Sunday, January 31, 2016
Friday, January 29, 2016
Kanye West fires back at Amber Rose's NSFW diss: 'I'm not into that kind of s***
If you want the reader’s digest version of Kanye West’s feud with rapper Wiz Khalifa before we get into the nitty gritty here it is.
West went off on Khalifa after the rapper commented about West’s new album title “WAVES.” Khalifa alluded to the fact on Twitter that West shouldn’t take credit for a sub genre of hip hop that he knows nothing about. Khalifa then went on to say in a series of tweets, that the hip hop community owes it to Max B who started the Wavy genre.
Kanye either heard about these tweets from Wiz or read them himself, because he lost his mind in a series of tweets directed at Wiz. West, who deleted half of the tweets hours later, dissed the rapper’s fashion sense (Kanye has his own fashions now with his Yeezy clothing line and his sneakers.) Kanye also decided to talk about his ex girlfriend Amber Rose, who has a baby with Khalifa.Going off of various reports, it doesn’t seem to take a lot to get Amber Rose in on any conversation involving her ex Kanye and the Kardashians. So, seeing a tweet by West that said he “owned” her child because he reportedly dumped Rose and left her for Wiz, it was only a matter of time before she shot back at Kanye. That said, no one was expecting Amber to reveal such an intimate detail of their sex life, which West denied in the worst way possible.In a tweet Amber, clearly fed up with the way Kanye was coming for Khalifa and their child, put Kanye’s sexual proclivities on blast. In the tweet, she wrote the following.
***“Awww @kanyewest are u mad I’m not around to play in ur ass—- anymore? #FingersInTheBootyA–B—-.” You get the idea.
Followed by, “Lol @kanyewest Now u wanna delete ur tweets cuz Muva has arrived? TwitterFingers#UrGettingBodiedByAStripperN—a”
Kanye lost his mind over these tweets and took them as accusations.
Of course, the celebrity world had an opinion about this feud, especially the way West responded to Amber’s tweet. Orange Is The New Black star Matt McGorry decided to make this a teaching lesson on how not to defend oneself.
This is not the first time that rumors circulated claiming that Kanye West is gay. Back in April of last year, reports claimed that the rapper was stepping out on Kim Kardashian with a friend from the fashion world. The rumors connected Kanye to French fashion designer Olivier Rousteing, who had been a longtime friend.
The rumor originated from a the far reaches of the internet, a gay dating site called BlackM4M, a man claiming to be Rousteing’s ex-boyfriend of allegedly posted photos and emails that Kanye and Rousteing exchanged.
To many, the rumor seemed to confirm past reports that Kanye West could be gay. The previous year, some claimed that Kanye and another major player in the fashion world — openly gay designed Ricardo Tisci — were in a secret relationship. In Touch reported that Kanye West spent more time with Tisci than with his pregnant wife.
Some even dug up statements from Tisci claiming that he had a secret affair with a well-known celebrity, which some took to be Kanye:
“I have several but the one I think immediately is an experience I had with a man who is known. I never imagined that something could happen between us and it’s still the hottest weekend of my life. Nobody really knows if this guy is straight or gay, it is a mystery. However, I was attracted to him, his way of speaking, thinking, walking, dressing. I love what he does as an artist. This weekend both, this intimate moment has only reinforced my attraction to him.”
Some of the rumors could be fueled by Kanye’s open interactions with the gay community. He has been openly against the homophobia that often pervades the rap industry, and has even been seen hanging out at gay hotspots.
The news outlet Out noted that Kanye and actor Jared Leto were seen at a popular gay nightclub in Paris.
“New couple alert! Just kidding. Kanye West and Jared Leto are sure being adventurous, though. They both have been attending the women’s collections at Paris Fashion Week. We know Kanye’s looking for new outfits to dress up his real-life Barbie doll Kim, but Jared’s presence there is less clear. However, in one of the weirdest fashion moments of the season so far, they were spotted at Le Dépot, a landmark on the Parisian gay cruising scene.”
But it can often be difficult to tell truth from fabrication when it comes to Kanye West’s life. The rumors that he may be gay come amid countless other baseless reports, including near-constant reports that he and wife Kim Kardashian are splitting up. For nearly their entire marriage there have been rumors, sometimes weekly, that the couple is either fighting or split apart by jealousy. The reports always rely on unnamed sources, and to this point have never panned out.
Witchy Wants to know :What's happening with the Kardashian women ...HUH ... one guy change genders' ... one guy go to the 'Ho' ranch , pigs out on drugs , liquor and sex , has a stroke and one has turned her man gay . Stay tune , I have to find out what the rest of the girls are up to ...... HeHe
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Are More Michael Jackson Movies on the Way?
JIM MCCRARY/REDFERNS
Are you ready for more Michael Jackson movies? At the Jan. 24 premiere of the Showtime documentary Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall at the Sundance Film Festival -- attended by director Spike Lee, Questlove and Glassnotes Records founder Daniel Glass -- producer John Branca hinted that more could be on the way.
