#MAGFAB: Oprah Winfrey for People Magazine
By any measure, Oprah Winfrey has accomplished enough in her lifetime to rest on her laurels until the end of time. But Winfrey — cultural icon, movie star, media mogul, billionaire — isn’t most people.
"I will never be done until my last breath is done," she tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. "And whenever that happens it will be a peaceful breath."
As Winfrey nears her 70th birthday next month and celebrates the Christmas Day release of The Color Purple, a musical adaptation of the 1985 original film and Broadway show based on Alice Walker’s acclaimed novel, she takes stock of her remarkable journey.
"Gratitude really is my religion," says Winfrey, whose breakout performance as Sofia in the 1985 Oscar-nominated classic "changed everything" for her. "It was a spiritual opening for me to see my life in a different way."
Winfrey begins and ends each day with "Thank you", the touchstone of a cherished practice in gratitude she recommends to everyone. "If you train yourself to do that, you walk through life feeling the abundance instead of the scarcity," she says. "Obviously, people will say, 'Yeah, well, that's easy for you to say, Oprah.' But I've been doing that forever."
For one, she appreciates daily how different her trajectory could have been — and never forgets where she came from. Had Winfrey stayed in Milwaukee beyond her teenage years with her mother Vernita Lee, she believes the odds of survival were grim. "I would have been trapped inside my own body, my own weight, my own pain," says Winfrey, whose early years were marked by abuse, poverty, and hopelessness. "I would have had an early death."
Global fame and hard-earned success, including 25 seasons of her ground-breaking eponymous talk show, would follow, but Winfrey never lost sight of her life-long purpose: to uplift others. "I still continue to rise, and I’m in a space now where my offering is to help other people to rise," she says. "The principle that is the underbelly, the cornerstone for how I operate in the world… Life is better when you share it."
While Winfrey has impacted countless lives over the decades, her legacy remains unfinished business. "I now know that what Maya Angelou told me when I came back from opening my school in South Africa and I was like, 'Oh, Maya, this school is going to be my greatest legacy, these girls.' And she said, 'You have no idea what your legacy's going to be... because your legacy is never one thing. Your legacy is every life you've touched'."
Oprah Winfrey Opens Up About the Moments That Changed Her Life
"She went on to say, it's everybody who ever watched a show and decided because of something you said, I'm going to go back to school. I'm going to leave my abusive husband. I'm going to stop hitting my child. I'm going to get a better bra. So when I think about the millions of people who heard something that opened up the aperture of hope, of yearning, of consciousness, just even a little bit, that's a life I touched. And you can't get better than that."
It was also the late poet and memoirist who offered a path of inspiration. "Maya Angelou wrote a poem for me called 'Continue,' which y'all can just Google," Winfrey says. "But one of the most important lines is, 'My wish for you is that you continue to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness.' And that is what I intend to do."
#RHOA: ‘Hollywood Houselift With Jeff Lewis’ Exclusive: Has Cynthia Bailey Become A Hoarder?
Everyone’s favorite interior designer and house flipper Jeff Lewis is back for a brand new season of show-stopping home renovations for some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrity clientele, but with bigger names come even bigger projects, higher stakes and a ton of attitude. We’ve got an exclusive clip from the latest episode of Hollywood Houselift with Jeff Lewis featuring Cynthia Bailey and her daughter Noelle Robinson.
In the funny clip , Jeff Lewis is shocked to learn that former RHOA star Cynthia Bailey has a collection of suitcases piled in her daughter Noel’s garage filled with expired vitamins, expired products, and even… food!
"I will never be done until my last breath is done," she tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. "And whenever that happens it will be a peaceful breath."
As Winfrey nears her 70th birthday next month and celebrates the Christmas Day release of The Color Purple, a musical adaptation of the 1985 original film and Broadway show based on Alice Walker’s acclaimed novel, she takes stock of her remarkable journey.
"Gratitude really is my religion," says Winfrey, whose breakout performance as Sofia in the 1985 Oscar-nominated classic "changed everything" for her. "It was a spiritual opening for me to see my life in a different way."
Winfrey begins and ends each day with "Thank you", the touchstone of a cherished practice in gratitude she recommends to everyone. "If you train yourself to do that, you walk through life feeling the abundance instead of the scarcity," she says. "Obviously, people will say, 'Yeah, well, that's easy for you to say, Oprah.' But I've been doing that forever."
For one, she appreciates daily how different her trajectory could have been — and never forgets where she came from. Had Winfrey stayed in Milwaukee beyond her teenage years with her mother Vernita Lee, she believes the odds of survival were grim. "I would have been trapped inside my own body, my own weight, my own pain," says Winfrey, whose early years were marked by abuse, poverty, and hopelessness. "I would have had an early death."
