ELLEN OPENS UP ABOUT RUMORS THAT HER SHOW WAS A ‘TOXIC’ ENVIRONMENT – (05/14/2021)

Ellen DeGeneres opened up about the rumors that her show was a “toxic” environment in her first interview since announcing that her show will be ending after season 19.

The talk show host told Savannah Guthrie that she has 255 employees and had know way of knowing what was going on behind-the-scenes. She added, “I do wish somebody would have come to me and said, ‘Hey, something’s going on that you should know about.’”

DeGeneres also said that she “didn’t understand” what was happening at the time. She said, “I still don’t understand it. It was too orchestrated. It was too coordinated. And, you know, people get picked on. But [it was] for four months straight for me. And then for me to read in the press about a toxic work environment, when all I’ve ever heard from every guest that comes on the show is what a happy atmosphere and what a happy place it is.”

DeGeneres also said the criticism against her “did feel very misogynistic.”

OPRAH REVEALS HER CRINGIEST INTERVIEW MOMENT – (05/14/2021)

Oprah Winfrey revealed her most embarrassing interview moment on an episode of Literally! With Rob Lowe.

She told the Parks and Recreation alum that she was talking to Sally Field and felt a responsibility to ask the actress about Burt Reynolds, her Smokey and the Bandit co-star and former partner.

She asked, “Does Burt sleep with his toupee on?” The famous talk show host said, “even say now – I cringe to even think that I asked that question,” she added. “But I asked it because the producers were like, ‘You have to ask, you have to ask, you have to ask, that’s what everybody wants to know.”

Field, according to Winfrey, then “shut down” and the interviewer “could not get in again”.

BTS, JUSTIN BIEBER, LADY GAGA TO APPEAR ON FRIENDS: THE REUNION – (05/14/2021)

The 25 year reunion of the TV series, Friends, will include some heavy hitters. The 90’s show will feature BTS, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and others. All members of the original cast will also be on the non-scripted celebration.

Friends: The Reunion will premiere on HBO Max on May 27. The date coincides with the one-year anniversary of HBO Max’s launch that first signaled Friends would be removed from Netflix.

MACHINE GUN KELLY MAY BE READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH MEGAN FOX – (05/14/2021)

Entertainment Tonight reports that Machine Gun Kelly is looking to the future with girlfriend, Megan Fox. According to their insider, Kelly would marry her in a heartbeat, but Fox is the one holding back. They have a great relationship and she doesn’t want it to change right now. According to the insider, she always takes her three children into consideration.

The couple first met while on the set of Midnight in the Switchgrass, a few months after she separated from her husband, back in March of 2020.

KAT DENNINGS ENGAGED TO ANDREW WK: Andrew WK and Kat Dennings are engaged.  The WandaVision actress shared the news on Twitter Thursday (May 13th), posting a photo of the engagement ring along with the caption, “Don’t mind if I do @AndrewWK.”  The pair only started dating in early 2021.

JOHN MULANEY IS DATING OLIVIA MUNN – (05/14/2021)

The news that John Mulaney and his wife are divorcing broke Monday (May 10th), but it appears he’s already moved on. 

People reports that the comedian is dating Olivia Munn.  A source told the magazine, “This is very new, they’re taking it slowly. They met at church in Los Angeles.”

The actress reached out to Mulaney in December, after he entered rehab following a relapse in his cocaine and alcohol addiction.  At the time she tweeted, “Sending SO MUCH love and support to John Mulaney. You got this.”

A source told Page Six that the Big Mouth star asked for a divorce from Anna Marie Tendler three months ago.

She said through a spokesperson earlier this week, “I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage. I wish him support and success as he continues his recovery.”

RONNIE ORTIZ-MAGRO IS LEAVING ‘JERSEY SHORE: FAMILY VACATION’ – (05/14/2021)

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is leaving Jersey Shore: Family Vacation to focus on his mental health. 