“I’d like to see a movie about the History album and tour,” Branca, who’s also co-executor of the Michael Jackson estate, told Billboard. “It was his last tour, and his most underappreciated album. Michael was out of favor in the U.S. at the time. But if you listen to it start to finish, it’s one of the greatest albums of all time.”
But what about Jackson’s biggest blockbuster, Thriller -- which Lee, who also directed the Bad 25 documentary, has said he’d love to give the doc treatment? “That’s definitely a candidate,” said Branca, who added that there will Halloween-themed events around the album next year, its 35th anniversary.
But for now, it’s all about Michael Jackson’s Journey, which hits Showtime on Feb. 5. “It’s a part of Michael’s career and life that few people know about,” Branca says. “Everyone knows about the meteoric rise of Jackson 5 and Michael having his first No. 1 single at the age of 10. But they don’t know what came after. The Jacksons had to split away from Motown, and many people thought their career was absolutely over, that they were yesterday’s news, that they were a boy band whose time had come and gone. This shows the story of Michael resurrecting the Jacksons and making his first solo album -- and we all know what happened after that.”
The film consists of present-day interviews mixed with some pretty incredible vintage footage. Branca’s favorite old clip? “There was this tap-dance team called the Nicholas Brothers -- the greatest tap dancers of all time. And there’s footage of Michael going toe to toe and step to step with them. Who knew Michael could tap-dance?”
Before the premiere, Lee also spoke about his call to boycott the Academy Awards after all 20 acting nominations went to white stars. It’s bigger than the Oscars, he explained; it’s an industrywide issue. “You have to get diversity among the people who have green-light votes. We’re gonna keep having this problem at the Oscars because they can only vote on the films that were made. So we gotta go up, [to] the people in the room who decide what we’re making and what we’re not making. There are no people of color in those rooms."
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Backlash after Joseph Fiennes cast as Michael Jackson in Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon
Joseph Fiennes will play African-American pop star and icon Michael Jackson in an upcoming half-hour show by Sky Arts called Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon, which tells the story of a reported trip the star took with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attack on New York.
The show is to be a half-hour comedy, according to the network, not a film as was reported by some media outlets, and will screen later in 2016. It tells a story first reported by Vanity Fair in 2011, about how when the Twin Towers came down, Jackson, Brando and Taylor fled New York city by car and ended up taking a long road trip together.
But the announcement this week that Jackson would be played by Fiennes, a white actor most famous for playing William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, clearly stuck a nerve at a time when public anger about the lack of diversity in Hollywood was already running high.
Most critics have acknowledged that casting actors to play Jackson has always been a somewhat vexed question because of the way his appearance dramatically changed throughout his career. The pop singer suffered from vitiligo, as confirmed by the case report following his death, and his skin colour lightened over his adult life. He reportedly also underwent more than one rhinoplasty surgery which altered the shape of his nose.
"You don't cast a white actor to play Michael Jackson - you get a black guy to play him, because MJ was black even when he was 'white'," wrote Aisha Harris at Slate.
"Just because our relationship and understanding of him evolved as his persona became more feminine and his skin tone more pale, that doesn't mean he was a fundamentally different person - he was still the same guy who donned a wildly amazing 'fro on the cover of Off the Wall, the same dynamic superstar who had to fight to get his music videos played on MTV in the early '80s because they were reluctant to play black artists at the time."
There is a long history of white actors playing people of colour on screen, from crude blackface depictions of African-Americans to the recent Biblical epic Exodus, which starred Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton as Ancient Egyptians, or Emma Stone being cast as a a woman of mixed Hawaiian, Chinese and Caucasian background in Aloha.
Stereo Williams, an entertainment writer for the Daily Beast, pointed out the casting announcement came not only as the industry grappled with the #OscarsSoWhite backlash, but also followed a landmark speech in the UK by British actor Idris Elba about the lack of opportunities for black artists on screen.
"There is both a casual ambivalence and quiet hostility towards broadening the range of opportunities for non-white stars to truly thrive in the mainstream," wrote Williams, "and things like casting a white man to play Michael Jackson only serve as further proof that there are filmmakers who are deeply determined to tune out the cultural conversation."
A spokeswoman for Sky did not respond to questions from Fairfax Media about the casting decision but said in a statement:
"[The show] is part of a series of comedies about unlikely stories from arts and cultural history. Sky Arts gives producers the creative freedom to cast roles as they wish, within the diversity framework which we have set."
Fiennes confirmed the casting in an interview with WENN, in which he said the script was a "challenge".
"It's a lovely thing about Michael's relationship with Liz Taylor and Marlon Brando. It's a fun, light-hearted tongue in cheek road trip of what celebrity of that kind is like. But also it's rather beautiful and poignant about their relationships as well," he said.
The roles of Taylor and Brando will be played by Stockard Channing and Brian Cox.
Witchy sez : Too crazy for words !! Joseph Fiennes playing Michael Jackson !
What next ? Tom Cruiae playing Muhammad ? Uma Thurman playing Rosa Parks ?
HeHe
The Roving Reporter :Jindal granted millions in '11th hour' raises
Greg Hilburn,
ghilburn@gannett.com
Louisiana may be facing a $750 million midyear budget deficit, but state employees in at least four departments will have fatter paychecks after former Gov. Bobby Jindal and his agency heads granted millions in raises just before leaving office.