Global fame and hard-earned success, including 25 seasons of her ground-breaking eponymous talk show, would follow, but Winfrey never lost sight of her life-long purpose: to uplift others. "I still continue to rise, and I’m in a space now where my offering is to help other people to rise," she says. "The principle that is the underbelly, the cornerstone for how I operate in the world… Life is better when you share it."
While Winfrey has impacted countless lives over the decades, her legacy remains unfinished business. "I now know that what Maya Angelou told me when I came back from opening my school in South Africa and I was like, 'Oh, Maya, this school is going to be my greatest legacy, these girls.' And she said, 'You have no idea what your legacy's going to be... because your legacy is never one thing. Your legacy is every life you've touched'."
Oprah Winfrey Opens Up About the Moments That Changed Her Life
"She went on to say, it's everybody who ever watched a show and decided because of something you said, I'm going to go back to school. I'm going to leave my abusive husband. I'm going to stop hitting my child. I'm going to get a better bra. So when I think about the millions of people who heard something that opened up the aperture of hope, of yearning, of consciousness, just even a little bit, that's a life I touched. And you can't get better than that."
It was also the late poet and memoirist who offered a path of inspiration. "Maya Angelou wrote a poem for me called 'Continue,' which y'all can just Google," Winfrey says. "But one of the most important lines is, 'My wish for you is that you continue to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness.' And that is what I intend to do."
#RHOA: ‘Hollywood Houselift With Jeff Lewis’ Exclusive: Has Cynthia Bailey Become A Hoarder?
In the funny clip , Jeff Lewis is shocked to learn that former RHOA star Cynthia Bailey has a collection of suitcases piled in her daughter Noel’s garage filled with expired vitamins, expired products, and even… food!
Maybe we didn’t see everything but that didn’t seem so bad. Regardless, we’re sure Jeff has the perfect solution that will help Cynthia find a better place to put her things and help Noelle regain her parking space!
Here’s more about Season 2 of Hollywood Houselift with Jeff Lewis:
With higher stakes and even higher demands, Jeff will balance parenting, dating, and a home renovation of his own, while delivering some of the most challenging and distinctive transformations yet for Hollywood’s biggest celebrities. This season’s roster of celebrity clients includes Anthony Anderson, Cynthia Bailey, Noah Beck, Kate Bosworth, Reggie Bush, Josh Duhamel, Sara Foster, Regina Hall, Christina Ricci, and Gina Rodriguez. The stars seek Jeff’s impeccable design style for a plethora of projects including reimagining an impossible kitchen, tearing a primary suite down to the studs, and creating a family backyard destination, among others. With unexpected turns and drama at every corner, there’s no shortage of laughs as Jeff and his team—Megan Weaver, Tyler Meyerkorth, Andrew Coleman, and Shane Douglas—are all-hands-on-deck to deliver every houselift.
Tune in to Amazon Freevee for the latest episode, featuring Cynthia Bailey and Noelle Robinson.
#NewMusicVideo from Usher and H.E.R. "Risk It All" in New Music Video
Usher and H.E.R. have unveiled the ethereal visuals for their collaborative track “Risk It All.” A standout from The Color Purple‘s soundtrack, the video sees the pair deliver the soulful piano-led cut amidst a captivating group of dancers.
Directed by Dave Meyers, the video brings the track’s raw emotion to life, with the multifaceted musicians matching each other’s energy – and dance moves – perfectly. The track is co-written by H.E.R. herself, who also appears in the film.
“I don’t mind / Feeling like I’m bound to fall / Close my eyes / Baby, I would risk it all / Just to be in love / I just wanna be in love / Be in love,” the duo croons on the chorus.
WATCH HERE
The Color Purple (Music From And Inspired By) Soundtrack also features the likes of Alicia Keys, Megan Thee Stallion, Jennifer Hudson, Missy Elliott, Coco Jones and Jorja Smith. Per Billboard, “Risk It All” is also expected to appear on Usher’s forthcoming ninth studio album, Coming Home – expected to drop the same day he graces the Super Bowl halftime stage. Stream the steamy music video above.
“Risk It All” is streaming on all major platforms, and catch The Color Purple in theaters now
#HipHopNews: LL Cool J & Cardi B Further Enhance Stacked 'New Year's Rockin' Eve' Roster
LL COOL J and Cardi B are the latest superstars to be added to the lineup for this year’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
As it does every year, Dick Clark Productions’ annual show will broadcast live from New York City’s Times Square on Sunday (December 31), but not every performance will take place in the Big Apple — with Cardi’s being one of them.
Instead, the “UP” hitmaker’s set will stream live from Miami Beach at the Fontainebleau, where she was previously booked for the celebration with her now-ex Offset. The former couple made the arrangements when they were still together, and while their relationship status has changed, their prior commitments did not. However, a Christmas reunion for their kids has fans speculating they’re back together — but so far, Cardi says she’s still single.
LL COOL J will hit the stage in NYC, however, alongside Megan Thee Stallion, Ludacris and Tyla, among others.
