WebProNews

Author: Pam Wright

  • Liam Neeson’s Nephew Fights for His Life after Fall

    The nephew of actor Liam Neeson is said to be in critical condition after suffering a serious head injury June 22.

    Police say Ronan Sexton, 31, was out with friends when he fell about 20 feet from a phone booth beside the pier in the southern England seaside resort of Brighton.

    “Just after 4 a.m, on Sunday June 22, a 31-year old Worthing man had climbed on to the top of a telephone kiosk outside Brighton Pier when he fell some 20 feet to the ground, sustaining a serious head injury,” said a police spokesman.

    “He was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital and was later transferred to Hurstwood Park Hospital in Haywards Heath where he is currently in a critical condition.

    “The man had been enjoying a night out with friends, who were present when he fell, and the incident is not being treated as suspicious. There is no further police investigation.”

    Sussex Police said Friday there were no suspicious circumstances to the incident.

    Sexton’s mother, Bernadette, is the sister of the Irish actor.

    “Ronan is receiving wonderful treatment from the dedicated staff at Hurstwood Park,” said his family in a statement. “We gratefully receive all the love, support, prayers and good wishes for Ronan’s full recovery to good health. We would appreciate privacy at this time.”

    Neeson’s wife, actress Natasha Richardson, died in March 2009 after hitting her head while skiing.

    In an interview with 60 Minutes in February, the 62-year-old actor said he was still struggling to come to terms with the loss of his wife.

    “It was never real. It still kind of isn’t. There’s periods now in our New York residence when I hear the door opening – she would always drop the keys on the table and say hello,” said the Taken actor. “So any time I hear that door opening I still think I’m going to hear her. Grief hits you like a wave, you get this profound feeling of instability.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Sophia Loren to Publish Memoir of Her Life, Finally

    Sophia Loren is finally ready to tell the story of her life. And like any legendary Hollywood actress, she has quite a story to tell.

    The Oscar-winning Italian actress will publish the memoir, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: My Life as a Fairy Tale, in a deal with Atria Books, which announced the release date of the book for Dec. 2, 2014, on Thursday.

    Despite the title of her memoir, the 79-year-old actress told Vanity Fair in 2012, “My life is not a fairy tale, and it’s painful still to speak about it.”

    The legendary star will likely include the details of her rise from poverty during World War II to international stardom.

    “Her long awaited memoir gives her many fans a glimpse of the woman who has left her mark on an era — from the challenges of growing up poor and hungry in wartime Italy to the flowering of her career and the joys of being a mother and grandmother,” said the publishing company in a statement.

    The sex symbol will also share the details of her love life with some incredibly interesting men of their own accord, Cary Grant, Richard Burton and her husband, Carlo Ponti, among others.

    Writer John Cheever, who interviewed Loren in Naples in 1967 for The Saturday Evening Post, did a wonderful job of summing up the persona of Loren.

    “Here is the actress; the slum child; the chatelaine of a great villa; the beauty whose pictures, cut from magazine covers, lonely men carry around in their wallets; and the wife of Carlo Ponti. She brings all this into focus with a shake of her head She seems sincere, magnanimous, lucky, intelligent, and serene,” wrote Cheever.

    Journalist Pete Hamill, who visited her in Naples on the set of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, from which she bases the title of her memoir, wrote about the beauty.

    “Her nose is too large, her chin too small. Her feet are the biggest of any movie queen since Greta Garbo. But head her in the direction of a camera, set her Etruscan eyes dancing, and Sophia is one of the most magnificent women in the world,” wrote Hamill.

    Loren‘s movies include Marriage Italian Style, Houseboat and Two Women, which earned her an Academy Award in 1961.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mark Wahlberg ‘Dreading’ the Day his Daughters Date

    Mark Wahlberg’s four kids are growing up fast, too fast as far as he is concerned.

    The Transformers: Age of Instinction actor says he is “dreading” the moment his daughters become teenagers and begin dating.

    Mark is father to two girls — ten-year-old Ella and four-year-old Grace with wife Rhea Durham. The couple also have two sons, eight-year-old Michael and five-year-old Brendan.

    One might argue that he still has time and should just enjoy the moment while they are still little, but as all parents know, they really do grow up fast.

    Wahlberg is well-known as a good dad and it’s no secret that he loves being a father, but admits he is anxious about the duties which come with parenthood as the kids get older.