"We understand they gave raises in the 11th hour of the (Jindal) administration, some literally as they were walking out the door, as we face the biggest financial crisis the state has ever faced," new Gov. John Bel Edwards' Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne told Gannett Louisiana.
Dardenne said he and his staff are still calculating the number of raises granted and the cost to the taxpayer.
"I don't know yet ... but I've asked for that information," Dardenne said.
Richard Carbo, Edwards' spokesman, said: "The governor directed each agency to evaluate the costs of the raises given out by the previous administration and we are awaiting those numbers."
LaPolitics.com editor Jeremy Alford, who first reported the raises, which were generally 4 percent, said early figures already show almost $20 million will be doled out in pay hikes during the current and next fiscal year, where a $1.9 billion budget hole projected. That tally is likely to grow as more pay increases are uncovered.
Dardenne said he has learned raises were granted in the Department of Transportation and Development, the Coastal Protection Restoration Authority, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Department of Environmental Quality.
He said the state is liable for the raises, which have already gone into effect, despite the budget crisis.
"We can't undo them from a Civil Service standpoint," Dardenne said. "It's unfortunate some employees will get raises and others won't."
He said under the current circumstances, it was “inappropriate at best to assign these raises in the waning days of the administration."
"I think everybody was well aware of the dire financial concerns of the state and that we couldn't afford to grant these type of pay increases at this time," Dardenne said.
Former LDWF Secretary Robert Barham said the raises he granted "won't affect the state budget because the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is funded by self-generated revenue through fees and lands (the state owns)."
"The LDWF is in good financial shape — better than what we found it in," Barham said. "Even with the pay raises we projected out several years in the black. And the reason the department is doing to well is because of the employees."
Barham said he can't speak for other former agency heads whose departments are dependent on general fund state revenue, but he understands the new administration's concerns. Barham said he wasn't directed by Jindal to issue the raises nor did he talk to the governor personally about them.
The Roving Reporter G.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
The Roving Reporter :Michael Moore: Flint Poisoning Is a ‘Racial Crime’
The people of my hometown are being poison .
The people of my hometown, Flint, Mich., are being poisoned. Let me not mince words: This is a racial crime. If it were happening in another country, we’d call it an ethnic cleansing. Flint is a very poor, majority African-American city, and the Republican governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, knows they have no political power, no lobbyists, no money. And they didn’t vote for him. So when the residents of Flint, many of whom work two or three jobs for minimum wage, complained about the levels of lead in their water and told the governor their children were getting sick—two years ago!—he didn’t have to listen.
Everybody knows that this would not have happened in predominantly white Michigan cities like West Bloomfield, or Grosse Pointe, or Ann Arbor. Everybody knows that if there had been two years of taxpayer complaints, and then a year of warnings from scientists and doctors, this would have been fixed in those towns.
This started when the governor turned Flint’s authority over to an “emergency manager,” ostensibly to fix the city’s finances. In order to save a few million dollars, the manager and the governor’s office came up with the bright idea to unhook the city’s water supply from Lake Huron and tap into the Flint River.
In the 20th century, General Motors made Flint the ultimate company town, and over the next 100 years the Flint River was turned into a sewer. Environmental experts warned the political leaders of the dangers of using the Flint River as a water source. They didn’t listen.
So here we are. People need to stop saying that Flint was using Detroit’s water. It was pure water from Lake Huron, the third largest body of freshwater in the world. A toxic water crisis is the last thing that should happen here.
The American middle class was built in Flint. Our grandparents knew that if they worked hard and the company prospered, they prospered. That was the American Dream, and it spread from Flint to the rest of the nation. Then around 1980, General Motors, a company that was making billions, figured out that it could make even more money by sending jobs to the nonunion South or overseas. This halved Flint’s population and brought along unemployment, poverty, alcoholism, broken families and other ills. The crime rate skyrocketed. Wall Street came in and cut Flint’s credit rating, making it impossible for Flint to recover, to attract jobs, to fix its infrastructure and schools. Flint went through a three-decade economic and social assault. Those who could get off the sinking ship—myself included—escaped. And those who were abandoned and left behind? They got their water poisoned. And when the governor found out, he kept quiet and let the poor of Flint continue drinking the poison. Marie Antoinette would’ve been proud. Except this time, no one offered any cake. “Let them drink the Flint River” has such a nice ring.
Moore is a filmmaker whose work includes Roger & Me, a 1989 documentary about Flint.
The Roving Reporter G.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
The Roving Reporter ; The Police charge 17-year-old boy in Canada after 4 shot dead
Police said the male suspect can't be named under Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Supt. Grant St. Germaine said nine people were shot in the school, including a female teacher's aide who died at the scene and a male teacher who died in a hospital. He said seven people wounded in Friday's shooting at the school are hospitalized.