The MTV reality star made the announcement on Instagram Thursday (Mary 13th), writing in his Story, “After talking to the team at MTV, we have mutually agreed that I will step away from the show while I seek medical treatment for mental health issues that I’ve ignored for too long.

“My number one goal now is facing my struggles head on. This process will be difficult but my #1 priority is to get healthy and be the best man and the best father I can for my daughter.”

Ortiz-Magro was arrested on April 22nd on suspicion of intimate partner violence with injury. At the time, he was on probation from a separate domestic dispute with former girlfriend Jen Harley.

L.A. City Attorney’s office announced they will not be seeking charges against the 35-year-old star in his domestic violence case but authorities have filed a probation violation. 

JOE JONAS BECOMES GOOFY WEATHERMAN IN NEW BEVERAGE COMMERCIAL – (05/14/2021)

Joe Jonas turned into a goofy weatherman as part of a new alcoholic beverage campaign for Tanqueray Gin’s Sevilla Orange.

Via his Instagram account he announced that he had officially partnered with the company.

In the commercial, he’s seen with gelled-back hair, wearing a plaid blazer, and white sunscreen on his nose.

The product is now available for purchase nationally.

TWENTY ONE PILOTS NOW HAVE A BURRITO NAMED AFTER THEM – (05/14/2021)

There’s now a burrito named after Twenty One Pilots. Band members, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have joined up with Chipotle Mexican Grill to create their favorite burrito.

The band posted a video of them making the burrito which contained white rice, chicken, queso blanco, fresh tomato salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, cheese, and romaine lettuce.

Look for a new album from Twenty One Pilots called Scaled and Icy, to be released on May 21.

NICKI MINAJ RELEASES ‘BEAM ME UP SCOTTY’ MIXTAPE ON STREAMING SERVICES WITH NEW DRAKE AND LIL WAYNE COLLABORATION:

Last night (May 13th), Nicki Minaj went live to announce that she will be releasing her Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape on streaming services and that it would include a new track called “Seeing Green” featuring Drake and Lil Wayne. Drake also joined her live and explained why he sent the song to Nicki, saying,  “It didn’t feel right, you not being on it … Nobody does this sh*t better than you … We miss your presence, we miss your bars.” In addition to “Seeing Green,” Nicki also dropped new songs “Fractions and “Crocodile Tears.”

‘JUNGLE CRUISE’ WILL PREMIERE ON JULY 30TH: Disney’s Jungle Cruise will debut in theaters and Disney+ Premiere on July 30th.  Th film, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt is based off of the Disney theme park attraction.  Johnson wrote on Instagram Thursday, “The most important thing with our movie was to ALWAYS take care of families around the world by giving you options to watch it. Audience first.”

KATHRYN HAHN JOINES ‘KNIVES OUT’: Kathryn Hahn is the latest addition to the cast of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out sequel. The Wandavision star joins Daniel Craig, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monae, and Edward Norton for the film, which is set to make its debut on Netflix. 

ERIC ANDRE JOINS ‘THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES’: Jason Schwartzman, Eric Roberts, and Eric Andre will all have recurring roles in Season 2 of HBO’s comedy series, The Righteous Gemstones. According to Deadline, production for the the nine-episode second season is already underway. 

TODAY’S CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS:

• Cate Blanchett (Academy Award-winning actress, Blue Jasmine, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Babel, Notes on a Scandal, The Aviator, Elizabeth) (52)
• George Lucas (director, producer, screenwriter, American Graffiti, the Star Wars movies, the Indiana Jones movies) (77)
• Sofia Coppola (screenwriter/director, Lost In Translation, Marie Antoinette, Somewhere, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola) (50)
• Tim Roth (actor, Lie To Me, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs) (60)
• Robert Zemeckis (director who specializes in films using special effects in new ways, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Back To The Future, Cast Away, Polar Express, Forrest Gump) (69, disputed)
• Miranda Cosgrove (actress/singer, Drake & Josh, School of Rock) (28)
• Mark Zuckerberg (Co-Founder of Facebook) (37)

DUA LIPA WINS BIG AT BRIT AWARDS & TAYLOR SWIFT MAKES HISTORY – (05/12/2021)

Dua Lipa won big at the Brit Awards Tuesday night, taking home the prize for both Female Solo Artist and Album of the Year for Future Nostalgia. 

