WebProNews

Author: Val Powell

  • Chuck Norris Is 75, And Twitter’s Got Jokes

    Chuck Norris jokes (or as they’re known on the internet, “Chuck Norris ‘facts’”) are nothing new. However, when Chuck Norris turned 75 on March 10, the internet, especially Twitter, became flooded with these jokes. These “facts” are meant to show how Chuck Norris is the ultimate specimen, crafting tall tales about his prowess about everything. One Twitter user named Nick Caruso tweeted, “Chuck Norris doesn’t blow out birthday candles, they surrender their flames willingly”.

    Even CNN got in on the action. On their tribute to Chuck Norris on their website, they wrote, “Chuck Norris is celebrating his 75th birthday — but the calendar is only allowed to turn 39.” It was an apt tribute to someone larger than life like Chuck Norris. It should be noted that Norris himself is in on it. He published the book “The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book” which features 101 of his favorite versions of the joke.

    At this point, the Chuck Norris joke is as mainstream as “your mama” jokes, and for good reason. Chuck Norris is definitely tough as nails. And his achievements are nothing to sneer at. He even fought Bruce Lee!

    Unlike most action stars, Chuck Norris is a decorated martial artist. He was a six-time undefeated World Professional Middle Weight Karate Champion and he was the first man from the western hemisphere to be awarded an eighth degree Black Belt Grand Master ranking in Tae Kwan Do.

    However, despite all of his achievements, he became a polarizing figure because of his political and religious views. He is a true blue conservative and a supporter of the National Rifle Association. He has also been criticized for his view regarding same-sex marriage. According to him, “Is encouraging or teaching about homosexuality what our forefathers expected for the public education they founded? Even the most liberal among them opposed it.”

    Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Chuck Norris is a part of popular culture. And even after he’s gone, these Chuck Norris “facts” will live on.

  • Whitney Bischoff: You Gotta See Her Engagement Ring!

    In the March 10 finale of The Bachelor, Chris Soules picked Whitney Bischoff and proposed to her. Not only did Soules and Bischoff find each other, they’ve also found fame as the latest couple to fall in love on national TV. Speaking with the Associated Press, the couple said that the experience of finding your soul mate in a reality show may not be normal, but they said that they’re making it as normal as possible for themselves. They’re looking forward to a lot of stuff, mainly their upcoming wedding as well as all the commitments that come with being The Bachelor contestants.

    Watching the finale, it’s pretty clear why Bischoff said yes to Soules. The farmer proposed to Bischoff in a barn at the home where he grew up in. And if you’re thinking that a barn proposal isn’t romantic, think again. With the romantic lighting as well as the stunning engagement ring, it was a proposal to remember. However, Soules did admit that he was torn between Bischoff and 26-year-old chiropractic assistant, Becca Tilley. At least until the final moments. Tilley revealed in several interviews that she didn’t really fall in love with Soules because they were never able to spend a lot of time together during the show.

    So it looks like Soules made the right decision by picking Bischoff. He also made the right choice with the ring that he gave her. The ring, a massive emerald-cut Neil Lane engagement ring, looked absolutely beautiful. The platinum and diamond ring reportedly weighs four carats and features an emerald-cut center stone. The stone is surrounded by a halo made up of round diamonds.

    The extremely detailed ring reportedly costs just under $100,000, so if you’re planning on proposing to your loved one with a ring like that, it’s best you start saving your money.

  • Paula Patton: Why She’s Still Thankful Despite Divorce From Robin Thicke

    Paula Patton recently appeared on Good Morning America to talk about her new role as a brand ambassador for Ellen Tracy. However, the conversation also touched on her split with RnB singer Robin Thicke. According to Patton, she is doing well despite the separation being challenging. “I feel like everything happens for a reason,” she says. “And then you have to move on and grow from there.” The separation, which Patton and Thicke announced last year, is especially hard since they’ve been married for nine years and they were even high school sweethearts. However, Thicke’s addiction to drugs and alcohol became a sore point in their marriage.

    Patton is currently asking for joint custody over their four-year-old son, Julian. “The thing is, you can’t wallow in sadness or stay in bed when you have a child. And they’re so full of life and wonder. And he brings me so much joy,” she said in the interview. “Usually the positive in your life outweighs that and you have to just be thankful for what you have right now.”

    Not only is Thicke going through a divorce, he’s also embroiled in a trial against Marvin Gaye’s estate over the song, “Blurred Lines”, and its similarities with Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up”. The timing of Paula’s appearance on Good Morning America coincides with the closing arguments for the “Blurred Lines” trial.