Two brothers, 17-year-old Dayne Fountaine and 13-year-old Drayden, were shot and killed in a home before the gunman headed to the grade 7-12 La Loche Community School, police said. Police responded to a call of shots fired at the school shortly after the lunch hour.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commanding Officer Brenda Butterworth-Carr said when officers arrived at the school they saw the front door had been shot open. They entered the school, spotted the suspect and gave chase before apprehending him. He is due in court next week.
A resident of La Loche, Saskatchewan, pays his respects on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016 to the victims of a Friday school shooting. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Police said Saturday that they were not aware of a motive and declined to say what type of gun was used.
The school is in the remote Dene aboriginal community of La Loche in Saskatchewan Province. La Loche is a community of less than 3,000 where just about everybody knows everybody else.
"This is a significant event for Canada," St. Germaine said. "It's a huge impact on the community of La Loche. It's a part of changing times. We are seeing more violence."
Residents lighted candles and placed flowers at a makeshift memorial outside the school.
Shootings at schools or on university campuses are rare in Canada. However, the country's bloodiest mass shooting occurred on Dec. 6, 1989, at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique, when Marc Lepine entered a college classroom at the engineering school, separated the men from the women, told the men to leave and opened fire, killing 14 women before killing himself.
The educational assistant killed at the Saskatchewan school was identified as 21-year-old Marie Janvier. Deegan Park, her boyfriend of three years, said he would have given up the rest of his life just to spend another year with her.
"I grew up not a good guy, but she turned me right," Park told The Associated Press. "She was that much of a great person to turn me right from all the wrongdoings I used to do. ... She was a fantastic person."
"I loved her, I really did," said Park, who remembered her smile and how she would blush when she was happy.
Kevin Janvier said his daughter was an only child. "I'm just so sad," he said.
Ashton Lemaigre, a teacher at the school and friend of Marie Janvier, said she worked as a teacher's aide in his classroom. He said she was kind and patient with children and planned to get her teaching degree someday.
"The kids loved having her around," Lemaigre said. "They would just come running to her. And she was just a friend to everybody."
A second victim was identified as 35-year-old Adam Wood, a new teacher at the school. His family in Ontario issued a statement describing him as an adventurer with a passion for life who made people laugh until their stomachs hurt.
"Adam had just begun his teaching career in La Loche last September and was enjoying his time," his family said. "He was always up for a good challenge and lived each day joyously."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, called it "every parent's worst nightmare."
A student who was just returning from lunch when the shots were fired Friday said his friends ran past him urging him to get out.
"'Run, bro, run!" Noel Desjarlais-Thomas, 16, recalled his friends saying to him as they fled La Loche's junior and senior high school. "There's a shotgun! There's a shotgun! They were just yelling to me. And then I was hearing those shots too, so of course I started running."
The RCMP said the first reports of shots being fired at the school came in around 1 p.m. Friday, and parents and residents were warned to stay away. Witnesses said some students hid in gym dressing rooms for hours. A nearby elementary school was also placed on lockdown as a precaution.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said he is in a state of disbelief. He planned to visit La Loche on Sunday and promised to provide crisis support and counseling services. La Loche, like a number of aboriginal communities in Canada's prairie provinces, has been plagued by high suicide rates and poverty.
Wall added that U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman had offered the counsel of U.S. communities that have experienced school shootings.
"He noted that quite tragically the United States has more experience with the likes of what we saw in La Loche," Wall said.
Thanx AOL
The Roving Reporter G .
Friday, January 22, 2016
The Roving Reporter :Five Dead In Canada School Shooting, Suspect In Custody
Trudeau did not give a motivation for the shooting in La Loche, about 600 km (375 miles) north of the city of Saskatoon.
"Obviously this is every parent's worst nightmare," said Trudeau, who was in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual World Economic Forum.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada, which has stricter gun laws than the United States. With five dead, La Loche would be the country's worst school shooting since 14 college students were killed at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique in 1989.
The shooting occurred in the high school, called the Dene Building, and another location in Saskatchewan, Trudeau and Canadian police said. The school remained on lockdown and the total number injured is not yet known, police said.
Police took the suspect into custody outside the school and seized a gun.
La Loche acting Mayor Kevin Janvier told the Canadian Press the incident may have started at the suspect's home.
“I’m not 100 percent sure what’s actually happened but it started at home and ended at the school," Janvier said.
Among Canada’s provinces, Saskatchewan had the highest rate of police-reported family violence in 2014, double the national rate of 243 incidents per 100,000 people, according to a Statistics Canada report on Thursday.
Extra doctors and nurses were sent to treat patients in Keewatin Yatthe Regional Health Authority's 16-bed hospital, said spokesman Dale West. He declined to say how many people had been injured.
Teddy Clark, chief of the Clearwater River Dene Nation, said his daughter told him about the shooting, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
"We're just trying to pull together here and make sense of all this," Clark told CBC television. "It's not a very pretty scene right now."
La Loche student Noel Desjarlais told the CBC that he heard multiple shots fired at the school, which has about 900 students.
"I ran outside the school," Desjarlais said. "There was lots of screaming, there was about six, seven shots before I got outside. I believe there was more shots by the time I did get out."