The festivities will begin at 8 p.m. ET and the rappers will join Jelly Roll, Sabrina Carpenter, Aqua, Doechii, Ellie Goulding, Green Day, Janelle Monáe, Loud Luxury x Two Friends with Bebe Rexha, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Paul Russell, Reneé Rapp with Coco Jones and Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Post Malone will also be performing live from Las Vegas, and Ivy Queen will join in from Puerto Rico.
Ryan Seacrest will perform main hosting duties, and he will be joined by Ciara, Rita Ora, Jeannie Mai, and Liza Koshy. The event will be simulcast on 150 iHeartRadio stations nationwide.
For his part, LL COOL J will be in tip-top shape when he hits the stage, as the legendary rapper recently showed off his chiseled physique as he geared up for a tour and a new album.
Flexing his muscles for his millions of Instagram followers shortly after a workout last month, LL left many fans and peers in awe of his physique.
“Cmon man… alien,” Royce Da 5’9″ wrote, while one fan said the pic inspired them to get back into shape.
“Real talk… I’m 38. I was walking by the mirror and did not like the way my stomach looked. Too much ‘good eaten,’” they wrote. “Then, for a fleeting moment, I thought to myself ‘oh, well, you’re getting older… just accept it.’ Then no more than a couple moments later I saw this post. I’m inspired!! Flat stomach and and abs, here I come!”
Another fan added: “His abs is smiling!”
LL COOL J’s Q-Tip-produced album was slated to drop this year but he ended up delaying it once again. Back in May, it was reported that the project would feature some Hip Hop heavyweights with guest appearances from Eminem, Nas, Fat Joe, Rick Ross and Saweetie.
Comedian Tom Smothers, one-half of the Smothers Brothers, dies at 86
The National Comedy Center, on behalf of his family, said in a statement Wednesday that Smothers died Tuesday at home in Santa Rosa, California, following a cancer battle.
“I’m just devastated,” his brother and the duo’s other half, Dick Smothers, told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. “Every breath I’ve taken, my brother’s been around.”
When “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” debuted on CBS in the fall of 1967 it was an immediate hit, to the surprise of many who had assumed the network’s expectations were so low it positioned their show opposite the top-rated “Bonanza.”
But the Smothers Brothers would prove a turning point in television history, with its sharp eye for pop culture trends and young rock stars such as the Who and Buffalo Springfield, and its daring sketches — ridiculing the Establishment, railing against the Vietnam War and portraying members of the era’s hippie counterculture as gentle, fun-loving spirits — found an immediate audience with young baby boomers.
“We were moderate. We were never out there,” Dick Smothers said. “But we were the first people through that door. It just sort of crept in as the ‘60s crept in. We were part of that generation.”
The show reached No. 16 in the ratings in its first season. It also drew the ire of network censors. After years of battling with the brothers over the show’s creative content, the network abruptly canceled the program in 1970, accusing the siblings of failing to submit an episode in time for the censors to review.
Nearly 40 years later, when Smothers was awarded an honorary Emmy for his work on the show, he jokingly thanked the writers he said had gotten him fired. He also showed that the years had not dulled his outspokenness.
“It’s hard for me to stay silent when I keep hearing that peace is only attainable through war,” Smothers said at the 2008 Emmy Awards as his brother sat in the audience, beaming. He dedicated his award to those “who feel compelled to speak out and are not afraid to speak to power and won’t shut up.”
During the three years the show was on television, the brothers constantly battled with CBS censors and occasionally outraged viewers as well, particularly when Smothers joked that Easter “is when Jesus comes out of his tomb and if he sees his shadow, he goes back in and we get six more weeks of winter.” At Christmas, when other hosts were sending best wishes to soldiers fighting overseas, Smothers offered his to draft dodgers who had moved to Canada.
In still another episode, the brothers returned blacklisted folk singer Pete Seeger to television for the first time in years. He performed his song “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” widely viewed as ridiculing President Lyndon Johnson. When CBS refused to air the segment, the brothers brought Seeger back for another episode and he sang it again. This time, it made the air.
After the show was canceled, the brothers sued CBS for $31 million and were awarded $775,000. Their battles with the network were chronicled in the 2002 documentary “Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.”
“Tom Smothers was not only an extraordinary comedic talent, who, together with his brother Dick, became the most enduring comedy duo in history, entertaining the world for over six decades — but was a true champion for freedom of speech,” National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson said in a statement.
Thomas Bolyn Smothers III was born Feb. 2, 1937, on Governors Island, New York, where his father, an Army major, was stationed. His brother was born two years later. In 1940 their father was transferred to the Philippines, and his wife, two sons and their sister, Sherry, accompanied him.
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the family was sent home and Maj. Smothers remained. He was captured by the Japanese during the war and died in captivity. The family eventually moved to the Los Angeles suburb of Redondo Beach, where Smothers helped his mother take care of his brother and sister while she worked.