Winners for the international categories included Billie Eilish for Female Solo Artist, The Weeknd for Male Solo artist and Haim for Group. 

In addition, Taylor Swift made history by becoming the first female and the first non-British star to accept the Global Icon Award. 

The “Cardigan” singer said in her acceptance speech, “I want to thank my friends and family who know exactly who they are. Whose opinion of me never changed whether my stock was up or down. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned, it’s that you have to look around every day and take note of the people who have always believed in you and never stop appreciating them for it.”

Jack Whitehall hosted the Brit Awards for the fourth straight year. The full list of winners included:

Female Solo Artist: Dua Lipa
Male Solo Artist: J Hus
Group: Little Mix
Breakthrough Act: Arlo Parks
Single of the Year: Harry Styles – “Watermelon Sugar”
Album of the Year: Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
International Female Solo Artist: Billie Eilish
International Male Solo Artist: The Weeknd
International Group: Haim
Rising Star: Griff

BTS TO PERFORM ‘BUTTER’ AT THE 2021 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS – (05/12/2021)

BTS will perform their new single, “Butter” at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. 

The K-Pop supergroup will give the debut television performance of their second English-Language single remotely from Korea. 

The septet is also nominated for top duo-group, top song sales artist, top social artist and top selling song for “Dynamite.” 

The 2021 Billboard Music Awards will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles May 23 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC, with Nick Jonas as the host.

BILLIE EILISH REVEALS WHY SHE WENT BLONDE – (05/12/2021)

Billie Eilish revealed the inspiration for her platinum blonde hair during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday (May 11th). 

The “Bad Guy” singer said she was inspired after seeing herself as a blonde in a fan edit video. 

She didn’t think her hair was healthy enough to survive the transformation from black and green to platinum, saying, “So, I kinda thought of it as a dream. I didn’t think it was gonna happen because my hair went through so much. I thought I would burn it all off, but I did it.”

The trick, it turns out, was to take things slow.  The 19-year-old superstar explained, “It took about six weeks. It was a lot because we started in January, and then it was two weeks of nothing, of healing and letting my hair take it in and digest and recover. And then again, and then two more weeks…it took a long time.”

She finally made the big reveal in March when she broke an Instagram record by getting more than a million likes in six minutes. 

DEMI LOVATO’S NEW SHOW IS A UFO DOCUSERIES – (05/12/2021)

Demi Lovato is getting a four-part docuseries about UFOs on Peacock. 

The singer tweeted Tuesday (May 11th), “SURPRISEEEEE!!! I’m hitting the road for an out-of-this-world adventure for my new show Unidentified & I’m taking you guys along for the ride.”

Page Six reports that the show will feature Lovato, her friend Matthew and her sister Dallas, visiting UFO hot spots, investigating eyewitness encounters and uncovering secret government reports.

Lovato is also set to executive produce and star in Hungry, an NBC sitcom about friends who belong to a food issues group.

TODAY’S CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS:

• Tony Hawk (professional skateboarder) (52)
• Jason Biggs (actor, American Pie movies, Jersey Girl, My Best Friend’s Girl) (43)
• Stephen Baldwin (actor, BioDome, The Usual Suspects) (55)
• Emilio Estevez (actor, The Breakfast Club, Men At Work, Young Guns) (59)
• Ving Rhames (actor, Pulp Fiction, Mission: Impossible movies, Striptease, Con Air) (62)
• Malin Akerman (actress, The Heartbreak Kid, 27 Dresses, The Bang Bang Club, Couples Retreat, The Proposal, Watchmen) (43)

TAYLOR SWIFT TO RECEIVE GLOBAL ICON AWARD – (05/10/2021)

Taylor Swift will receive the Global Icon award at the 2021 Brit Awards on Tuesday, May 11th.