A cellphone video taken by one resident and broadcast by the CBC showed students walking away from the school across the snow-covered ground and emergency personnel moving in.
In 2014, a teacher expressed concern about violence at the La Loche school, noting that a student who had tried to stab her was put back in her classroom after serving his sentence, and another attacked her at her home.
"That student got 10 months," Janice Wilson told the CBC of the student who tried to stab her in class. "And when he was released he was returned to the school and was put in my classroom."
Thanx Huffington Post CanadaCondolence and prayers to the families :
Stay tuned , details as they come in ;
The Roving Reporter
Abu Dhabi...Building transformed into Star Wars Star Base
Standing at 100m tall and with a surface area of 17,000 square meters, Aldar Properties PJSC and a company called twofour54's epic Starkiller base installation in Abu Dhabi is among the biggest advertisements in the world, dedicated to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In the film, Abu Dhabi is used to play Jakku, a frontier desert planet in a remote section of the Outer Rim Territories.
twofour54 and Aldar Properties PJSC worked together to create the giant Starkiller Base that was placed on the iconic, coin-shaped Aldar HQ building in Abu Dhabi. The epic sticker installation took nine non-stop days to print using material that would cover two and a half football fields, followed by 420 combined hours of manpower to install on the surface of the building.
Abu Dhabi is so proud to play a pivotal role in the new Star Wars film. Below is a “behind the scenes” experience.
With assistance from twofour54 and the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, filming for Star Wars: The Force Awakens took place in Abu Dhabi during May 2014 with over 650 crew working across two locations.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Another Musical Icon Leaves Us .... Glenn Frey of The Eagles
Glenn with band member and friend Don Henley
Heartache Tonight 1979
Glenn Frey, founding member and guitarist for the Eagles, died on Monday at 67 years old, ET confirms.
In a statement posted to the musician's website, Frey's family announced that he "succumbed to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia."
"The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery," the statement continued. "Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community and millions of fans worldwide."
A source told ET that Frey's death was "a shock to everyone."
"He has been very sick for the last few months, but the band really did believe he would heal fully," the source said.
Frey co-wrote and sang many of the group's hit songs, including "Take it Easy," "Lyin' Eyes," and Heartache Tonight." He also co-wrote "Hotel California" and "Desperado" with Don Henley, and won 6 GRAMMY Awards as part of the group.
After the Eagles split in 1980, Frey went on to a successful solo career, which included hits like "The Heat is On" from 1984's Beverly Hills Cop. The band later reunited in 1994 for the Hell Freezes Over tour, and continued recording and touring through 2015.
The Eagles were forced to delay their Kennedy Center Honor in November 2015, citing Frey's health issues. According to a statement from the band at the time, Frey was suffering from "intestinal issues, which will require major surgery and a lengthy recovery period.".
He is survived by his wife, Cindy, and three kids, Taylor, Deacon, and Otis.
Thanx ET
Thanx ET
He created a style which was a meeting of country, folk and rock music and was imitated by many artists who followed The Eagles. It was a defining decade (the seventies) in American music. He will create no more music for us but we have an impressive body of work to remember him by. Goodbye to another fine artist in a month which has bid farewell to so many. Be at peace Glenn and "Take it Easy."
The PICs.
Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2013
Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2013
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Celine Dion's brother Daniel Dion dead at 59, two days after husband Rene Angelil
Just two days after her husband, René Angélil, succumbed to cancer, Celine Dion's brother, Daniel, has died. He was 59.
Celine's rep confirmed the news to ET on Saturday. Daniel -- who was one of Celine's 13 siblings -- passed away in Montreal after fighting brain, tongue and throat cancer.
On Friday, Celine's rep confirmed that Daniel was fighting a serious battle with cancer, and Celine and Daniel's sister, Claudette, told The Journal of Montrealthat Daniel only had "a matter of days or hours" to live.
After the family learned Daniel was dying, they gathered by his bedside.
WATCH: Celine Dion's Husband Rene Angelil Dies at 73
Celine has already canceled her upcoming Las Vegas shows on Jan. 16 and Jan. 17 following René's death.
So sorry for both of her losses. Praying for her and her family.
The PICs
Friday, January 15, 2016
Read Alan Rickman’s Touching Goodbye Letter to Harry Potter
Megan McCluskey
Alan Rickman, the British actor known for his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series, has died at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer. Rickman portrayed the dark potions professor in all eight of the Harry Potter films and was beloved by many for the manner in which he brought to life the multi-dimensional character.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the last movie in the franchise, was released in July 2011, but Rickman said his goodbyes to the magical wizarding world in April of that year. After the final wrap on his part in the series’ conclusion, he wrote the letter below to Empire Magazine.
Alan Rickman letter :
“I have just returned from the dubbing studio where I spoke into a microphone as Severus Snape for absolutely the last time. On the screen were some flashback shots of Daniel, Emma, and Rupert from ten years ago. They were 12. I have also recently returned from New York, and while I was there, I saw Daniel singing and dancing (brilliantly) on Broadway. A lifetime seems to have passed in minutes.