“Tommy was the greatest older brother. He took care of me,” Dick Smothers said. “His maturity was amazing. Sometimes you lose part of your childhood.”
The brothers had seemed unlikely to make television history. They had spent several years on the nightclub and college circuits and doing TV guest appearances, honing an offbeat comedy routine that mixed folk music with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry.
They would come on stage, Tom with a guitar in hand and Dick toting an upright bass. They would quickly break into a traditional folk song — perhaps “John Henry” or “Pretoria.” After playing several bars, Tom, positioned as the dumb one despite being older, would mess up, then quickly claim he had meant to do that. As Dick, the serious, short-tempered one, berated him for failing to acknowledge his error, he would scream in exasperation, “Mom always liked you best!”
“It was the childlike enthusiasm through ignorance, and me, the teacher, correcting him — sometimes I’d correct him even if I was wrong,” Dick Smothers said. “I was the perfect straight man for my brother. I was the only straight man for my brother.”
They continued that shtick on their show but also surrounded themselves with a talented cast of newcomers, both writers and performers.
Future actor-filmmaker Rob Reiner was among those on the crack writing crew the brothers assembled.
“Tommy was funny, smart, and a fighter,” Reiner said on social media Wednesday. “He created a ground breaking show that celebrated all that was good about American Democracy.”
Other writers included musician Mason Williams and comedian Steve Martin, who presented Smothers with the lifetime Emmy. Regular musical guests included John Hartford, Glen Campbell and Jennifer Warnes.
The brothers had begun their own act when Tom, then a student at San Jose State College, formed a music group called the Casual Quintet and encouraged his younger brother to learn the bass and join. The brothers continued on as a duo after the other musicians dropped out, but began interspersing comedy with their limited folk music repertoire.
“We never wrote anything, we just made it up, and tried to remember what we made up,” Dick Smothers said. “I just responded to Tom, if he said something that wasn’t in the bit, I wouldn’t stick to the script, I would listen.”
The brothers’ big break came in 1959 when they appeared at San Francisco’s Purple Onion, then a hot spot for new talent. Booked for two weeks, they stayed a record 36. They had a similar run at New York’s Blue Angel. But to their disappointment, they couldn’t get on “The Tonight Show,” then hosted by Jack Paar.
“Paar kept telling our agent he didn’t like folk singers — except for Burl Ives,” Smothers told the AP in 1964. “But one night he had a cancellation, and we went on. Everything worked right that night.”
Dick Smothers said Wednesday that “we weren’t that good when we were on ‘The Tonight Show.’ We were just charmingly different.”
The brothers went on to appear on the TV shows of Ed Sullivan, Jack Benny and Judy Garland, among others. Their comedy albums were big sellers and they toured the country, especially colleges.
Before their more vaunted show, the duo got a sitcom in 1965. “The Smothers Brothers Show” was about a businessman (Dick) haunted by his late brother (Tom), a fledgling guardian angel. It lasted just one season.
Shortly after CBS canceled the “Comedy Hour,” ABC picked it up as a summer replacement, but the network didn’t bring it back in the fall. NBC gave them a show in 1975 but it failed to find an audience and lasted only a season. The brothers went their separate ways for a time. Among other endeavors, Smothers got into the wine business, launching Remick Ridge Vineyards in Northern California’s wine country.
“Originally the winery was called Smothers Brothers, but I changed the name to Remick Ridge because when people heard Smothers Brothers wine, they thought something like Milton Berle Fine Wine or Larry, Curly and Mo Vineyards,” Smothers once said.
They eventually reunited to star in the musical comedy “I Love My Wife,” a hit that ran on Broadway for two years. After that they went back on the road, playing casinos, performing arts centers and corporate gatherings around the country, remaining popular for decades.
“We just keep resurfacing,” Smothers commented in 1997. “We’re just not in everyone’s face long enough to really get old.”
After a successful 20th anniversary “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” in 1988, CBS buried the hatchet and brought them back.
The show was quickly canceled, though it stayed on the air long enough for Smothers to introduce the “Yo-Yo Man,” a bit allowing him to demonstrate his considerable skills with a yo-yo while he and his brother kept up a steady patter of comedy. The bit remained in their act for years.
“It was like a great marriage, you go through some rough spots, but you still don’t lose that focus,” Dick Smothers said.
They retired in 2010, but returned for a series of shows in 2021 that would be their last before Tom Smothers’ illness left him unable to continue.
“The audience exploded,” Dick Smothers said of those shows. “It was like a clap of thunder. They were young again.”
Smothers married three times and had three children. He is survived by his wife Marcy, children Bo and Riley Rose, and brother Dick, in addition to other relatives. He was predeceased by his son Tom and sister Sherry.
Social Media Reacts To Rihanna Wax Figure In Hong Kong: "This Actually Looks So Good"
2023 has been a great year for Rihanna, who welcomed her second child and reprised her role as the creative director of PUMA within recent months.