    “I’m dreading the teenage years with my daughters; it’s not going to be easy for them to go on a date,” he joked with People.

    “My boys are obsessed with everything sports. The first thing out of their mouths in the morning when their eyes are barely open is, ‘Dad, did the Clippers win?’”

    Mark and Rhea have been together since 2001 and married in August 2009. A large family was always part of the bigger picture for the family, even if it does come with a certain amount of stress and difficulties.

    “It’s not easy. But it’s how we always pictured things,” he said.

    “I pray for patience. But the kids test me.”

    The 43-year-old star may know what he’s talking about. The younger version of Wahlberg had various run-ins with the police and he didn’t graduate from high school.

    Having overcome a difficult start to life and making it through his struggles, Wahlberg is determined to encourage his kids, guide them and support them in life’s endeavors.

    “I want to give them all the things I never had but make sure they understand it’s not normal and that it takes hard work to get what you want,” he noted. “You have to provide them with the tools that will make them good people.”

    “I think the most important thing is to always be involved in every aspect of their life,” Wahlberg told Esquire. “To give them enough trust that they can share things with you. I don’t want them to be terrified of me, you know? But I don’t want them to think they can do whatever they want and get away with it, either, because they can’t.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Amelia Earhart ‘s Namesake Replicates Famous Flight

    Amelia Rose Earhart — named for the famous female aviator who was lost in the Pacific trying to fly solo around the world in 1937 — is embarking on a similar voyage.

    Earhart is no relation to the famous flyer, but has been inspired by her namesake, saying her a connection is “much stronger than a bloodline.”

    “Not a day goes by that I am not asked if Amelia Earhart is my real name,” Earhart wrote on her website. “Each and every time I am asked, I’m honored to be able to say yes.”

    The 31-year-old began her 24,300-nautical-mile journey from Oakland on Thursday, arriving to her first stop in Miami on Friday. The trip will include 17 planned stops along the way.

    “We’re ready to go,” Earhart told NBC Thursday morning before she took off from Oakland, California. “I was destined to do this.”

    The modern-day Amelia received her name when her parents decided it would be a “cool opportunity” to name her after the adventurous aviator when they learned they were having a girl.

    Ten years ago, Earhart started flying and she hasn’t stopped since. It was in high school that the young pilot formulated the plan to follow in her namesake’s footsteps and embark on the journey. However, things have changed in the past 75 years. She plans on live-streaming the entire journey and has her own hashtag, #flywithamelia.

    Earhart thinks this journey will bring her even closer to her idol.

    “By recreating and symbolically completing Amelia Mary Earhart’s flight around the world, I hope to develop an even deeper connection to my namesake and also encourage the world to pursure their own adventures,” said Earhart on her website. “Amelia believed that, ‘adventure is worthwhile in itself’ and it is that type of attitude that spurs us to seek the unknown, push our limits and fly outside the lines.”

    Named The Amelia Project, the flight is likely to take a minimum of 17 days with at least 100 hours of flight time. Earhart — once the endeavor is complete — will be the youngest woman to circumnavigate the globe in a single-engine aircraft.

    Image via YouTube

  • Amy Van Dyken-Rouen is Strengthened by Social Media

    Nothing seems to be getting Amy Van Dyken-Rouen down, despite the physical hurdles and emotional fallout following an unfortunate accident that changed her life forever, and social media may have something to do with her positive attitude.

    The six-time Olympic gold medalist was involved in an all-terrain vehicle accident on June 6, leaving her paralyzed.

    From the moment she woke up after surgery to repair her severed spinal cord, the decorated Olympic swimmer began sharing her thoughts and daily updates on social media.

    Amy has always enjoyed sharing her life and thoughts on social media, so husband Tom Rouen, former punter for the Denver Broncos, decided to hand her a telephone and encouraged her to get tweeting.

    The decision proved to be a good one — Amy has found it to be very therapeutic, and it has helped her transition from elite athlete to life in a wheelchair.

    Certainly the love and well-wishes are appreciated by Amy, but it’s a two-way street as her social media followers have benefitted from her positive attitude as well.

    ”She sends stuff out there and gets so much positive energy and positive feedback that I really think it helps her a whole lot,” said Rouen. ”It’s also been good to be able to have a distraction with everything that’s going on.”

    Here are just some of her inspiring Instagram/Twitter posts from day one in the hospital:











    Van Dyken Rouen gave an exclusive interview to TODAY‘s Matt Lauer from Craig Hospital in Denver, where she has begun rehabilitation.