Three children have become adults since a phone call with Jo Rowling, containing one small clue, persuaded me that there was more to Snape than an unchanging costume, and that even though only three of the books were out at that time, she held the entire massive but delicate narrative in the surest of hands.
It is an ancient need to be told in stories. But the story needs a great storyteller. Thanks for all of it, Jo.
Alan Rickman”
Rickman accepted the role of Snape when J.K. Rowling’s seven-book series was still incomplete, leading to speculation over how much the author revealed to him about the character’s fate in order to convince him to take the job. However, in an interview with HitFix, Rickman denied that Rowling told him Snape wasn’t actually a true villain.
“Not true. I don’t know who thinks that is true, but it’s not true,” he said. “She gave me one tiny, little, left of field piece of information that helped me think that he was more complicated and that the story was not going to be as straight down the line as everybody thought.”
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Céline Dion's husband René Angélil dies at 73
Our hearts are with Céline Dion today.
The singer's husband, René Angélil, 73, has died after a long battle with cancer.
"Rene Angelil, 73, passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer," their rep said in a statement to People. "The family requests that their privacy be respected at the moment; more details will be provided at a later time."
Angelil, who has battled three bouts of cancer since 1999, is survived by his three children with Dion: René-Charles, 14, and 5-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy, as well as his children from a previous marriage, Anne-Marie, Patrick and Jean-Pierre.
Dion first met Angelil when she was 12 and he was 38 at a private audition. She later recalled that her first performance brought him to tears. He became her manager shortly after and he famously mortgaged his home to fund her first record. The pair began their romantic relationship in 1987 when Celine was just 19 years old and they wed in December 1994 in Montreal.
The "My Heart Will Go On" singer, 47, has devoted herself to aiding her ailing husband and has expressed her will to maintain brave throughout his battle.
"You can have your shaking knees at the end, but when someone you love falls and needs help, it's not time to cry," she told USA Today in August. "Afterwards, sure. But not yet."
She also revealed her promise to keep Angélil's dying wish.
"I'll say, 'You're scared? I understand. Talk to me about it' ... And René says to me, 'I want to die in your arms.' Okay, fine, I'll be there, you'll die in my arms."
Our sincere condolence to the family
RIP : Rene Angelil .... the PICs
Alan Rickman, British film icon, dies at 69
Rickman's family confirmed the news in a statement. It read, "The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends," per the BBC.
Born in 1946, Rickman went to college to study graphic design, but decided after several years in that profession to pursue acting. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, and after graduation found work in various theater companies throughout the UK.
His biggest stage role came in 1985 when he landed the male lead in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." When the production moved to Broadway in 1987, Rickman was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance.
However, when the play was adapted into the 1988 film "Dangerous Liaisons," Rickman was not asked to reprise his role, losing out to John Malkovich.
Rickman's big break in front of American audiences did come in 1988, however, when he played the villainous German thief Hans Gruber opposite Bruce Willis' John McClane in the action classic "Die Hard."
His career skyrocketed after that, with his dry British sensibility often leading to him being cast as villains, as in the 1991 film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" as the Sheriff of Nottingham, which earned him a BAFTA Award that same year. Rickman also played Jamie in the film adaptation of "Truly, Madly, Deeply," a role he had previously played on the stage.
Rickman was also adept at comedy as well drama, playing memorable comedic roles in films like Kevin Smith's 1999 divine comedy "Dogma" and in the 1999 "Star Trek" spoof "Galaxy Quest." He also voiced a depressed robot in the 2005 film adaptation of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
Rickman became well known to young audiences when he was cast as Professor Severus Snape in the "Harry Potter" franchise. The films were a monstrous international success, with the eight films grossing almost $7.8 billion worldwide in total.Rickman also appeared in several recent Tim Burton-led projects, playing Judge Turpin in Burton's 2007 film adaptation of "Sweeney Todd" opposite Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. He also played Absolem the Caterpillar in Burton's 2010 version of "Alice in Wonderland." He will reprise that role in the upcoming sequel "Alice Through the Looking Glass."
Rickman also worked behind the scenes, directing several plays as well as the films "The Winter Guest" and "A Little Chaos," both of which he also wrote.
Rickman had been with his partner Rima Horton since 1965. Yet despite being together for decades, the two did not officially marry until 2012 in a secret ceremony in New York, Rickman admitted in April 2015.
RIP Alan Rickman ... you will be missed ... The PICs
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Katie Holmes Secret engagement : Asks Tom Cruise Premission To Marry Jamie Foxx
Katie Holmes is secretly engaged to Jamie Foxx? Did Katie ask Tom Cruise’s permission to marry Jamie, Tom’s former Collateral co-star? It doesn’t appear as if old buddy Jamie asked Tom’s permission to marry Katie! That could be a big problem. An insider recently revealed to OK! that Cruise was fuming mad when the actor found out that Foxx presented Holmes with a ring and asked the actress to marry him.
Jamie and Katie as a couple is old news – the pair has become experts at eluding the cameras. In the past, there have been alleged sightings of the disguised duo enjoying private rendezvous. Reps for both actors repeatedly issue denials that Holmes and Foxx are an item.