    It was recently revealed that Patton will not be joining the cast of Mission Impossible 5 and that the female lead for the film will played by Rebecca Ferguson of Hercules fame. According to Mission Impossible 5 director Christopher McQuarrie, Patton’s busy schedule is the reason she won’t be reprising her role from Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

    Paula Patton is set to play a character in the film adaptation of the popular videogame Warcraft.

  • Kandi Burruss Now Has Beef With Phaedra Parks?

    The Real Housewives of Atlanta is no stranger to feuds. In fact, every episode focuses on the girls fighting and then trying to make up. And while it looks like the show is split into two camps with NeNe, Phaedra, Porsha on one side and Claudia, Kenya, and Cynthia on the other, one cast member seems to be caught in the middle of it all. Kandi Burruss is not only caught between the other cast members’ feuds, she’s also facing problems of her own. Her musical, A Mother’s Love, failed to take off, and on top of that, she’s also fighting with her mom.

    “Mom and I had been arguing a lot at that time, and I just felt that she never accepted any responsibility for being wrong. She always finds a way to make me the bad guy,” Burruss told BravoTV about her feud with her mother. “When she said I’ve changed and that I’m not there for my family, I was too through!” For Burruss, the reason why she doesn’t visit her mother is because she wants to avoid all the negativity. Because being in the middle of feuding reality TV stars is grueling enough as it is.

    In the same interview, Burruss also opened up about Phaedra Parks. Parks thinks that Kandi is siding with Apollo because he is good friends with Kandi’s husband, Todd. “I didn’t even know Phaedra had a problem with me like that,” Burruss said in the interview. “I have argued with Todd defending Phaedra. I have defended Phaedra when Apollo came around talking B.S. to everyone about their relationship. There have been plenty of times that I have taken up for Phaedra. No one can say that I have taken anybody’s side against her.”

    Despite the countless times the group attempted to make peace with each other, it looks like the fighting will never stop until they stop talking behind each other’s backs.

  • Amy Schumer: “A Guy Could Literally Pull His D**k Out” And He’d Be A Thinker

    Amy Schumer is one of the funniest comedians around, regardless of gender. However, her self-deprecating humor and her observational comedy centering on beauty standards and sex does offer a feminist slant. Her show Inside Amy Schumer has proven to be a success, and she will now be starring in the new Judd Apatow film Trainwreck, which she also co-wrote. She recently appeared in Night of Too Many Stars and delivered a brilliant 5-minute stand-up routine about sexism in Hollywood, and her observations couldn’t be more spot on.

    “In L.A. my arms register as legs,” Schumer joked after saying that she’s glad that the show is held in New York. “They’re like, ‘What is that octopus walking around?’” The rest of her routine was centered on Hollywood’s obsession with body image, with Schumer saying that she was surprised that producers let her star in Trainwreck in the first place. However, Schumer said that the film’s producers have one condition: she has to stop eating.

    “Maybe I don’t need to do anything. They asked me to star in a movie. Am I maybe gorgeous? I think every girl has this sneaking suspicion, but then my stunt double was a guy,” Schumer said, which elicited a round of applause and laughter from the audience.

    And she did not stop at Hollywood’s obsession with losing weight. She even poked fun at her role as a female comedian. “I think that I get labeled a sex comic just because I’m a woman,” she said. “I feel like a guy could get up here and literally pull his d**k out and everyone would be like, ‘He’s a thinker.’”

    Inside Amy Schumer has been renewed by Comedy Central for a third season which will last for 10 episodes. The show is a sketch comedy series that shares the same themes as her stand-up routine, so it’s definitely PG-13.

  • Becca Tilley Says She Didn’t Love Chris Soules, Didn’t Get Picked

    In the finale of The Bachelor, Chris Soules picked Whitney Bischoff over Becca Tilley. However, Tilley admits that she’s perfectly fine with Soules’ decision. “I knew going into the day that I wasn’t going to be able to say what Chris needed to hear for him to choose me,” Tilley says. “I was preparing myself the night before for what was going to happen.” It’s the most drama-free break-up in The Bachelor history. According to Tilley, she can’t just lie and tell Soules that she loved him. She did admit that she could’ve fallen for the farmer from Iowa if she had more time to know him better.

    “I haven’t been in love before,” Tilley told Us Weekly. “I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I knew in my gut that it wasn’t right and that it wasn’t there yet. I think that’s where my head was at the end, that if I had more time I could get there, but I didn’t know that.”

