see coming, but it’s one that has profoundly changed my life. THANK YOU!” Brendan is nominated alongside Austin Butler (‘Elvis’), Colin Farrell (‘The Banshees of Inisherin’), Paul Mescal (‘Aftersun’) and Bill Nighy (‘Living’). View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega New details have emerged as to what went down between Brandi Glanville and Caroline Manzo in Morocco. Both of the former Bravo stars stopped filming for Season 4 of Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip in Marrakech prior to production officially wrapping on Saturday, January 28, as it was widely reported a huge fight broke out between The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum and The Real Housewives of New Jersey OG. mega According to multiple insiders close to production, the feud allegedly began when Glanville tried kissing Manzo multiple times throughout the evening without her consent. “It was unwanted,” the source explained to an outlet. “And Caroline’s distress over the matter did not seem to stop Brandi. Things escalated and physical boundaries allegedly were crossed that Caroline felt were serious and uncomfortable.” Due to the severity of the situation, production decided to notify executives of the inappropriate interaction. The blonde star did make a formal apology to the Manzo’d with Children cast member, however, Glanville was asked to depart the vacation early. “Brandi’s behavior was inappropriate,” a third source noted, “so she was asked to leave.” mega Manzo later decided to fly back to the states before the end of the shoot to gather her feelings about the strange event. “She needed to process this outside of the reality TV environment,” the source dished. On Sunday, January 29, news broke of the two reality stars’ abrupt exit from the highly anticipated continuation of the Peacock series. “I’m hearing there was a MAJOR fight filming RHUGT4 in Morocco!” podcast host Zack Peter tweeted. mega “Apparently Brandi Glanville got sent home early and Caroline Manzo left early on her own accord,” he reported. An anonymous submission to DeuxMoi over the weekend also spilled about an “out of control ex Housewife [who] allegedly took things too far” with an “OG” of the franchise during filming, adding it “might result in some legal action.” Fans took notice on Saturday, January 28, that the former East Coast housewife was back home in New Jersey after she shared a photo to her Instagram Story of granddaughter Marchesa (a.k.a. Markie) at her cheerleading competition. Manzo was also tagged in a social media update having cocktails at a local restaurant with daughterLauren Manzo. Per the inside source, costars Vicki Gunvalson, Gretchen Rossi, Phaedra Parks, Eva Marcille, and Alex McCord were all supportive of Manzo and her choice to exit production early. People spoke to sources about the unwanted interactions between Glanville and Manzo. View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – A sixth Memphis police officer has been dismissed from the force for his involvement in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, local media reported on Monday, days after video footage of the killing was released to the public. (Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Alan Cumming admits that it was a “complicated” decision to hand back his OBE. The 58-year-old actor announced on Friday (27.01.23) that he was to return the honour he was awarded in 2009 over the “toxicity” of the British Empire. Alan is grateful for the “incredible” reaction to his decision as he elaborated on his choice. He told People: “I mean, first of all, I didn’t ever expect so much attention about it. “It’s been really positive. People really understood why it’s complicated, it’s complex, it’s not a black or white thing.” The ‘X-Men’ star added: “I tried to say that in my statement, and people have really responded to that. I think times are changing and things change, and you change how you feel about something.” Cumming received the honour from Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace in 2009 but revealed his decision to hand back the award after a period reflection following Queen Elizabeth’s passing in a social media post to mark his 58th birthday. ‘The Traitors’ host wrote: “The Queen’s death and the ensuing conversations about the role of monarchy and especially the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples across the world really opened my eyes. “Also, thankfully, times and laws in the US have changed, and the great good the award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause back in 2009 is now less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire (OBE stands for Officer of the British Empire).” Alan continued: “So I returned my award, explained my reasons and reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place. I’m now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again. Happy birthday to me!” View the full article