    In the interview, Van Dyken Rouen spoke with Lauer about the challenges ahead. The same positive attitude she exudes in her social media posts is again apparent in the interview as she calls her circumstances just “a setback, and then we’re going to rock and roll.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Courteney Cox and Johnny McDaid Engaged

    Courteney Cox, 50, is engaged to 37-year-old rocker Johnny McDaid.

    The Friends alum and her Snow Patrol rockin’ fiancé announced the engagement with his-and-her Twitter posts Thursday night.

    “I’m engaged to him!” Courteney posted on her page.

    “I’m engaged to her!” Johnny posted on his page.

    Rumors of a romantic relationship began to make the rounds back in December when they were spotted together at Jennifer Aniston‘s holiday party in LA.

    Over the past few months, the pair have been spotted together on numerous occasions, including the April New York City premiere of Courteney’s Tribeca film, Just Before I Go, which also marks Cox’ directorial debut.

    The couple were introduced to each other by Ed Sheehan, who commented about the meeting to E! Online.

    “I wasn’t allowed to talk about this, actually, but it’s just gone public so… My housemate [McDaid] who I’ve lived with for a year, I introduced him to Courteney Cox. They started dating and [are] crazy about each other.” said Sheehan. “I ended up spending a lot of time living in her beach house and therefore bumping into all these random people. We spent Thanksgiving eve at Jennifer Aniston’s before spending the day at Courteney’s.”

    This is the second marriage for the Cougar Town star, who was married to David Arquette from 1999-2013. The couple separated in 2010 and share custody of their 10-year-old daughter, Coco.

    The exes finalized their divorce in May 2013.

    Cox is slated to return for the sixth and final season of Cougar Town in 2015.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon Dish On Brad Pitt

    In a Thelma & Louise reunion of sorts, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon shared memories of their time filming the 1991 classic film with a certain young, up-and-coming star — Brad Pitt .

    It’s hard to believe It’s been 23 years since Brad Pitt made his big debut in the film and captured the attention of not only Davis, but nearly every other female in America.

    In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Davis (Thelma) and Sarandon (Louise) dished on their sexy costar and the making of the film.

    “He’s told stories about how professional I was and how I made him a professional,” said Sarandon. “I don’t remember any of that! It seemed like it was absolutely, absolutely easy for him. When I saw the movie and I saw him in the scene in the police station, that’s when I knew that he really was something special. There was really something there. He’s a very smart guy.”

    Davis, who was lucky enough to fool around with the young actor in the movie, joked that her love scene was “very challenging,” and said that obvious distractions in working with Angelina Jolie‘s fiancé nearly ruined Pitt’s chances during his audition.

    “I actually read with him first—there were five candidates for the role,” she said. “And then he came in—this is so embarrassing—but I got a little distracted during the scene, you know? I was forgetting my lines. I was like, ‘I’m totally screwing up this kid’s audition.’”

    Sarandon, on the other hand, just wanted to be sure the film’s controversial ending was not changed in the editing process, thinking director Ridley Scott wouldn’t let the women drive off the cliff to their deaths.

    “I said to Ridley, ‘I hope we’re not gonna shoot this and then you test it and then we end in Club Med. If I’m gonna play that part, I want to make sure that I know where it’s going,’” she said. “And he said, ‘I can tell you that you will definitely die. But I’m not sure about Thelma. You may push her out of the car at the last minute.’”

    “But I earned the right to die!” said Davis.

    Davis and Sarandon took a new selfie during the interview in honor of the photo they take together in the movie.

    Image via YouTube

  • Lisa Whelchel Reunites with ‘Facts of Life’ Costar

    It’s really nice to see The Facts of Life costars Lisa Whelchel and Charlotte Rae reunited once again.

    The two posed for a selfie on Tuesday while out on a lunch date together.

    “Selfie with Charlotte Rae today at lunch. She gave me some good advice. (Just like old times),” wrote Welcher in the caption.

    Welchel played spoiled rich kid Blair Warner on the beloved ’80s sitcom, while Rae played house mom Mrs. (Edna) Garrett on the series.

    Rae left the series in 1986, but was reunited with the rest of the cast in the 2001 TV movie The Facts of Life Reunion. Cloris Leachman stepped in to replace Rae playing Edna’s weird sister, Beverly Ann Stickle.