    And since Tilley likes to get to know the guys she is dating first before starting a serious relationship, it seems we won’t be seeing her in The Bachelor spinoff show, Bachelor in Paradise. Tilley seems to be as old-fashioned as they come when it comes to relationships, which is why some people are wondering why she signed up for The Bachelor in the first place.

    Tilley explained her decision in an Instagram post.

    I’ve had the question asked: ‘why did you go on this show?’….Why not? I had the time of my life. Met some amazing girls who will be in my life forever and met an amazing guy who showed me that there are good guys out there- the kind who are patient and genuine.

    A photo posted by beccatilley5 (@beccatilley5) on

    While Tilley didn’t find love in the show, it’s good to see that it was still a rewarding experience for her.

  • Why Is Nina Pham, Ebola Survivor, Suing Texas Health?

    Last October, Nina Pham became the first person to contract Ebola in the United States. Pham, a nurse for Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, got the disease from Thomas Eric Duncan. Duncan, who passed away while he was being treated, was a Liberian national and the first-ever Ebola patient in the US. Pham has survived her battle with Ebola, but now she is fighting another battle: she has filed a lawsuit against her employers for contributing to the factors that led to her being contaminated by the deadly disease.

    According to reports, Pham is suffering from body aches, hair loss, and other symptoms attributed to post-Ebola syndrome. She is also reportedly fearing the long-term effects of four experimental drugs administered to her by the hospital during her treatment. “The fact is, I’m facing a number of issues with regard to my health and my career and the lawsuit provides a way to address them,” Pham said in a statement with regards to her lawsuit. “But more importantly, it will help uncover the truth of what happened, and educate all health care providers and administrators about ways to be better prepared for the next public health emergency.”

    The lawsuit also alleges that Texas Presbyterian’s parent company, Texas Health Resources, ignored her request for privacy and released information about her to the public in order to boost their PR. On October 16 last year, Texas Health Resources released a grainy video of Pham in a hospital bed. The video was meant to update the public about her condition. According to Pham, the interview was an ambush and that she didn’t consent to being videotaped.

    In the court filing, Pham also accused Texas Health Resources of ignoring CDC protocol by assigning Duncan to her care. According to Pham, she was not trained with the handling of Ebola patients and that all of the information she used during that time, she acquired from the internet or from conversations with fellow nurses.

  • Kim Kardashian: How She Stole Paris Fashion Week 2015

    Kim Kardashian has been making waves in France during Paris Fashion Week. First, she showed off her new blonde hairdo, then she appeared in a racy see-through cage dress courtesy of Balmain. Make-up malfunction aside, she managed to steal the spotlight every single time she went out in public. Because after all, if Kim Kardashian’s going to make some risky fashion choices, it’s better to do it during Paris Fashion Week. In Kim’s case, her fashion choice was an example of the rewards outweighing the risks.

    Let’s start with the “bondage dress”. The Balmain cage dress was originally worn by her sister Kendall Jenner on the catwalk back in September. The dress is part of Balmain’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection. Kim partnered the dress with a pair of black knickers and a bandeau bra, leaving little to the imagination. She wore the ensemble for a photo shoot in the French capital. Leaving the studio, Kim decided to keep the dress on but added a fur coat as well as black boots to complete the look.

    Last week, Kim unveiled her blonde hairdo, but it proved to be only the first phase of her plan to go full platinum. On March 7, she completed had her hair touched up at a hair salon in Paris, unveiling her platinum locks during the photo shoot. Celebrity hair stylist, Nicky Clarke, said that going for a platinum blonde hair color costs £300-400 at one of his salons.

    “It would probably take a long session of at least two hours just to get the original color out and then another three hours to bleach the hair into the new color,” Clark told MailOnline. “The look is a very high maintenance one and not without issue as her darker roots are going to show after one week because her natural color is so very dark.”

  • Why Did Jenelle Evans Get Pinned Against A Toilet? Nathan Griffith Arrested For Domestic Abuse

    On March 4, Nathan Griffith was arrested on domestic abuse charges after an altercation with Teen Mom star, Jenelle Evans. The incident happened shortly after Evans skipped a court custody case that would determine whether she would regain custody of her oldest son, Jace. A source for Us Weekly says that Evans postponed the case in order to attend couple’s counseling with Griffith. However, it all turned badly after they got into it over undisclosed reasons.