Recently, Madame Tussauds Hong Kong unveiled a wax figure of the songstress. The sculpture recreated RiRi’s 2020 look from New York Fashion Week, where she celebrated her Fenty Skin line being stocked at Bergdorf Goodman. She styled an orange sweater dress with a matching trench coat on top. To finish the ensemble, the “Needed Me” hitmaker wore a pair of metallic boots and gold chains.
Mr. Wade Chang, the general manager of Midway Hong Kong, Merlin Entertainments, shared, “Rihanna is an incredibly captivating artist, and through the introduction of her wax figure, we aim to convey her spirit of constant breakthroughs and unwavering determination. We hope that every guest visiting Madame Tussauds Hong Kong will create unforgettable memories from their experience.”
PopBase tweeted about the effigy, which sent social media into a frenzy, considering this year’s infamously botched celebrity statues. “The first wax figure of a Black person that [I’ve] seen be 100 [percent] accurate,” shared one user. Another exclaimed, “Madame Tussauds does it again! Excited to see the new Rihanna wax figure. A stunning tribute to an iconic artist.”
Elsewhere, one person joked, “At this point, I think the wax figure would release new music before Rihanna herself does.”
Notably, the singer hasn’t put out an album since 2016’s ANTI. The LP spawned hit records like the SZA-assisted “Consideration,” “Kiss It Better,” “Work” featuring Drake, and “Needed Me.” Anticipation for her next project has only increased with Rihanna’s fashion and beauty ventures, as well as motherhood, taking a front seat.
In 2022, she put out “Lift Me Up” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. Before that, RiRi and Drake teamed up for N.E.R.D’s “Lemon (Remix)” in 2018.
Model Giannina Antonette Oteto Accuses Childish Of Gambino Of Giving Her 'Low Pay' For Album
"Being able to hold an album that I'm on the cover of," Oteto captioned the post, which has since been deleted, alongside a picture of her holding a vinyl pressing of Childish Gambino's album. "And having my bestie mom next to me to celebrate! My number 1 cheerleader!"
She continued, "This album has been so hard for me to celebrate for many reasons, and for years I resented it even. It put me through a lot, but finally, being able to celebrate it means a lot! Update: I resented it because myself, the makeup artist, and stylist (all black women) were [taken] advantage of and lied to."
"We received low pay. [They] promised residuals. But [we] never received anything," she noted. "The only person who received residuals was a white woman who created the headpiece even though she was not on set to work on this (but she also deserves it)," she said of Laura Wass.
"After years of lies and silence, then finding out statute of limitation complications… it's been an exhausting, emotional, and overall sad thing to deal with. So it took so much from me, especially the fact that we all worked on it with so much love and being proud to represent black artists. All of my lawyers' communications have been ignored by [Childish Gambino] and his team. #bittersweet," so she concluded.
Fans had mixed responses to Oteto's post. One said, "Residuals for an album cover image?? Surely not, I've never heard of that in the history of music. Why would a musician give a cut to someone Residuals for an album cover image?? Surely not, I've never heard of that in the history of music. Why would a musician give a cut to someone."
"Sounds like she couldn't book another job in the last 5yrs and is looking for a way to get a nice paycheck," another wrote. Echoing the sentiment, another user said, "She wants attention and more jobs and bet she signed on a contract before doing the job." However, one person defended the model by saying, "you guys are so weird saying she wants attention like [crying emojis] leave her alone."
Childish Gambino has yet to comment on the matter.
Jenna Ortega Joins Other Artists In Signing Open Letter To President Biden Urging Ceasefire In Gaza
Jenna Ortega has taken action regarding the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. It has been reported that the "Wednesday" star has signed an open letter to the U.S. President Joe Biden to urge a ceasefire in Gaza.
The 21-year-old actress' name has now been featured in the list featuring more than 200 actors, comedians, fashion models, recording artists and more who demanded an end to the Israel-Hamas war. Among them are Ben Affleck, Gigi Hadid, Padma Lakshmi, Wanda Sykes, Jessica Chastain, Joaquin Phoenix, Drake and Dua Lipa.
In the letter, the artists who unite as a group called Artists4Ceasefire, began, "We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horror in Israel and Palestine. We ask that, as President of the United States, you and the US Congress call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost."
"We urge your administration, Congress, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them," the letter continued.
It added, "We believe that the United States can play a vital diplomatic role in ending the suffering and we are adding our voices to those from the US Congress, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, and so many others. Saving lives is a moral imperative. To echo UNICEF, 'Compassion - and international law - must prevail.' "
The new report came after Jenna showed support to Melissa Barrera after she was fired from "Scream 7" a.k.a. "Scream VII" for her pro-Palestine posts. In November, Jenna was caught liking a post about Barrera. She clicked the like on celebrities4palestine's post that read, "Melissa Barrera Stands Her Ground After Being Dropped From Scream For Speaking Up For Palestine."