    Time certainly flies as Welchel is now 51 and Rae is still beautiful at 88, and they both continue to stay busy in Hollywood.

    Rae will appear in an episode on Girl Meets World and Whelchel, who recently appeared on Survivor, will star alongside another Facts of Life costar, Kim Fields (Tootie), in For Better or For Worse on Hallmark Channel.

    Image via YouTube

  • KFC Hoax: Family Insists It’s Telling the Truth

    The family of a disfigured 3-year-old Mississippi girl who alleges they were asked to leave a KFC restaurant because her appearance was scaring customers, insists the story is true despite the company’s claims that it was a hoax.

    A spokesman for KFC has said that the incident never occurred, based on a story by a local newspaper that claimed surveillance footage inside the restaurant proved they were not in the restaurant. KFC said the franchise hired a consultant to investigate the Wilcher case after being unable to verify either claim.

    However, the company said it will still honor a pledge to donate $30,000 toward the girl’s medical bills to repair her deeply scarred and partially paralyzed face.

    The family of Victoria Wilcher, who was attacked by three of her grandfather’s pit bulls in April, claim she visited a KFC in Jackson, Mississippi in May with her grandmother and was asked to leave by staff.

    According to the grandmother, Kelly Mullins, staff told her Victoria’s appearance was frightening other costumers and it would be best if they left.

    “They just told us, ‘We have to ask you to leave because her face is disrupting our customers,’” Mullins told WAPT-TV earlier this month. Victoria “understood exactly what they said,” Mullins said.

    “Like the rest of America, the KFC family has been moved by the story of Victoria’s injuries and recovery,” KFC spokesman Rick Maynard said in an emailed statement.

    “After the alleged incident was reported to us, two investigations took place, including one by an independent investigator. Neither revealed any evidence that the incident occurred, and we consider the investigation closed,” he said.

    An unidentified source cited by the Laurel Leader-Call newspaper in Mississippi disputed the family’s claim on Monday. The source claims the child and her grandmother do not appear on surveillance videos from two KFC locations and there are no records for the food the grandmother said she ordered.

    Since the story broke, the family has apparently received offers for free surgeries for Victoria and more than $135,000 in donations.

    The Go Fund Me fundraising website has since suspended the family’s page.

    A message posted by Victoria’s aunt on her Facebook page said the newspaper got the story wrong.

    “I promise it’s not a hoax,” the message said. “I have personally watched this family go without to provide for Victoria. They have not and would not do anything to hurt Victoria in any way.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Bear Grylls Tests Celebrities’ Survival Skills

    Bear Grylls Tests Celebrities’ Survival Skills

    Bear Grylls is slated to star in a new survivalist series for NBC — and this time he’s starring with the stars.

    In the new series, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, the survivor guru will take celebrities one at a time off to remote locations around the world and test their survival skills for 48 hours.

    Set to premiere in late July, Running Wild with Bear Grylls already has some A-list celebrities lined up for the task including Zac Efron, Ben Stiller, Channing Tatum and Tom Arnold, as well as former NFL player Deion Sanders and TODAY anchor Tamron Hall.

    “Viewers will get to see inside the hearts and minds of these guests in a very open, honest and vulnerable way, pushing them out of their comfort zones and seeing what they are like in real life when stripped of all the benefits of celebrity,” said Grylls in a statement. “Ultimately, this show is about taking these stars on the adventure of a lifetime and being alongside them when they discover something new and empowering about themselves and their world. For me, that is always a privilege.”

    Some of the adventures lined up for Grylls and his cohorts include skydiving in the Catskill Mountains and repelling down cliffs in Utah.

    Grylls previously starred on Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel from 2006 to 2011. The series saw him survive in locations all over the world with few supplies and no one but his film crew.

    “Bear’s incredible spirit is absolutely contagious, not only with his celebrity partners but with the viewing audience as well,” NBC alternative programming president Paul Telegdy said. “We can’t wait to see how these epic adventures will profoundly change those who take challenge.”

    Tamron Hall, who is currently on her big adventure with Grylls, tweeted some details about her pending trip.

    Running Wild with Bear Grylls premieres July 28 on NBC.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Pippa Middleton Gives First Ever TV Interview

    Pippa Middleton has taken the plunge by giving her first ever television interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer in London.

    The 30-year-old sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, who has never publicly spoken about life in the spotlight, shared “what it is like to be Pippa”.