The Cruise-Holmes marriage ended four years ago. Why would Tom have any say whatsoever in whom Katie can and cannot date or marry? How long does Tom Cruise go between visits with his daughter?
Informants say Katie was very hesitant to let Tom know anything at all for fear the Hollywood heavyweight would blow a gasket. “It was Katie’s number one concern, not rubbing her relationship with Jamie in Tom’s face.” A source close to Katie divulged that both Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes have let “their inner circles know they’re ready to tie the knot.” And apparently Tom Cruise!
Someone close to Tom revealed the actor was “irritated that Jamie didn’t ask him [if he could marry Katie] first.” Apparently, Tom got over the irritation when Katie guaranteed Tom that the relationship with Jamie is the real deal. Jamie has reportedly bonded with Suri and all is right with the world. And Tom has given Katie and Foxx his blessing to wed!
It’s been two years since the whispers started circulating around Hollywood, and spread everywhere else, that Katie was dating Jamie. A photo of the so-called couple holding hands in Jamie’s home studio surfaced in March 2015. Even though Katie and Jamie seemed relaxed and cozy in the snapshot, Jamie continued to say Katie was just a friend.
Are Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx engaged? Did the pair wait for Tom Cruise to bestow his permission upon them? Will Holmes and Foxx finally announce they are dating or will there just be an engagement announcement? Will Jamie be jumping on any couches shouting, “I love this woman!”?
Witchy sez :
Time will tell if this union is made in heaven or bound for hell .
HeHe
Monday, January 11, 2016
David Bowie dies at 69 after battle with cancer
"David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer," read a statement posted Sunday on the legendary singer's official Facebook page. "While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family's privacy during their time of grief."
Bowie's son, filmmaker Duncan Jones, confirmed the singer's death on Twitter, writing, "Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all," accompanied by a throwback black-and-white photo.
Born David Robert Jones, he was so enamored with American pop culture that his adopted the stage name David Bowie after the American Western folk hero James Bowie.
David Bowie died on Sunday after an 18-month battle with cancer, and now celebrities are mourning and reacting to his passing. See celebrity reactions below to Bowie’s death at age 69.
Some of the tweets from celebrities :
As Gossip Cop previously reported, the sad news that David Bowie is dead was announced on his official Facebook page, with a note that read that the singer “died peacefully” surrounded by his family. Immediately, a slew of celebrities shared their sick, grief, and sadness on Twitter. Rose McGowan tweeted, “Oh, mothereff no #davidbowie no no no no no no no no no no no no no #no.” Anderson Cooper expressed, “Find it hard to believe David Bowie has died. What an incredible life.” Ricky Gervais, who just finished hosting the Golden Globes, said, “I just lost a hero. RIP David Bowie.” And Russell Crowe wrote, “RIP David. I loved your music. I loved you. One of the greatest performance artists to have ever lived. #sorrow.”
“RIP. There will only ever be 1 David Bowie. We love you,” noted Victoria Justice, while Marlee Matlin recalled, “RIP David Bowie. When he said he didn’t like children & I told him
he was once one, he said, No, I was born a Rock God. Rock ’em in heaven!” Mark Ruffalo tweeted, “Rip Father of all us freaks. Sad sad day. Love always Legendary singer David Bowie dies at 69.”
Will Arnett wrote, “You were my all time. You were the greatest. We’ll miss you more than you’ll ever know. #DavidBowie.” Adam Lambert and Russell Simmons simply mourned, “RIP Bowie.” And Kat Dennings tweeted, “David Bowie has been my musical north star my entire life. This hurts even more for people close to me. He will NEVER be surpassed, never.”
“Weird” Al Yankovic added, “feel like the wind has been knocked out of me – I was not ready for this. RIP Bowie.” Meanwhile, Ken Jeong tweeted the singer’s lyrics, “Time may change me But I can’t trace time,” adding the hashtag, “RIPDavidBowie.” And Kanye West stated, “David Bowie was one of my most important inspirations, so fearless, so creative, he gave us magic for a lifetime.” He further expressed, “I pray for his friends and family.”
“Oh God, rest in peace the genius that was David Bowie,” wrote Bob Saget, while Josh Groban felt, “He never seemed of this earth. Now he’s left it. He bent rules, gender, genres, and our minds. RIP David Bowie. One. Of. A. Kind.” Sophia Bush tweeted, “Deeply saddened to hear of David Bowie’s passing. What an artist, an inspiration. I’d like to think the lights shone bright for him tonight.”
“I am shaking and crying over David Bowie. No other musician meant more to me than him. Devastated,” mourned Evan Rachel Wood, while Joseph Gordon-Levitt shared his lyrics, “But the key to the city is in the sun that pins the branches to the sky…” Sarah Michelle Gellar tweeted, “#letsdance in your honor, and celebrate your life and all that you inspired #RipDavidBowie.”
Arsenio Hall wrote, “Real nice guy, and a one of a kind, uber talented artist. #rip David Bowie had swag, before we had the word swag.” “Rest in Peace David Bowie… You will be missed.. #Legend,” added Mark Ballas. Patricia Heaton recalled, “David Bowie. One of the first concerts I ever attended. I wore platform shoes with striped socks. He made feel cool.”