Bobby Rivers, Celebrity Interviewer, TV Host and Film Critic, Dies at 70
The Los Angeles native came of age in Milwaukee and presided over shows on VH1 and the Food Network.
Bobby Rivers, the sassy celebrity interviewer and film critic who hosted Watch Bobby Rivers for VH1 and Top 5 for the Food Network, has died. He was 70.
Rivers had been living in St. Paul, Minnesota, and died Tuesday night in a Minneapolis hospital, his sister, Betsy, told The Hollywood Reporter. She said he had suffered a series of mini-strokes and had a recurrence of lung cancer.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Rivers was the oldest of three kids. He once noted in an interview with Our Lives magazine that “both my parents loved old films, so they really cultivated and encouraged this in me.”
Rivers was a winning contestant on the syndicated program The Movie Game while he was attending the all-boys Verbum Dei Jesuit High School in L.A., then came to Milwaukee in 1972 and graduated from Marquette University, where he majored in broadcasting.
After writing weekend newscasts for Milwaukee’s WRIT-FM, he entertained listeners on a morning show at WQFM and hosted public events around town. He then made the move to television, reviewing movies for the Milwaukee ABC affiliate, WISN-TV, and the syndicated show PM Magazine. He also hosted a talk show, More.
After Milwaukee, Rivers moved to New York for a job at WPIX-TV in 1985 and from 1987-90 hosted Watch Bobby Rivers, where he interviewed the likes of Sally Field, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Mel Gibson.
He later hosted the syndicated game show Bedroom Buddies; served as a lifestyles/entertainment reporter for programs on WNBC-TV and WNYW-TV and Lifetime Live, an ABC/Lifetime newsmagazine; hosted the Food Network’s Top 5 program from 2002-04; and reviewed films for Whoopi Goldberg’s national radio show from 2006-08.
Survivors also include his brother, Tony.
Amazon’s Prime Video to start showing ads on Jan. 29
In an email to subscribers this week, Amazon AMZN, -0.05% said “limited advertisements” will air with movies and TV shows on Prime Video starting Jan. 29.
“This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time,” Amazon said in its email, adding that it plans to show “meaningfully fewer ads” than linear TV or its streaming rivals. Amazon did not respond to a request for further comment.
While most streaming services have added cheaper, ad-supported tiers over the past couple of years, Amazon is going the opposite direction, where subscribers will see ads by default and will have to pay an additional $2.99 a month to continue to see commercial-free programming.
Rival ad-supported plans are also about half the price of Prime Video’s $14.99 a month. Netflix’s NFLX, +0.12% ad tier is $6.99 a month, for example, and Disney+ DIS, -0.63% with ads is $7.99 a month.
In 2022, Amazon spent about $16.6 billion on streaming content, which includes licensing and production costs.
Amazon had announced in September it would be adding commercials in the new year, but did not announce a starting date at the time.
Lil Nas X raises eyebrows with new website
Lil Nas X decided to stir the pot with his latest website, which asks fans to help save him from Satan.
“Has the devil-worshipping pop artist finally been sacrificed to his master?” a message asks those who visit the nostalgically designed page. “Why is he secluding himself? What is he preparing for? This site will answer all these questions and more! We will find Montero and we will save him by returning his heart to J. Christ’s light!”
The tongue-in-cheek message continues as users scroll further. “In one of his music videos… Lil Nas X can be seen twerking on Satan himself,” the statement reads. “Perhaps the devil has possessed Nas X with the spirit of sin to influence the world into d**nation. That is why Nas has been away from the spotlight. To arrange a scheme against the world with Satan and probably twerk on him some more!” The website contains other controversial additions like the Georgia talent’s “specific location in hell” and an ongoing reminder of how long it’s been since the release of his debut LP.
Accompanying the aforementioned is an interactive video game, titled Heaven or Hell, that fans can play on Twitter. As the title makes clear, said game allows those to make certain choices from birth that will lead them to their next stage in the afterlife.
As previously reported, Lil Nas X shared a teaser for a new song back in November — one that saw him entering into the gospel realm. Not long after that release, the chart-topper reacted to criticism about the music on social media.
“Y’all see everything I do as a gimmick when in reality I’m just an artist expressing myself in different ways,” he wrote. “Whether I’m a cowboy, gay, satanic, or now Christian, y’all find a problem! Y’all don’t police nobody else’s art like mine. Y’all hate me because I’m fun, cute, and petite.”
Gypsy Rose Blanchard Release Details: Prison Source Explains Why It's All Being Kept Secret
Gypsy Rose Blanchard‘s 10-year prison sentence is coming to an end and she’s being released this week, though she’s getting out three years earlier than expected!
The 32-year-old is getting out of jail on Thursday (December 28), but the details surrounding her release are being kept secret and a prison source is explaining why.