    In a preview of the full interview, Lauer asks about her recent charity bike ride across the US.

    Pippa and her brother James joined five others recently to complete the 3,000-mile trip across the US.

    With Race Across America, the group traveled through 12 states, including Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

    When Lauer asked why she didn’t stop by the studios in New York when she was in the states, the party planner said she would have had she not “been on a bike”.

    While in London, Lauer chatted with his TODAY co-hosts back in the New York studio during Wednesday’s show and shared a sneak peek about what the two covered in the two-part interview, which will air Monday and Tuesday.

    “We talked a lot in just the last hour about this great bike event she did across America, money she raised for two really great charities and we are also going to hear about what is like to be Pippa Middleton.”

    Rumors have it that NBC is considering offering the party planner a job as a regular correspondent for a reported $600,000.

    According to PageSix, a source said that NBC’s offer to Middleton would likely be similar to Chelsea Clinton’s role on TODAY — providing special reports, but keeping family out of it.

    However, a spokesman for NBC denies the rumors.

    “This is 100 percent not true and it seems anyone suggesting otherwise is ‘royally’ jealous,” said the spokesman.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Eliza Dushku Splits with Rick Fox, Moves to Boston

    Eliza Dushku and Rick Fox have called it quits after a five-year relationship.

    The former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star and the retired NBA player have decided it’s time to go their separate ways, prompting Dushku to move back to her hometown of Boston.

    “Rick’s an L.A. guy and I’m a Boston girl,” she told The Boston Globe.

    Dushku, 33, told The Globe that she recently bought a condo near Watertown and is planning to go back to begin her studies towards a bachelor’s degree.

    “It helps me navigate the stories that I want to tell in areas that are interesting to me,” she told The Los Angeles Times.

    Dushku said she’s looking forward to living on the East Coast after 22 years in L.A.

    “I’d rather be a little physically cold here than emotionally cold in L.A.,” she said. “I missed my town and my family.”

    Duskhu said she plans to focus her studies on psychological and sociological behavior, knowing that it will be useful to her as a director and actress.

    “I’m actually looking to go back to school,” she told the Los Angeles Times‘ Hero Complex in March. “One of the areas that’s so interesting to me — and obviously it played out in the show ‘Dollhouse’ — are these deep crevasses of our brains and our emotions that make us tick, and what those combinations and variables are that are looked at in projects like [‘Gable 5’] and projects like ‘Dollhouse.’”

    Although her education is her primary focus for the near future, the Dollhouse actress does not plan on completely foregoing acting.

    “I have a new life right now,” said Dushku. “I’m on kind of a different path for the time being.”

    Could it be that differing opinions on fashion could be a factor in their split?

    In 2010, Dushku said living with the basketball pro opened her eyes to his lack of fashion sense.

    “I never believed he was a bad dresser” until they moved in together, she said. “We’re in the middle of moving the clothes. The clothes were at one place and he kind of had to pick from the surviving things that he didn’t bring to the house.”

    Dushku began dating Fox, 44, in 2009 and they moved in together in 2010. He was previously married to Vanessa Williams, with whom he has a daughter. He also has a son from a previous relationship.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Hayden Panettiere Bares Baby Bump While Baby-Mooning

    Hayden Panettiere is certainly looking the part of mom-to-be with her growing baby bump.

    The pregnant 24-year-old actress was spotted with fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in Italy over the weekend wearing loose navy pants and a crop top that showed off her adorable baby bump.

    The baby-mooning couple were snapped while strolling in the Sardinian seaside resort of Porto Cervo.

    The former Heroes actress and her boxing star fiancé became engaged in October 2013, and the news of her pregnancy broke in May.

    It seems Panettiere has always wanted to be a mother. She expressed her desire for children in an interview with Glamour in 2013, saying, “I feel like I was born to be a mother.”

    “Sometimes people speak about [having kids] like, ‘Your life ends — you’re never going to be able to do anything again!’ And I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ Motherhood is the most beautiful, exciting thing,” she said. “There’s nothing that I feel like I can’t accomplish while having children in my life.”

    The Nashville actress is in her second trimester and commented on her growing figure Monday on Twitter.

    On The Ellen DeGeneres Show in November 2013, she joked about what her kids with the 6-foot-6 Klitschko might look like.

    “He’s got bowlegs and I’ve got knocked knees, so they’re going to have straight legs,” said Panettiere. “And they’ll be normal height.”