Published by Raw Story A right-wing group thinks it has hit upon a legal loophole that it can use to force Michigan public schools to “erase” any sign of openly LGBTQ people from classrooms, reported Judd Legum for his Popular Information blog on Monday. “The effort, organized by the Great Schools Initiative (GSI), seeks to exploit a Michigan statute)/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-380-1507) that allows parents to opt their children out of sex education,” reported Legum. “Michigan law allows schools to offer courses in sex education. The nature of this instruction is quite traditional” — stressing the bene… Read More View the full article

Published by The San Diego Union-Tribune Beyoncé or Adele? Kendrick Lamar or Bad Bunny? Willie Nelson or Buddy Guy? Wet Leg or Maneskin? Dave Chappelle or Louis C.K.? Regardless of who wins or loses at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, its honcho Harvey Mason Jr. knows exactly what the perfect edition of the Grammys should be like. “Everyone wins every award they were nominated for!” he said, laughing heartily. Mason is himself a five-time nominee as a songwriter and producer whose first nomination came for co-writing “He Wasn’t Man Enough, a 2000 hit for Toni Braxton. As of May 2021, Mason is also the first Black CEO in the h… Read More View the full article

“ Published by BANG Showbiz English Julie Bowen propositioned Harry Styles at his LA concert. The 52-year-old actress showed up to Harry’s ‘Love On Tour’ show at The Forum in Inglewood last week, clutching a homemade heart-shaped sign which read “Harry I’m old, but I know what I’m doing.” Julie shared a reel of herself with the sign on Instagram and tagged Harry’s official Instagram account in the video. The ‘Modern Family’ actress was previously married to Scott Phillips from 2004 to 2018 and they share sons Oliver McLanahan, 15, and 13-year-old twins John and Gustav. However, she insisted she would come out of “dating retirement” for Harry, 28. Speaking previously, she said: “You’re asking me if I’d come out of [dating] retirement for Harry Styles? Oh, hell yeah. Him? Look at him! “He’s just bringing the joy and the light and the ‘Watermelon Sugar.’ You just feel good about the whole experience.” Julie added during the show’s ‘Five Second Rule’ game her three celebrity crushes were Harry, Timothée Chalamet, and guest host Adam DeVine. She also revealed she once fell in love with a gay woman who didn’t like her “in that way”. She told Becca Tilley on her ‘Quitters’ podcast: “I’m straight. I’ve always been straight. I was in love with a woman for a while but she didn’t love me back. “She liked women, but she didn’t like me in that way. “It never really took off so I never really had to challenge my concept of my sexuality.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jeff Richmond and Tina Fey want the ‘Mean Girls’ musical movie to have a “fresher palette”. The pair are adapting their musical for the big screen and composer Jeff revealed his hopes that the songs will attract a wider audience. He explained to The Hollywood Reporter: “Right now, the day-to-day is more about the movie adaptation that we’re working on. We’re super involved with that. What we’re trying to do [with the movie] is take the score that sounds like a Broadway score — in a good way — and [give] the movie a fresher palette. To make it sound more like stuff you want to listen to on Spotify, as opposed to when you’re sitting eighth row at a Broadway show or the Pantages. It’s kind of making it a fresher, younger take on the whole thing. We’re kind of reinvented the music for the movie, so it’s really fun.” Lorne Michaels is producing the movie for Paramount Pictures, with Tina penning the script and Jeff and lyricist Nell Benjamin working on the music. Angourie Rice, Auli’i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey and Reneé Rapp will star, with Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. directing. And Jeff revealed he and wife Tina love working together. He said: “We know when to get out of each other’s way when we’re working together. Like who’s taking this part? Who’s doing that? Who needs to push harder on getting the script done for this? We’re just around each other all the time. Same office, all the time. She’s a hilariously fun person to be around.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jennifer Coolidge went to the wedding of Billie Eilish’s parents. The 61-year-old actress had been friends with Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell – who are the parents of pop star Billie, 21, and music producer FINNEAS, 25, – for ” for a really long time” when they tied the knot in 1995 and explained that she had the “most fun” at the “natural” ceremony. She said: “I think the best wedding I’ve ever went to was… I got this invite when I was in this comedy group, The Groundlings, and all of us got it. It was sort of this potluck wedding where you brought a dish. It was the most fun I’ve ever had at a wedding. I’ve gone to all of these fancy weddings where people spend millions of dollars and things like that … it was just the most unique, natural wedding. This is the cool part of the story — it was two people that [have] known each other for a really long time that married. They knew each other for 12 years. They gave birth to two children after they got married … their daughter is Billie Eilish, and their son is Finneas.” The ‘White Lotus’ star went on to add that she will “never forget” that day because it was the most “romantic thing” she had ever been to. Speaking on ‘Hits Radio’, she added: “I’ll never forget that wedding. A family of deer showed up while they were doing the nuptials [and] stood in the background. It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever been to.” View the full article