    According to a police report from the local police department, Jenelle Evans had been staying in a hotel. When she returned to the home she was sharing with Griffith to grab some things she needed for school, they got into a huge fight. Griffith allegedly asked for Evans to give back her engagement ring. According to the report, Evans went to the master bathroom and sat on the toilet. Griffith followed her into the room and allegedly pinned her against the toilet before he forcibly removed the engagement ring off her finger, leaving a cut on her pinky. Evans told police that after he got the ring, Griffith took the keys to the couple’s car and tried to leave the scene.

    Griffith told police that he never touched Evans and that she was the one who took off the engagement ring and threw it at him. He also told police that Evans was the violent one in the relationship, and he showed some scars on his back from a previous altercation with Evans.

    According to reports, an MTV crew was there when the incident took place. However, they were locked outside the house the entire time. The crew told police that they never saw what transpired, but they heard the couple screaming and yelling inside.

    This is not the first time that Evans has been involved in a domestic dispute. She previously filed an assault charge against her ex-husband, Courtland Rogers.

  • How Did Tina Fey’s Comedy About A Doomsday Cult Survivor Become A Hit?

    How Did Tina Fey’s Comedy About A Doomsday Cult Survivor Become A Hit?

    In his review of the new Tina Fey comedy, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Kevin Fallon praised the show for its unabashed positivity in a time when people are going for dark, brooding, cynical shows and protagonists. And it is perfectly spot on. One of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s draws is finding comedy in what is essentially a dark and unusual premise. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt follows the titular character, played by Ellie Kemper, who was a member of a doomsday cult. After 15 years living underground the cult members are rescued, with Kimmy choosing to move to New York to find a job and live her life. Joining Kimmy in her adventures is a colorful cast of characters including Jane Krakowski as her new employer, Titus Burgess as Kimmy’s new roommate, and the legendary Carol Kane as her new landlord.

    And the best part about the show? All 13 episodes of The Unbreakable Schmidt is available on Netflix. In an interview with ETonline about the show’s beginnings, Fey said, “We made these first 13 episodes for NBC and then we were talking with NBC and they were like, ‘We don’t know where we can put it. We don’t have any shows like this anymore. We don’t have that many single camera comedies coming up.’ And they gave us the opportunity to talk to Netflix. Within like two or three days the whole thing was a deal.”

    Fey also found a brilliant lead actress in Kemper, who’s known for her bubbly characters like Erin in The Office. Talking to NPR about the character, Kemper says, “There’s a tenacity there, that I think, without it, a woman would not have been able to endure a situation like she has endured. So while Kimmy is totally un-jaded and invigorated and optimistic and inspired by this new world she has before her, she’s also very fierce and tough.”

  • Bobbi Kristina Brown: “Strong Evidence Of Foul Play” Involving Nick Gordon?

    Bobby Brown’s sister, Leolah Brown, has a lot to say about Nick Gordon and the current investigation regarding the incident that left Bobbi Kristina Brown in a coma. After finding out that Bobbi Kristina’s boyfriend, Nick Gordon, will be appearing on Dr. Phil’s TV show, she wrote a Facebook post alleging that Gordon is under investigation for attempted murder. “We have strong evidence of foul play. Until this investigation is completed by law enforcement, I would ask that you or anyone else not provide this individual a platform to spin this situation to his benefit,” Leolah wrote in the post which was personally addressed to Dr. Phil.

    It should be noted that police have not confirmed that Gordon is under investigation for any crime, but they did reveal that they’re treating Bobbi Kristina’s case as a criminal investigation.

    Gordon is set to appear on The Dr. Phil Show in a pre-taped episode. According to TMZ, Gordon believed that it was going to be an interview. However, it was actually an intervention organized by his mother and Dr. Phil. Also according to TMZ, Gordon was high on drugs and alcohol prior to the intervention and that he punched two of Dr. Phil’s staff on his way out. It was revealed that Gordon checked himself into rehab following the intervention.

    In Leolah Brown’s Facebook post, she urged Gordon to step forward and share any information he has on what exactly happened to Bobbi Kristina. “If Nick Gordon does not have the courage to speak with my brother Bobby Brown and/or law enforcement about what happened the day my niece’s body was found in a bathtub, he does not deserve to have a platform to speak to anyone of your caliber until this investigation is concluded,” she wrote.

    Post by Leolah PrayerWorks.
    On January 21, Gordon and a friend found an unresponsive Bobbi Kristina in the bathtub at her home in Roswell, Georgia. She has been in a coma ever since.