The “Cardigan” singer will be the first female and the first non-English artist to be presented with the BRIT’s “highest accolade” in recognition of her immense impact on music across the world. 

Elton John, Robbie Williams and David Bowie are the previous winners. 

BEBE REXHA SLAMS UK TABLOID – (05/10/2021)

Bebe Rexha is speaking out against The Sun for making it look like she confirmed a feud between Dua Lipa and Rita Ora.

In an exclusive interview with the outlet, published on May 7th, Rexha is quoted saying about the pair, “I have really tried. I don’t know what’s really going on there or what the drama is. I’ve tried to always be the peace-keeper and bring the girls together.”

Rexa tweeted Friday, “A UK tabloid is making up an awful story about my friends and women I admire.  It’s absolute bull***t to pit women against each other, especially those who I know are GOOD PEOPLE !!! This toxic gossip is malicious and NOT F***ING TRUE!”

ELON MUSK REVEALS HE HAS ASPERGER’S: Elon Musk hosted Saturday Night Live Saturday, and delivered a classic opening monologue, with a surprise twist at the end. Musk said that he’s the first SNL host with Asperger’s syndrome, “or at least the first to admit it,” a reference to Dan Akroyd, who was a member of the cast and hosted in 2003 after leaving. Akroyd also has Asperger’s, which is considered to be a mild form of Autism. 

MADAME TUSSAUDS GETS NEW ARIANA GRANDE FIGURE – (05/10/2021)

Madame Tussauds finally has a wax figure of Ariana Grande that resembles the singer. 

The museum posted an image of the new display on Instagram Thursday (May 6th) with the caption, “You want it? We got it. Ariana Grande has arrived at Madame Tussauds Hollywood.”

One commenter wrote, “finally a great one!!! I thought that it was really her.” 

The original figure, which debuted in 2019, had the singer’s signature ponytail, but otherwise barely resembled her. 

NINE INCH NAILS ANNOUNCES TWO SEPTEMBER HEADLINE SHOWS – (05/10/2021)

Nine Inch Nails has announced two September headline shows. According to NME.com, the two concerts will take place at Jacobs Pavillion at Nautica in Cleveland, Ohio on September 21st and 23rd.  Pixies will be the opening act.

The band announced on Twitter, “NIN return to Cleveland for the first time since the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Visit the R+RHOF museum display & see the only NIN headline shows of 2021.”

Tickets go on sale on Friday (May 14th).

BTS RELEASES TEASER PHOTO FOR ‘BUTTER’ – (05/10/2021)

BTS just revealed their first teaser photo for “Butter”. The image, which shows each member of the septet in a different suit, follows a series of promotional videos for the track. The band will release the new English-language single at midnight (EDT) on May 21.

CINEMARK REACHES NEW DEAL ON THEATRICAL WINDOW: Cinemark has reached new agreements with give studios that will formalize a shorter theatrical window, Variety reports. Cinemark said it now has agreements with Warner Bros. Picture Group, The Walt Disney Company, Paramount Pictures, Universal and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Cinemark is thrilled to have reached new agreements with our major studio partners, and we are eager to continue providing movie fans an immersive, larger-than-life cinematic environment to see major upcoming films, ranging from the biggest blockbusters to specialty fare to family-friendly content,” said Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi. “In our ongoing efforts to maximize attendance and box office during the pandemic and beyond, our goal is to provide the widest range of content with terms that are in the best long-term interests of Cinemark, our studio partners and moviegoers. We are pleased with these recent developments and are confident we are taking positive steps toward reigniting theatrical exhibition and evolving the industry for a post-pandemic landscape.”

TODAY’S CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS:

• Bono (singer of the band U2 and activist) (61)
• Keenan Thompson (actor, Saturday Night Live, Fat Albert, All That, Good Burger) (43)