Wilmer Valderrama tweeted, “So sad.. #DavidBowie was & will always be ART that lives on forever.. Fearless & unapologetic.. #RIPDavidBowie.” Joel McHale simply stated, “RIP @DavidBowieReal. You were one in a billion.” “RIP David Bowie. A music Legend,” added Louis Tomlinson.
Harry Styles mourned, “RIP. David Bowie. An icon. Madonna expressed, “Im Devastated! This great Artist changed my life! First concert I ever saw in Detroit! R.I.P. <3 #RebelHeart.” Hugh Jackman wrote, “We have a lost a legend. To David’s family…all our love.” Rob Lowe reflected, “Just heard. There aren’t many legends left to use. Unthinkable and tremendously sad. #Bowie #Heroes.”James Corden kept his tweet simple by stating, “Rest in Peace David Bowie.” Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin linked to a YouTube clip of a live version of Bowie singing “Sweet Thing” and revealed, “I grew up on this music.”
Matt Lauer posted a photo of himself with Bowie and tweeted, “A rock legend is gone. Thanks for the music and the laughs David Bowie.” Holly Robinson Peete posted a photo of Bowie with his wife and Iman and shared that she “loved this couple together. Elegantly in love.” Melissa Joan Hart wrote, “RIP David Bowie. Thank you for the entertainment and inspiration!” Goldie Hawn shared, “RIP David you have left us too soon!” Ellie Goulding mourned, “Very few artists just seem to be imprinted on you long before you knew anything and long before you understood.”
Katie Couric expressed, “This is terrible news…sending love and sympathy to Iman and all those who loved him. Billy Eichner tweeted, “He changed everything. RIP to a visionary, a game changer, a force.” Alyssa Milano shared, “My heart aches. My God. Rest with the angels, Mr. Bowie. You. Everything.” Eddie Izzard wished, “Please could every radio station around the globe just play David Bowie music today – I think the world owes him that.” Gossip Cop will continue to update as more stars mourn the loss of David Bowie.
RIP David ... you will be sadly missed .... The PICs
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Sophia Loren's 80th Birthday Portrait
What better to wear than diamonds?
Still so lovely, though her eyes tell us her journey has been a long one.
Friday, January 8, 2016
Natalie Cole's family releases singer's cause of death
"This is a very serious and progressive disorder in which the small blood vessels of the lungs are markedly narrowed or obstructed," the family's statement read, adding that Cole had been diagnosed with IPAH five years ago after a successful kidney transplant.
"She responded well to PAH-specific agents over many years, during which she performed many concerts worldwide," the statement continued. "[She] eventually succumbed to intractable right heart failure, an outcome that unfortunately commonly occurs in this progressive disorder, despite modern therapies."
Cole died at Ceders-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve at the age of 65. After her death, friends and fans took to social media to express their grief over the loss of the legendary singer.Music legend and Cole's close friend, Smokey Robinson, spoke with ET about her legacy, calling the "Our Love" singer "one of our greatest musical icons."
Cole's sisters Timolin and Casey also opened up with ET about their last days with Cole before her death, who were glad they got the chance to spend Christmas Eve with their sister days before she died.
"We were very blessed and thankful to spend that very special day with her that she loved. It was her favorite time of year."
Monday, January 4, 2016
Cosby lawyers ask to delay Camille Cosby's deposition
The lawyers said in court papers filed in U.S. district court in Massachusetts that the sworn interview should be delayed pending an appeal on whether Camille Cosby could be required to testify at all.
On Dec. 31, a federal magistrate judge in Massachusetts rejected arguments by Camille Cosby, the comedian's wife of almost 52 years and his business manager, that the deposition would represent an "undue burden."
The ruling came a day after Cosby, 78, was charged with sexually assaulting a woman who prosecutors say the comedian plied with drugs and alcohol in 2004, the only criminal case filed against the entertainer, whose reputation has been marred by dozens of similar misconduct accusations.
Cosby is free on $1 million bail, and his lawyer has said the entertainer is not guilty and will not consider a plea bargain.
The Massachusetts civil lawsuit against Cosby was filed in December 2014 by Tamara Green, later joined by six other women, who contend that Cosby sexually assaulted or abused and then defamed them by calling each a liar, court documents said.
U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy also rejected arguments by Camille Cosby that she lacked any first-hand knowledge of the events at issue, and that the court should protect her from "unnecessary harassment" by limiting the scope of the subpoena.
Witchy Sez :
Sure, we have to give special treatment to the rich, black fraud's wife. Is she maybe busy counting her skel husband's millions? You can be sure she knew he was screwing around on a massive scale. But who cares? As long as he keeps depositing those big checks, the rapist wife is happy!
Looking at Camille today, she doesn't look like she's sure what day it is.
But they still need to get her ass behind the fact every woman knows exactly what her man likes.
Can you believe the outfit she has on , Cosby is dressed to go to the theatre , Camille is dressed like the house servant on 'Gone with the Wind."
Divorce or look stupid. HeHe