  • Crohn’s Disease Linked To Additives Common In The Food We Eat

    A recent study has proven that additives found in food such as margarine, ice cream, and processed food products may be responsible for inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis as well as other illnesses tied with obesity and metabolic problems. The study focused on emulsifiers, which are chemicals used in processed food to improve food texture and to extend shelf life. They conducted the experiment using mice, feeding them emulsifiers diluted in food and water.

    Scientists found that emulsifiers change the composition of gut bacteria in the mice. It is believed by the researchers that it’s this change that leads to not only inflammatory bowel diseases, but also causes overeating thereby increasing the risk for type-2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

    Georgia State University microbiologist Bernard Chassaing claims that the effects seen in mice can be observed in humans as well. Many of their colleagues have disputed the research claiming that the doses of emulsifiers used on the mice (polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose) exceeds the levels of the additive that an average human consumes.

    The scientiists defended their research saying that while emulsifiers do not directly contribute to metabolic diseases like diabetes, it does directly cause overeating which is the leading cause of obesity-related illnesses. “We do not disagree with the commonly held assumption that overeating is a central cause of obesity and metabolic syndrome,” Georgia State immunologist Andrew Gewirtz said. “Rather, our findings reinforce the concept suggested by earlier work that low-grade inflammation resulting from an altered microbiota can be an underlying cause of excess eating.”

    It seems that history is also on Chassaing’s side, as it is proven that incidents of inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic syndrome started rising in the mid-20th century, around the same time that the use of emulsifiers became common practice.

    “We were thinking there was some non-genetic factor out there, some environmental factor, that would be explaining the increase in these chronic inflammatory diseases,” Gewirtz said. “And we thought that emulsifiers were a good candidate because they are so ubiquitous and their use has roughly paralleled the increase in these diseases. But I guess we were surprised at how strong the effects were.”

    The researchers responsible for the study are now preparing to conduct tests on humans. It’s currently unknown if the experiment will yield similar results when conducted on humans. However, if it does, then it seems Chassaing and his associates may have finally found the underlying cause of obesity.

  • Elisha Cuthbert Receives Apology From TSN, Now Wants Money For Defamation

    TSN have found themselves in the middle of a social media controversy after Joffrey Lupul, Dion Phaneuf, and Phaneuf’s wife Elisha Cuthbert threatened them with a lawsuit over a tweet that the network published on-air. The tweet insinuated that Lupul and Cuthbert were having an affair. The offending tweet appeared on a crawl during the network’s NHL trade deadline coverage. On March 3, TSN issued a public apology delivered by lead anchor James Duthie.

    “Yesterday when TSN was reporting on the NHL trade deadline it displayed a scrolling ticker of tweets from the public. In spite of TSN’s protocols to prevent unfounded and inappropriate tweets from making it to air, a false, and inappropriate tweet was allowed to run,” Duthie said. “There was no basis for the false allegation made in this tweet. TSN unreservedly apologizes to Joffrey Lupul, Dion Phaneuf and Elisha Cuthbert and regrets any embarrassment this unfortunate incident has caused to them.”

    Gall Legge Grant and Munroe LLP, the law firm representing the offended parties, demanded that aside from issuing a public apology, TSN should pay damages to the people involved because they were victims of false and defamatory reporting. The law firm also extended the lawsuit to Anthony Adragna, the user responsible for the tweet.

    “It is bad enough that there are people who spend their time using social media to publish such false and malicious stories, but it is made much worse when a reputable media outlet like TSN gives broad circulation and credibility to these false stories by republishing them as TSN did,” the law firm said in a statement.

    This is not the first time that Cuthbert became involved in a scandal relating to the NHL. In 2009, Cuthbert’s former boyfriend Sean Avery was suspended after he more or less accused Cuthbert of being an NHL groupie. Avery was suspended by the league because he made “inappropriate remarks that were not related to the game”.

    Elisha Cuthbert is an actress known for his work on films like The Girl Next Door and several TV shows including 24, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and Happy Endings.  Dion Phaneuf, on the other hand, is a defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Phaneuf is known for his aggressive style of play and for his loose, offensive hits that have angered several players in the past.

    Cuthbert and Phaneuf started dating in 2008. The couple got married in July of 2013.