The real-life subject of Hulu’s The Act has been in prison for eight years after being convicted of her mother’s murder in 2016.
Gypsy Rose was the victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy after her mother Dee Dee Blanchard fabricated her medical records and made it appear as if she suffered from a long list of medical issues. She was given medications and underwent medical procedures in which she suffered for years.
Dee Dee was found dead from stab wounds in 2015 and Gypsy Rose was convicted of second-degree murder. She confessed that she encouraged her boyfriend, who she met online, to kill her mother.
So, what do we know about her release?
Gypsy Rose is being held at Chillicothe Correctional Center in Chillicothe, MO.
Karen Pojmann, Communications Director for the Missouri Department of Corrections, told TMZ that “no one will be allowed on the premises for Gypsy’s upcoming release, which means no media, fans or spectators.”
The prison will not announce the time of Gypsy Rose‘s release in an effort to keep her release private. TMZ says “she’s not interested in talking to media during her exit” and that she wants the release to “be super low-key.”
Gypsy Rose did just give an interview though and her New Year’s Eve plans were also revealed.
Cher Files for a Conservatorship of Son Elijah Blue Allman Due to 'Severe' Substance Abuse Issues
Elijah Blue Allman and Cher in Hollywood in March 2001
Cher has filed for a conservatorship of her son Elijah Blue Allman due to his alleged recent substance abuse issues.
According to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by PEOPLE, the singer and actress, 77, is seeking to be the sole conservator of her son's estate, claiming that he is "substantially unable to manage his financial resources."
The document states that although Elijah is due to receive assets from trust before the end of the year, a conservator is "urgently needed ... to protect Elijah’s property from loss or injury" because he is "currently unable to manage his assets due to severe mental health and substance abuse issues." The document also states that his estranged wife, Marieangela King, is not fit to be his conservator because "their tumultuous relationship has been marked by a cycle of drug addiction and mental health crises."
The filing continues, "Elijah is entitled to regular distributions from the Trust, but given his ongoing mental health and substance abuse issues, [Cher] is concerned that any funds distributed to Elijah will be immediately spent on drugs, leaving Elijah with no assets to provide for himself and putting Elijah’s life at risk."
The filing concludes by stating that the Moonstruck actress has reportedly "worked tirelessly to get Elijah into treatment and get him the help he needs."
"[Cher] loves Elijah immensely and has always acted with his best interests in mind," the filing states, adding that she has been "unable to discuss his preferences concerning the appointment of a temporary conservator" because of his "current mental and physical health issues."
A rep for Cher did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. A hearing for a temporary order is currently set for Jan. 5, 2024, with the hearing on a permanent order scheduled for March 6, 2024.
In October, Cher broke her silence on Elijah's ordeal, opening up to PEOPLE about her relationship with her 47-year-old son after a report surfaced that she allegedly hired four men to forcibly remove her son from a New York City hotel room in an apparent intervention in November 2022. King made the claim in divorce documents she filed last December that recently surfaced
Regarding the allegations, Cher told PEOPLE “that rumor is not true” and declined to comment further.
She did, however, confirm that the private family matter was related to her son’s addiction issues, which he has spoken openly about over the years.
“I’m not suffering from any problem that millions of people in the United States aren’t,” Cher said of watching her son’s years-long struggles with substance abuse. “I’m a mother. This is my job — one way or another, to try to help my children. You do anything for your children. Whenever you can help them, you just do it because that’s what being a mother is. But it’s joy, even with heartache — mostly, when you think of your children, you just smile and you love them, and you try to be there for them.”
In the court documents, King, 36, alleged that the superstar hired the men to remove Allman — whose dad is the late rocker Gregg Allman — from their hotel room because they were trying to “reconcile” their marriage and she was concerned for her son’s well being.
King, who is known professionally as Queenie, claimed they had spent “12 days alone together from November 18-November 30, in New York, working on [their] marriage” at the time of the incident. In the documents, she also claimed “one of the four men who took [Allman]” told her that the Grammy winner hired them.
Despite their differences, Cher maintained that she will always be there for her kids.
"I could fill a . . . I don’t even know, something gigantic with what I don’t know [about parenting],” Cher told PEOPLE in October. “I just keep trying.”
Takeoff’s Father Joins Million Dollar Lawsuit Against Houston Bowling Alley
*The father of slain rapper Takeoff has reportedly joined the one million civil lawsuit against the Houston bowling alley where the artist was fatally shot in 2022.
Attorney Brant J. Stogner explained to AllHipHop that Takeoff’s father, Kenneth Ball, “has suffered substantial pecuniary loss both in the past and in the future.”
Stogner added, “Indeed, [Ball] has suffered past and future pecuniary loss, including funeral and burial expenses, psychological and psychiatric expenses, loss of advice, loss of counsel, loss of services, loss of care, loss of maintenance, and loss of support.”