Published by AFP The US city of Memphis, Tennessee, on January 27, 2023, released footage of the fatal police beating of a 29-year-old Black man, Tyre Nichols Washington (AFP) – The shocking death of Tyre Nichols after a police beating has reopened anguished debate across the United States about police violence, fueling a sense that the huge, nationwide demonstrations of 2020 have done little to solve the problem. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died in a hospital on January 10, three days after a brutal beating by five Black police officers in the southern city of Memphis, Tennessee. The five have since been charged with second-degree murder. Memphis police released body-cam footage of the incident — after starkly warning viewers of its brutality — late Friday. “I’m just sad for where we are in America; we’re still here,” said Lora King, whose father Rodney King sustained a violent beating by police in Los Angeles in 1991, also caught on camera. The incident fueled lethal and destructive riots in that city and elsewhere. “I’m in disbelief.” “We have to do better,” she told CNN. “This is unacceptable.” Deaths at 10-year high Nichols’ death left many Americans questioning how much real progress had been made since 2020. The killing that year in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a Black man whose videotaped death under the knee of a white officer was viewed millions of times, reignited the historic Black Lives Matter movement across the US and abroad. In the wake of Floyd’s death, promises of police reform swept across the country. And yet two years later, the number of people who have died during interactions with police hit a 10-year high in 2022, at 1,186 deaths, according to the website Mapping Police Violence. “They say it’s a new year, but same old, same old,” said Robert Jones, a 26-year-old salesman in Memphis. African Americans accounted for 26 percent of those deaths, though Black people represent only 13 percent of the US population. By way of comparison, fewer than 20 people die in France each year during police interventions. A huge factor explaining the difference is the enormous number of privately owned firearms in the United States — there are more guns than there are people — which sharply increases the sense of vulnerability police feel during interactions with the public, making them much quicker to draw their own arms. Last year, 66 police officers were killed by gunfire while on duty, according to a fund created to honor them. But attorney Ben Crump, who represented Floyd’s relatives and is now working with Nichols’ family, sees a deeper dynamic at work. “We have to talk about this institutionalized police culture that has this unwritten law that you can engage in excessive use of force against Black and Brown people,” he said during a press conference Friday. ‘Unnecessary and aggressive’ The tumult of 2020 led, among other things, to efforts to curb the considerable legal immunity granted to American police, or to establish a register of officers who have been found to use excessive force. Proposed federal legislation, initially supported by both political parties, ultimately failed in Congress at a time when homicides were rising sharply, with Republicans falling back on their traditional appeals for “law and order.” In the absence of progress on the federal level, the push for reform advanced primarily on the local level — modestly and unevenly, producing a patchwork of different approaches. Across the United States, there are nearly 18,000 autonomous policing entities — city police, county sheriffs, state highway patrols — each with its own rules for recruitment, training and on-the-job practices. Some of them have reviewed and revised their rules, notably banning strangleholds, such as the one killed George Floyd, requiring greater use of body-cams and increasing the penalties for unjustified violence. The Memphis police were among those adopting reforms. Officers were barred from forcing their way into homes unannounced; were told they must step in to stop colleagues engaging in violence; and were given additional training in de-escalating dangerous confrontations. Despite all that, the officers who stopped Nichols for a simple traffic violation were “riled up” from the beginning, and “the escalation was already at a high level,” said Cerelyn Davis, the Memphis police department’s first Black female chief. For activists, the central problem is the extensive arrest powers American police have, even over minor infractions. “We must stop relying on police to respond to issues related to poverty and disinvestment,” said Kathy Sinback, director for Tennessee of the American Civil Liberties Union. That approach, she said in a statement, “leads to more frequent, unnecessary and aggressive actions by law enforcement toward community members.” US police have killed nearly 600 people during traffic stops since 2017, according to Human Rights Watch. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Christina Ricci has slammed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ upcoming review of nominees as “backward”. The 42-year-old actress responded to the news that the awards body – which is set to be conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees” following Andrea Riseborough’s surprise nomination in the Best Actress category for her role in ‘To Leslie’ – noting that the action taken following their “surprise nomination” following a campaign as a “hilarious” movie. She wrote on Instagram: “Seems hilarious that the ‘surprise nomination’ (meaning tons of money wasn’t spent to position this actress) of a legitimately brilliant performance is being met with an investigation. So it’s only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive and frankly very backward to me. And I’msure she had nothing to do with the campaigning. These things aren’t controlled or decided by the actors themselves and yet now her nomination will be tainted by this. And it’s taken away shame on them. The comments come just a day after the Academy revealed it was attempting to “ensure that guidelines were violated” with the campaign that took place to get Andrea Riseborough her nomination. In a statement, they said: “It is the Academy’s goal to ensure that the Awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner, and we are committed to ensuring an inclusive awards process,. We are conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees, to ensure that no guidelines were violated and to inform us whether changes to the guidelines may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communication.” View the full article

Published by DPA Pope Francis speaks during the general audience at the Pope Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. Michael Kappeler/dpa Pope Francis has clarified his earlier comments on homosexuality following confusion in recent days, saying: “I wanted to clarify that it is not a crime, in order to stress that criminalization is neither good nor just.” The pope originally called homosexuality a sin but conceded later that his comments during an interview might have been misunderstood. “When I said it was a sin, I had simply referred to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside marriage is a sin,” Francis wrote to Father James Martin who edits a Catholic publication. “Of course, one must consider the circumstances, which may decrease or eliminate fault.” Martin, a Jesuit priest in the US, published the pope’s letter in the Catholic magazine Outreach, which is for a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer readership. The pope explained that the interview was an oral conversation and that it was “understandable” if certain nuances were lost in the transcript. In his letter, written in Spanish, Francis underlined that for him, homosexuality is not a crime. “I would tell whoever wants to criminalize homosexuality that they are wrong,” he said. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Rick Astley says he “wasn’t born” to be a pop star. The 56-year-old singer shot to fame in the late 1980s when he signed a deal with industry giants Stock Aitken Waterman – which saw him become labelmates with the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, and Sonia – and sold more than 12 million records worldwide with hits such as ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ and ‘Together Forever’ but decided to quit the industry altogether in the 1990s because he “didn’t want to do any of it” anymore. “He said: “I don’t think being a pop star is a very natural thing for anybody but some people, some people manage to do it and some people are born to do it perhaps. I don’t think I was really. I had developed a fear of flying, I didn’t want to go and promote records. I didn’t want to do any of it, really. “ The ‘Take Me To Your Heart’ singer – who went on to have daughter Emilie with then-partner Lene Bausager but eventually returned to showbusiness in the early 2000s and remains active in music today – went on to add that he was “super lucky” to have made a lot of money during his heyday which at the time enabled him to walk away after from the top. Speaking on Channel 5 documentary ‘Stock Aitken Waterman: Legends of Pop Music’, he added: “I was super lucky that I had a massive amount of success in a very short period of time, somebody gave me a truckload of money for it and I could say ‘Okay, I’m done!'” View the full article