  • Alec Baldwin Tries His Hand At Rapping For Worthy Cause [VIDEO]

    Alec Baldwin may be starting a career as a rap artist. The actor was recently seen rapping in a video that Chance the Rapper posted on Instagram. The video shows Chance beatboxing while Baldwin raps beside him. This unlikely collaboration came about because Baldwin and Chance the Rapper took part in a fundraiser for Young Chicago Authors, an organization that Chance holds close to his heart. They were joined at the event by Alfre Woodard and A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali. The Young Chicago Authors is an organization that “engages youth in the act of storytelling through spoken word, verse, traditional journalism, playwriting, fiction and many other forms”.

    Chance the Rapper wrote on his Instagram post, “This is me beatboxing while Alec Baldwin raps, he is for the people. Him, Alfred Woodard and Ali from Tribe came thru the city to help raise money for YCA, the organization that built and developed myself and @Malcolmlondon into the leaders we have become. Give it up for them. Beautiful leaders we can all learn from #Chicago #LongLiveTheYoung #YCA.”

    Chance and Baldwin performed the song live to promote the YCA’s Louder than a Bomb poetry festival. The lyrics are actually taken from Carl Sandburg’s poem, “Chicago”.

    Alec Baldwin and Chance the Rapper have a lot more in common than you would believe. Both of them are philanthropists, with Chance being involved in a lot of charities and organizations in his hometown of Chicago. He frequently speaks out about the dangers of gun violence in Chicago communities.

    Chance the Rapper burst onto the scene with his mixtapes 10 Day and Acid Rap, with Acid Rap securing his spot as one of the best upcoming rappers in recent years. The mixtape received critical acclaim and was included in several “Best Albums of 2013” lists. In January 2015, Chance the Rapper was listed #7 on the “Forbes 30 under 30” 2015 music list.

  • Sara Gilbert And Wife Linda Perry Are Now Proud Parents Of A Baby Boy

    On Saturday, February 28, Sara Gilbert gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Gilbert’s co-hosts in The Talk shared the news on the show’s March 2nd episode. They shared a photo of the baby, named Rhodes Emilio Gilbert Perry. “Our very own Sara and her wife Linda are the proud parents of a new baby boy and both mother and child are doing well,” co-host Julie Chen said on the show.

    Gilbert also revealed her pregnancy in the talk show after she declined to join her co-hosts in a segment that required them to participate in a dare that involved having a bed of nails placed on their stomachs. “I really do believe in facing your fears and doing things that make you uncomfortable, but I actually can’t do the dare because I’m pregnant,” Gilbert said to her stunned co-hosts.

    Gilbert and Perry started dating in 2011, right after Gilbert came out as a lesbian. They married just last year. Prior to her career as a talk show host, Gilbert made a name for herself for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. Perry, on the other hand, sang vocals for 4 Non Blondes. She now works as a record producer, scoring hits with such acts as Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, and Adam Lambert.

    Gilbert and Perry were spotted shopping days before Gilbert gave birth. Sara, wearing a casual outfit that covered her belly, was drinking a beverage alongside Perry. Rhodes is Sara’s third child. She has two children – son Levi, 10, and daughter Sawyer, 7 – with her ex-partner for a decade, Ari Adler. The identity of Rhodes’ surrogate father is currently unknown, with Gilbert and Perry keeping the identity of their sperm donor a secret.


    Sara and Linda will be celebrating their first wedding anniversary on March 30, right as baby Rhodes becomes one month old.

  • Tamir Rice: Cleveland Police Kill 12-Year-Old Boy, City Says He Caused His Own Death

    Last year, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed by a police officer outside a recreational center in Cleveland. It was later revealed that Rice was carrying a toy gun. Rice’s family filed a wrongful death suit against the city of Cleveland. Now, the city of Cleveland has responded to the suit saying that it was Rice’s own fault why he was shot and killed. The 41-page response says that Rice’s injuries “were directly and proximately caused by the failure of Plaintiffs’ decedent to exercise due care to avoid injury”.

    Rice’s family and their representatives have spoken out about the city’s response to their suit. “The Rice family maintains that Tamir was shot and killed unnecessarily by Cleveland police officers,” Rice family co-counsel Walter Madison said in a statement. “Their tactics that preceded his death and the subsequent victim blaming are examples of the institutionalized behavior that has beset the Cleveland Police Department. The Rice family’s lawsuit seeks to eliminate certain institutional behaviors and practices that have no place in our diverse community.”