    The couple recently put their wedding on hold due to unrest in Klitschko’s native Ukraine where his brother is now the mayor of Kiev.

    “Everything that’s happening in Ukraine definitely put a hold on things. But we have time,” said Panettiere to Parade Magazine.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Neve Campbell Signs With Paradigm, Talks Motherhood

    Neve Campbell has signed with Paradigm, a leading entertainment talent agency, which guides the careers of actors, musical artists, directors, writers and producers.

    The Scream actress has had a successful career, especially in the horror genre.

    Before the success of the Scream Franchise, Campbell had her first big break in the Fox drama Party of Five, followed by the 1996 teen horror classic, The Craft.

    Next came the starring role in the Wes Craven Scream franchise, playing Sidney Prescott in Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3 and Scream 4.

    Campbell, who gave birth to son Caspian in 2012, said her Party of Five gig prepared her well for motherhood.

    “Our parents were dead [on the series],” she said. “Party of Five was good for family values. In that sense, it taught me a few things.”

    According to Campbell, being a mother is one of the most beautiful accomplishments of her life.

    “There’s so much that’s so beautiful,” she said. “Waking up to him every morning with that smile and innocence and creative energy is beautiful.”

    Other notable films for the Canadian-born actress include Wild Things, 54, Panic, Three To Tango, and When Will I Be Loved, and she lent her voice as Simba’s daughter in the animated sequel to The Lion King, The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride.

    Recent television appearances include roles in Grey’s Anatomy, Mad Men, The Simpsons, and Medium.

    She will soon star with Milo Ventimiglia and William H. Macy in Walter.

    Image via YouTube

  • Bindi Irwin Advises Girls to ‘Dress Your Age’

    Bindi Irwin has something to say about young girls her age who bare a little more than they really should.

    In a recent interview with News Corp Australia, via the Daily Mail, the daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin cautioned girls her age about their fashion choices, advising them to be more modest in their attire.

    The 15-year-old said she believes girls who dress too provocatively may end up regretting their fashion choices later on.

    “I’m a big advocate for young girls dressing their age,” said Irwin. “I mean, for me, I look around at a lot of young girls that are my age and they’re always trying to dress older. Whether it’s wearing revealing clothes or hardly wearing any clothes at all, I feel really bad for them. It kind of has the opposite effect in some ways.”

    “I almost wish I could tell young girls, ‘Look, in 10 years when you look back at yourself, you’ll cringe, honey, honestly,’” said Irwin.

    The Return to Nim’s Island star advised her peers to “dress like you are,” and “Don’t try so hard. A pair of jeans and a T-shirt is just as gorgeous and even makes you look classier.”

    Irwin said similar advice she received from her mom, Terri Irwin, has been a “blessing.”

    “To be able to have that outlook on life is such a blessing,” Bindi said of her mom. “I’ve gotten that from my mum especially. The way I choose to dress, I want to influence other people around me, I suppose.”

    The animal rights advocate is obviously mature beyond her years. She concedes that she is an old soul.

    “My mum and I, we were playing this game, how old would you be if you didn’t know how old you really are?” she said. “Like how old is your soul? And I said ‘I’d be 86.’ I love a cup of tea and a good book and none of that [other stuff] really interests me… I guess growing up at [the] Australia Zoo and getting to travel all over the world, I have this great outlook on life and that’s what I hope I inspire other kids to have.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Kristen Wiig to Make Directorial Debut in New Film

    Kristen Wiig is reuniting with her Bridesmaids co-writer, Annie Mumolo, in a new TriStar film that will also mark her debut as a director.

    According to the New York Times, Wiig and Mumolo will write, produce and star in the untitled comedy, which follows “best friends who find themselves in over their heads and out of their depths, which were, perhaps, not too deep to begin with.”

    “We’re very excited to be writing,” the writing duo said in a statement. “We will be going into a cave for months to finish. An actual cave. We found one that’s nice and big. We’re putting a couch in there.”

    “I’ve been wanting to direct for some time now,” said Wiig. “This seems like the perfect first project.”

    “Kristen and Annie assured me that the film will be a searing and depressing drama, which is what the world needs right now. So we grabbed it. Perhaps more to the point, these two supremely talented ladies are always ahead of the comedy curve, and as we at TriStar push for originality, we are lucky as hell to be in business with them,” said TriStar chief Thomas E. Rothman. “The chance to hopefully make Kristen’s first film as a director is the cherry on top.”