We reported previously that Takeoff’s mother, Titania Davenport, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners of 810 Billiards & Bowling, the venue where her son was killed last year. She is seeking $1 million in damages, according to Complex.
We reported previously via CNN that Takeoff (born Kirshnick Ball) was an innocent bystander to an argument that took place outside the bowling alley in November 2022 that led to the shooting, according to police. He was unarmed and not involved in the heated debate. Takeoff was shot in the head and the torso, according to the coroner’s report.
Rolling Stone reports that Davenport accuses 810 Billiards & Bowling of failing to provide proper security on the day Takeoff was killed.
The lawsuit claims the venue didn’t utilize “screening mechanisms, [or] after-hour controls or security measures.”
“In fact, social media posting in advance of the party made it clear that not only basic security measures needed to be followed, but advance planning and consideration should have been taken into account, which defendants were negligent in failing to do,” the suit alleges.
Davenport is suring for “compensatory, special, economic, consequential, general, punitive, and all other damages permissible under Texas law.”
City Council Proposes Bill To Declare December 4th as “Jay-Z Day” in NYC
“The global phenomenon that is Jay-Z—born Shawn Carter—is widely known as an artist, mogul, husband and father, wealth builder, and supporter of economic development and community causes,” said Councilwoman Farah Louis.
She said, “December 4th as Jay-Z Day announces to the world how this Brooklyn son can be all things, including loved by his community. In the spirit of celebrating Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary, establishing an annual celebration to recognize a homegrown hero while proclaiming our municipal support is fitting.”
According to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations, the bill would celebrate Hov’s “legendary status as a masterful MC and lyricist and as an innovative entrepreneur,” which comes just weeks after the conclusion of his exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library.
The City Council will discuss “Jay-Z Day” on January 3rd, 2024.
Nikki Haley Fails To Mention Slavery When Asked About Cause Of Civil War
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was asked Wednesday by a New Hampshire voter about the reason for the Civil War, and she didn’t mention slavery in her response — leading the voter to say he was “astonished” by her omission.
Asked during a town hall in Berlin, New Hampshire, what she believed had caused the war — the first shots of which were fired in her home state of South Carolina — Haley talked about the role of government, replying that it involved “the freedoms of what people could and couldn’t do.”
She then turned the question back to the man who had asked it, who replied that he was not the one running for president and wished instead to know her answer.
After Haley went into a lengthier explanation about the role of government, individual freedom and capitalism, the questioner seemed to admonish Haley, saying, “In the year 2023, it’s astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word slavery.”
“What do you want me to say about slavery?” Haley retorted, before abruptly moving on to the next question.
Haley, who served six years as South Carolina’s governor, has been competing for a distant second place to Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. She has frequently said during her campaign that she would compete in the first three states before returning “to the sweet state of South Carolina, and we’ll finish it” in the Feb. 24 primary.
Haley’s campaign did not immediately return a message seeking comment on her response. The campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another of Haley’s GOP foes, recirculated video of the exchange on social media, adding the comment, “Yikes.”
Issues surrounding the origins of the Civil War and its heritage are still much of the fabric of Haley’s home state, and she has been pressed on the war’s origins before. As she ran for governor in 2010, Haley, in an interview with a now-defunct activist group then known as The Palmetto Patriots, described the war as between two disparate sides fighting for “tradition” and “change” and said the Confederate flag was “not something that is racist.”
During that same campaign, she dismissed the need for the flag to come down from the Statehouse grounds, portraying her Democratic rival’s push for its removal as a desperate political stunt.
Five years later, Haley urged lawmakers to remove the flag from its perch near a Confederate soldier monument following a mass shooting in which a white gunman killed eight Black church members who were attending Bible study. At the time, Haley said the flag had been “hijacked” by the shooter from those who saw the flag as symbolizing “sacrifice and heritage.”
South Carolina’s Ordinance of Secession — the 1860 proclamation by the state government outlining its reasons for seceding from the Union — mentions slavery in its opening sentence and points to the “increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery” as a reason for the state removing itself from the Union.
On Wednesday night, Christale Spain — elected this year as the first Black woman to chair South Carolina’s Democratic Party — said Haley’s response was “vile, but unsurprising.”
“The same person who refused to take down the Confederate Flag until the tragedy in Charleston, and tried to justify a Confederate History Month,” Spain said in a post on X, of Haley. “She’s just as MAGA as Trump,” Spain added, referring to Trump’s ”Make America Great Again” slogan.
Jaime Harrison, current chairman of the Democratic National Committee and South Carolina’s party chairman during part of Haley’s tenure as governor, said her response was “not stunning if you were a Black resident in SC when she was Governor.”
“Same person who said the confederate flag was about tradition & heritage and as a minority woman she was the right person to defend keeping it on state house grounds,” Harrison posted Wednesday night on X. “Some may have forgotten but I haven’t. Time to take off the rose colored Nikki Haley glasses folks.”
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
But Why Tho?
Why?
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