    There are a lot of things that went wrong during the Tamir Rice shooting. One of them was that a witness called 911 to say that Rice was scaring people with his gun, mentioning that it was probably fake. However, this information wasn’t relayed to Officer Frank Gamback and Officer Timothy Loehmann, who shot Rice a mere two seconds after arriving at the scene.

    The police officers also failed to provide medical assistance, until an FBI agent arrived on the scene four minutes later. Rice was sent to the hospital, but he died the next day.

    A two-year investigation into the Cleveland Police Department revealed that they are guilty of using excessive force. It was also reported that Loehmann has a spotty history in law enforcement and that his previous employer, a small suburban police force, had complaints about Loehmann’s emotional state and his inability to manage stress.

  • Bill Murray And Rap Boss Rick Ross: An Unlikely Pairing That Makes Sense

    It’s an unlikely pairing, but somehow it makes sense. Rapper Rick Ross and comedian Bill Murray crossed paths over the weekend when they both attended the Rhode Island vs. La Salle basketball game in Philadelphia. Murray was at the game to support his son Luke who is an assistant coach for the Rhode Island Rams. After the Rams won the game, Murray decided to celebrate with Ross at his studio. And judging by the pictures, everyone had fun. Paul Shaffer, David Letterman’s sidekick/bandleader, even showed up for the festivities.

    This kind of behavior is to be expected of Murray, who’s now received cult status of sorts not just because of his work in the big screen but also because of his off-screen persona. During a Q&A last year, Murray was asked, “What is it like to be Bill Murray?” And his answer? “There’s a wonderful sense of well-being that begins to circulate. . . up and down your spine,” Murray says. “And you feel something that makes you almost want to smile. So what’s it like to be me? Ask yourself, ‘what’s it like to be me?’ The only way we’ll ever know what it’s like to be you is if you work your best at being you as often as you can, and keep reminding yourself that’s where home is.”

    A photo posted by Ricky Rozay (@richforever) on

    A photo posted by Ricky Rozay (@richforever) on

    He’s known for giving advice not only at his Q&A’s but also at a bachelor parties. He’s been known to photobomb people, even going so far as to crash engagement photo shoots. It was also recently revealed that Murray is a hip-hop head as evidenced by the time he crashed a birthday party to dance to DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s “Turn down for What”. Now the whole Rick Ross thing makes a whole lot of sense.

    Now the important question: will there be a Rick Ross and Billy Murray collaboration in the near future? The answer is still uncertain, but we won’t be surprised if it does happen.

  • ‘Whiplash’: Watch The Short Film That Led To The Oscar Winning Movie

    Whiplash has garnered critical acclaim recently, and is even considered one of the underdogs this award season. And it was well-deserved. It was a tightly-scripted, cleverly-directed film with standout performances from Mile Teller and JK Simmons (who won an Academy Award for his role as the drum teacher from hell, Dr. Fletcher). However, unbeknownst to some, the film actually started out as a short film in order to get funding for director Damien Chazale’s final version that was seen in theaters. It was because of this short that the Academy Awards nominated Whiplash for Best Adapated Screenplay rather than Best Original Screenplay.

    While some may dispute the fact, saying, “How could it be adapted when it was the same screenplay used for the full length?” it’s a thing of the past now. What’s done is done. It doesn’t change the fact that Whiplash is one of the best films of 2014.

    In his review for the Whiplash Blu-ray release, Matthew Jacobson of The Spectrum wrote, “Forgive the hyperbole, but it was probably the most stressful hour and change I’ve ever experienced where nothing was actually happening to me.”

    The Whiplash short film is essentially a recreation of one sequence in the full length. It was here that JK Simmons showed the brilliance that would eventually lead to an Oscar. However, the role of the young drummer that would eventually go to Miles Teller, was played by Johnny Simmons in the short film. The Whiplash short film garnered rave reviews, and due to the short’s reception, Chazale was able to get funding for his debut full length version of Whiplash.

    Now, with the Blu-ray of Whiplash being released last week, you can now watch the short film that started it all. A user uploaded the entire short film on YouTube, and it’s nice to see how everything would have played out in an alternate universe where Miles Teller didn’t get the lead role.

    ‘Whiplash’: Watch The Short Film That Inspired The Movie

  • Kathy Griffin Determined To Save ‘Fashion Police’ With Departure Of Kelly Osbourne

    After criticizing Giuliana Rancic’s comments regarding Zendaya’s hairstyle in a recent episode of Fashion Police, Kelly Osbourne has found herself forced out of the show. A source told Radar Online said that network executives “told Kelly they would allow her to resign. But if she had refused, she would have been immediately fired.”