    Wiig and Mumolo’s 2011 Bridesmaids grossed $228 million worldwide on a $32 million budget and earned them an Oscar nomination for their original screenplay.

    Bridesmaids led the way for other female driven-comedies like The Heat, Pitch Perfect and The To Do List, proving that female filmmakers could indeed make it in the Hollywood big leagues.

    “Everybody talks about it needing to change, but Kristen actually wants to do something about it,” said Rothman, referring for the need for more female filmmakers.

    The former Saturday Night Live star has recently departed from comedy a bit into more serious roles with films like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Hateship, Loveship and the upcoming The Skeleton Twins.

    Mumolo is known for her roles in This Is 40, Afternoon Delight and the NBC series About a Boy. More recently, she wrote the screenplay for Joy, an upcoming biopic starring Jennifer Lawrence as the inventor of the Miracle Mop. The film will be directed by David O. Russell.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Natalie Portman Debuts Chic Summer Hair Color

    Natalie Portman has got a new, fresh summer look going on.

    The Black Swan actress, who has been the face for Miss Dior Cherie fragrance since 2010, debuted lighter locks Thursday at the Miss Dior Exhibition Opening in Shanghai, China.

    Dressed in a super chic white silk dress, black pumps, a matching clutch, and white gold and diamond earrings, all designed by Dior, the 33 year-old Oscar winner traded in her dark brunette, shoulder-length hair for a lighter caramel color for the summer.

    This is Portman’s first appearance on the red carpet in several months. During the Thor tour last year, she spoke with US Weekly at the New York City premiere of the movie about experimenting with her hairstyle.

    “Well, I have shaven my head and had it grow back,” she recalled of her famous scene in 2006’s V for Vendetta. “I feel like that’s an experience — that’s a once in a lifetime experience, especially when you have curly hair!”

    Portman, who holds dual citizenship with both the United States and Israel, possesses beauty and brains with a degree in psychology from Harvard University.

    Portman, who turned 33 on June 9, began her career with the 1994 movie, The Professional, but her career really took off with her role in the Star Wars prequel movies, starting with Episode I in 1999.

    She won a Golden Globe and her first Academy Award for Best Actress with Black Swan.

    Image via YouTube

  • Harry Styles Begs New Bride to Run Away With Him

    Harry Styles made a bold move by pleading with one of his fans to ditch her new husband of a few hours and run away with him instead — jokingly of course.

    The One Direction star apparently made a video for bride-to-be Tash Gershfield, asking her to run away with him instead of marrying fiancé James Tash.

    “I’m a massive One Direction fan, and Harry is my favorite and always has been,” said Gershfield. “During my husband James’ speech, he told me he wanted to put me through a little test to see how much I really loved him. He then got my friend Alex to project the video of Harry up on the wall for all 250 guests to see.”

    The young newlywed decided that, no matter how tempted she might be to run away with her celebrity crush, she would go through with marrying her guy.

    Gershfield Instagrammed portions of Styles’ video proposal.


    The video came about because a friend of the couple works with the band and knows what a huge fan the bride is of Styles. So he conspired with the singer to make the video.

    “[Harry] mentions in the video how annulments are cheap these days and easily done,” Tash said, “and [asks me] to meet him at Orli [a popular restaurant] in Borehamwood, which is in North London.”

    The singer told Tash he’d wait for her for three hours. “As this video was being played my jaw was on the floor, and all the guests were in shock too,” the newlywed told E! News. “Every single guest was shouting, ‘Go! Go!’ and then the microphone was handed to me…The first thing I said was simply, ‘Can you play that again?’”

    Tash said following the showing of the video at the reception, her hubby “asked what I wanted to do, stay or go. Eventually, I had to answer…Of course, knowing it was a little joke, I stayed and everyone cheered.”

    Here’s the full video of Styles’ little surprise for the bride:

    Image vie Wikimedia Commons

  • Leonardo DiCaprio Does the World Cup in Style

    Guess it’s one of those “when art imitates life” kind of things.

    Leonardo DiCaprio and a few of his closest friends are experiencing the World Cup like few others — on one of the world’s largest super yachts.

    DiCaprio and more than 20 friends are hanging out on the 482-foot Topaz — worth an estimated $679 million — while staying in Brazil for the soccer tournament.