    “Most of the drama and damage that happened in the aftermath of Giuliana’s comments about Zendaya was because of tweeting about it,” says the source. “Speaking out so publicly against the show on social media made things so much worse.” Now that Kelly’s gone, it’s rumored that Kathy Griffin is determined to save Fashion Police by bringing in none other than Khloe Kardashian.

    “With Kelly gone, the show will be able to move forward in a very positive direction. Kathy plans on doing some fun skits,” the source said. “During recent months behind the scenes, Kathy and Khloe have established mutual respect for each other. Khloe has a terrific eye for fashion, and Kathy has been assured Kardashian jokes wouldn’t be off limits.”

    The insider previously said that Osbourne has never been the same since Joan Rivers passed away, and that she has always been thinking of leaving the show now that Rivers is gone. “Kelly is still mourning the loss of Joan Rivers. The show just hasn’t been fun for Kelly lately, and she wants to quit,” the source previously said. “Joan was the glue that held everyone together and always quelled spats between Giuliana and Kelly.”

    It’s definitely a different show with Rivers gone. And now, with the departure of Osbourne and George Katsiopolous, some TV insiders are saying that Fashion Police should just throw in the towel. With the recent scandal involving Giuliana Rancic striking a huge blow for the show, perhaps it is indeed time to consider the show’s future.

  • Dorinda Medley Expected To Bring More Drama To ‘The Real Housewives Of New York’

    New York socialite Dorinda Medley will be joining the cast of The Real Housewives of New York. The new season of The Real Housewives of New York is set to premiere on April 7 and promises more drama and more excitement with the inclusion of Medley in the cast. Medley had the opportunity to join the reality show with the help of her friends, cast members Ramona Singer and Countess Luann De Lesseps.

    “I live on the Upper East Side, and it’s a small fishbowl up here. I am not going to be that ball of yarn that came out of nowhere,” the 50-year-old Medley told the NY Post. “I know these girls. I know their world. I’ve even done a few cameos. So I thought, why not give it a try and see if it is something that suits me?”

    In the late ‘80s, Medley married a Scotsman and moved to London. She started a cashmere company that became a favorite of the late Princess Diana. “It was 1989. I got Princess Diana to be one of my clients, and project [the company] forward with the British classes,” Medley said. After 10 years in London, she got divorced and moved back to New York.

    Medley ventured into the realm of real estate. She met her second husband, Richard Medley, after she sold him an Upper East Side townhouse. Richard passed away in 2011. “I’ve been presented with a lot of different challenges and that’s why I wasn’t afraid to be on the ‘Housewives.’ The whole point is to keep going foward and try again,” Medley says.

    In the same interview, Medley reveals that she knows how to handle the drama that comes along with being in a reality show. “I like to see a good argument between two people. I think you learn when you argue,” she says. “It’s just an expression of your opinion.”

     

  • Phil Robertson Blames The Beatniks And The Hippies For STDs, Receives Award From Conservative Group

    Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson is at it again. Robertson has been in hot water in the past because of his controversial views on race and homosexuality. While mainstream media has chastised him for his comments, it turned him into a conservative folk hero of sorts. Robertson was given the “Andrew Breitbart Defender of the First Amendment Award” at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference on February 27. When the Duck Dynasty patriarch took to the stage to receive the award, he went on a tirade about everything from STDs to the Islamic State.

    “I don’t want you, America, to get sick,” Robertson said. “You’re disease-free, and she’s disease-free — you marry, you keep your sex right there. You won’t get sick from a sexually transmitted disease.” He adds, “There is a penalty to be paid from what the beatniks, and it morphed into the hippies — you say, what do you call the 110 million with the sexually transmitted illness? It is the revenge of the hippies! Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll have come back to haunt us in a bad way.”

    The main gist of his message seems to be that Americans should marry their sexual partners and abstain from having sex outside of marriage. “You want a godly, biblical, medically safe option? One man, one woman — married for life,” he said. “I’m trying to help you for crying out loud, America! If I didn’t care about you, why would I bring this up? I wouldn’t care!”

    Robertson also went off on a bizarre tangent where he compared the Islamic State to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. According to Robertson, all three wanted territorial conquest, killed people, and didn’t believe in Jesus. “Some people studied the Constitution to uphold it. But there are some who study it so that they can circumvent it, right? Stand on the Bible. Stand on the Constitution. Don’t budge. Hold onto your weapons,” Robertson said.