    The fifth largest yacht in the world is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emitates and owner of professional soccer club Manchester City FC.

    On Thursday, the boat was anchored in Rio de Janeiro while The Wolf of Wall Street actor took in the first game of this year’s cup, a 3-1 victory by hosts Brazil in Sao Paulo, wearing a Brazilian scarf around his neck.

    After the match, the group headed to Buzios, a picturesque town in Rio de Janeiro state.

    Accompanied by two young women, DiCaprio walked along the beachfront and did a little shopping.

    It is unclear whether DiCaprio and his friends have borrowed the yacht from Sheikh Mansour or if they are renting it.

    The 43-year-old Sheikh is a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi and doesn’t exactly need the money. It is estimated his net worth is around $4.9 billion and his family has a fortune of $153 billion.

    Sheikh Mansour is the half-brother of the current president of the UAE and has two wives and five children.

    This is not the first time DiCaprio has thrown a party on the Topaz. In April this year, Leo, Jamie Foxx and Orlando Bloom hosted an 80s themed party on the Topaz in New York.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • East Peoria Shooting: Off-Duty FBI Agent’s Heroism

    East Peoria Police are praising an unnamed, off-duty FBI agent who shot and killed a man after he opened fire in an East Peoria bar Saturday night, killing three.

    “We hate to think of what the possibilities could have been had the agent not been there and not been able to take the action that he did.” said the East Peoria Police Chief Dick Ganschow. “He was helping to secure the scene when our officers first arrived. And they are familiar with him.”

    It is not completely known what sparked the shooting at the Fifth Quarter bar in Peoria, Illinois, although speculation rests on a domestic dispute.

    “We believe it was an domestic issue involving an ex-husband and an ex-wife and the boyfriend of the ex-wife,” said Ganschow. “After just a brief moment inside the bar, he pulled out a weapon and shot a female and a male.”

    The bar was packed Saturday with more than 100 people attending a class reunion at the bar when 40-year-old Jason Moore walked into the bar and shot his ex-wife, Lori Moore, and her boyfriend, Lance Griffel.

    “I think he felt it was a broken marriage gone terribly wrong in this subject’s mind,” said the police chief of the shooter.

    Ganschow says there are many questions still left unanswered.

    “There’s an element we want to know and that is why this happened and what if anything could have been done to prevent this from happening,” he said.

    Fifth Quarter is currently closed while state officials and the FBI help East Peoria Police investigate. It is unclear when the sports bar will reopen.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ben Affleck: Is Gambling Getting out of Hand?

    It may be getting a bit worrisome that Ben Affleck is spending so much time gambling these past few months.

    And it looks like his wife, Jennifer Garner, is not relishing his time away from family to indulge in his favorite pastime.

    According to Star magazine, the Batman v. Superman actor’s latest gambling obsession has started to upset Garner, leading her to cancel a planned family trip to Detroit over the summer.

    “Jen canceled her trip. She just doesn’t want to be Ben’s enabler or babysitter,” said a source. “She was absolutely mortified about the Las Vegas incident, and everything has really gone downhill since then.

    Garner is allegedly infuriated with the Argo actor because he reportedly stays up all night betting thousands and then he sleeps all day.

    “She’s completely distraught over Ben’s problems,” said the source. “It’s a never-ending roller coaster.”

    This comes two months after the Oscar-winner was banned from blackjack tables by several Las Vegas casinos for card counting.

    On May 31, the 41-year-old actor was spotted at Caesars Windsor Hotel and Casino in Windsor, Ontario, not looking his best.

    “Ben walked in and went straight to the card games,” said an eyewitness. “His hair was a disaster, and he looked like a mess! He sat down and played for roughly 20 minutes before security heard he was there. They made the dealers stop what they were doing and asked him to leave. Ben seemed pretty mad.”

    Another eyewitness at MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit noticed Affleck on May 24 during the same trip.

    “It took me a minute to realize it was Ben Affleck,” the second eyewitness told Star. “He looked disheveled and upset while sitting there gambling. He seemed really frazzled like he had just lost a ton of money. He was smoking a cigarette and his head was down in his arms. When he sat up his eyes looked bloodshot, like he’d been there all night!”

    Affleck checked into rehab in 2001 for an addiction to alcohol, but fell off the wagon nine years later. His latest habit raises the question whether he may need to seek treatment once again for a gambling addiction.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons