The name Brian Michael Firkus might not sound familiar. However, you may recognize him by his stage name, Trixie Mattel. 

Firkus, a performer who is a drag queen, singer, and TV personality, has created a character in Mattel that is memorable for her voluminous blond tresses, dramatic black-and-pastel eye makeup, flamboyant outfits, and delightfully campy aura. 

Mattel’s empire has continued to flourish and grow, extending to a YouTube channel and a cosmetics collection. She has sometimes collaborated with another drag queen, Katya Zamolodchikova. Their camaraderie led to the publication of a New York Times best-selling book, Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood (2020). 

David Silver has been at Mattel’s side throughout her ascent to stardom as a boyfriend, staunch ally, collaborator, and rock to lean upon. Here’s what we know about Trixie Mattel’s real-life love.

Who Is David Silver?

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David Silver is a film and TV producer who was a production assistant for Batman Begins (2005) starring Christian Bale and Katie Holmes and The Break-Up (2006) with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. 

Silver was a producer for Kittie: Spit In Your Eye (2000) with Fallon Bowman and executive producer for Please Baby Please (2022), whose cast included Demi Moore and Andrea Riseborough.

Mattel And Silver Have Been Dating Since 2016

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Sometimes, the pair gives fans a peek into their lives with snaps of their trips and activities on their Instagram accounts. Silver might even drop in on one of Mattel’s YouTube videos from time to time for a cameo appearance.

In 2020, Mattel confided to 48 Hills how she feels about Silver. “I love my boyfriend. He’s really my world and he comes on tour and stays on the bus with me.”

She also mentioned that she’s “pretty private” about him. “I don’t post a lot of pictures, but I definitely write songs about him.”

They’ve Collaborated On Several Creative Projects Together

Silver was the executive producer for Mattel’s 2019 Netflix documentary, Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts, which revealed some aspects of their relationship.

As The WOW Report stated, Mattel summed up the essence of the film succinctly: “It’s a lot of what happens in the other 23 hours in a day of being a drag queen.” 

Mattel admits that she was a bit wary of working so closely with the man in her life. She told The WOW Report, “Originally, I don’t like to work with anybody that I have a relationship with, but my manager at the time and David both came to me separately and said, ‘You should do a film about this section of your life because so many things are happening.’”

In the end, working with Silver turned out to be a great move. Mattel seemed very pleased with the result, even though being observed during awkward or personal moments while filming it wasn’t always easy for her. 

“This is you in a cab with me, in a shower with me, backstage with me. Everywhere. I never once asked them to leave the room or stop filming. You got the best and worst of it. But there really were some moments where I’m watching it back, like, this is magical.”

In 2022, Mattel told The Cinemaholic that she lovingly wanted Moving Parts to be a major artistic triumph for Silver, rather than just a vehicle to make herself and her brand even more famous. Silver was actually one of the first people who encouraged Mattel to make a documentary about herself.

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“Our relationship has been five years…of watching all my dreams come true,” Brian [Mattel] said, “…and this project is one of David’s dreams that I really, really want to see come true.”

Silver was an executive producer and starred as himself in Trixie Motel (2022), a Discovery+ reality TV show that depicted his and Mattel’s latest splashy adventure: renovating the run-down Ruby Montana’s Coral Sands Inn in tony Palm Springs, California, by imbuing it with outrageous, Trixie Mattel-style decor.

This project wasn’t any old fixer-upper, however. Silver and Mattel reportedly sunk a cool $2 million into the endeavor, according to Entertainment Weekly. 

Thanks to Mattel, there was tons of over-the-top extravagance, plenty of wacky whimsy, and help from a bunch of famous folks like Lisa Vanderpump and Iggy Azalea. Voila—the perfect site for a glam getaway!

Mix it all together and you have  a reality TV feast that was co-produced by Jonathan and Drew Scott of Property Brothers renown. 

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Mattel explained to Entertainment Weekly how the idea for the project suddenly popped into her and Silver’s minds. “My partner and I were watching A Very Brady Renovation during COVID, and we had a joke about a ‘Trixie Motel’ because of the play on the words. Then we were like, what if we actually did?”

She added, “I’m a drag queen. This motel is the ultimate stunt that no other drag queen or other celebrity would even attempt because it’s psycho. It’s psychotic to do this,” Mattel joked.

Mattel clearly took great pride in the whole effort from start to finish. It was probably even more special to her because she and Silver did it together. “We thought of something brilliant, we pursued it, and this is going to be the most lit thing that’s ever existed.”

Trixie Mattel and David Silver are successfully sharing their lives and careers. With Silver’s support and creative input, Mattel has risen to new heights of fame, fortune, and fantasy. We certainly want to see what this talented celebrity couple dreams up next!

Howard Stern dubbed himself “King of All Media,” and that’s not just empty swagger. He has achieved tremendous success on radio with The Howard Stern Show, in publishing, with films, and on television. 

One of Stern’s daughters, Emily Beth Stern, is a talented and accomplished artist who has chosen a uniquely different path from her famous father’s. Emily’s admirers are eager to learn more about her life and career. Here is the scoop on this gifted woman.

Emily Is Howard Stern’s Eldest Daughter

Howard Stern has three daughters—Emily, Deborah, and Ashley—from his first marriage to Alison Berns. The couple married in 1978, separated in 1999, and divorced in 2001.

Emily is the eldest of the three. She was born on May 7, 1983, in New York.

She Studied Theatre At New York University

Emily graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, but her dreams of a career as an actress hit an unexpected snag.

She landed the role of Madonna in an off-off-Broadway play, Kabbalah, at the Triad Theater on W. 73rd Street in 2005. Emily was reportedly so thrilled about the opportunity that she dyed her dark hair blond to resemble the Material Girl more closely. She also went nude, the New York Post reported.

The production got negative reviews and attracted few theater-goers. To lure larger audiences, director Tuvia Tenenbom allegedly exploited Emily’s connection to Howard Stern and a non-consensually filmed video of a scantily clad Emily during a rehearsal. 

Emily left the show after six weeks. She was backed up by Howard’s lawyers, the Post reported. “I told the director, ‘Don’t advertise who I am.’ He manipulated my love for the show for his gain,” Emily said.

Tenenbom had a very different take on the situation. He told the New York Daily News that Emily is a “Jewish-American princess” and Howard is “a psycho.”

He allegedly said he had not exposed Emily’s relationship to Howard and that it was actually made public on two websites for Howard Stern’s fans. Tenenbom also claimed that Howard deterred Emily from appearing in the play. 

Tenebom argued that Emily said, “My father basically told me that if I take the role [which requires her to be on stage nude for the last 10 minutes], that his enemies would buy blocks of tickets, throw garbage at my vagina, take nude pictures of me and put them all over the Internet.”

She’s A Singer

Emily released an album called Birth Day in 2012. Her website explained that she drew upon the sounds of nature, such as rain storms and bird songs: “After exploration with a band, Emily came to realize the natural world was the only thing wild enough to come close to where these songs were born in her.”

She’s Studying To Become A Rabbi

Emily’s Instagram bio describes her as a rabbinical student. In an interview with The Jewish Journal in 2008, she seemed to be at peace with herself and what she was doing at that time. 

Emily said that she combined Jewish religious practices with Transcendental Meditation, which “her family had practiced since she was young.”

She also studied the use of Balinese masks in theatrical contexts, wrote songs that she recorded and performed, appeared in a musical, Earth Sucks, and attended a Jewish renewal synagogue.

Emily had long felt connected to her Jewish heritage, according to an archived post from Jew in the City, but “the ritual element was always missing.” She evidently found what she was seeking in Orthodox Judaism. 

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She experienced a stunning moment of clarity when she happened upon a Havdalah ceremony at a yoga studio. A Jewish Renewal Havdalah is a religious ceremony at the conclusion of the Shabbat, or day of rest, on Saturday that also heralds a new week. 

That ceremony resonated deeply with Emily and catalyzed a new, even stronger sense of connection with her Jewish faith. 

Emily’s recommitment to her religion was not greeted with “too much pushback,” as Jew in the City phrased it, from her relatives and others close to her. They apparently respected her for embarking upon a spiritual journey that was so meaningful to her. 

An incident that gave Emily pause occurred in Israel, when her mother watched her praying and voiced concern about “losing her daughter” (per Jew in the City).

Emily kept uniting her artistry with her spiritual and religious faith. She joined an art fellowship at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education in New York. While she was there, she authored a play.  

Emily also was inspired to study the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) at Nishmat, The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women in Jerusalem.

She’s Passionate About Art

Her passion for creating art is intertwined with her love of the Torah. Its text inspired themes and characters she writes about. Emily’s art and her devotion to her faith are inseparable. One is typically present with the other. Those dual passions have come to define who she is. 

It seems as though this period of religious discovery—and self-discovery—spurred Emily’s artistic growth. She wrote Love Psalms, which she described as “a series of short, devotional love poems.” 

Emily took a series of photographs titled Wells of Miriam. Those images depict what was once an arid, withered landscape in Portugal that was miraculously reinvigorated by the introduction of water through water-retentive landscaping. 

That technique is impressively simple. As Jew in the City explained, it involves digging deep trenches that can fill with rainwater that can bring the soil back to life. Jew in the City concluded, “The final (and most fascinating) step is when the ditch is full to capacity…and becomes a mikvah.” 

That word, as noted on Emily’s website, can have several interpretations. In Hebrew, it can mean gathering, hope, and immersive bath.

Emily’s photos celebrated the concept of revitalizing the land as seen through the lens —both actual and metaphorical—of her religious faith. Her children’s book, The World’s a Song: So Come and Play, uses “poetry, whimsical illustrations, and 5 notated songs” to emphasize “support, discovery, and universal love.”

Emily Stern has emerged from her father Howard Stern’s shadow and created an artistic identity that is triumphantly her own. She has forged a career by exploring her vision of the world as seen from a religious and spiritual perspective. We hope Emily continues to produce artistic works that allow us to share her spiritual quest.

John Oliver got his first big career boost on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (1999-2015) in 2006. Stewart, on Ricky Gervais’ recommendation, summoned Oliver across the pond to the United States from his native England (according to The Hollywood Reporter).

After scoring various gigs over the years, Oliver received his very own program, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, in 2014. The Emmy-winning series has wowed viewers and critics alike. The show is believed by some to be so influential that it gets credited for having “the John Oliver effect” on legislation and popular culture.

Oliver’s wife, Kate Norley, who is from Arlington, Virginia, is truly a remarkable person in her own right. We looked into who she is and what the Olivers’ relationship is like. Here’s the lowdown on the amazing woman who shares the humorist’s life.

Who Is Kate Norley?

Kate Norley has definitely faced her share of major challenges. At the age of 16, she was struck by a vehicle while riding her bicycle. She sustained a head injury that was so severe she had to re-learn basic skills such as writing and reading. 

However, that did not deter her from enlisting in the U.S. Army just three years later at age 19, motivated by a desire to serve following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. 

Norley, an Iraq War veteran, was a mental health specialist who helped soldiers who were dealing with emotional trauma. She was also a counselor and a combat medic.

Norley has expressed tremendous gratitude for her military service, which she felt helped her to push her boundaries in unexpected ways. “The Army has given me a chance to do things I never dreamed I was capable of doing.” 

Oliver has voiced his unabashed admiration for Norley, calling her “one of [his] heroes,” Parade reported. “I’m incredibly proud of her for everything that she did and has done and is continuing to do and supporting everyone who she has served with.”

Even after her military service ended, Norley ardently wanted to continue to support our troops and veterans.

Working with an organization called Vets for Freedom, her activities have included advocating for funding to assist veterans and speaking out on their behalf on national media outlets such as Fox News (per Yahoo).

Norley also reportedly supports Team Rubicon. They describe themselves as “a veteran-led humanitarian organization” that responds following disasters and crises.

John Oliver Met His Wife At The 2008 Republican National Convention

Oliver and Norley first crossed paths in 2008 at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. There’s a bit more to the story, however.

Oliver, who was covering the GOP gathering for The Daily Show, was in a restricted area on the second level of the venue, the Xcel Energy Center, stated The Hollywood Reporter.

With event security taking notice and carrying only a temporary work visa, Oliver could have landed in big trouble. He was even at risk for deportation!

Fortunately, Norley—who was there with Vets for Freedom—along with other veterans who were in attendance, came to Oliver’s rescue by concealing him. 

Looking back on it, Oliver tersely assessed his plight on that day. “The end result is romantic; at the time, it just felt harrowing.”  

As for Oliver and Norley, they were friends for a while, then they began dating. Their relationship clearly caught fire and blossomed.

They Married In October 2011

Oliver proposed to Norley in July 2010 while they were vacationing in St. Thomas after they had been seeing each other for a couple of years. 

“I was a medic in the Army,” Norley told People. “It was difficult, but right now it’s nice that I get to spend time with the love of my life.”

Oliver characteristically joshed, “It’s the most emasculating thing I could possibly do to go out with someone who has actually done something valuable with their life.”

Evidently, the comedian’s joke couldn’t be further from the truth. Oliver doesn’t see his wife’s success as emasculating. In fact, he sometimes wears a 1st Cavalry Division pin on his lapel to honor Norley’s patriotism, bravery, and military service. 

Oliver and Norley make their home in New York City, close to the studio where he tapes Last Week Tonight.

They Share Two Sons

The Olivers became a happy trio in 2015 when their son was born. Near the conclusion of an episode of Last Week Tonight, Oliver said, “I have a son. He is 19 months old. He was born prematurely following a very difficult pregnancy.”

In 2018, at the Emmy Awards Governors Ball, Oliver told People that he and Norley had a second child three months earlier.

Oliver had his reasons for not trumpeting the birth of his and Norley’s new baby. It wasn’t because he’s not a genuinely proud papa. As he wittily told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show (per The Hollywood Reporter), “We didn’t really announce it because it doesn’t matter. To me, it matters a great deal. Let me make that clear.”

He continued, “This is not a royal baby. In terms of how far in line he is to the throne, it’s a peasant. I have a peasant child. So it didn’t even cross my mind that we should make a public thing about it.”

In 2015, Oliver said cheekily to Vanity Fair that “he has entertained thoughts of giving his children ‘whatever the opposite of elocution lessons are, a kind of reverse-Pygmalion process: ‘By George, I think she’s lost it!’”

John Oliver and Kate Norley evidently have a solid partnership. He has been totally supportive and conspicuously admiring of her military service. It seems as though they are each present for the other publicly and privately, a key ingredient for a happy, enduring marriage.

You might think that tying the knot with someone extremely wealthy would solve a lot of your problems. Well, as shown in the Lifetime reality show Marrying Millions, which debuted in 2019, it can eliminate some issues while creating others. 

Some of the couples depicted on the first season of the show had to deal with concerned relatives, onlookers’ harsh comments, and the tricky task of making their dissimilar backgrounds mesh. 

It’s not always easy to navigate that path, as proven by a few of the lovebirds who encountered rough patches along the way. Viewers want to know what has happened to the romantic duos from Marrying Millions. Were their lives together a fairy tale or a fizzle? We looked into where they are now and the state of their marital unions. 

Married: Sean Lourdes And Megan Thomas Lourdes

The way these two met could have come straight out of a romcom. Megan Thomas, a stunning model, medical student, and yoga instructor with a knockout resume, sought a position at The Lourdes Foundation, where Lourdes is the director. He wasn’t on time for her interview, so she took a hike. 

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End of story? Not quite. The beautiful working-class gal and the handsome mega-millionaire, who reportedly has $30 million in his bank account, were seemingly destined to be together.

After Lourdes diligently pursued Thomas, she agreed to a date. They shared a definite spark, according to Lourdes. “We had an immediate, intense, and real connection from the moment we met, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. The rest is history.”

His family wondered about Thomas’ sincerity, according to The Knot, but true love triumphed. She and Lourdes skipped the prenup and got married in Malibu at a venue with spectacular views. They now share wedded bliss and a son, Sean Jr. 

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Married: Drew Gemma And Rosie Marin

Gemma is a wealthy—as in multi-millionaire—landscaping and construction company owner. Marin lived with her folks at that time and had graduated from college. He introduced her to the high life, showering her with pricey gifts and dinners. Her family frowned on their relationship.

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Add a couple more interesting plot twists to this story—Gemma, who is divorced, and Marin met on a sugar daddy website. There was a 17-year age gap between them. 

Despite those snags, the couple became engaged on the show and love won out. Soon, they ran off to Costa Rica to get hitched.

There have been a few storm clouds in paradise for Gemma related to his finances. Starcasm reported in 2019 that he had “numerous tax liens over the past decade.” In addition, there were “multiple Uniform Commercial Code filings in which Drew used his contractor equipment as collateral.”

Marin’s Instagram seems to indicate that they are still going strong.

Likely Broken Up: Bill Hutchinson And Brianna Ramirez

Hutchinson and Ramirez had an age difference of almost four decades. Their May-December romance got started when the twice-divorced Hutchinson, head of Dunhill Partners Inc., a multi-billion-dollar commercial real estate company, and owner of Virgin Hotels Dallas, met Ramirez at a Dallas restaurant where she waitressed. The two continued dating after the show. 

Hutchinson was arrested in 2021 for allegedly sexually assaulting several underage girls, KDFW Fox4 News reported. He denied the charges.

It appears from their Instagram accounts as if Hutchinson and Ramirez are no longer together. They have not posted any photos with each other for a couple of years.

Broken Up: Gentille Chhun And Brian Blu

Chhun, a successful Las Vegas real estate investor, led a lavish lifestyle. Blu, on the other hand, was a construction worker and actor with blue-collar roots. His personality attracted her, so they started seeing each other. Chhun’s friends had misgivings about their budding relationship and whether Blu’s intentions could be self-serving.

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Their romance progressed to the altar—almost. Chhun and Blu decided to split on the day they were set to get married. There was reportedly no evidence that they had a marriage license, so the seriousness of their intent to wed is unclear.

Chhun’s Instagram account shows her having a blast, so she evidently recovered from her fling with Blu.

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Broken Up: Katie Hamilton And Kolton Pierce

Katie Hamilton is the ex-wife of former pro baseball player Josh Hamilton. According to the show, she and the much younger Pierce met when he turned up at her home with a gaggle of her teenage daughter’s pals.

Hamilton’s chums and family were not too thrilled about her choice of a beau. There was a 14-year age difference between them. Furthermore, Hamilton was a millionaire as a result of her divorce while Pierce was a wannabe hip-hop performer.

Hamilton and Pierce took issue with the way Marrying Millions portrayed their initial encounter. Hamilton shared with Showbiz CheatSheet that she, her daughter, Julia, and Pierce were all at a Dallas dinner when Hamilton and Pierce chatted and clicked.

They seemed to have a future together. He reportedly thought she was a caring and empathetic listener. Hamilton appeared to shrug off their differences. “If the relationship is right and that’s who God has for you,” she said, “ultimately those differences and the different things that you bring to the table will make the relationship stronger.”

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Finally, however, Hamilton decided to end things with Pierce. “She has blocked all communication from me,” he said. Their economic and age differences were the reasons she gave.

Broken Up: Shawn Isaac And Kate London

For a while, this couple made beautiful music together. Isaac, a rapper and entrepreneur, had struck gold in the tech space. London encountered him at a professional event where he was keynote speaker. She asked him to be her mentor and they hit it off. 

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She expected wedding bells for them in the near future, but he hesitated, possibly prioritizing his career. All was not ideal with Isaac and London. He reportedly gave her a bracelet that looked like it had diamonds, but the sparkly “gems” turned out to be cubic zirconia. 

They eventually split, but still make music, mainly separately. London became a Christian artist who also does R&B and pop. Isaac kept on with his own musical ambitions, recording under the name Shawn Don. They collaborated on tunes like “Busdown,” “Cosign,” and “I Need A Savior.”

On The Sh*t Show podcast in 2020, London confirmed that she and Isaac had broken up, although she said they stayed friends. She is believed to be dating a Coast Guard member named Cameron in Florida. 

These couples were a lot of fun to watch on Marrying Millions. Their relationships did not always stand the test of time, however. It seems as if the men and women who broke up moved on from each other successfully when age, money, and other factors became impossible to ignore.

Kristy McNichol earned considerable renown when she played spunky teen Letitia “Buddy” Lawrence in the heartwarming ABC drama Family (1976–80). Her wholesome, down-to-earth portrayal was recognized with Emmy Awards in 1977 and 1979, plus a Golden Globe. 

Turner Classic Movies lauded her as “[t]he most popular and acclaimed teen actor of her era.”

McNichol, who was born Christina Ann McNichol on September 11, 1962 in Los Angeles, has had an active and successful acting career in movies and television in addition to being in Family. 

McNichol’s fans would like to know what she has been doing since she retired from acting years ago. This is what we found out about this talented former star who still has a loyal following.

She Announced Her Retirement From Acting In 2001

Her career kept her busy, and she made guest appearances on shows such as The Bionic Woman, The Love Boat, and Starsky & Hutch. She was in a trio of ABC Afterschool Specials—Me and My Dad’s New Wife, Pinballs, and Fawn Story. McNichol was in films including Little Darlings (1980) with Tatum O’Neal and The Night the Light Went Out in Georgia (1981) with Mark Hamill and Dennis Quaid.

In 1988, Kristy McNichol landed a role in the NBC sitcom Empty Nest. It was a spin-off of the hugely successful sitcom The Golden Girls. McNichol departed from the show four years later when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She came back in 1995 for Empty Nest’s concluding episode. That was McNichol’s final on-screen appearance.

She voiced the character of Angie Romar in the TV series Invasion America (1998). It was McNichol’s last acting role. In 2001, she released a statement (per MSN Entertainment) explaining the reason why she decided to leave acting permanently. She seemed glad to have the opportunity to concentrate on her well-being. 

“A lot of people have wondered what I’ve been up to,” McNichol said. “I retired from my career after 24 years. My feeling was that it was time to play my biggest part—MYSELF! I must say that it has been the best thing that ever happened to me. So many fans are disappointed that I’m not currently acting; however, some may not realize that the process I’m in at this time is necessary and vital for my personal happiness and well-being.^”

After Retiring, She Focused On Teaching And Charity

McNichol has seemingly been comfortable with maintaining a low public profile. She reportedly has been involved with charitable endeavors and taught acting at a private school in Los Angeles (per Turner Classic Movies).

For three years, McNichol hosted a tennis tournament that benefited the Help Group charity. McNichol is also a volunteer at Emerald City Assisted Living in Glendale, California. In 2022, she filmed a video asking for donations to Aspiranet’s holiday gift drive so underserved youngsters could have holiday presents.

She Came Out In 2012

In 2012, Kristy McNichol announced her sexuality via People. She was nearing the age of 50 and said she wanted to be authentic about who she was while also supporting young people who got mistreated by their peers because of their own sexuality.

People ran a story and a snap of McNichol with her longtime partner, Martie Allen. They had been together for 20 years at that point. Jeff Ballard, McNichol’s publicist, said, “She hopes that coming out can help kids who need support. She would like to help others who feel different.” 

After stepping back from acting and constantly being in the public eye, McNichol seems to have found contentment. She reportedly enjoys travel, yoga, tennis, and raising miniature dachshunds (per People). According to Ballard in 2012, “She is very happy and healthy. And she enjoys living a very private life.” 

McNichol had ample reason to walk away from acting and her very public life. Her decision to do so is more readily understood when you are aware of what preceded it.

McNichol Deserves The Quiet Life Now

She had previously spent much of her existence squarely in front of millions as a famous, widely admired celebrity. Kristy McNichol seemed to have the enviable life of a golden girl, but behind the scenes, she said she was beset by doubts, depression, and inner turmoil. 

A People cover story from 1989 titled “To Hell And Back” described McNichol’s torment in painful detail. According to People, her emotional crisis came to a head in 1982 when she was on her way to France to film a movie called Just the Way You Are. 

“I was so confused,” she remembered. “I was so depressed. I was so full of anxiety. I was a wreck. And there I was filming a movie.”

McNichol admitted that at that time, she could not eat or sleep, she lost weight, and she felt like she was always crying. She acknowledged that leading up to this moment, she went through “years of hell.”

McNichol had experienced an emotional  breakdown, People reported. All her pent-up feelings from having a high-profile, high-pressure career at such an early age came roaring out. “It all came to a head. All the rejection, all the ups and downs of my career—not having a childhood, coming from a broken home …”

Things reached rock bottom for McNichol, then she found her footing again with the help of a psychiatrist. Eventually going back to work doing Empty Nest was restorative for her, too. Years afterward, the formula for McNichol’s happiness turned out to involve exiting the limelight and living her life on her own terms.

McNichol apparently has no regrets. She told ABC News in 2014, “This phase of my life is so good. My home life is happy and serene. I love singing. I also enjoy traveling and seeing the world. One of my favorite stops is Hawaii. I like everything about it and may eventually move there part-time.”

McNichol responded cryptically at that time when questioned about possibly returning to acting someday.  ”Never say never,” she replied.

Kristy McNichol earned a place in America’s heart as a teenager with her precocious acting skill, especially in Family, and later on, with her forthrightness about her own sexuality. 

Since McNichol began leading a more private life, she has helped others through volunteering while spending time on leisure pursuits she likes. McNichol also finds joy by being at the side of her partner of many years, Martie Allen.

We, along with her other fans, would love to see McNichol back on the screen again at some time in the future. Regardless of whether that ever happens, we wish her the abundant happiness she deserves.

Chris Distefano perfected his stand-up comedy technique by performing at clubs and lounges in New York. MTV welcomed him to its shows such as Guy Code, which launched in 2011, and Girl Code, which began in 2013. He also appeared on popular TV programs such as Late Night with Seth Meyers and Late Night with David Letterman. 

Distefano has toured nationally as well as worldwide. He established himself as a master of his craft when he starred in his own hour-long special on Comedy Central, Chris Distefano: Size 38 Waist, in 2019. 

His arrangement with Comedy Central actually encompassed two series in the pipeline: a series called Stupid Questions with Chris Distefano and Stand-Up with Chris Distefano, which was a podcast that began in 2019. 

Distefano’s career is obviously flying high. Romantically, he’s on track as well. The special lady in his life is Jasmine “Jazzy” Canuelas. People want to know more about her life with him and what she does professionally. This is the lowdown on Chris Distafano’s partner in life and love.

Who Is Jazzy Distefano?

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Jazzy’s career, like Distefano’s, is sizzling. She is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified personal trainer, Zumba-certified instructor, fitness instructor, and spin instructor. Jazzy teaches at Spin Forest Hills in New York, where they apparently love her. 

They posted on Instagram that “[n]ot only is she a dear friend and bad ass mom of 3, but she’s also one of the best instructors around. We’re so happy to have her on the team still.”

They’ve Been Together Since 2014

Distefano explained how he met Jazzy when he was a guest on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast. In 2014, the two were both at a Coney Island, Brooklyn bar called Place to Beach which boasted a lively social scene. There was music, dancing, the whole works. “She’s Puerto Rican, I was Italian, it was like West Side Story stuff,” Distefano recalled.

Jazzy mentioned to Distefano that she was a salsa instructor. “Do a move,” she told him. He quipped that he couldn’t because he had a kidney issue. “You’re an idiot,” she said to him. 

That was not an auspicious beginning for the couple, but they eventually did get together. They went on their first date a week later. As he explained to Mandel, Jazzy got pregnant with their first daughter on their second date.

They Live In A New Jersey Suburb

Distefano, Jazzy, and their kids make their home in a New Jersey suburb. It seems to suit him very well. “I love it,” he enthusiastically declared on his podcast.

Distefano and Jazzy share three young children: two daughters, Delilah and Violette Luna, plus her son from a previous relationship, Tristan.

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He has been candid about the challenges of parenting young kids. “One is pretty easy,” he said, “but if you have two, you might as well have 2000.” Distefano went into detail about the hectic regimen that he and Jazzy have to keep in order to raise their thriving trio of youngsters. 

Early in the morning, there is what he termed a “mad dash” to get all three off to school. The kids get home between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Then he and Jazzy supervise their homework, either cook dinner or order out, and get them into the shower and to bed, which the children don’t always want to do.

“By the time it gets to 7 p.m.,” Distefano said, “you are beyond exhausted.” He added, “I genuinely think that parenting is the hardest thing to do,” and yet he said he couldn’t imagine life without their three precious tots.

They Support Each Other’s Careers

What cements Distefano and Jazzy’s relationship is the fact that each is supportive of what the other does professionally. Both have demanding careers but Distefano is always steadfastly there for Jazzy and she is always steadfastly there for him. 

She sometimes appears on Distefano’s podcast. Jazzy seems to have a healthy sense of humor. In fact, she looks right at home sitting beside her beau while his sometimes-pointed wisecracks come thick and fast. Jazzy frequently joins in the hilarity while guffawing heartily at the goings-on.

Chris features Jazzy’s workouts on his podcast. In one, he is like her student while she expertly guided him through exercises like jumping jacks and squats. He complained periodically even though he gamely—and humorously—tried to keep up. 

In another, Distefano grabs a container of spinach lasagna straight from the fridge and chows down without even bothering to heat it up. Jazzy comes in and scolds him, saying “We’re going to train right now!” Finally, they head out to the backyard by the swimming pool where Jazzy oversees Distefano’s workout with water weights.

Jazzy Got Her Breast Implants Removed To Set A Good Example

Jazzy got breast implants when she was 25, but went on to have them removed. When she was asked on Distefano’s podcast if she felt different without them, she said there was a “huge difference” in how she felt now as compared to when she had them. Jazzy also said that she felt like herself again without the implants.

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Distefano added that what Jazzy did set a good example for their daughters about taking control of their bodies and doing what felt right for them. He said, “We support individual choices of what people want to do.” 

Jazzy wants her daughters—and women who watch the show—to feel comfortable in their own bodies, whatever they decide to do.

They Disagree About Whether To Get Married

Distefano and Jazzy clearly have different ideas about whether they should get hitched. They don’t quite agree on exactly what the institution of marriage represents.

He said, “We’re married by the laws of nature,” and added that his definition of marriage is “a law that is a piece of paper that some guy made up.” Distefano explained that, “The reason why I don’t like marriage is because I’m a child of divorce.” 

He seems to feel that the two of them are already fully committed to each other in every way that truly counts, especially because they have children who they are parenting together.

Jazzy, on the other hand, evidently would like to tie the knot with Distefano. She said that to her, marriage represents “a nice level of commitment.” She doesn’t like the way he calls her his wife although she is not. “I don’t think that’s right,” Jazzy said.

Chris Distefano and his partner, Jazzy, have built a cozy life for themselves and their kids. Whether wedding bells will be pealing for them anytime soon is up in the air. Whatever they decide to do, we wish this couple loads of love and laughter always.

If you watched the NBC drama Police Woman (1974-1978), then you certainly remember Angie Dickinson, who played the title role of Sergeant Pepper Anderson. She brought a quiet dignity, intensity, and refinement to her portrayal.

Dickinson, born Angeline Brown on September 30, 1931, in Kulm, North Dakota, had a lengthy and distinguished career in films and on television both prior to and after Police Woman. 

Her fans wonder how she is today and what she’s been doing professionally. We have the scoop on Angie Dickinson, whose classiness was always her trademark.

Dickinson Continued Acting Into The 2000s

2000 was a busy year for Dickinson. She had four separate projects, most notably Pay It Forward, in which she played Helen Hunt’s homeless, alcoholic mom. She appeared in Big Bad Love (2001) with Arliss Howard and Debra Winger, and Elvis Has Left The Building (2004) with Kim Basinger and Tom Hanks. Dickinson’s last film appearance was in the TV movie Mending Fences in 2009. 

She’s happy with where she is in her life and isn’t looking to extend her career by accepting more acting jobs. As Dickinson told AARP in 2011, “I am not looking for work, I don’t really care. I’ve had my day in the sun, and I am very content.”

Her ‘Police Woman’ Role Has Had A Lasting Legacy

Although it may seem incredible that it took until the 1970s to reach these milestones, Police Woman was the first television program to star a woman in an hour-long show and the first to feature a woman as a law enforcement officer.

Dickinson reflected on the trailblazing nature of that show in 2001 on the radio program Fresh Air. “It was absolutely groundbreaking,” she said. Prior to Police Woman, she noted that women starred in comedies on TV, not dramas. 

The show also inspired women to want to become real-life law enforcement professionals. Dickinson said, “Yes, there was a surge [of applications from women who were eager to join the police force.]. And a lot of fan letters with that—I became a cop because of you” (per CBS).

Having the distinction of being the first actress to open those doors meant a lot to Dickinson, but it came at a steep personal price. She said she worked grueling 12-hour days and sacrificed much of her social and family life because of her job’s daily demands. 

“I lost friends,” she acknowledged. “I lost a husband,” referring to her spouse at the time, composer Burt Bacharach. They divorced in 1981, three years after Police Woman ended its run. 

She Lost Her Daughter In 2007

Dickinson has had a life filled with success, glamor, and the satisfaction that comes from having a bold-face Hollywood name for decades—but she has experienced her share of heartbreaking sorrow as well.

Dickinson and Burt Bacharach had a daughter named Lea Nikki (whom they called ‘Nikki’) in 1966. The child was born three months premature and was later found to have Asperger’s syndrome along with an eye condition called strabismus, a condition that causes someone’s eyes to focus in different directions.

“She was very smart and funny and wonderful,” Dickinson recalled affectionately. “Yeah, so all the memories of her are my best memories.” 

Dickinson understood the painful circumstances at the root of her daughter’s situation. She told Los Angeles Magazine in 2010, “If she hit me, she would hit me out of frustration, of not being able to cope with whatever it was, was her problem. She had no coping skills.”

Dickinson explained how pervasive and frustrating this was for Nikki. “People think, ‘Oh, coping skills—that means that you can deal with it if you sprain your ankle or you didn’t get the job.’ The other person does not know and will never know that it means not being able to cope with anything … “

Added to that was the little-known nature of Asperger’s at that time, which only made Nikki’s life even more keenly challenging. 

Dickinson brought her daughter to a residential facility, the Constance Bultman Wilson Center in Faribault, Minnesota, where she remained for 10 years. From Dickinson’s account, Nikki’s stay there was not a success.

She finally decided to be with her daughter full-time. “Nikki and I did everything together,” Dickinson said. “We traveled together and saw movies together, even more than before. My life—conscious, subconscious, every conscious—was Nikki; I was completely dedicated to her. She just was my soul mate.”

Sadly, as Dickinson eventually learned, even a mother’s powerful and unyielding love was not enough to save Nikki. She took her own life in 2007 at the age of 40.

She Enjoyed An Active Love Life

Dickinson was married twice. Her first husband was former football player Gene Dickinson. They were married from 1952 to 1960.

Her second spouse was composer Burt Bacharach, whom she wed in 1965. They separated in 1976 and dated others before they were divorced. From Dickinson’s perspective, their relationship was rocky.

“He should never have been married. He never loved me, I can tell you that right now, the way one loves. He loved in his own way, which is not too good. And so, he had no respect for me,” she told CBS.

Dickinson moved in a world filled with charismatic men. She was linked romantically with some of them. She and Frank Sinatra had a relationship, but Ol’ Blue Eyes didn’t envision himself marching to the altar with Dickinson, who appeared with him in Ocean’s 11 (1960).

Their lifestyles were not alike, either. He was apparently a hard-core nocturnal socializer. “And he said, [according to Dickinson}, ‘You know, I’m not going to marry an actress.’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody,.’ Dickinson said.

“And I actually didn’t want to marry him. So, I didn’t want him to ask me to marry him. ‘Cause I didn’t wanna say no to Frank Sinatra!”

In the 1980s, Dickinson was involved with another A-lister, actor Glenn Ford. “He was a stay-at-home guy and when we were together he just didn’t talk a lot which made it difficult to keep the relationship going,” Dickinson told CBS. She and television personality Larry King were reportedly an item in the 1990s.

Angie Dickinson stayed true to herself throughout her life and career. She rose through the ranks in Hollywood at a time when women were often subjugated to men, both on-screen and off.

She stood her ground and set the stage for actresses who followed her in woman-led TV dramas like Cagney & Lacey. We say bravo to this acting legend who is strong, independent, and at peace with herself.

Millions of viewers gravitate to daytime TV talk shows. People flock to watch them because they can be humorous, controversial, shocking, and enlightening. Former hosts like Jerry Springer, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Phil Donohue seemed almost like our personal friends because they came into our living rooms and lives every weekday to discuss subjects—including intimate and embarrassing ones—that riveted many of us.

One popular syndicated talk show host from the 1990s, Jenny Jones, seemed to disappear after enjoying popularity throughout most of her show’s run from 1991 to 2003.

Why was her program canceled and what is she doing now? Her fans want to know, so we looked into Jones’ past and current activities. This is what we learned about what this versatile and resilient woman is up to.

Jones’ Show And The Murder Of Scott Amedure

There was an unforeseen incident stemming from an episode of The Jenny Jones Show that was in a category all by itself. It not only rocked the public to its core but proved to have tragically lethal consequences for an unsuspecting guest. 

That show also prompted an examination of whether talk programs like Jones’ sometimes go too far for the sake of a hefty ratings boost and sensational, tabloid-style headlines.

On March 6, 1995, Jones taped a show whose theme was secret admirers. The New York Times reported that a guest on the program named Jonathan T. Schmitz believed that his admirer was female because he claimed that’s what producers of the show told him, according to Lieut. Bruce Naile of the Sheriff’s Department in Oakland County, Michigan.

Naile said that Schmitz saw a woman he knew seated in the show’s audience, which seemed to confirm his hunch that his admirer was a lady. 

Naile observed that Schmitz “figured she was his secret admirer and walked up and kissed her. But then they told him: ‘Oh, no, she’s not your secret admirer. This is.’ And out walked Scott Amedure. The show was about men who have secret crushes on men.” 

Amedure was gay. Schmitz said on the show that he was “definitely heterosexual.”

Naile claimed that Schmitz was “stunned.” Apparently not sure how to behave or react, he played along with the show’s premise. Schmitz looked conspicuously uneasy, especially when Amadure hugged him when he walked onstage. 

He and Amedure had allegedly been introduced weeks previously by Donna Riley, who was the person Schmitz recognized in the audience. She was a resident of Schmitz’ apartment complex.

Schmitz allegedly told police that what happened on The Jenny Jones Show with Amedure had “eaten away” at him. Schmitz said he then discovered an anonymous, sexually provocative note left at his residence, presumably by Amedure.

The Times reported that Naile, the police lieutenant, said that Schmitz purchased a gun and bullets, then traveled to Amedure’s mobile home three days after the show (which was not broadcast at the time due to its aftermath) was taped and “shot [Amedure] twice in the chest,” killing him.

In 1999, Schmitz was convicted of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to prison for 25 to 50 years. Schmitz had gotten the identical sentence three years earlier, but his conviction was subsequently overturned on appeal, The Times reported. Schmitz was paroled in 2017, according to Oxygen True Crime. 

There was an avalanche of publicity and attention surrounding this crime, including a probing documentary titled Talk Show Murder on Netflix in their Trial By Media: The Truth Behind the Crimes (2020) series. 

Amedure’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the show, according to Variety. They claimed that Amedure was “ambushed” into being a guest on The Jenny Jones Show and was not aware that the topic was going to be same-sex crushes.

There was a $29 million verdict against the show that was overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals in 2002. In its ruling, the appeals court said that the show could not possibly have known that Schmitz would later use deadly force toward Amedure. 

The ‘Jenny Jones Show’ Was Canceled In 2003

The show’s ratings reportedly slid considerably during its last two seasons. During its final season, The Jenny Jones Show had the unfortunate distinction of being “the lowest rated daytime talk show.” It was canceled in 2003.

That was not the end of Jones’ professional career, however. On her YouTube channel called Jenny Jones Can Cook!, she demonstrated how to prepare flavorful, healthy dishes ranging from meatloaf to cabbage rolls. Jones’ gusto and enthusiasm clearly bubble to the fore as she stands in what could be her own homey-looking kitchen.

With over a million subscribers, it certainly seemed to be a big hit with viewers. Jones also maintains a website by the same name. A quote from her is on the home page: “This is my passion … cooking, baking, but keeping it simple. No ads. No paid endorsements. It’s just me, sharing my recipes with the world.”

She released her autobiography, Jenny Jones: My Story, in 1997. She also published a cookbook in 2007, Look Good, Feel Great Cookbook : How Eating Superfoods Can Help You Turn Back the Clock with Over 80 Comfort Food Recipes. Judging from the rave reviews it got on Amazon, it was a major smash with readers of all culinary skill levels.

She’s An Active Philanthropist

Jones turned her attention to philanthropy in 2005 when she established the Jenny Jones Foundation to assist those who needed a helping hand in this country and Canada (Jones grew up in London, Ontario, Canada). The foundation concentrates on women’s health and education.

She also founded Jenny’s Heroes U.S.A. and Jenny’s Heroes Canada to award funds to people who used the money to improve their community in some meaningful way.  

Jones’ Heroes website depicts dozens of her funding recipients and their projects, such as astronomy teacher Milton Johnson, who bought new telescopes for a high school astronomy club in Phoenix, Arizona, with $10,000 from Jones. 

Another passion of Jones’ is the well-being of women. To that end, she has been the honorary chairperson of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s Chicago Race for the Cure, which raises money each year to support breast cancer research.

Cook County Hospital in Chicago has also benefited from Jones’ generosity. In 2000, she donated a mobile mammography unit to that facility so underserved women could get mammograms.

Jones has dealt with problems from silicone breast implants, as have countless other women. Knowing first-hand how traumatic and distressing such physical issues can be, Jones launched the Image Foundation in 1992 so women could learn more about this condition. After enduring half a dozen surgeries, Jones finally had her implants removed.

She Has Enjoyed An Active Love Life

Jones has had some serious relationships. She wed musician Al Gambino in 1970. Two years later, they were divorced. In 1973, she walked down the aisle with record marketing executive Buz Wilburn. The couple split in 1980. Jones had another marriage that was annulled. As far as we know, she’s currently the partner of film location manager Denis McCallion.

Jenny Jones has not allowed anything to stop her, including the cancellation of her TV show. Jones reinvented herself and relaunched her brand. She became a successful YouTube home cook, author, and philanthropist. Those are impressive accomplishments from a woman who is truly a survivor.

Actor Jesse Lee Soffer made his name by portraying Will Munson in the long-running daytime soap As the World Turns on CBS. His performance on the show garnered him a trio of Emmy nominations. Soffer went on to appear in the TV drama Chicago P.D. from 2014 to 2022.

Soffer’s fans are curious about his romantic doings and whether he has a girlfriend or a wife. This is what we know about his relationships with the ladies he has paired up with and if someone has caught his eye lately.

Jesse Lee Soffer Doesn’t Appear To Have A Girlfriend Now

Soffer, who was born in Ossining, New York on April 23, 1984, seems to be going solo right now. There are no indications that he has been seeing anyone regularly since he broke up with actress Torrey DeVitto in May 2019. He has never been married.

Soffer Dated ‘Chicago Med’ Star Torrey DeVitto For Eight Months

Beginning in September 2018, Soffer was seeing DeVitto, an actress from the TV drama Chicago Med. Soffer enthusiastically confirmed their relationship to Us Weekly when he said, “It’s great, it’s awesome.” Unfortunately, their cozy twosome fizzled in May 2019 after less than one year.

Soffer Was In A Relationship With Sophia Bush From 2014 To 2016

Soffer and Bush crossed each other’s paths in 2014 while they were both acting on Chicago P.D. They were reportedly dating but apparently broke it off in June 2015. They were observed holding hands while walking together in New York City in September by E! News, which ran a snap of them looking like a bit more than just chummy pals.

Bush was sporting aviator shades and wearing a sleeveless, lightweight gray dress with a pair of comfy flats. Soffer was equally relaxed in his choice of an outfit. He wore aviator sunglasses, a button-down shirt rolled up at the wrists, and jeans. Soffer’s right hand was obviously clasped around Bush’s left one.

E! News called their body language “innocent PDA.” The publication hinted that people might be wondering if Bush and Soffer’s relationship could be on again. The signals that might have been interpreted as romantic by some evidently were not because Bush and Soffer went their separate ways by November 2016. Bush left the cast of Chicago P.D. the next year.

Soffer spoke about Bush graciously when she made her exit from the cast. TVLine reported that he said, “You know, it’s always sad when a cast member leaves a show. We’re a huge family, and she’s a huge part of making the show what it was. We all created something together, and so that’s always difficult. But the show must go on. That’s how it works.”

He Was Never With On-Screen Wife Tracy Spiridakos In Real Life

Sometimes when actors portray spouses on TV or in films, they do it so convincingly that folks have the erroneous impression that they are really married to each other or at least romantically involved. 

There is always the possibility that people pretending to be wed because of a storyline do fall for each other off screen, as was the case between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie when they were in the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

With Soffer and his TV co-star Tracy Spiridakos, however, if viewers think they see amorous fire, in reality, there isn’t even any smoke. Their chemistry seems utterly natural and unfeigned, so fans of the show can be forgiven for mistaking them for a real-life couple, which they do not appear to be. 

On Lie Detector Test, it’s priceless to watch Soffer and Spiridakos as they genially horsed around, clearly at ease with each other and having plenty of harmless fun. He good-naturedly fired questions at her while a solemn-looking technician seated near them registered Spiridakos’ responses on a make-believe lie detector.

“Have you ever had a crush on a co-worker?” Soffer asked her. “For sure,” she quipped, smiling broadly. 

But the best was yet to come. Soffer jokingly wanted to know if Spiridakos had ever murdered someone. After a brief, tense pause, she straight-facedly replied, “No,” then dissolved into gales of laughter.

The two do love ribbing each other. When they were interviewed by ET Canada and Spiridakos was questioned about how it was when she first joined the cast of Chicago P.D., she lightheartedly quipped, “Everyone but Jesse was amazing!”

Neither one has indicated or confirmed that they are in a relationship, so it’s reasonable to assume that these two are no more than colleagues and good friends.

Jesse Lee Soffer seems to be enjoying his personal and professional life without outwardly putting loads of pressure on himself to settle down with someone. The romantic relationships that he has had—at least the ones that we are aware of—seem to have run their course and ended in a friendly way. 

Soffer is a talented young star whose career is going places and whose romantic life will hopefully stay on the upswing.

The name Gotye may not ring a bell, but a song he performed that was released in 2011 will—“Somebody That I Used to Know.” It was a huge hit that went multi-platinum in ten nations, charted in the top ten in over 30 countries, and became the top-selling tune of 2012. 

Those impressive milestones clearly made the song a big commercial and popular success. What has happened to Gotye, a triple Grammy Award winner, since then? 

He has been likened to superstars such as Sting and Peter Gabriel, yet despite his popularity and talent, he seemed to vanish from the entertainment scene. Was Gotye someone who made an enormous splash with a song only to retreat into obscurity?

His fans are eager to know if Gotye has more music in the works. We checked it out. Here’s the lowdown on what he’s been up to professionally.

Gotye Announced His Hiatus As A Single Artist In 2014

Gotye, otherwise known by his actual name, Wouter André “Wally” De Backer, was born May 21, 1980 in Bruges, Belgium. However, his family soon moved to Australia when the musician was 2. 

In an online newsletter in 2014, De Backer announced, “There will be no new Gotye music.” Then he immediately qualified that statement with this one: “Wait, maybe there will be. I’m not entirely sure right now. There are many contingencies.”

One of those considerations he mentioned was the supposed loudness of the world and what he believed was the corresponding rise of “early onset deafness.” De Backer admitted that he pondered such potentially apocalyptic developments.

There was another announcement from De Backer in 2014, this time about the launch of an independent record label called Spirit Level. It was a joint effort between him and a friend of his since his teen years, Tim Shiel. Spirit Level was eventually shelved and then reactivated in 2016, according to Howl & Echoes. 

De Backer Continued To Perform With The Basics

The Basics is an Australian musical group that De Backer formed in 2002 along with Kris Schroeder. Another musician, Tim Heath, linked up with them in June 2004. The Basics’ style is highly eclectic, encompassing such diverse genres as pop rock, country, reggae, electro pop, and folk.

The Basics’ web site described the band with this droll, unassuming comment; “They’re pretty silly but the music is rather good, especially on a Saturday night.”

De Backer has done vocals and drums for the group since its formation. They have released five studio albums between 2003 and 2019 and five live albums between 2010 and 2020. They toured both in Australia and internationally between 2014 and 2016.

In 2021, Noise11 reported that The Basics planned to quit touring. They said that family and career demands, plus the emergence of COVID-19, were factors that motivated their decision. 

Their announcement also featured the following explanation of why there would not be a farewell tour: “Now we could have announced a ‘goodbye tour’ or show, or had a record to sell or something to capitalize on this announcement. But we’ve always tried to be as genuine as possible, and so with respect to our decision have no such finale to offer.” 

They left the door open on the possibility of resuming live gigs at some unspecified future time. The Basics’ members said they still intended to continue recording.

He Launched The Ondioline Orchestra In 2016

You’re not alone if you have never heard of a musical instrument called an Ondioline! It’s a forerunner of the contemporary synthesizer that was invented in 1941 by Georges Jenny, a French poet and musician, according to The Guardian.

Ten years later, in 1951, the instrument got a nice public relations boost from one of its leading proponents, Jean-Jacques Perrey. He enthusiastically touted the Ondioline’s virtues in the United States for a decade before returning to his native France.

Enter De Backer, with his seeming affinity for the unusual and knack for pushing musical boundaries. He rhapsodized about the Ondioline much as Perrey had. He apparently saw its exciting possibilities and remarkable versatility.

“I loved it—it has such an effervescence to it,” De Backer said. “On the surface it has a simplicity, it may be very charming and very childlike, but there’s also a real musical muscularity.”

De Backer was actually so passionate about the Ondioline that he traveled to Switzerland in 2013 to meet Perrey, who by that time, was in his 80s and had rheumatoid arthritis and dementia. Still, De Backer was thrilled to make Perrey’s acquaintance. He even learned French so he could converse with his idol more easily!

“The main feeling I came away with,” he said, “was that I had met a kindred spirit—I describe it as having met my grandfather, my spiritual grandfather.”

De Backer’s homage to Perrey took two forms. He curated a collection of Perrey’s recordings and released them on an album called Jean-Jacques Perrey Et Son Ondioline. He also formed the Ondioline Orchestra as a way of honoring and promoting the Ondioline and the glorious music he believed it could produce. 

Besides De Backer, the Orchestra’s members include Joe McGinty, Rob Schwimmer, and musicians from the band Zammuto. In fact, the Ondioline Orchestra’s debut concert was a tribute to Perrey and his music three years after Perrey died in 2016. De Backer also performed at Mixology Festival 2018: Circuit Breakers with Gotye Presents a Tribute to Jean-Jacques Perrey.

De Backer just could not say enough about the Ondioline. “You can dial in an incredibly wide range of sounds on the Ondioline,” he explained, “and the unique mechanics for playing it allows you to create sounds very sensitively and with a musical deftness I just feel isn’t present on most other electronic instruments from the ’40s—or decades since.”.

Almost as though he were protecting an endangered species (there actually are not a whole lot of Ondiolines around), De Backer created a non-profit called Forgotten Futures to get the word out about this instrument, promote the work of its creator Georges Jenny, and ensure that there is a sufficient amount of Ondioline spare parts.

He Has Teased The Possibility Of A New Gotye Album

Amidst all his other activities, De Backer has not forgotten about Gotye. In 2017, he said, “I hope I can have some new stuff out before the end of the year.”

The next year, De Backer said that he had “ventured to send Jean Jacques [Perrey] a demo of a tribute song I’d made to him. This is a song that’s going to be on the next Gotye record.” So coming back into full-blown Gotye mode is still obviously on his mind, but maybe not with a set-in-stone timetable.

Wally De Backer, better known as Gotye to most, is a music visionary who focuses more on artistry and craftsmanship than making cash registers ring. He prods boundaries and defies what is predictable. 

Although De Backer may not be producing more chart-toppers like “Somebody That I Used to Know” right now, he has been incredibly busy working on meaningful projects that ignite his imagination—and ours as well.

Liev Schreiber clearly has proven that he’s got the multi-faceted talent to be a true Hollywood force. A gifted screenwriter, actor, narrator, producer, and actor, he has demonstrated meticulous craftsmanship in each of those capacities. 

Schreiber tends to guard his private life from public view and bothersome media observation, with the possible exception of his now-ended romance with actress Naomi Watts. 

There seems to be another lovely blonde lady in Schreiber’s life these days (she resembles Watts!), and his fans are agog about their relationship. Who is Taylor Neisen, and what is her background? 

We wanted to know. This is what we uncovered about this glamorous Tinseltown twosome.

Who Is Taylor Neisen?

Born on June 6, 1992, Neisen is a professional model and has been a beauty pageant contestant. She was formerly Miss South Dakota and competed in the Miss USA pageant in 2012. 

Neisen seems to be an animal lover, as she rehabs raccoons. She posted a great pic of herself on Instagram gently cuddling one of them. The animal must have sensed her kindness because it appears totally relaxed. 

Neisen’s long blonde hair is worn loose in the snap, She has a white t-shirt on with something that’s not quite visible emblazoned across the front. With her understated pieces of silver jewelry including earrings, a ring, and a bracelet, her look seems completely fashionable yet unfussy. 

Neisen cares about the raccoons she tends to even after she sets them free. She monitors them as best she can after they depart into the wild. 

In the accompanying text, Niesen wrote in part, “Rehabbing these babies is so bittersweet. When they’re strong enough for release, I feel incredibly proud and happy but also selfishly sad that I must say goodbye. I put motion-sensor cameras outside because I’m a helicopter mom and seeing the footage makes me mushy inside…”

Neisen And Liev Schreiber Have Reportedly Been Together Since 2017

This pair’s togetherness doesn’t seem like a flash in the pan. Schreiber and Neisen have been an item for some years and are apparently still going strong. 

That said, in October 2017, his rep at the time, Ina Treciokas, put their connection in a much different context,  reportedly telling the Daily News that they “are friends and she sometimes helps out with the kids—they are not dating.”

In photos published with the story, Schreiber and Neisen are walking along and enjoying ice cream cones. He’s clad in a lightweight shirt that is untucked while she sports a black tank top and jeans. They seem informal, uninhibited, and at ease with each other. 

They do have a significant age gap. Schreiber was born on October 4, 1967, making him 25 years older than Neisen.

They aren’t bashful about posting about each other on social media. There is a photo of a beautiful birthday cake for her on Schreiber’s Instagram. It bears the words, “Happy Birthday TayTay!” across the top, which also features a large photo of her holding one of her beloved raccoons. 

Schreiber posted the message, “All the critters are so happy you were born today! Most of all me.”

There is also a sweet message for Neisen from his former flame, Naomi Watts: “Happy birthday Tay!!”

Schreiber Previously Dated Naomi Watts

Schreiber and Watts were two actors who seemed like a sure bet to last a long, long time together. Even though they never wed, they were a couple for 11 years, an eternity in Hollywood when it comes to the duration of a romance. They appeared destined for another decade with each other, and maybe another decade after that.

Then, in September 2016, according to People, came the pair’s bombshell announcement – they were calling it quits.

“Over the past few months we’ve come to the conclusion that the best way forward for us as a family is to separate as a couple,” their statement explained. They share two sons—Samuel Kai Schreiber and Alexander (Sasha) Pete Schreiber.

Marriage, according to Watts, was just not a big deal for them, People reported. Watts reportedly said in 2012, “We’re very much together. We just don’t have that certificate, and that’s okay with both of us. Maybe one day, we’ll just wake up and go ‘Hey, let’s do this.’ And maybe not.” 

The “maybe not” option apparently won.

Schreiber and Watts had a meet-cute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s legendary costume gala in New York in 2005. Watts reportedly invited Schreiber to go dancing with her after the event. When he arrived, Watts was already the center of attention from two acting heavyweights, Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn. 

Schreiber found it off-putting. “I think I was nervous, and I felt very embarrassed being there, and self-conscious, because all these movie stars were hovering, and I felt … awkward and out of my element.” 

Even so, he hung in there. Watts reportedly gave him her phone number and their relationship took off. They subsequently co-starred in a film, The Painted Veil (2006). 

Schreiber seemed to have fallen hard for Watts. “I decided I was going to make a family with this person. For better or for worse, I stepped into a partnership with somebody. We were gonna bring kids into this world and try to love and respect each other.” 

Since their breakup, Watts and Schreiber have worked hard to stay on friendly terms and co-parent effectively. She told Net-A-Porter in 2019 that, “I’m pretty proud of us, corny as that may sound. We’ve made it our absolute priority to be good and kind to each other and we’re absolutely committed to that.”

Schreiber and Watts even isolated together during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to make life less stressful for their boys, according to the Daily Mail in 2020. Neisen isolated with the Schreibers!

All that is fascinating because the Australian edition of Woman’s Day reported in 2017 that Watts and Schreiber reportedly had an understanding that neither one would pair off romantically with anybody else publicly for “at least a year after their split.”

That unverified report aside, it seems Watts and Schreiber must have smoothed over any differences, perhaps in the best interest of their kids.

Although the exact nature of their relationship is not etched in stone, Liev Schreiber and Taylor Neisen certainly seem like a couple that has overcome a big age gap to forge a mutually caring partnership. He and his ex Naomi Watts deserve a lot of credit for maintaining a healthy friendship that has enabled them to co-parent their children after they ended their romance and allowed them to move on with new relationships.

“Weird Al” Yankovic has been remarkably successful as a humorist, singer, record producer, musician, author, and songwriter. His musical parodies of superstars like Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Michael Jackson established his reputation for witty riffs on pop tunes we all know. 

One writer deconstructed the essence of Yankovic’s magic: “Whatever is popular at the moment, Yankovic can hack into its source code and reprogram it” (via The New York Times). 

There’s a special woman who shares in Yankovic’s life and success. He married Suzanne Krajewski in 2001 and they have been together ever since. We took a peek into the background of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s wife. Here’s what we learned about her.

Who Is Suzanne Yankovic?

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“Weird Al” Yankovic (born Alfred Matthew Yankovic) met his wife when they were each settled into their professional lives, he as a musician and parodist extraordinaire, she as a 20th Century Fox marketing executive and skilled photographer. 

They seemed, at least on the surface, to have been an unlikely match. That was actually not totally the case. Many who know Yankovic have said that he is reserved, respectful, and agreeably low-key when he is offstage. 

It was Bill Mumy, the actor/writer/musician from the campy 1960s TV series Lost In Space who got Yankovic together with the lady who became his bride. She balked a bit at first. According to Rolling Stone, Krajewski had some misgivings about meeting him. 

“I thought to myself, ‘Oh, I don’t know about this,’” she reflected. “Then I thought, ‘That’s kind of shallow of me to just be looking at a persona. People are often so different than how they appear.’ And we clicked immediately.” 

The pair took things slowly. They chatted by phone a lot before they met in person. When they did finally see each other, Yankovic was clearly smitten. 

“I hadn’t even seen her, but I already had a major crush,” he admitted. “She was asking me all these questions about my life and I said, ‘You can just watch my VH1 Behind The Music tomorrow.’ I guess we did get married a little late in life, but neither one of us had been married before and neither of us intends to be married again.”

Yankovic and Krajewski tied the knot on February 10, 2001 and share a daughter, Nina, who was born in 2003.

Yankovic seems to worship her. “She’s such an ideal kid,” he said. “She likes playing outside, animals and nature. I was always watching TV at her age. Where did we go right?” 

In Many Ways, The Yankovics Are Complete Opposites

This is a celebrity couple whose differences work for them, rather than pulling them apart. According to The New York Times, they “are classic opposites: He is internal and unobservant and can disappear into his head for days at a time; Suzanne is chatty and social and hyper-present.”

Yankovic doesn’t throw tantrums. He won’t even swear. His wife has tried to lovingly goad him into uttering a naughty word now and then, but he steadfastly refuses. She might say to him, “C’mon, honey, it’s just us” to persuade Yankovic to speak a profanity or two at home, but his lips remain sealed.

The whole family, including their dog, savors the outdoors. The Yankovics live in the Hollywood Hills, and they love hiking as well as basking in the open air on their deck. 

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Their daughter described what they typically do. “All four of us get into the tent,” which is situated on the deck, she said. “We take out mini marshmallows and put them on sticks and roast them over a candle. It’s really fun. Sometimes an owl comes onto a tree and we look at him with binoculars.”

Suzanne Has Helped Weird Al Overcome A Tendency To Hoard

As Vice reported, Yankovic seems to hate parting with anything. That habit can lead to massive, uncurated piles of objects. His wife has gotten him to pare down his vast collections of things, however,  such as shirts—hundreds of which she sent to Goodwill—and piles of old fan mail he kept stashed in a storage locker.

“We live in a nice house on the Hollywood Hills and we’re trying to not have it cluttered full of my junk,” Yankovic explained. “I have a lot, and some I need to hold onto for sentimental reasons, but we’re trying to live uncluttered lives and that’s difficult when you’ve had a long life and career, and there’s so many trinkets and mementos that you want to keep with you.”

Their Home Has Quite A History

The Yankovics’ home has a pretty intriguing backstory. The late rapper Heavy D formerly lived there, as did “marijuana advocate” Jack Margolis, Wired reported. 

“I don’t know if he remodeled it, but a lot of things here in this house are very Heavy D-sized,” Yankovic noted to Rolling Stone. “My wife is a wee woman, she’s not very tall, and it’s difficult for her to stand at our bathroom counter because they’re a little taller than normal. So everything in this house is a little oversized.”

Yankovic also thinks that the house may have served as a set for adult films. A film starring Andy Garcia called Internal Affairs (1990) could have been filmed there, too.

Weird Al Yankovic has eked out a unique niche in pop culture for himself. His is a classic “nice guy makes good” tale, rounded out by the caring presence of his wife and daughter. In Suzanne Yankovic, he seems to have found the perfect mate.

Your favorite actor or actress might have changed their name long ago. Such decisions aren’t usually made haphazardly. There are often valid and sometimes complex personal or professional reasons for doing so. 

A birth name could be tricky to spell or pronounce. Maybe a celebrity wants to shield their family from unwelcome attention, so they take a new name.

Sometimes a name just does not align with the persona that a star—or their employer—wants to project to audiences, so it gets ditched for another, more suitable one. 

For example, Cary Grant was born Archibald Leach. During Hollywood’s Golden Era, when powerful movie studios autocratically controlled everything having to do with their stable of on-screen talent, someone’s name was considered a key element of what made them appealing to moviegoers. 

The name Cary Grant was thought by the suits at Paramount Pictures, where he signed on in 1932, to be ideal for this suave actor who exuded dapper sophistication. Much more so than Archie Leach!

In addition, rules of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) state that no two actors can have the exact same name. That could prompt a performer to add a middle initial to their name, or simply assume a totally new first and last name.

There are some fascinating backstories behind celebrity name changes. Here are a few we think you’ll find illuminating and fun to read about.

1. David Bowie

One of this chameleon-like performer’s earliest on-stage incarnations was Ziggy Stardust, his exotic, androgynous alter ego from the early 1970s—but that was not his permanent stage name. 

Bowie’s birth name was rather bland: David Robert Jones. The British musician wanted a new moniker, but he sought to sidestep any mix-ups with another youthful pop star of that era, Davy Jones of The Monkees, according to KXAN-TV the NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas via Time. 

For his stage name, he turned to Texas lore. According to author John Lyons, who wrote America in the British Imagination: 1945 to the Present, Bowie reportedly liked a classic Western movie starring John Wayne, The Alamo (1960). A man named Jim Bowie gained renown from his role in the Battle of the Alamo. (He and his brothers are credited with inventing the Bowie knife.) 

Lyons wrote that the singer took the name Bowie to honor him. Who would ever link David Bowie with a figure from 19th-century American history?

2. Diane Keaton

The star known for her riveting portrayal of crime boss wife Kay Corleone in the Godfather films was born Diane Hall. Her nickname, according to The List, is Annie, thus the title of the Woody Allen-directed comedy for which she won an Academy Award for best actress in 1978. 

She took the name Keaton because she was informed that another person named Diane Hall was already in the actors’ union. Keaton is reportedly her mom’s maiden name.

3. Audrey Hepburn

She was a lady of consummate dignity and poise whose chic fashion style was her trademark in films like Charade (1963) and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). What her birth name was is not totally clear, which just adds to her mystique. 

Hepburn’s obit in The New York Times stated that it was Edda van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston. Other sources claim that she was born as Audrey Kathleen Ruston. Her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, altered his name to Hepburn-Ruston, reportedly because he thought—wrongly, as it turned out—that he was related to James Hepburn, who was married to Mary, Queen of Scots. From all those names, the name Audrey Hepburn emerged—and it stuck.

4. Charlie Sheen

Sheen’s dad is actor Martin Sheen. Martin’s birth name was Ramon Antonio Gerardo Estevez. He still laments the long-ago decision he made to change his name in order to make himself more marketable in the entertainment business. 

As for Charlie, whose birth name was Carlos Irwin Estevez, he reportedly went with the name Charlie Sheen to prevent confusion with an uncle whose name was also Carlos Estevez (per The List). He also reportedly said that he did not feel very connected with his Spanish heritage while he was growing up. Charlie’s brother, Emilio, and his sister, Renee, both retained the last name Estevez.

5. Miley Cyrus

She was born Destiny Hope Cyrus. That name just didn’t seem to suit this effervescent young woman. Her parents, singer Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus, said that she was a frequent smiler as a baby, so she got the nickname Smiley. Later on, it was abbreviated to Miley. In 2008, Cyrus legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus, with Ray being in honor of her father and her grandfather, Ronald Ray Cyrus (per The Things). 

6. Joaquin Phoenix

You might be wondering how Joaquin Rafael Bottom became Joaquin Phoenix. The answer has to do with the Academy Award-winning actor’s parents. 

They once belonged to what The List referred to as “a religious cult,” the Children of God. That organization eventually disbanded, so the Bottoms figured they would rename themselves to mark their new spiritual reset. Joaquin went by the name Leaf Phoenix—his brother and sister’s names were River and Rain, respectively—until he finally returned to his original first name.

7. Natalie Portman

This actress’ impressive talent has kept her front and center for years, ever since her breakout turn in The Professional (1994) when she was just 13. 

Even as a young teen, she had astonishing range and power as an actress. Her ability attracted attention like a magnet, yet she prefers to stay on the periphery of the limelight, not an easy thing to do when you have an Academy Award on your shelf. Portman was born Natalie Hershlag (per Marie Claire). To safeguard her family’s privacy, she took the name Portman from her paternal grandmother.

8. Winona Ryder

Geography has something to do with Winona Ryder’s first name. She was called Winona by her parents after Winona, Minnesota, which is her birthplace. Her birth surname is Horowitz, so where did Ryder come from? 

This gets kind of complicated, because Ryder reportedly told The Hollywood Reporter that her family changed their name from Tomchin to Horowitz when they immigrated to Ellis Island. Ryder, who is of Russian-Romanian descent, said that last name belonged to one of her father’s favorite singers, Mitch Ryder, so she picked it. Thus, Winona Ryder came to be.

9. Meg Ryan

This charming actress whom we know from roles in films like Top Gun (1986) and When Harry Met Sally (1989) came into the world with a pretty lengthy handle: Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra. That would have been a lot to remember, even for her most ardent fans. The List reported that Ryan opted for a shorter, snappier-sounding name when she decided to join SAG years ago. Ryan is actually her maternal grandmother’s maiden name.

No matter what the reason for a celebrity’s name change, the choices they made about what to call themselves give us some valuable insight into their family background and their take on stardom itself. It’s hard to imagine these and other A-listers going by any other name than the ones we have come to know and love.

Devotees of American Pickers love this folksy History Channel reality show. They liked seeing Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz trekking across the nation, scouring outbuildings, homes, sheds and other nooks and crannies for interesting items of value that they could resell or add to their own collections of offbeat Americana.

The program, which debuted on January 18, 2010, quickly became a big hit and has also done well in Australia. The fun is in seeing what the hosts will unearth next and who they will meet on their travels.

On July 21, 2021, the History Channel announced that Fritz was departing American Pickers. He was reportedly fired from the show. People are curious about how he has been faring since then and if he has a wife or girlfriend. Here is Fritz’s romance run-down as we know it.

Frank Fritz Had A Serious Relationship With Diann Bankson

Fritz, who was born on October 11, 1965 in Davenport, Iowa, was seeing a woman named Diann Bankson. The two had a contentious, on-again, off-again relationship for years when he was 25, 35, and 55.

There was buzz going around in 2016 from fans who thought the duo might have tied the knot already, according to Distractify.

What gave rise to the rumors was a Facebook post from December 2016 that has since been taken down. The post had a snap of Bankson, her daughter, and the daughter’s young child. Fritz called the baby “his granddaughter.”

He explained the remark to clear up any confusion about his marital status, stating, “Diann’s family is my family. It is great being Grandpa Frank! I love my girls.”

The Sun reported that the two got engaged in 2017 and that they shared his farmhouse in Iowa.

Their Relationship Seems To Have Come To A Tumultuous End

Bankson claimed that she caught Fritz cheating on her in November 2018, The Sun stated. They supposedly later reconciled.

In 2021, The Sun noted that Bankson said, “I don’t care to have drama or chaos in my life, I’m just trying to heal right now. It’s been two years, I’m ready to move on.” That statement suggests that the couple split in 2019.

She sued Fritz for $50,000 for negligence on January 27, 2020, according to The Sun after an incident involving fireworks allegedly left her with third-degree burns. Bankson asserted that Fritz and a pal were igniting fireworks at Fritz’s farmhouse. The Sun reported that she claimed that they “had been drinking.”

Bankson said she went inside the farmhouse. According to her, the men placed a firework that they were unable to activate inside “a closed cylinder vintage ashtray” and attempted to ignite it again. The troublesome firework was supposedly left in that ashtray.

When Bankson used the ashtray with the firework in it to smoke a cigarette, she claimed it exploded, resulting in third-degree burns on her arm and hand, plus damage to her eyebrows and eyelashes.

She claimed Fritz would not bring her to the hospital for medical treatment, supposedly telling her to “toughen up.” Bankson reportedly dismissed the lawsuit on March 19, 2020.

In 2021, as The Sun reported, Fritz accused her of cheating on him. He claimed he had been ready to march down the aisle with Bankson. Fritz said, “I was going to get married, I bought a house and a big expensive ring, and then I find out my fiancée had been dating somebody else for two and a half years. “

He added, “She’s the cheater, that’s why I got a tattoo saying ‘Once a cheater always a cheater.’ I got the tattoo two years ago just to remind myself not to make the same mistake again. She cost me six figures.”

Fritz went on to state, “I do not need to spend one minute of my day thinking about anything to do with her. I’m no angel, but neither is she.”

Fritz reportedly told The Sun that he had been in alcohol rehab at the Abbey Center in Bettendorf, Iowa. He spent 77 days there.

He seemingly placed some of the blame for his drinking problem on Bankson and their breakup. “The main problem was this girlfriend I had, I thought I was getting married and I bought a brand new house. Then I found out that all the time while I was on the road, she had a boyfriend back here.”

Fritz continued, “It hurt my feelings, my self-esteem and my whole world. I gave it a good shot, I tried to drink her away. I never drank that much before.”

Fritz Currently Seems To Be Single

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Fritz doesn’t have much of a footprint on social media at this time, so it’s challenging to know about his romantic life. He hasn’t posted on Instagram since 2018, but there is no evidence to indicate that he has a new ladylove.

Frank Fritz became a fan favorite on American Pickers, then his professional and personal life seemed to go haywire. Health and relationship difficulties beset him. This popular TV personality is hopefully back on track now and ready to find lasting, loving companionship with the right gal.

Many people recall Barbi Benton as a famous Playboy playmate who was also the girlfriend of Playboy magazine founder and publisher Hugh Hefner from 1969 to 1976. She was a prominent face in the Playboy empire. But Benton (born Barbara Lynn Klein) is much more versatile than that.

She made her reputation as a talented singer, model, TV personality, and actress. Benton also appeared on the CBS-TV country-themed comedy show Hee Haw (1969-1971), as well as other popular entertainment programs.

Now retired, Benton has been married since 1979 to George Gradow. Her fans want to know what she been up to lately and whether she ever expressed an opinion about the #MeToo movement or the alleged misogyny associated with the Playboy organization.

We looked into those and other questions. This is what we discovered.

After Playboy, Barbi Benton Had Careers In Both Television And Music

Benton was born on January 28, 1950 in New York City and grew up in Sacramento, California. She was on Hee Haw for four seasons.

She guest-starred in many iconic television shows in the 1970s and 1980s, including American Bandstand (1975), The Bobby Vinton Show (1976), The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (1977), Charlie’s Angels (1980), Fantasy Island (1978-1982), The Love Boat (1978-1987), and Murder, She Wrote (1986).

Benton starred in Sugar Time! (1977-78), a comedy about a female rock and roll group called Sugar that was waiting for their big opportunity in show business. Benton played Maxx Douglass, who was the group’s frontwoman when she wasn’t busy being a hat check girl. The show ran for 13 episodes.

Benton recorded eight albums, producing the final one herself in 1979. She performed songs, wrote them, and played the piano. One of her tunes, “Brass Buckles” (1975), made it into the top five on Billboard’s country singles chart.

Another one of Benton’s songs, “Ain’t That Just the Way” (1976) topped the charts for five weeks in Sweden.

She’s Built A Happy Family With Real Estate Developer George Gradow

When Gradow spoke to People in 1980 about his bride, he sounded utterly besotted with her. “It’s a fairy tale,” he said. “When I go to bed every night I say, ‘I’m the luckiest man in the world.'”

“We have a good relationship,” Gradow continued, “and one reason is that it’s not only built on love. Love is very illusory so we’ve tried to build our marriage on practical, objective things.”

Gradow mused about his good fortune. “Here I am, tremendously insecure, with this extremely beautiful woman who could have anyone in the world. I wonder how the hell I did it.”

The two met in 1977 when a woman named Liz Prince, who formerly worked for Gradow, asked him when he planned to settle down. He reportedly replied, “When I find someone who looks like Barbi Benton.”

Prince and Benton’s mom, who knew each other, played matchmakers. Benton didn’t seem to have very high expectations for her initial meeting with Gradow. She was seeing actor Andrew Prine at the time and didn’t seem too interested in anyone else.

“I met George as a businessman, a financial adviser, and not as a possible husband,” Benton said. “Besides, I was going out with another guy.” Her relationship with Prine didn’t last, so she invited Gradow to the Academy of Country Music festivities.

He popped the question to Benton in just four months. At first, she hesitated, then she thought it over and said yes.

“He’s so funny and he has the energy of 10 men,” Benton explained. “We’re so alike. George is a one-woman man, and I could never get beyond dating more than one man at a time.”

They tied the knot on October 14, 1979. The couple shares two children: Alexander (born August 23, 1986) and Ariana (born July 13, 1988).

Benton prioritized her family over her career after her first child, Alexander, was born, thus her acting and musical endeavors are limited after 1986.

The Gradows seem to maintain a lavish lifestyle. She and Gradow have homes in both Los Angeles and Aspen, Colorado. He has a small but opulent fleet of luxury vehicles: a Mercedes limousine, a BMW, and a white Corniche. He and Benton sometimes throw extravagant theme parties worthy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s fictional tycoon Jay Gatsby.

She Remained Close With Hugh Hefner Until His Death In 2017

Hugh Hefner began dating Benton despite their huge disparity in age. She was 19, while he was 43. “I told him I never dated a man over 24,” Benton said. “He told me he never dated anyone older than that either.” The celebrity pair shared living quarters for nearly nine years.

Bill Boggs interviewed Hefner and Benton at the Playboy mansion in Los Angeles, probably sometime in the 1970s, drawing each of them out about love, marriage, and fidelity. In an interesting exchange, Boggs asked the couple about being faithful to each other.

Hefner said, “I think there’s a certain double standard [that applies to men versus women]. You’re raised a certain way and you fight a certain part of that background, but part of the boy remains father to the man.”

Benton wasn’t shy about admitting she felt much differently about that subject than her beau did. After playfully teasing him about being “a chauvinist pig,“ she said, “I don’t agree with his rules. I feel that the woman has every right to do everything that the man has that they like to do.”

Benton added, “But Hef was brought up in an era where girls do not fool around, guys do. I live by that. I know that even though I would like to see the rules change, I’m not promiscuous by nature, so I probably wouldn’t fool around even if it were acceptable for girls to.”

When Boggs asked them if this double standard about faithfulness was “a time bomb” in their relationship, Benton paused for a moment, then thoughtfully said, “We’ve done alright so far.” Hefner mentioned that there a couple of years prior they nearly broke up. He explained that there were “no other emotional involvements” in his life.

On another occasion, Hefner said that he felt bad about not marrying Benton. “I only regret not marrying Barbi because it finally led to our going separate ways [in 1976]. But I have been married and have children and wasn’t, and am not, interested in doing it again. Barbi hadn’t had that and wanted it.”

After Hefner died in 2017, Benton went to bat for him. “I honestly think that Hef had a lot to do with women making more money and getting better jobs. He’s had a huge impact on the entire world, and I think that’s for the better” (per People).

Benton also said, “Hef always felt that he was in favor of women’s [liberation]. He was in favor of what they were fighting for, and he was always rather surprised that they felt that he was exploiting women.”

She sounded almost wistful when talking about him even though so many years had passed since they were together. “I’ll miss him immensely,” Benton reflected.

Barbi Benton was the significant other of a man who was probably one of the most influential, if polarizing, figures in the sexual revolution. Hugh Hefner clearly changed her life even though they eventually parted. She had the guts to disagree with his views on sexual double standards rather than passively going along with them.

Benton went on to find her soulmate in George Gradow and seems content to be a wife and mom to their children. In her career and personal life, she resolutely does exactly what she wants to do.

Brandi Passante became a star because of her memorable appearances on Storage Wars, the popular A&E show that depicted people bidding on the contents of abandoned storage lockers.

Passante seemingly became the show’s breakout star. The List dubbed her “our favorite treasure hunter.” Plenty of viewers probably felt the same way about the plucky Passante, who was born on May 16, 1980, in Harris County, Texas.

So what has she been up to since leaving Storage Wars? We did a deep dive and found that Passante is a dedicated activist and loving mother who has navigated a significant health crisis.

Passante And Then-Boyfriend Jarrod Schulz Had Their Own Spinoff Show

Passante and Schulz earned their own spinoff, Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job, which focused on their relationship rather than their work life. Their time on Storage Wars evidently whetted people’s curiosity about their time off-camera. It aired for one season, consisting of eight episodes, in 2014.

Passante contributed to the podcast Happening Now With Hammer starting in 2021. On one recent episode titled “Dogs are Greater Than People,” she and the other co-hosts, Hammer and Adam, discussed the joys of owning a dog.

Hammer’s beloved 14-year-old rescue Maltese, Gracie, had just passed away. He was lamenting her loss while encouraging the audience members, as did Adam and Passante, to adopt a dog from a shelter and give it a loving home.

On another episode of the podcast, Passante talked about how she and Schulz got their start on Storage Wars. “It was just kind of a weird fluke,” she said. “We had a mortgage company and it was around 2007. You know how that went,” Passante added, referring to the major meltdown of the economy at that time.

“Jarrod’s aunt worked for public storage. She said, ‘Have you ever been to these auctions?’ He just started going and got hooked and was bringing all of this stuff home.” Passante said. The couple opened a secondhand store to sell the profusion of items they were amassing.

This endeavor led to offers to be on-camera, including one from A&E. Passante and Schulz had low expectations for their TV gig, she recalled. “We didn’t think it was going to go anywhere,” she said. The show turned into an offbeat, bonafide hit. The rest is auction history.

Passante said she doesn’t really have a favorite find that she has unearthed at an auction. “I’m a bird-in-the hand kind of person,” she acknowledged. “Any kind of money, I’m happy to find. Anything that I can get rid of quickly, that’s what I want. That’s the whole point of it.”

She Revealed That She And Schulz Had Broken Up In 2019

Passante announced her split with Schulz in the premiere of Storage Wars season 13 in 2021. “I’m not with Jarrod anymore,” she declared.

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Passante candidly admitted that seeing her ex at auctions was “not comfortable” (per PopCulture). Still, however, she soldiered on with her trademark sassy brand of wheeling and dealing that viewers loved.

She has full custody of her two children, daughter Payton and son Camren. As she indicated to host Danny Jordan on The Dad Diaries, she cares greatly about being a mom who is present in their lives.

Passante still rues the fact that she had to miss many of their precious milestones. When Storage Wars began, the kids were small and she understandably had her hands full with filming.

“I missed a lot when they were little when we first started he show,” Passante reflected. “It killed me. It was brutal.”

She continued, “I missed a Mother’s Day fashion show thing that they do in elementary school. I missed quite a few things.”

Both youngsters had serious health scares early on that stretched Passante’s stamina even further. She said that Payton was born deaf with a cleft palate and had a speech delay. Camren had a mass on his kidney. Passante was there for them through every step of the way back to health.

Passante Is An Advocate For Victims Of Domestic Violence

Pasante posted a pic on Instagram that showed a tattoo on a woman’s hand [presumably Passante’s] comprised of the word “Free” in flowing script along with a graceful little bird in flight.

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The photo’s caption said in part: “To me, [this tattoo] means that somehow, by the grace of god, I managed to escape a very difficult situation, that so many people fall victim to. I will be eternally grateful, for the life and freedom, without fear that I get to live now. I am also grateful for the empathy and grace, that I am able to give others as a result of the things, that I have endured! I love you all & thank you for all the support!”

There was also a hashtag for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, plus one that said “free as a bird.”

Passante’s fans might have been puzzled by exactly what she meant by that and how it related to her own life.

In May 2021, TMZ reported that they were told by law enforcement sources that Schulz allegedly had an emotional confrontation with Passante on April 30, 2021, at an Orange County bar, where she was in the company of some pals.

She reportedly asked Schulz to make himself scarce. TMZ claims that he did not do so, and he “allegedly pushed Brandi twice … while yelling at her and her group.”

Police were summoned, according to TMZ, although Schulz was gone by then. He reportedly denied shoving her when he spoke to them shortly after the alleged incident.

He was charged with “1 count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery.” What happened after that is unclear.

Passante supports Women’s Own Worth, an organization that helps survivors of domestic violence. She once described the services they provide to women impacted by domestic violence: scholarships, lawyers, housing, therapy, and even clothes suitable to wear to job interviews.

Passante emceed the organization’s marquee event, WOWapalooza, in 2019. Held at the governor’s mansion in Arkansas, the gala raised over $100,000.  She declined to accept a cut of the proceeds, according to The Saline Courier.

Passante noted that there were silhouettes representing slain victims of domestic violence in Arkansas on display throughout the residence that evening. “It was kind of staggering,” she said.

Being there “was such an amazing experience,” Passante remarked. “I would love to continue to help them any way I can.”

She Has Been Battling An Autoimmune Disease

Unfortunately, an internet troll’s cruel comments about Passante’s raspy voice led her to disclose in an Instagram story that she had been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease (per Outsider).

Vocal issues are only one symptom of Hashimoto’s, which makes the immune system attack the thyroid gland. Other manifestations can include tiredness, weight gain, and a sluggish heart rate. It can be treated with medication.

Passante seems to be handling her autoimmune disease with her usual feisty determination. It hasn’t appeared to stymie her one bit.

Brandi Passante has faced a slew of challenges in her life. She has bravely met each of them head-on. The tougher the going became for her, the scrappier she seems to have gotten. This courageous, compassionate lady has our admiration and attention as she continues to share her no-frills fortitude with loyal fans everywhere.

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Dan Levy made his debut for most people with his massively successful Canadian sitcom that blew up on Netflix, Schitt’s Creek. He played David Rose (ew, David!) on the show alongside his equally talented family.

They may not know that he earned a unique distinction in association with Schitt’s Creek. Levy became the first individual to be awarded Emmys in the categories of acting, directing, producing, and writing in the same year for his work on the show’s last season. His professional life is one of the most enviable in Hollywood. His private life is a little less known, however.

Fans of Schitt’s Creek wonder if Dan Levy has a partner. Here’s the lowdown on his dating status.

Levy Is Currently Single

Levy told Vanity Fair in 2021 that he is still searching for the love of his life. In response to the question, “What or who is the greatest love of your life?” for the magazine’s “Proust Questionnaire,” he said, “I don’t think I’ve met him yet, so I’m going to say my dog, Redmond.”

It’s not only the fact that Levy hasn’t pinpointed his ideal mate yet that has kept him single and unmarried. He told Out in 2015 that his hectic professional routine on Schitt’s Creek prevented him from having much of a social life.

“I’m single right now,” Levy shared. “I’ve been single for a bit. It’s a strange thing. I don’t know whether it’s an excuse that I’m telling myself or whether it’s just what it is, but I feel like this job has consumed my life.”

According to Bustle, Levy had a punishing schedule that revolved around Schitt’s Creek. He would typically get home at 8 at night, grab something to eat and then do more work until the wee hours. A couple of hours of shut-eye would follow, then he would head back to the set at 5 in the morning.

Levy prefers the dating scene in London to Los Angeles. “I lived there for a little bit in my early twenties and I loved it, and I go on a lot of dates there, to be perfectly honest. Me and Los Angeles and the dating scenario are just not the greatest fit.”

He’s Gone Through Some Unhealthy Relationships

Dan Levy has acknowledged that in college, he didn’t always make the best choices for himself when selecting people to date. Breaking those bad relationship patterns wasn’t easy, but necessary.

He said, “You … get into these habits where you’re dating people who are totally wrong for you because they’re seeking out people who are a bit damaged and you’re seeking out people who have one foot out the door so that you don’t actually give yourself over in any kind of way.”

Like His Character, He’s Part Of The LGBTQ+ Community

In high school, Levy was bullied because of his sexuality. In his youth, he had anxiety problems that, as Bustle reported, were so pervasive that he shunned summer camp and birthday parties. Social situations were extremely trying for him. His anxiety got so bad that Levy developed a vision-threatening eye condition called iritis.

There was another physical expression of his anxiety later in life during Schitt’s Creek. Bustle reported that Levy’s “neck would seize up.” He relied upon chiropractic treatment and a neck brace to relieve the discomfort.

Levy chalked a lot of it up to an inability to openly be who he really was. “I think that came from a deep-rooted fear of knowing that I was gay and not being able to be free,” he explained. “By the time I got to high school, when your brain is starting to catch up to your physical impulses, it led to a very confusing time.”

He said he was consumed by fears. “Fear of being ridiculed. Fear of being othered. Fear of exposing something that I think a lot of high school students at the time didn’t have the tools to process properly … “

What liberated Levy and got him to open up was his involvement in theater. He became active in school plays, immersing himself in every aspect of those productions. He said, “It was like a decoy version of myself that I was putting out there to not have to live with the reality that when the bullying was happening.”

Levy came a long way toward being comfortable with his sexuality and being part of the LGBTQ community by the time Schitt’s Creek aired. That was reflected in the show, as he told Attitude in 2020:

“ … I had a platform to tell stories that would reflect my experiences and real experiences of my friends. It felt in a way kind of irresponsible not to seize that opportunity and tell stories that meant something, and stories that I haven’t really seen that much on television.”

There was even a three-story tall billboard during Schitt Creek’s last season which depicted Levy’s character, David, kissing his on-screen partner. Levy said, “It became this really beautiful place where people would go and celebrate queer love. It was a lovely way to celebrate our last season.”

It seems as if geography, anxiety issues, and an overwhelming workload have previously been roadblocks to romance for Dan Levy. He appears to have successfully dealt with them. Hopefully, this gifted man will find a special someone to love before too long.

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Eddie Murphy has had a phenomenal career in the entertainment world, beginning with his run on Saturday Night Live (1980-84) and continuing in successful films like Coming to America (1988), 48 Hrs. (1982), and Trading Places (1983).

He’s not only an extremely popular star but one who usually boosts a film’s bottom line. His movies have hauled in a whopping $6.7 billion globally, and he has racked up an impressive list of awards for his performances.

Murphy, who was born in Brooklyn on April 3, 1961, has up to now not been quite as fortunate in love as he has been in his career. He has had one previous marriage, to Nicole Mitchell, plus various girlfriends over the years. However, he seems to have found a keeper in the beautiful Paige Butcher, to whom he reportedly proposed in 2018.

Here’s everything we know about their relationship.

Who Is Paige Butcher?

Paige Butcher is a model and actress who was born on October 6, 1979, in Perth, Australia. According to Vanity Fair, her modeling career began when she was only seven or eight years old.

Butcher’s dad modeled, and her mom was a fashion designer. She modeled her mother’s creations and people urged her to get into the business. She ended up the cover of Maxim in 2004.

She has also dipped her toes into acting, having appeared in Something’s Gotta Give (2003) and Big Momma’s House 2 (2006).

It might be hard to picture this elegant woman getting her hands dirty while wielding a hammer or a paintbrush, but Butcher said she loves doing home repairs and renovations. She told Vanity Fair in 2013, “I love gardening and building things.”

Butcher added, “I’ve laid electrical, I’ve made brick paving paths and walls, laid dry wall, hung doors, doorframes … I really enjoy it. I’m very artistic. I find it’s very therapeutic.”

Murphy And Butcher Began Dating In 2012

According to the Daily Mail, the romantic twosome first met on the set of Big Momma’s House 2 in 2006. It wasn’t until six years later that they began going out together.

They looked blissful and at ease in the Daily Mail’s snaps, which were taken at a local coffee shop in Studio City, California. Each was clad comfortably as they indulged in a few cuddly PDAs while waiting for their order.

USA Today reported that they were first seen publicly together in September 2012 in Los Angeles at Mastro’s Steakhouse. They showed up on the red carpet as a couple in Beverly Hills for the Eddie Murphy: One Night Only event in 2012.

They Got Engaged In 2018

Murphy got engaged to Butcher in 2018, according to Us Weekly, which claimed to have confirmation from Murphy’s rep. Butcher was photographed wearing a sizable sparkler on her finger on September 24, 2018, which also fueled speculation that nuptials between her and Murphy were upcoming.

As far as we know, however, they have not tied the knot yet.

They Share Two Children

Murphy and Butcher share two kids: a daughter, Izzy Oona, born in May 2016, and a son, Max Charles, born in November 2018. Max’s middle name honors Murphy’s late brother, Charles, who died of leukemia in 2017.

They Have A Passion For Charity

Murphy and Butcher have both been fortunate to have extremely successful careers. Perhaps that is one reason why they like to give back in various ways.

In New York, Butcher volunteered with New York Cares and Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN), which is an athletic program geared to children with mental and physical challenges, according to Vanity Fair.

She pitches in at homeless shelters in Los Angeles. Butcher works with Baby to Baby, an organization that provides necessities for children like diapers, toys, and strollers to women in difficult financial circumstances.

Butcher also helps Wheels for Humanity by refurbishing used wheelchairs—cleaning them and putting in fresh seats and tires—so they can be useful to people in third-world nations.

Murphy is doing his part, too. He supports the HollyRod Foundation, which was founded by actress Holly Robinson-Peete and her husband, Rodney Peete, a former NFL quarterback, to help people deal with challenging health issues. Murphy appeared at an all-star gala fundraiser the organization held in 2009 at a Malibu home.

Murphy has donated to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. He was among the headliners such as Billy Crystal, Adam Sandler, and Tiffany Haddish who appeared at the Feeding America Comedy Festival to benefit Feeding America in 2020.

Murphy’s Previous Relationships

Murphy had had several romantic relationships prior to meeting Butcher. He had a son, Eric, in 1989 with Paulette McNeely, and another son, Christian, in 1990 with Tamara Hood.

He wed Nicole Mitchell in New York in 1993 in the Plaza Hotel’s Grand Ballroom. They share five kids: Bella, Bria, Shayne, Zola, and Myles. The Murphys divorced in 2006.

Murphy was linked next with Melanie Brown, formerly a Spice Girl. She gave birth to his child, a girl named Angel, in 2007.

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In 2008, he had a “symbolic union” with Tracey Edmonds rather than an official wedding ceremony. The couple later said in a statement that they opted not to have “a legal ceremony” but would continue to be friends.

Eddie Murphy has enjoyed spectacular success as a comedian and actor. He seems to have found the right person to settle down with in Paige Butcher, a woman who, like him, cares deeply about being philanthropic.

We wish this celebrity pair well as they raise their children and share their lives.

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Comedian and actor Arsenio Hall was the fun, freewheeling host of his own late night talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, from 1989-94 and 2012-13.

The program was a favorite of night owls nationwide for its zany unpredictability, such as the time that guest and presidential candidate Bill Clinton enthusiastically played Heartbreak Hotel on the sax to the delight of viewers in June 1992.

Hall’s audience members typically indicated their approval by vigorously shouting “whoop, whoop!” while doing spirited fist-pumps.

Hall, who was born on February 12, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, also had other TV gigs. He was the buddy of Alan Thicke on Thicke of the Night (1983-84) and hosted Star Search (2003-4). He acted in films like Harlem Nights (1989) and Coming to America (1988).

Hall hasn’t maintained his high profile lately, though, leading many to wonder what happened to him and what endeavors he may have in the works. We checked it out and this is what we discovered about the beloved funny man.

Arsenio Hall Stepped Back From His Late-Night Talk Show In 1994

Television shows come and go all the time due to reasons like sagging ratings or a star moving on to other ventures. When Hall’s late night show went off the air, however, some speculated that it had something to do with his interview of controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in 1994. 

Hall defended the interview and denied that the end of his show had anything to do with Farrakhan’s appearance.

He said on VladTV, “We were shocked at the attention that it got on the day the booking [of Louis Farrakhan] was announced … I had a curiosity about the man. And like anybody else, I put him on. I felt my audience would want to hear this man … I didn’t like that I was being dealt with different than other people who booked him at the same time, the same month.”

As for the demise of his show, Hall said, “My resignation letter was long before the Farrakhan booking. That’s on record … The bottom line is at the time I resigned, I don’t think I knew how to even spell Farrakhan.”

Hall actually left his late-night hosting role to prioritize his personal life. He said that the gig was so all-consuming and so ferociously high-pressure that he walked away from it despite his popularity.

According to CBS News, Hall explained, “When you have that feeling of ‘There’s something else for me to do, and this is occupying your life 24/7,’ wrong or right, you need to go. I would sit eating a piece of pizza with Jay [Leno, then-host of The Tonight Show} and I could see his hair getting gray while I was chewing! You know? And I realized, that’s NBC, that’s late night. That’s the stress.”

His Son Encouraged Him To Compete On ‘Celebrity Apprentice’

Hall’s son, Arsenio Cheron Hall, Jr, was born in September 1999. His dad was sure of what mattered most to him: “fatherhood over fame.” Hall knew that when the time was right, he would return to the limelight.

“If I’m supposed to work, if I’m supposed to have opportunities, when the moment in my life dictates that it’s time, if I’m supposed to have it, it’ll come to me.”

In an essay that Hall wrote for Newsweek in 2012, he said that having a son was a cherished dream of his for a long time. He always wanted to watch sports with a little boy of his own. He admitted that he envied other celebrities like George Lopez and Magic Johnson, who each found being a dad deeply fulfilling.

Hall wanted to be present for each milestone in his child’s life, whether big or small. “I was determined to be there for my son’s first walk, talk, boo-boo, and whatever else. I didn’t want to miss a thing,” he said.

Hall’s own father was a Baptist minister. He was perpetually busy, Hall wrote, so the two didn’t get much leisure time together. He wanted to have a much different relationship with his own child.

As Hall seemed to recognize, forging that kind of closeness with a youngster takes plenty of time and dedication. It’s hard or even impossible to do it while also pursuing a hectic, full-time career in show business. For that reason, Hall said he limited his professional work for a while to things like doing voice-overs for The Proud Family and Scooby-Doo.

Hall chose Arsenio Jr. over the powerful allure of Hollywood—but curtailing his work life so strictly meant that new offers to work vanished fast. Hall realized that putting his son first would negatively impact his prospects.

“I know I did the right thing by taking time off to raise my son. But it also came at a price. I turned down many opportunities over the years because I didn’t want to leave him for long periods of time.”

What got Hall back was ironically a request from his son. Arsenio Jr. wanted to see his dad compete on Celebrity Apprentice, which was hosted by Donald Trump. According to Hall, they liked to watch it together.

“Dad, go to New York and do Celebrity Apprentice. I want you to,” said Arsenio Jr. “You can win it all.”

That is exactly what Hall did. He and his teammates edged out singer Clay Aiken of American Idol renown and his squad. Hall reportedly donated his winnings to the Magic Johnson Foundation.

Not only did Hall win Celebrity Apprentice 5 in 2012, but being on television again got him right back into the mainstream.

“It was a fun ride,” Hall acknowledged, “and now I’m looking forward to working more. I think I can finally juggle the ‘dad thing’ and the ‘work thing’ all at the same time. Something I know mothers do every day.”

He Has Rebooted ‘The Arsenio Hall Show’ Twice

Hall returned to late night with a brief, one-season reboot of The Arsenio Hall Show in 2013-14. He also brought it to the Netflix Is A Joke Festival in 2022 for four evenings. It was filmed at the Roosevelt Theater in Los Angeles.

He seemed jubilant about the gig. Via video, Hall declared, “The bark is coming back. All my dogs out there can watch it from the comfort of your own pound. So get ready for live comedy, surprise guests and of course [barking]. I still got it” (per Deadline).

He’s Attempting A Comeback Now That His Son Is Headed To College

With Arsenio Jr. grown up and ready for college, Hall is free to jump back into the professional fray. One sign of that was his role in Coming 2 America (2021) alongside Eddie Murphy.

He’s Making Some Real Estate Moves

Hall has the big bucks to dabble in real estate. Celebrity Net Worth says he’s got $20 million in the bank, so he possesses the resources to buy lavish homes galore if he wants to.

Finurah reported that Hall shelled out $5.2 million for a Los Angeles mansion in 2021. He sold his opulent estate of three decades in Topanga, California, in 2022 for $9 million. It was reportedly luxurious, featuring a 10,000-square-foot mansion on 34 acres with stunning hilltop views.

For years, Arsenio Hall was a likable fixture on late-night TV and in comic films. He willingly made the choice to turn his back on it all—at least temporarily—opting to raise his son rather than continue to go after big-time glory in the entertainment world.

We applaud this loving dad who gladly put himself and his career second and his child first.

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Popular rapper Ja Rule (his birth name is Jeffrey Bruce Atkins) has worn many hats in his highly successful professional career, including record producer, songwriter, actor, and singer.

He has four Grammy Award nominations and two American Music Award nominations to his credit and has recorded with stars like Jennifer Lopez, Christina Milian, and Ashanti. His first studio album, Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), had the distinction of going platinum.

But all has not always been smooth or easy for Ja Rule, who was born on February 29, 1976 in Hollis, Queens. Anytime he hit a rough patch, there was someone beside him all the way—his devoted and supportive wife, Aisha Atkins. His loyal family has been a constant in Ja Rule’s life that he is truly blessed with.

His fans are curious about her and their relationship. We took a deep dive into the information that’s available about this well-known couple. This is what we learned about them.

Ja Rule And His Wife Were High School Sweethearts

He met his future bride, Aisha Murray, when they were high school sophomores. According to Blender, he said, “She was the new girl in school. I think the first time I saw her, she was getting off the bus. She was cute, but she tried to play me at first. Then she realized I was one of the cool guys at school and got with the program.”

Ja Rule added that she loves him for himself, not his stage persona, which she is not always comfortable with.

“The best thing is that y’all know each other. She knows Jeffrey Atkins, not Ja Rule. But my wife sometimes has a problem with Ja Rule. She feels like she doesn’t know this guy with no shirt on, rapping about sex and drugs and partying. I tell her it’s not my fault that I have such a great job!”

They Got Married In 2001

People sometimes opt for weddings with an offbeat or playful theme. Ja Rule and his fiancée sure did. Perhaps inspired by an occasion like the lavish, high-spirited, post-World War II-era wedding of fictional lovebirds Connie Corleone and Carlo Rizzi at the beginning of The Godfather, they had hundreds of guests and a gangster theme.

Ja Rule said, “We did it ’40s-style gangster. We had 800 people. It was like mafia weddings in the movies. We didn’t come down the aisle to the Godfather theme, but we had our tuxes and tails and cigars and a lot of champagne.”

As of 2002, they lived in New Jersey. The atmosphere at the Ja Rule household tends to be relaxed. Mom seems to be the stricter of the two while Dad is more chill.

“There aren’t many rules in my house,” he said. “Kids can jump on the furniture. Mom usually gets them for stuff like that. I’m the hip-hop dad. How can I yell at kids for being wild? I’m a madman. I’m bouncing balls through the house myself.”

The secret to their relationship is apparently that they are friends as well as romantic partners. In an interview they did together for Wetpaint, it’s obvious through what they say and their body language that the two of them share an easygoing, warm rapport. They definitely get each other. It’s endearing to watch them.

“We have a very interesting dynamic,” Ja Rule said, “because we’re friends, too. This is my buddy right here. We enjoy spending time together as friends, not just as a couple. I think that’s important.”

They Have A Modern Parenting Style

Ja Rule and Atkins have a take on being parents that bears emulating. For them, it’s not about keeping their three kids—Britney, Jeffrey Jr., and Jordan—in line by yelling, arguing, and punishing, although maybe they resort to those measures when they believe they are really needed.

Instead, the couple makes sure that their children feel free to approach them anytime without feeling intimidated or hesitant, no matter what their problem or question is.

“We are young, heads-up parents that are parenting from a new perspective,” Ja Rule explained.

Atkins agreed. “We try to parent where [our] kids, they can come talk to us about anything, like even if you, I don’t want to say murder somebody, but just anything, you have to come to Mom and Dad because we are the ones that are going to help you.”

They Starred On A Reality Show Together

The Rule family had their own reality show on MTV, Follow The Rules, that aired from October 26 to December 7, 2015.

It sounds like Atkins wasn’t quite at ease about being so public about what went on behind closed doors with them. “I was a little bit more nervous than a kid,” she said. “I don’t really like being in the limelight.”

Atkins Stood By Ja Rule Throughout Several Legal Battles

Atkins has been Ja Rule’s staunch advocate when things got tough for him, such as his two-year prison sentence in 2011 for allegedly having a loaded weapon in his vehicle when, in July of 2007 in New York City, he was apprehended for speeding.

That was not Ja Rule’s only issue with the law. While he was incarcerated for the gun charge, he was concurrently serving a 28-month federal sentence for tax evasion. Ja Rule reportedly owed $1.1 million.

There were also more than a dozen lawsuits against him from investors and ticket purchasers because of his connection with the Fyre Festival, a musical extravaganza supposedly slated for the Bahamas in 2017. It never took place.

Ja Rule was reportedly the partner of the event’s promoter, Billy McFarland.

In 2021, RadarOnline reported that both Ja Rule and Atkins were sued by the government because they allegedly owed $3,139,237.76 in unpaid taxes for 2005–2010 and 2012–2017.

Ja Rule has had a few brushes with the law, but his loving, level-headed wife has kept him centered. The pair’s relationship has stayed unwaveringly solid despite the travails they have gone through over the years. They seem to love being married to each other.

Rapper Lil Durk (birth name is Durk Derrick Banks) made his reputation in the entertainment industry with studio albums like Lil Durk 2X (2016), Remember My Name (2015), Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 (2020), and 7220 (2022).

Born on October 19, 1992, Durk has been nominated three times for Grammy Awards and once for a NAACP award. He reportedly had six children with five different women. It’s unclear if he is still in a relationship with his girlfriend, India Royale. His former spouse, Nicole Covone, was his high school sweetheart and is the mother of two of Lil Durk’s kids.

Covone is from Chicago. She has been doing well as a businesswoman and entrepreneur. She is prominent on social media, including TikTok and Instagram. What’s Covone up to right now? We looked into that and this is what we know.

Nicole Covone Was Lil Durk’s First Wife

They started going out together when they were teenagers and reportedly wed in 2013. They share Lil Durk’s two oldest children—Angelo Banks, born on November 29, 2011, and Bella Banks, born on July 19, 2013.

It seems like the couple had all the makings of happy domesticity, but events cropped up that made that difficult. When Covone was pregnant with Bella, Lil Durk got into some pretty serious hot water. According to BET, he was arrested on June 5, 2013 in Chicago for allegedly having a loaded weapon.

Covone, who was just 20 years old and about to give birth, was solidly in Lil Durk’s corner. “He’s innocent,” she insisted. His attorney claimed that the gun was owned by a pal of Lil Durk’s, Clarence January.

Then another problematic issue surfaced. Zayden, Lil Durk’s third child, was born to him and another woman whose identity is unknown. Zayden came into the world not long after Bella’s birth. What should have been a joyous time for Lil Durk and Covone thus turned out to be troubled.

Zayden’s arrival and Lil Durk’s apparent unfaithfulness proved to be the final straws for Covone. According to The Things, “Nicole was not able to move past all the lying and cheating.” She reportedly took steps to divorce the rapper.

Despite the unfortunate breakup of her marriage, Covone seems to be a devoted mother to Bella and Angelo. She posts about them frequently on Instagram and Facebook, including sweet snaps of the pair dressed up for Christmas, posing with the Los Angeles Dodgers mascot, and clad in cute outfits.

Covone Is A Boss Babe

Covone’s business skill has helped her to become the CEO of a company called Credit Clique, which gives people assistance when they need tax services, help with fixing their credit and want to attain financial stability.

It looks like a mostly woman-led venture. Of the 21 employees pictured on their web site, only two are men. The company’s Instagram mentions their philosophy—“Your mind is your greatest asset”—and states that they guarantee results in 30 to 45 days.

Covone Inspired Her Daughter To Go Into Business, Too

Bella may be young, but she already has her sights set high as an aspiring businesswoman. Her mom is a worthy role model, having achieved notable success of her own.

Bella is CEO of Bella Beauty, a company that features, according to its web site, “simple, vegan and cruelty free everyday products” for young fashionistas. There is a pink makeup bag crammed with all kinds of fun goodies that little girls love—a charm bracelet, a scrunchy, a mirror, a keychain, a lip brush and lip scrubs.

Bella is clearly a creative, go-getting budding entrepreneur already! Covone is obviously very pleased about of her daughter’s youthful success. She posted an adorable pic on Instagram of Bella toting a bunch of her beauty bags with a message that reads in part: “Yesterday my princess launched her first business venture proud would be an understatement I’m just grateful I’m in a place to be able to teach her the importance of financial freedom and to assist her on how to become her own boss setting my kids up for the future is one of my main goals.”

Nicole Covone’s marriage to Lil Durk ended, but her career is definitely on the upswing. She seems like a savvy, unstoppable force. Covone sets a great example of how to be a survivor for both of her kids. We’re excited to see what she, Bella, and Angelo accomplish in the future.

Few celebrities are known by one name only. Those who are have usually made it to the pinnacle of the entertainment world. Cher and Madonna are two famous examples.

Add to those names another: Fabio. Although he never approached those two ladies’ superstar status, he surely did have his moment in the sun.

The swashbucklingly handsome, ultra-masculine Italian-American pitchman and romance novel cover model had women everywhere enthralled by his charm.

His name was used to promote all kinds of merchandise, from a Sam’s Club clothing line to fitness videos to hair products.

Fabio famously hawked one product whose name will always be associated with him: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, which he said he uses himself. He seemed not to take himself too seriously, either, which only accentuated his appeal.

He isn’t as ubiquitous as he used to be, though. Where is Fabio now and what is he doing? We looked into those questions. Turns out he’s been busy and productive.

Fabio Is Still Health Conscious

Fabio, who was born on March 15, 1959, rigorously maintains a strict, healthy diet. No one can stave off the effects of the aging process or guarantee their own longevity. Still, Fabio does what he can to ensure both to the greatest degree possible. Retaining his trim, youthful physique is essential to him.

He told New Idea in March 2021 that his spartan regimen includes consuming little or no alcohol, going heavy on greens and protein, and skipping sugar and cheese. Fabio bypasses cigarettes too, claiming he has never smoked. He also favors oatmeal, egg whites omelets, and lots of fish with veggies.

His take on healthy eating is simple: “Your body should be treated like a Lamborghini. Put premium race fuel in it.”

However, Fabio’s fitness routine includes one ritual that isn’t available to most people: getting his zzz’s in a hyperbaric chamber. In his view, it “reverses the aging process” (per People).

As strange as that last part may seem, he must be doing something right. In 2016, Sports Illustrated declared that Fabio “is still in incredible shape.” He doesn’t let himself get lax about maintaining his body. He shared that his rigorous workouts feature dirt biking, weights, and cardio.

He’s Looking For Love

Surprisingly, this gorgeous, likable fellow who is associated with romance novels has never walked down the aisle himself. Fabio said that there was a long-ago soulmate he apparently loved and lost who meant a lot to him.

“I still think I met my perfect match when I was 23,” he confided. “Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it at the time. I was a bit too wild back then. I broke up with her after six years together and I still regret it.” His efforts to reunite with her proved futile.

Finding the right woman to spend his life with is still one of Fabio’s top personal goals—and he knows exactly what he wants. “I’m still actively looking for that special someone,” he said. “Someone who is confident in themselves and has themselves together.”

He has a preference for Australian women. Australia, he said, has “the most beautiful women in the world. I’m definitely going to come to Australia to look for a wife, that’s for sure. Australian women, they’re the best, period.”

What else is he keen on in a partner? Calling himself “old-fashioned,” Fabio said he likes to meet women in person rather than on the Internet. A sense of humor gets his attention. He’s not a fan of social media, so Twitter and Instagram fanatics need not apply.

Savoring the environment matters to Fabio, too. “She has to be able to be in the middle of nature. She can’t be afraid about bugs.”

Becoming a dad is another heartfelt goal on his checklist. “I would love to have kids one day,” Fabio acknowledged.

“I want to show the world to my child. But I think it’s important to meet the right person first. I’m out there still actively looking.” Being an unwed parent doesn’t seem to be an option for him.

He Launched His Own Hair And Skincare Line for Men In 2021

Women love beauty products that make them feel pampered. Even the packaging should exude prestige, exclusivity, and quality. Fabio evidently believes that men appreciate the same kind of high-end self-care.

The Aston James by Fabio line of personal care products—which he created with Australian entrepreneurs Daniel Phillips and Liam Robinson—is marketed as uniquely opulent. The brand’s website declares, “We set out to bring the experience of buying a Rolex to the men’s personal care space.”

“We spent a long time choosing the best ingredients and have used a lot of native Australian ingredients,” Fabio said. Among these premium ingredients are kangaroo paw and Kakadu plum.

“These two young Aussies [Phillips and Robinson] came over and pitched me an idea that I loved, and the end product was something so beautiful I couldn’t not get involved,” explained Fabio (per Sneakers).

“Being a perfectionist, this project was two years in the making. We wanted nothing but the best ingredients and extracts and the products had to look flawless.”

He Became A U.S. Citizen In 2016

Fabio exulted when he became a U.S. citizen by taking the Oath of Allegiance at the Los Angeles Convention Center with almost 6,000 other people from all over the world. He was wearing a red blazer and looked suitably patriotic while clutching a small American flag.

The star issued a statement announcing his elation over his new status. “This is one of the happiest days of my life. Over the course of my career I’ve had the opportunity to travel the globe and America is still the greatest country on earth” (per CNN).

Fabio is no relic of the ‘90s. He achieved his greatest fame during that decade, but he has stayed relevant through his involvement with men’s personal care products, by talking about his life and current passions in interviews, and aging gracefully. Fabio’s insistence upon a healthy lifestyle is very contemporary as well.

He seems to have it all except a woman to share his life with. Maybe the ideal lady love Fabio has been searching for will finally cross his path soon!

Rapper Vanilla Ice (born Robert Matthew Van Winkle) made a gigantic splash with an album titled To The Extreme (1990), which sold an astounding 11 million copies. It featured the chart-topping single, “Ice Ice Baby,” which some observers believe propelled hip-hop music into the cultural mainstream.

With his chiseled good looks and abundant vocal skill, Ice had star quality that was potent—but the rapper ran into problems on the business side of his career. He inked a contract with SBK Records that, in retrospect, seemed to ultimately hinder his success.

SBK allegedly wanted Ice to adopt a different look. They also reportedly concocted biographical information that was supposedly used without him being aware of it or consenting to it.

The upshot was that his popularity with fans nosedived. The Vanilla Ice they loved and whose albums they bought as fast as they could had morphed into someone who did not appeal to them the same way. The magic was gone. That issue, coupled with his reported drug abuse, sent his career into a freefall.

What is Vanilla Ice doing now? Has he recovered from the earlier missteps in his career, ditched his reported drug use, and gotten back to what made him a music industry phenomenon? Here’s what we learned.

His Musical Career Faltered In The 2010s

The 2010s were not a good decade for Vanilla Ice compared with the years of his earlier fame. After his unfortunate business deal, the rapper spent much of his time trying to rediscover a formula for success.

Not all of Vanilla Ice’s woes came from his recording label, however. Drugs undermined his career as early as the 1990s.

You know that something is seriously amiss when an article begins with the sentence, “Mentioning the name Vanilla Ice usually elicits looks of disgust, mistrust, and runaway cheeseball feelings,” as an October 1998 story in Miami Music did.

The article alluded to Ice’s reported drug use during that period, including an alleged heroin overdose. He got so many tattoos when he was seemingly under the influence that he said he lost track. “I didn’t even realize how many I was getting…” he admitted.

His indulgence in harmful substances sounds like it barreled alarmingly out of control.

“I was puking and sh*tting on myself, and man it was ugly,” Ice acknowledged. “People were throwing cold water on me, and when I woke up, I thanked God I was still alive and promised Him I’d turn myself around. Ever since then He’s been blessin’ me.”

He released some independent albums in the 2000s and early 2010s, but they seemed like shots in the dark so he could regain his professional footing and were largely drubbed by critics. Vanilla Ice’s last studio album, WTF, was released in 2011.

He performed at the Houston Texans’ halftime show on September 15, 2013. The NFL team had a dreadful skid after that, losing 14 games. Some players even speculated that Ice’s appearance had jinxed them (per Fox Sports).

He Stepped Back from Music To Focus On Motocross And Jet Skiing

After a few difficult years both personally and professionally, Vanilla Ice took a break from the music industry and went back to his other loves: motocross and jet skiing. It was a career and lifestyle shift that Sports Illustrated claimed brought the troubled rapper “peace and fulfillment.”

“I don’t need artificial highs anymore,” he said. I’m sober.” Vanilla Ice confirmed that he had cleaned up his act a lot since his days of using heroin. He said that he only smoked marijuana occasionally and sometimes had a few swigs of the herbal liqueur Jägermeister.

“One of the most ridiculed musical performers of all time,” who once got lumped into a category of passe performers along with Tiny Tim and Milli Vanilli, was at last treading a new and healthier path.

He even reportedly scuttled most of the vestiges of his old rapper image. He was a motocross maniac who couldn’t get enough of it, a passionate pro who “lives for motocross.”

“This is the ultimate rush,” Ice declared. “It’s a great way to shut your mind off to the real world and just ride and feel the explosiveness.”

His prowess for motorbike racing emerged when he was a teenager winning trophies right and left and establishing his reputation. But Vanilla Ice’s demons got the best of him. Becoming ultra-famous and in demand because of his music swept him away. It’s heady stuff for a young man and he understandably fell victim to its allure.

“You’re a kid, and everybody wants you,” he explained. “The drugs, the women, the money—everything was right there in front of me. It affected me. It would affect anyone.”

There were other consequential missteps. Ice claimed that in 1990, his manager, Tommy Quon, reportedly disseminated biographical information about him that greatly exaggerated his accomplishments in motocross racing and contained false statements about his background.

Quon claimed that the information originated with Ice himself, an assertion the rapper denied. Regardless of the source, the damage was done.

After a failed suicide attempt on July 4, 1994, Vanilla Ice turned to jet skiing to pull himself out of the doldrums—and it seemed to work. According to Sports Illustrated, “By the summer of ’95 Van Winkle was the world’s No. 6-ranked sit-down Jet Ski racer, competing nearly every weekend and earning Kawasaki sponsorship.”

In 1996, he extended his reach even further, opening 2 The Xtreme in Miami Beach, a store that specialized in alternative-sports equipment and gear. Motocross intrigued Vanilla Ice again, so he tried out for ESPN’s X Games in the motocross freestyle division in 2002. He didn’t make it, edged out by younger, fiercer daredevils.

He Forged A Second Career In Reality TV

Maybe reality TV appealed to Vanilla Ice’s flamboyant, dramatic side. Perhaps he just wanted to try something different. Whatever the impetus, he staked his claim in the reality TV world by battling Todd Bridges on Celebrity Boxing under the handle “Bi-Polar” in March 2002 on Fox.

That matchup didn’t work out the way he hoped, however. According to Sports Illustrated, Ice was a bit cavalier about the whole thing. “I thought it’d be easy money, just a show,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d have to train. They told me it was an exhibition.”

On top of that, he acknowledged going “out on the town” with Bridges the night prior to their contest and smoking a joint. Not surprisingly, Ice quickly went down to defeat in three rounds.

His stint on TV had not ended, though. The following year, he was on three episodes of Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge, five episodes of Hollywood Squares, and eight episodes of The Farm. In early 2004, he turned up on The Surreal Life.

Ice got his own TV gig that tapped into his expertise in real estate flipping and home improvement on the DIY Network, debuting in 2010. This time, he was successful.

The Vanilla Ice Project aired for nine seasons and garnered accolades like the Hermes Platinum Press Award, the Telly Award, and the Factual Entertainment Award. He also had a website, Vanilla Ice Real Estate, that offered real estate tips to the public.

He showed off his skill as a hoofer on season 23 of Dancing with the Stars. Even though he was eliminated on October 4, 2016, Vanilla Ice expressed gratitude for his opportunity to be on the show. “Dancing makes you happy and it’s just a happy experience,” he said (per ABC). “I’m honored to be here.”

He’s Done Some Acting

With his flair for theatricality and showmanship, Vanilla Ice seemed like a natural for acting. He tested out his aptitude for being a thespian on The New Guy in 2003 when he had a cameo as a music store employee.

Ice appeared as a fictionalized version of himself in the film That’s My Boy (2012) alongside stars such as Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Susan Sarandon, and James Caan.

Although it may seem like a big stretch, Vanilla Ice also played The Adventures of Tom Sawyer author Mark Twain in a Western comedy, The Ridiculous 6 (2015), with Adam Sandler, Nick Nolte, and David Spade.

He did another acting turn as himself in The Wrong Missy (2020). In 2022, he narrated a 30-minute film called Booking Sounds 2.

He Was Charged With Grand Theft In 2015

In 2015, CNBC reported that Vanilla Ice was arrested and charged with reportedly stealing items from a foreclosed home in Lantana, Florida, including bicycles, furniture, and a pool heater. According to NBC News, Vanilla Ice called his arrest “a misunderstanding” and “blown out of proportion.”

He claimed that the items in question got abandoned on a curb and “he thought they were trash.”

Prosecutors reportedly said that within one year, they would drop the charges as long as he complied with two conditions: paying $1,333.39 to the homeowner’s estate and putting in “100 hours of community service with Habitat for Humanity in Palm Beach County.”

His Wife Filed For Divorce In 2016

He found himself dealing with problems on the home front as well. His wife, Laura, whom he wed in 1997, filed for divorce in 2016. They had been living apart since 2011 and shared two children together.

“I gave myself a birthday present,” Laura said, according to the Miami Herald. “I wanted to file for divorce for a long time but I was scared to do it, so I figured I’d do it on my birthday.”

The marital matter got contentious when Vanilla Ice countersued, asking for equal custody of the children and refusing to pay alimony, which his wife wanted. If his wife put up a legal fight, Ice reportedly expected her to take care of his attorney’s fees as well.

He stayed tight-lipped about his marriage meltdown. He said, “That’s a private family matter, and it’s no one’s business.”The divorce between the warring Van Winkles was finally settled in 2019.

He took to Twitter to announce the birth of his baby in 2018, captioning a sweet pic of the child, “My little #IceIceBaby.”

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He’s Dipped His Toes Into Entrepreneurship

Vanilla Ice has certainly been busy branching out. He has had his hands full with new ventures plus concert appearances.

In 2013, he started a pricey line of interior lighting fixtures that built upon his passion for real estate and home renovation.

He linked up with the Joyburst brand for a ’90s-inflected healthy energy drink called Vanilla Ice. He told Rolling Stone that it is “fun and delicious.”

Speaking of tasty beverages, Ice founded a tequila company called Naked Diablo Tequila in December 2022. He posted on Instagram, “Say hello to my new tequila company. Make a Diablo. This is the game changer when it comes to tequila.”

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According to his own website, Ice will portray a character named Hielo in a video game called Crime Boss: Rockay City.

Ice has also been performing at private events and with the I Love The ‘90s tour in the United States and Canada along with other throwback acts like All-4-One.

Vanilla Ice experienced dazzling success in his musical career until it cratered. He has done a remarkable reset of his brand since then, putting all of his interests and aptitudes to use in business, competitive sports, television, and films.

Ice is like a prize fighter who stubbornly keeps getting up off the mat and just won’t be counted out. This resilient celebrity whose heyday took place in an earlier era definitely can’t be written off just yet!

You may remember the shocking story of Abby Hernandez, a 14-year-old who went missing on October 9, 2013, when she was on her way home from Kennett High School in North Conway, New Hampshire. The teen seemed to have vanished into thin air, confounding everyone. An exhaustive, massive search for her turned up nothing.

What had happened to Hernandez was beyond belief. She had been abducted and was held against her will thirty miles from her home. Her makeshift cell was a storage container. She was cruelly subjected to torture and sexual assault.

Hernandez, who was born on October 12, 1998, weathered this nightmare for nine hideous months. Her mental and emotional fortitude was—and is—amazing.

According to Hernandez in an interview with ABC’s 20/20, she prayed during her time in captivity. “I remember I never said ‘amen’ in my mind. I never wanted to end my prayers because I didn’t want God to leave me,” Hernandez recalled. “I just really wanted to live.”

The man who kidnapped her, Nathaniel Kibby, finally let Hernandez go on July 20, 2014. He was the focus of a counterfeiting probe and he was nervous about the police closing in on him. Hernandez also persuaded him to liberate her from captivity.

She was thrilled to have her freedom back. “I remember looking up and laughing, just being so happy,” Hernandez said. “Oh my God, this actually happened. I’m a free person. I never thought it would happen to me, but I’m free.”

Kibby was subsequently arrested. As for Hernandez, she has a heightened awareness of life. “Every time I go outside now, I really try to appreciate sunlight and fresh air. It really went in my lungs differently … I really try to never take that for granted.”

Hernandez Now Works As A Hairdresser

In February 2022, Oxygen True Crime reported that she has a little boy and is a hairdresser. North Conway is still her home. She is, of course, quite close to her family, who also held out faith she would be returned to them during the ordeal.

Faith and resilience seem to have been the dual keys to Hernandez’s survival. She was also shrewd beyond her years, managing to connect with Kibby so that he would eventually allow her to leave. That clever strategy may have saved Hernandez’s life.

“I told him, ‘Look, you don’t seem like a bad person. Like, everybody makes mistakes … If you let me go, I won’t tell anybody about this.’ I really always kinda put it—you know, ‘This strategy is always there.’”

She Got To Tell Her Own Story On Film

Hernandez was an executive producer of the film that portrayed her ordeal, titled Girl In The Shed: The Kidnapping of Abby Hernandez. It sounds like participating in the making of the film was cathartic for her.

“I don’t feel as scared anymore,” Hernandez said, according to KGET. “Obviously, it’s a weird experience to have this happen in the first place. And then to have it made into a movie is obviously like an even weirder experience. But ultimately, I did find it healing in a weird way just to have it out there.”

Lindsay Navarro, the actress who plays Hernandez in Girl in the Shed, said that Hernandez “wants to […] inspire people in that way, to show that it is possible that you don’t have to be defined by your circumstances.”

Abby Hernandez went through something that would severely test the strength of a person far older and more worldly than she was at the time of her abduction. That tremendous strength may also have enhanced her ability to return to life in her hometown and restore her equilibrium. It’s just an incredible feat.

If you were a fan of the masterfully-done AMC TV series Mad Men (2007-15), then you must recall the character of Joan Holloway Harris. She was the office manager at the fictional Madison Avenue ad agency Sterling Cooper. Harris was superbly played by actress Christina Hendricks.

In the course of her acting career, Hendricks has been honored with two Screen Actors Guild awards, two Critics’ Choice Awards, and half a dozen Emmy award nominations.

Esquire dubbed the statuesque redhead “the sexiest woman in the world” as a result of a female readers’ poll in 2010.

Hendricks was previously married to Geoffrey Arend from 2009 to 2019. When they split in October 2019, Arend let the public know in a joint statement that read in part, “Today we take our next step together, but on separate paths. We will always be grateful for the love we’ve shared and will always work together to raise our two beautiful dogs.”

Now there seems to be a new man in Hendricks’ life, George Bianchini. Who is Christina Hendriks’ boyfriend? We have the lowdown on the beau of this beautiful and talented star.

Christina Hendricks’ Current Boyfriend Is George Bianchini

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They both worked on Good Girls (2018-2021), an NBC TV series that focused on a trio of fictional suburban moms and their adventures while trying to establish financial stability—and their own empowerment.

In November 2021, the Daily Mail reported that people were buzzing about Hendricks and cameraman Bianchini as a possible couple when they appeared together at a fashion exhibition in Savannah, Georgia.

The pair reportedly “cozied up to one another” and seemed to be more than just professional colleagues.

They posed for snaps together at the stylish event. Hendricks was clad exquisitely in a form-fitting black evening gown with a train and an asymmetrical neckline.

The duo seemed to be ardently smooching in a photo posted on Instagram that was evidently taken on a Savannah spooky tour.

She frequently posts about herself and Bianchini and their dogs on Instagram.

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Bianchini Is A Camera And Steadicam Operator

He’s been working in the industry since 1998 (his first project was short film Unadulterated). Bianchini is known for The Campaign (2012), Clear History (2013), and The Affair (2014). His recent work includes Inventing Anna (2022), The Time Traveler’s Wife (2022), and The Peripheral (2022).

Christina Hendricks has had her share of loss in love with the breakup of her marriage. Now it looks as if she has found someone to share her life with who also understands the industry she works in. We are rooting for this gifted lady who has become a fan favorite.

Donald Sutherland has had an outstanding acting career that includes memorable roles in movies such as The Dirty Dozen (1967), M*A*S*H (1970), Don’t Look Now (1973), Ordinary People (1980), and The Hunger Games franchise (2012-2015). Since he’s well into his 80s now, many fans are wondering about his health as well as how he’s choosing to spend his golden years.

Sutherland is evidently doing very well and is committed to staying professionally active. He’s not only still very much alive, but from all indications, still going strong. He seems firmly set against limiting his schedule. According to Biography, Sutherland said, “I’m going to be working until I’m helping them with the shovel.” Nevertheless, his brilliant career has lasted for longer than six decades and shows no indication of wrapping up anytime soon.

Donald Sutherland Remains Active Well Into His 80s Despite A Sickly Childhood

Born on July 17, 1935, in Saint John, New Brunswick, Sutherland had to cope with numerous serious illnesses when he was young, including rheumatic fever that was responsible for making him miss the entire fourth grade, hepatitis, and poliomyelitis. The first word Sutherland could say was “neck” due to the discomfort he was in because of polio. The illness reportedly caused one of his legs to be shorter than the other.

As of today, he is still acting. He lives in Santa Monica, California, with his third wife, French-Canadian actress Francine Racette.

He’s Showing No Signs Of Retirement So Far

Sutherland has maintained a robust pace, completing five projects in 2019 alone. His most recent film projects include Alone (2020) and Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (2022). He has also appeared in several TV series, including The Undoing (2020) and Swimming with Sharks (2022). His upcoming projects include Miranda’s Victim and a voice acting role in Ozi – Voice of the Forest.

He Continues To Be Recognized For His Talents

Sutherland was the recipient of an honorary Academy Award in 2017 and Companion of the Order of Canada (CC) in 2019.

He Nearly Died In His 30s, But He Seems Remarkably Healthy In Later Life

Childhood illnesses were not the only threats to Sutherland’s health. While Sutherland was making a film titled Kelly’s Heroes in 1970 in Yugoslavia, he contracted spinal meningitis. It was a close call for him between life and death.

“I got sick in the middle of shooting,” he said. “I came to Yugoslavia for a day’s filming and I was out for six weeks. They took me to the hospital—I had spinal meningitis. They didn’t have antibiotics so I went into a coma, and they tell me that for a few seconds I died. I saw the blue tunnel, and I started going down it. I saw the white light. I dug my feet in, I didn’t want to go—but it was incredibly tempting.”

He underwent seven spinal taps. “People would come into this very white room I was bedded in in Novi Sad, look at me, and start to cry. … It was not encouraging. I was in lousy shape.” 

Sutherland was sent to a hospital in England to recover. A month and a half later, he was back in Yugoslavia filming. He was feeling shaky and anything but normal from his ordeal. “I could walk and talk,” he recalled, “but my brains were truly fried.”

Donald Sutherland is definitely not a quitter. He has withstood every setback he has faced since his youth, from many major health problems to bullying that came with his unconventional looks. Sutherland has always capitalized upon being a versatile actor who is impossible to categorize. Not fitting any mold has actually been his strength. In an industry where traditional good looks are the coin of the realm, Sutherland has self-deprecatingly referred to himself as “an ugly man.” He has established himself as a star whose roles have become part of cinematic lore—and he’s nowhere near done yet.

In 2022, we marked the passing of a number of exceptional women whose phenomenal impact on culture, entertainment, politics, and many other fields will never be forgotten or diminished. Several of them were bold pioneers and adventurous trailblazers who opened doors for the women who came after them. Each was passionate about what she was doing. Each is irreplaceable.

We thought this would be an appropriate time to revisit these ladies’ lives and achievements. It’s our way to say thank you one more time and bid them a respectful, grateful farewell.

Queen Elizabeth II

When then-Princess Elizabeth made a radio address to her subjects on her 21^st birthday, April 21, 1947, she uttered this stirring vow: “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

As queen, she resolutely kept that promise for the next seven decades, through political upheaval, war, 15 prime ministers, and seismic social and economic changes in England and throughout the world. She was wholly dedicated to the monarchy and preserving all its grand, historic traditions. Queen Elizabeth prioritized her royal duties above all else and won the hearts and minds of her people for doing so.

She filled many roles – monarch, wife, family matriarch, and national symbol. Even when headline-generating scandals erupted involving her children’s marriages – Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s – she remained unflustered and steadfast.

No other female monarch in history has surpassed the length of her reign – an astounding 70 years and 214 days, before she died in September.

Angela Lansbury

Modern audiences knew Angela Lansbury from her role as charming sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the TV series Murder, She Wrote (1984-96), films such as Beauty and the Beast (1991), and the play Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979). Devotees of films from Hollywood’s Golden Era recall Lansbury’s performances in movies like Gaslight (1944) and The Harvey Girls (1946). This resilient and gifted lady had an 80-year career that was truly unmatched. Lansbury’s homespun charm made her loved by generations of moviegoers, theater aficionados, and TV buffs.

Olivia Newton-John

Olivia Newton-John was wholesome yet sexy, a potent combination that, along with her abundant talent, distinguished her highly successful career as a singer and actress. She sold over 100 million records worldwide, won four Grammy Awards as well as plenty of other professional honors, and starred alongside John Travolta in one of the most popular musical films ever, Grease (1978). Behind the scenes, Newton-John bravely dealt with breast cancer three times and advocated for breast cancer research.

Christine McVie

To loads of music lovers, keyboardist and singer Christine McVie was the unobtrusive engine that made Fleetwood Mac run. She joined its ranks in 1970 after she wed John McVie, and went on to become a vital member of the band and a leading creator of its inimitable sound. McVie penned some of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits such as “Songbird,” “You Make Loving Fun,” and “Don’t Stop,” which became an anthem for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.

Kirstie Alley

After Shelley Long left the NBC sitcom Cheers, Kirstie Alley breezed into the pub where everybody knew your name without missing a beat. She made the role of Rebecca Howe so indelible for six years, and was such an ideal comic foil for Ted Danson’s Sam Malone, that she earned a Golden Globe and an Emmy for it.  Alley was also an accomplished film actress who was in the Look Who’s Talking franchise, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), and Summer School (1987). Alley was sassy, she was witty, and she was just so darn funny.

Cecilia Suyat Marshall

Marshall was married to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American on the High Court, for 38 years. She was a prominent and passionate civil rights activist her whole life and worked from 1948 to 1955 as the secretary for the deputy executive director of the NAACP, Dr. Gloster B. Current.

Nichelle Nichols

Speaking of Star Trek, while the show ended its run on television in 1969, it’s a good bet that no one who watched it ever forgot Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on the show and in some of its cinematic sequels. It was a groundbreaking role for a Black actress on television.

Nichols intended to leave the show to take a role on Broadway, even writing a letter of resignation and giving it to the creator and producer of Star Trek, Gene Rodenberry. However, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. implored Nichols to stay, telling her that she was a hugely important figure to Black women and youngsters across America who were inspired by her. Not only did Nichols change her mind and remain on Star Trek, she also helped NASA to recruit women and minorities.

Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Albright, the United States Of America’s 64th secretary of state from 1997 to 2001, was the first female to serve in that position. The milestones on her resume indicate the depth of her commitment to representing her country at the top diplomatic level.

Albright was on the National Security Council, the faculty of Georgetown University, was our ambassador to the United Nations, and was a board member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2012, President Barack Obama awarded Albright the Presidential Medal of Freedom, this nation’s highest civilian honor.

Irene Cara

Who can forget being enthralled by films like Fame (1980) and Flashdance (1983)? Those movies were so captivating largely because of their musical scores. Their title songs became deservedly famous, along with the gifted woman who performed them, Irene Cara. She also co-wrote “Flashdance…What a Feeling.”

Glamorous yet down-to-earth, she skyrocketed to stardom on the popularity of those tunes. “Fame” was an international chart-topper. “Flashdance…What a Feeling” won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn, known as the Queen of Country Music, will be remembered for her silky voice and hits like “Fist City,” “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” and “You Ain’t Woman Enough.” Lynn exerted a profound influence on the country music genre during her six-decade career. She was a courageous risk-taker and championed women’s right to self-empowerment. Her songs tackled controversial themes like birth control, the stigma unfairly faced by divorced women, and the Vietnam War. Remarkably prolific, Lynn wrote 160 songs and recorded 50 studio albums.

Naomi Judd

Naomi and Wynonna Judd sang together as a crowd-pleasing mother-daughter duo, The Judds. Among their accomplishments, they garnered five Grammy Awards and recorded 20 top ten hits. Wynonna and her sister, Ashley, disclosed that their mother took her own life on April 30, 2022, as a result of mental illness in the hope of enhancing public understanding and encouraging people to seek treatment.

Anne Heche

Anne Heche attracted almost as much attention for her head-turning romantic relationship with Ellen DeGeneres from 1997 to 2000 – she claimed that she was blacklisted in Hollywood because of it –  as she did for her acting. Heche gave knockout performances in films such as Donnie Brasco (1997) and Wag the Dog the same year. She moved easily from doing films to being on stage to acting on television. Heche’s death on August 11, 2022 from injuries she suffered in a fiery car crash in Los Angeles ended a brilliant career far too soon.

Estelle Harris

The name Estelle Harris might not ring a bell, but the role she played on Seinfeld as George Costanza’s mother is probably one you recall from watching the quirky sitcom. She did voice work for many films, plus commercials early in her career, but it was playing Estelle Costanza that propelled her to fame. Harris said of the character, “She is the mother that everybody loves, even though she’s a pain in the neck.”

Sally Kellerman

Before Loretta Swit was Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on the TV series M*A*S*H, the role belonged to singer and actress Sally Kellerman in Robert Altman’s 1970 film. She received an Academy Award nomination for her dazzling and memorable performance as the nurse Hawkeye couldn’t stop picking on. Kellerman’s career endured for 60 years. She acted in a slew of films, some of which were helmed by Altman, plus TV shows with credits in such classics Bonanza (1966 and 1970), The Outer Limits (1963 and 1965), The Twilight Zone (1963), and the film Back To School (1986). We will always remember Kellerman for being the unforgettable nurse from the 4077th MASH.

Julie Powell

Imagine cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s landmark book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie Powell didn’t just imagine doing it, she actually whipped up scores of Child’s delectable dishes and wrote about the experience. What began as a blog for Salon morphed into a book, Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen. Child frowned upon it, calling it “a stunt,” according to her editor, but readers ate it up.

Louise Fletcher

Not many actresses can compete with Jack Nicholson, but Louise Fletcher nearly stole a film out from under him when she played the brutish Nurse Mildred Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). A merciless harridan, she ruled over the patients at a mental institution like a dictator. That stellar performance won Fletcher a Golden Globe, a BAFTA Award, and an Academy Award. Her career after Cuckoo’s Nest was somewhat uneven, yet she had already left her mark in Hollywood history.

Ronnie Spector

Ronnie Spector and her all-girl singing group, The Ronettes, belted out 1960s hits like “Be My Baby” (1963), “Do I Love You?” (1964), and “Baby, I Love You” (1963). Spector, who was married to famed music producer and later, convicted murderer, Phil Spector from 1968 to 1974, had a renaissance in 1986, when Eddie Money paid homage to her in his song “Take Me Home Tonight.” Sometimes referred to as the first “bad girl of rock and roll,” Spector’s music was oh-so-good.

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It’s always heartbreaking to look back at the year gone by and think about all the remarkable people who are no longer here with us. It’s especially tough to contemplate the Gen Xers who have passed away because they left us at such a lamentably young age and had so much more of their talent to share.

The following individuals delighted us with their creative artistry, won our admiration by fighting for justice and empowerment, or helped abolish a status quo that they believed was outmoded and unfair.

As we bring the curtain down on 2022, we want to reflect upon their well-lived lives and pause to remember them one more time.

Coolio

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Rapper Coolio (born Artis Leon Ivey Jr.) hit the jackpot with the hip-hop group WC and the Maad Circle. Then he went off on his own and released three successful studio albums, including Gangsta’s Paradise (1995), a two-million-copies seller in this country and My Soul (1997), a certified gold LP. He died of cardiac arrest on September 28, 2022.

Anne Heche

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Heche’s portrayal of the long-suffering, neglected wife of an undercover FBI agent in Donnie Brasco (1997) was sublime. It was just one example of her exceptional gift for bringing complex characters to three-dimensional life on stage, television, and in films.

Her roles in movies like Volcano (1997) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) proved that Heche had the acting chops to tackle any part that came her way.

Heche passed away on August 11, 2022, from serious injuries she sustained when her car crashed into a Los Angeles residence.

Taylor Hawkins

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Hawkins, who was the drummer for Foo Fighters, deserves his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which he earned in 2021. Before linking up with Foo Fighters, Hawkins toured with Alanis Morissette from 1995 to 1997 and appeared in some of her music videos from Jagged Little Pill. He also had his own group, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders.

Authorities announced that Hawkins, who was in Colombia at the time of his death on March 25, 2022, had 10 different substances in his body including THC, opioids, and tricyclic antidepressants. He was believed to have died from cardiovascular collapse.

Jason David Frank

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If you watched and loved The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, then you loved Jason David Frank, who played the character Tommy Oliver on the sensationally-popular kids’ TV show.

Frank brought his charisma to two films, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995) and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997), as well as other productions in the Power Rangers franchise.

Frank played a superhero and to millions of riveted youngsters, he truly was one. He died by suicide on November 19, 2022.

Julie Powell

Lots of people who cook at home idolized Julia Child, whose book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was like their bible. Julie Powell, who died from cardiac arrest on October 26, 2022, took mere admiration for Child much further, however.

She decided to make every recipe in Child’s classic volume—all 524 of them. Powell turned her culinary escapade into a blog, then into a book, Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen (2005). Bon appetit forever, Julie Powell!

Hurricane G

Her birth name was Gloria Rodriguez, but this Brooklyn-born sensation of Puerto Rican heritage was known to those who follow rap music as Hurricane G. It was an apt moniker because she was a whirlwind musical force.

She sang with Cocoa Brovaz, Keith Murray, Delinquent Habits, and Redman, but she had a sound and a personality that were distinctively and triumphantly all her own. She died from lung cancer on November 6, 2022.

Mimi Parker

How do you best describe the band Low? Maybe it’s better to ask how you can describe its co-founder, Mimi Parker, who left us on November 5, 2022 due to cancer.

National Public Radio said that she “had a voice that let the light in.” Low’s songs, like the hauntingly beautiful, almost otherworldly “Lullaby” and the mellow “Days Like These” seem to waft gently through the air. The band originated in Duluth, Minnesota in 1993. Its appeal, however, is wonderfully universal.

Brad William Henke

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Brad William Henke Henke had two careers. The first one was as a player in the NFL. He was part of the Denver Broncos squad that lost Super Bowl XXIV to the San Francisco 49ers in 1990.

When his playing days ended due to ankle injuries, Henke started a new gig as an actor in commercials, movies, and TV shows like Orange Is the New Black. In that series, Henke was cast as Desi Piscatella, a corrections officer.

Henke died in his sleep on November 29, 2022. No cause of death was given at the time, but he had recently undergone heart surgery.

Vicky Phelan

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Vicky Phelan, a resident of Ireland, got a false negative result when she was tested for cervical cancer in 2011 as part of the nation’s CervicalCheck program. Three years later, she found out she actually did have cancer.

She discovered that scores of other women were in the same predicament, with cancer that would have been treated much earlier, possibly successfully, had it not been for their erroneous test results.

A passionate advocate for women in her home country, Phelan bravely challenged the Irish healthcare system, demanding transparency regarding the bungled cervical cancer testing that failed so many women who had trusted it with their lives, including herself. She passed away from the disease on November 14, 2022.

Lois Curtis

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Lois Curtis, an artist, spoke out on behalf of people with disabilities. She knew what hardships they often faced because of her own background and experiences. Curtis, who dealt with developmental and cognitive disabilities, was institutionalized for almost two decades, beginning in childhood.

She challenged the trend toward placing people with psychiatric impairments or disabilities in institutions as opposed to giving them the help and resources they required at home in the community.

The Olmstead Decision handed down by the United States Supreme Court in 1999, in a case in which Curtis was the lead plaintiff, affirmed that “unjustified segregation of persons with disabilities constitutes discrimination in violation of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

Lois Curtis’s tireless crusade for what she felt was fair treatment was a dramatic success. She died from pancreatic cancer on November 3, 2022.

Carolina Ödman-Govender

Caroline Ödman-Govender’s high school physics teacher evidently made a big impression on her at a young age. She followed in that teacher’s footsteps and studied science—a choice that led to a dazzling career.

Her CV reads like an endless scroll of accomplishments, one of them being an initiative Ödman-Govender helmed called Universe Awareness. It educated 400,000 young people about astronomy in 60 nations. She died from pancreatic adenocarcinoma on November 15, 2022.

Imagine getting presents for your birthday plus presents for Christmas, all on the same day. These lucky celebs are or were in that enviable position because they happened to be born on Christmas (December 25). Let’s take a closer look at some of the Yuletide babies who grew up to be famous!

Jeremy Strong

Born on December 25, 1978, Strong stars in Succession, the HBO TV series in which he plays Kendall Roy. He nabbed an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his work on the show.

A graduate of Yale University, Strong has appeared in many films such as Lincoln (2012), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Selma (2014), and The Big Short (2015). He has worked with high-profile directors like Steven Spielberg, Aaron Sorkin, and Ava DuVernay. He and Anne Hathaway star in Armageddon Time (2022), a tale about its director James Gray’s parents.

Jimmy Buffett

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Life is just one long vacay in Margaritaville if you ask this laid-back, crowd-pleasing singer, who was born on December 25, 1946. Of course, if you are one of his die-hard Parrotheads, you know that already.

Despite Buffett’s down-home folksiness, he is reportedly among the richest musicians in the world. His wealth, as of 2017, was estimated at $900 million. He has penned three bestselling books: Tales From Margaritaville (1989), Where Is Joe Merchant? (1992), and A Pirate Looks At Fifty (1998).

Annie Lennox

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With her platinum blonde pixie haircut and unmistakable singing voice, Annie Lennox has been a fixture on the music scene for years, first with Eurythmics and then as a solo performer beginning in 1992.

Born on December 25, 1954, Rolling Stone included her in its list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. She and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics were tapped for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

CCH Pounder

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Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder, named in honor of her godmothers and grandmothers, is probably best known for her role as Dr. Angela Hicks on the TV medical drama ER (1994-97). Born in Guyana on December 25, 1952, her mom reportedly envisioned her as a newscaster, but Pounder forged ahead with an acting career.

She appeared in TV shows such as Quantum Leap, The X-Files, The Shield, Hill Street Blues, and The Cosby Show. Pounder has also lent her voice to animated projects and video games.

Sissy Spacek

Widely acclaimed for her roles in films like Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)—about the life of country singer Loretta Lynn—and Carrie (1976), Mary Elizabeth Spacek, better known as Sissy, has been the recipient of three Golden Globes and an Academy Award.

Born on December 25, 1949, in Quitman, Texas, she has said that the 1967 death of her teenage brother from leukemia was “the defining event of [her] whole life.” Spacek has also said that she became more intrepid as an actress as a result of that devastating loss.

Helena Christensen

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Helena Christensen rose to the top of the modeling profession during the 1990s, becoming the face of promotions for leading fashion houses such as Prada, Chanel, Hermes, and Lanvin.

The New York Times put her in the ranks of supermodels like Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista. She has not only worked in front of the camera but also behind it as a skilled photographer.

Christensen, born on December 25, 1968, is also an activist who has advocated for breast cancer fundraising and climate change awareness.

Humphrey Bogart

Among the most revered of all Hollywood actors from Tinseltown’s Golden Age, Bogart (also known as Bogie) was in some of the greatest films ever made, especially the World War II romance Casablanca (1942).

Who can forget his riveting portrayal of the psychologically unraveling Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny (1954) or as Sam Spade in the noir masterpiece The Maltese Falcon (1941)?

Born on December 25, 1899, on the brink of a new century, Bogart raised eyebrows at the age of 45 when he wooed and wed his leggy co-star from To Have And Have Not (1944), then-20-year-old Lauren Bacall.

Rod Serling

Rod Serling was the genius behind deliciously creepy-with-a-twist TV series like cult classics The Twilight Zone (1969-64) and Night Gallery (1969-73). He served up stories featuring everyday situations and added a dollop of unsettling sci-fi scariness.

A brilliant writer and narrator, he was born on December 25, 1924, and showed an early flair for crafting scripts. Serling went on to win six Emmys for his work.

According to his obituary in The New York Times, he was a hard-driving man who smoked heavily and often had insomnia, taking advantage of his sleeplessness to be creative while he was wide awake at night. He died after undergoing open-heart surgery at the age of 50.

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Usher (born Usher Raymond IV) is not only incredibly successful as a recording artist, but he’s also highly diversified. This dancer, singer, actor, songwriter, and businessman has sold 80 million records globally. His impressive professional accolades include eight Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, nine Soul Train Music Awards, and 35 ASCAP Awards.

He’s also an actor, philanthropist, and activist. It seems like no matter what Usher tries his hand at, he smashes it out of the ballpark.

He has tons of fans everywhere who are eager to know what he’s up to lately and what he’s got on the drawing board. Here’s the scoop on this popular artist and amazing renaissance man.

Usher Has A New Album Coming Out

The public hasn’t heard from Usher in a while as far as new albums go. His last solo album, Hard II Love, was released in 2016 and he released a collaborative album with Zaytoven in 2018.

Usher does apparently have a project in the pipeline, however. In March 2019, he hinted that a follow-up to his mega-hit album Confessions (2004) was on the way.

He has released several singles: “Don’t Waste My Time” (December 2019),“SexBeat” (April 2020), and “Bad Habits” (September 2020).

Usher told USA Today in August 2022 that his much-anticipated new R&B-infused album was almost finished. He shared that it would not be titled Confessions 2. Even so, he did not downplay Confessions’ influence on his current project.

“It’s been an inspiration throughout the process,” Usher explained. “Confessions was a successful album and I count down the days until I begin to launch this. It’s coming real soon. I’ve actually finished it, and I’m now going through the process of sequencing it and naming it.”

He Has A Las Vegas Residency In 2022 And 2023

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A Las Vegas residency is a sure sign that an artist has attained superstar stature. Adele, Celine Dion, and Lady Gaga are just some of the famed songstresses who have had that enviable distinction.

Add Usher to this elite list. His Vegas stint at Park MGM’s Dolby Live theater won’t just feature him passively perched on a stool and holding a mic while he croons his top hits. Usher also plans to roller-skate and do some storytelling in addition to singing. The crowd sure will get their money’s worth!

Amidst all the glitz and glory, Usher hasn’t forgotten his desire to give back. One dollar from every ticket purchased will be donated to his New Look foundation which he launched in 1999 to help underprivileged youth.

His 2022 Tiny Desk Concert Went Viral

There are stadium concerts, and then there are intimate venue concerts. Usher’s Tiny Desk Concert on NPR that was part of Black History Month was clearly the latter. It had a great mellow vibe, almost like anyone who watched the video was actually right there. It spawned a flock of funny memes as well.

He Became Embroiled In Legal Battles In The Late 2010s

Disturbing allegations were reportedly leveled against Usher years ago when In 2018, RadarOnline claimed that he infected “a celebrity stylist” with the herpes virus. He supposedly had unprotected sex with this person without telling them that he was allegedly infected.

The article claimed that Usher told his partner that he was tested for STDs and the results were negative, so they kept having unprotected sexual relations.

The unnamed person eventually reportedly became “very sick” with a headache, aches and pains, fever, and chills. She also reportedly had vaginal blisters and lesions and was allegedly diagnosed with herpes.

Under California law, someone with genital herpes must not engage in sex with uninfected people or must let a sexual partner know prior to having sex with them that they are infected. The case was reportedly settled for $1.1 million on December 28, 2012.

In 2017, TMZ claimed that Usher had sex with a different woman whom he also allegedly exposed to herpes. She subsequently sued him. During their initial sexual tryst at the woman’s home, TMZ alleges that Usher wore a condom, according to the woman’s lawsuit.

The two reportedly had sex again, this time in New Orleans at a hotel, and Usher allegedly was not using a condom.

The woman supposedly grew worried when she read about Usher’s earlier legal case that was brought against him for having sex when he had herpes and failing to tell his partner. TMZ claimed that the woman said she was “exposed” to the virus, not that she said she was infected with it.

She allegedly sued Usher for emotional distress, negligence, and battery. She reportedly wanted “at least $10 million in damages.”

The situation changed, however, when the woman allegedly did test positive for herpes, TMZ reported later. At that point, she reportedly wanted at least $20 million for punitive damages, emotional harm, and medical bills.

That case was settled privately. The terms were not made public.

That was not the end of Usher’s alleged woes, though. The Los Angeles Times reported in 2017 that three more individuals (a woman named Quantasia Sharpton, plus an unnamed woman and man) sued him, alleging that they also had unprotected sex with Usher, who did not tell them he had herpes. Their attorney, Lisa Bloom, said that one of these three people, all of whom were her clients, had genital herpes.

They alleged fraud, sexual battery, and infliction of emotional distress. In 2019, Usher settled with these three people.

Usher’s insurance company, New York Marine and General Insurance, reportedly sued him and his company, Fast Pace, Inc., because they didn’t want to cover any damages related to these lawsuits.The company dismissed the lawsuit in 2019.

He’s Growing His Family

Usher and his partner, music executive Jenn Goicoechea, have been together since 2019 and have two kids.

They were ecstatic to announce the birth of their daughter Sovereign Bo Raymond on September 24, 2020.  Usher already had two children, Usher V and Naviyd Ely, with his ex, Tameka Foster.

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“We are feeling blessed and full of love with the arrival of our beautiful baby girl, Sovereign Bo Raymond,” Usher posted on Instagram. ” ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ by Stevie Wonder on repeat.”

One year later, on September 29, 2021, Goicoechea gave birth to the couple’s second child, a boy they named Sire Castrello Raymond.

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He Uses His Wealth To Support Philanthropic Endeavors

Usher has generously backed initiatives that help people to improve their lives and lift themselves up. He knows that he has been blessed with immense talent and financial resources. He seems to find gratification in sharing what he has on behalf of worthy causes.

Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who stirred both support and controversy when he knelt at the start of football games during the National Anthem to decry police brutality and social injustice, vowed in 2016 to give away a total of $1 million to organizations in “oppressed communities.”

He joined forces with athletes and entertainers, asking them to donate $10,000 to any cause of their choosing, which he would match. Usher gave $10,000 to H.O.M.E. which stands for Helping Oppressed Mothers Endure, a charity in Georgia. Kaepernick matched Usher’s donation for a combined total of $20,000 (per CNN).

In July 2019, he invested in Liquid I.V., a California-based nutrition wellness company. The company supports communities in need with each purchase. It was launched to help dehydrated kids in developing nations. Usher was just one of many celebrities to sink their money into Liquid I.V, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Among the others were James Corden, Maria Shriver, and Demi Lovato.

He Teamed Up With Remy Martin For A Special Campaign Promoting Its Beverages

Usher had a long-standing relationship with cognac-maker Remy Martin, which was a partner of his OMG World Tour. The Usher x Rémy Martin 1738: A Taste of Passion promotional campaign was another of his collaborations with the exclusive brand.

The company rolled out their 1738 Accord Royal beverage housed in a special, limited-edition bottle accompanied by an “immersive experience” for Usher’s My Way Las Vegas residency.

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This was an extremely limited edition, according to Forbes, which stated that “[w]hile there were 50 bottles produced, only 25 bottles will be available for purchase as NFTs via BlockBar at the going rate of $500.”

They sold out in an astonishing two seconds!

Usher has been extremely busy recently, both publicly and behind the scenes. He has creative projects in the works and always remembers to give back in meaningful ways.

Now that Usher’s legal troubles seem to be behind him, he can devote himself fully to what he loves doing most—and the powerful music that we love hearing from him.

Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud) was one of the instantly recognizable characters on TV and in film that viewers loved to love. Whether you first saw him on the TV series The A-Team (1983-87) as B.A. Baracus or as Clubber Lang in Rocky III (1982), he was unforgettable.

With his profusion of gold neck chains, sparkly rings adorning each finger, swaggering persona, eye-catching hair style modeled after those of West African Mandinka warriors, and signature motto of “I pity the fool,” Mr. T. definitely impressed audiences.

There’s probably plenty about him that you probably aren’t aware of. He served in the US Army. He was such a success in basic training that he emerged as the number one trainee among 6,000 recruits.

He also had many jobs before he became famous: bouncer, gym teacher, military policeman, and bodyguard for celebrities like Diana Ross, Steve McQueen, and Muhammad Ali.

Mr. T seems to have become less visible lately. People wonder if he is still active in the entertainment industry and if so, what is he working on. Here’s what we found out about this brawny hero with a heart that is every bit as golden as his baubles.

Mr. T. Continued Acting Into The 2010s

Mr. T was in films such as Freaked (1993), in which he played the Bearded Lady at a “freak farm” alongside Brooke Shields, Randy Quaid, and Morgan Fairchild; Inspector Gadget (1999), which was derived from the cartoon character; and Not Another Teen Movie (2001), a humorous takeoff on films targeted to youthful audiences in which he played the Wise Janitor.

He also voiced the character of Earl Devereaux in the animated comedy Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009).

Mr. T appeared in numerous television shows as well. He played himself in Blossom (1994), Suddenly Susan (1996-97), The Simpsons (2004), and Johnny Bravo (2004).

He lent his voice to Sabrina: The Animated Series (1999) and portrayed a gambler in Finders Keepers (2010).

His most recent appearances were in 2014 in WrestleMania XXX and The Comeback Kids.

He’s A Cancer Survivor

Mr. T had a fight of his own to face several years ago, but his nemesis wasn’t a human villain—it was a cancer diagnosis.

In 1995, he learned that he had T-cell lymphoma. It was a tough challenge for him, as it would be for anyone. Mr. T marshalled his physical and emotional strength against it, along with his deep religious faith, which he said he has shared with other cancer patients to bolster their morale.

Mr. T’s philosophy is grounded in resilience and hope. He wants to impart it to people dealing with this disease so they can make it through just like he has.

“When they hear about me fighting cancer,” he explained, “hear about me not quitting, they can say, ‘Wow, I’m not going to quit.’”

When he talked about his ordeal, his voice was urgent and impassioned.

He went through a course of radiation therapy (five treatments weekly for a month), but his extremely rare cancer came back almost a year later.

This time, Mr. T had chemotherapy, which he said made him nauseated, sleepless, and dizzy. Still, he hung in there. “Life is an endurance test,” he said. “It’s not a 50-yard sprint or 100-yard dash. It’s a marathon. I’ve got to endure, endure the hardship.”

There was plenty of chemo, plus radiation, with interferon therapy thrown in. It was a grueling regimen. Mr. T and his doctors pulled out all the stops—but nothing slowed him down, not even cancer.

Mr. T continued the story of his cancer journey in a pensive vein that is grounded in his closely-held religious beliefs: “We’re going through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, but the key is we’re going through there. Through is the key word…. Though means there’s an exit on the other side. So we’re not going to stay there.”

Although Mr. T’s cancer returned, he had been cancer-free for 12 years at the time of a 2013 interview.

He Hosted World’s Craziest Fools on BBC Three

This amusing clip compilation show hosted by Mr. T aired in 2011 and 2013. Its title was derived from his favorite saying, “I pity the fool.” The videos, some from CCTV footage, showcased people looking silly. They were grouped into categories such as workmen fools, parking fools, drunken fools, and criminal fools.

He Was Inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame In 2014

Mr. T was inducted by Gene Okurland, but that was not the high point that observers remembered about T’s acceptance speech. He exceeded his time by so much that another wrestler named Kane had to break in to hurry him up. Mr. T also mentioned and praised his mother—along with mothers in general—73 times, by Metro’s count.

For example, Mr. T said, “I believe that mothers are one of God’s greatest creations. My mother, your mother, all mothers … thank God for mothers.”

“I believe the genius of God’s soul expresses his self through the body of a mother, like no other.”

He Competed On Season 24 Of Dancing With The Stars In 2017

Mr. T showed off his skills as a hoofer on Dancing With The Stars. Paired with dancer Kym Herjavec, he finished in 10^th place and was third to be eliminated from the competition. He generously vowed to donate half of his winnings to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and the other half to the Shriners.

In 2017, Mr. T told Larry King on Larry King Now that what motivated him to go on the show was not just the glittering mirror ball trophy that goes to the top-ranked dancing couple. He was eager to use his stint on DWTS to help children dealing with serious health crises.

“My mother told me, ‘The blessed of us must try to save the lest [least] of us,’” he said. “This is my way of giving back to the children…They haven’t had time to be a kid [because of their medical situation] …”

He added that in his opinion, people sometimes put excessive emphasis on winning whatever kind of contest they compete in. “Because of the cause I represent,” he said, “I already won before I hit the dance floor…You only lose when you give up, you lose when you quit, you lose when you cheat.”

USA Today observed that Mr. T “drops from the A-Team to the B-Squad,” but to him, going by his remarks on finishing first versus doing good, there was something vastly more important at stake than merely amassing more points for excellence from the judges than any of the other contestants.

He was able to draw attention to what he called his “cause.” That indeed made him a winner.

He’s Active On Twitter

He likes to post about the Bible and sports. For example, one of Mr. T’s posts was “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places -Ephesians 6:12.”

Another tweet said, “Hey, All you Guys @USMNT, I’m still Proud of you! You Can’t Win Them All. You left it on The Field, “You Win with Modesty and Lose with Dignity!”

Mr. T has thoughtfully and generously used the platform he has as a well-known and liked personality to encourage people to overcome their illnesses and increase awareness of children who must deal with major medical issues.

He worked hard to get to the top and never forgot his roots, especially the life lessons he learned from his precious mother. Mr. T is one celebrity who clearly has his priorities straight.

Janet Jackson became a bona fide star with smash-hit albums such as Control (1986) and Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). Her sizzling dance moves added to her mystique and huge fan following. Only Mariah Carey surpassed Jackson’s success during the 1990s, according to Billboard.

Jackson’s divorce from her second husband Rene Elizondo reportedly cost her a bundle. Here’s what Elizondo is doing now.

Elizondo Reportedly Got More Than $10 Million In His Divorce Settlement With Janet Jackson

The pop princess secretly wed Elizondo on March 31, 1991. Jackson had personal reasons for keeping her marriage to Elizondo shielded from public view. According to Rolling Stone, Jackson explained, “Since I was a child, my personal life has been lived in the public eye. At times, this has been very difficult. I hope my fans will understand.”

The two seem to have been incredibly close. “I think maybe once—no, twice—we were away from each other, for at the very most a week,” Jackson said (per the Cinemaholic).

Elizondo, who was born in Durango, Mexico on July 16, 1982, took steps to end their union by filing for divorce in 2000. He allegedly wanted $25 million from Jackson even though they had a prenup.  

According to Forbes, he supposedly said he signed it under pressure. Three years later, in 2003, they reached a settlement. Elizondo reportedly got a hefty $10 million.

When they split, Elizondo’s attorney, Manley Freid, reportedly said that Elizondo only wanted from Jackson what was legally due him. “…Rene is not looking to nickel and dime Janet to get what he’s entitled under the law.”

Attorneys in Beverly Hills representing Jackson had no comment in accordance with their policy of not discussing their clients with the media.

The pair certainly had a love of music—and a conspicuous flair for it—in common. They made it the foundation of their professional lives. Elizondo, a music video director, dancer, and songwriter, met Jackson when he was one of LaToya Jackson’s backup dancers.

Jackson’s music videos for “Together Again, Deeper Remix,” “That’s the Way Love Goes,” and “Again” were directed by Elizondo. He was one of the producers and songwriters on Jackson’s album The Velvet Rope, along with Jackson herself, Terry Lewis, and Jimmy Jam. The LP was wildly successful, going triple-platinum.

It’s possible that Elizondo’s status and clout in the industry were enhanced by his association with Jackson.

Celebrity stylist Wayne Scot Lucas, who knew Jackson, said of Elizondo, “He had so much power off her back that you just didn’t cross René” (per Buzzfeed News).

He Continues To Work In The Entertainment Industry

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Elizondo is still using the creativity and craftsmanship he displayed in his projects with Jackson. He was a prolific music video director in the 2010s. Elizondo directed A.J. McLean’s Night Visions (2018) and the Backstreet Boys’ Chances (2018).

He shifted gears in 2022 and was a producer of a hard-hitting documentary on the opioid crisis, People Like You. The film looks at what it feels like to be dealing with opioid addiction as told by those who are confronting the issue.

Elizondo is also a podcast host on Pretty Messed Up.

He Remarried in 2010

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Elizondo still lives in California, according to The Cinemaholic. He and his wife, Britt Coelho, share a daughter, Elin, who was born on October 9, 2011.

Rene Elizondo was deeply involved with Janet Jackson’s career. They seemed to be happy and compatible during their good times.

Eventually, their marriage ended, but it looks as if Elizondo is doing well personally and professionally these days, thanks to his solid second marriage, fatherhood, and successful professional life.

Elvis Presley was truly the King: incredibly handsome, blessed with abundant talent as a singer and actor, and beloved by millions of fans the world over. People felt like they knew him, which made them adore him even more.

He was also understandably appealing to beautiful women. Presley was divorced from his wife, Priscilla, in 1973. The romantic relationship he had at the end of his life was with Ginger Alden. Despite the considerable age difference between them, they envisioned getting married and sharing their lives forever.

What happened to her after Presley died in 1977? We looked into the latest on what Ginger Alden is doing now, and here’s what we found.

Ginger Alden Met Elvis When She Was Only 20

Alden was very young when she first crossed paths with Elvis. He was 41 when they met; she was just 20. Still, there was an undeniable attraction between them.

She “was the last serious love he would let into his heart,” Alden wrote in her memoir, Elvis & Ginger: Elvis Presley’s Fiancee and Last Love Finally Tells Her Story. They began a relationship in 1976, and they were together until his death in August 1977.

They were only a couple for nine months, but Alden referred to that time as “life-altering.”

The way Alden described Presley, it seemed almost as if he was a mentor of sorts for her—an older, sophisticated, and extremely worldly man advising “a young, impressionable woman.”

When they were together, it wasn’t all heady glamour and dizzying glitz. There were cozy domestic times, such as when they got a dog. Alden liked Great Danes, so she bought one in April 1977 without telling Presley. She named him Odyssey for the theme music that played before Presley’s concerts.

Presley gave her an engagement ring on January 26, 1977. Like many of the gifts he lavished on her, it was splashy, with an enormous center gemstone. Alden said he told her, “I’ve loved before but I’ve never been in love.” She was thrilled with his generosity and sweet expression of caring.

They planned to marry on Christmas Day 1977. When they agreed on the date, Alden recalled that Presley said to her, “That will be our gift to God.” Fate intervened, however, when Presley died suddenly on August 16, 1977.

On a Facebook post dated April 9, 2018, Alden angrily countered the rumors about Presley having committed suicide. She vehemently denied allegations that he took his own life. “I encourage all Elvis fans to please know and understand that Elvis Presley would never and did not commit suicide.”

Alden contended that he was busy making plans for the future, like their nuptials, having kids, doing more movies, and going on concert tours. He was not downcast or morose, Alden claimed, but was looking forward to the milestones he planned in his life and hers.

Alden found him dead in a bathroom at Graceland. According to a story in Express, Presley’s family soured on Alden after he died.

Presley’s dad, Vernon, allegedly did not want her around anymore. Presley’s Uncle Vester reportedly said of her, “Ginger Alden is dead now as far as the family is concerned. We don’t even recognize her as a human being.”

He continued, “We’re not interested in her. She took advantage of Elvis’ name.”

She was even barred from Graceland after Presley’s death. If she wanted to visit his grave, she had to call first and ask permission.

Alden Later Became An Actress

Alden was in several films and TV shows in the 1980s and 1990s. She had a role in a film called Living Legend: The King of Rock and Roll (1980), which was about a fictional music superstar named Eli Caulfield whose off-the-charts popularity and prescription medication abuse echoed that of Presley.

Alden played the title role in Lady Grey (1980), about a woman who becomes a music star but suffers through heartache on her way to the top. She also had guest roles in shows like Hollywood Beat (1985) and Capitol (1986), as well as a cameo as a talk show guest in Canaan Land (2020).

She Married And Had A Family Post-Elvis

Alden married Ronald Leyser, a 1990 graduate of Syracuse Law School who became an attorney, in 1991. They were together until his death in 2015. In an eerie coincidence, Leyser and Presley both died on August 16.

Alden and Leyser share a son named Hunter. When he was seven years old, he came home from school peppering Alden with questions about Presley. Hunter brought jumbo-sized sunglasses to school that day. Other kids were teasingly calling him Elvis, which piqued the boy’s curiosity.

She was uncertain about just how much to share with Hunter. Alden kept her responses to him brief and straightforward: “Elvis was a very nice man I met long ago. He was someone who loved to sing and make people happy.”

In 2014 when her book was published, Alden was a guest on Today. She explained why she chose to write the memoir of her time with Elvis when she did.

“I went forward with my life [after Presley died]. I worked, I got married, had my son [and] raised him…”  When Hunter went off to college, Alden felt “the time was right…I wanted to get the truth out.”

On a small table between Alden and Today host Willie Geist were two treasured mementos of her years with the King: that colossal engagement ring and a gold chain with a pendant that had three letters, each encrusted with diamonds. The letters were T-L-C for Tender Loving Care along with a lightning bolt, also drenched in sparklers.

Alden Released A Memoir About Her Time With Elvis In 2014

The story Alden told in her book was not one of unblemished happiness with Presley. There were incidents of his bizarre behavior that might have made another woman run out the door.

He reportedly shot a gun at a television. He allegedly hit Alden when they were in Hawaii and she refused to get him more papaya juice, which he had been drinking in copious amounts that day, according to Alden.

She described the scene: “Our bedroom door flew open, Elvis stormed into the room with a wild look in his eyes, and slapped me on the side of my rib cage. ‘No one ever walks out on me when I’m talking,’” he reportedly told her.

His weight was another sensitive topic with Presley. As he got older, he looked much heavier. He got so enraged when Alden mentioned it to him that he threw a dish of ice cream. When she appeared on Inside Edition, however, Alden downplayed the talk of Presley’s binge overeating.

“He could be compulsive sometimes when eating certain foods,” she said. “I never once saw him eating fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches.”

Overall, though, Alden remembers her relationship with Presley fondly. “Elvis could be difficult at times,” she acknowledged, “but for me, his goodness and loving spirit outweighed any faults.” She still posts loving memories of him on Facebook to the delight of his fans.

Ginger Alden knew Elvis Presley during what turned out to be the final months of the superstar’s life. Although his behavior could be erratic and sometimes even kind of mean, she has always recalled him with kindness and affection. Alden moved on with her life after Presley died, but it seems like he will always be a cherished part of it.

The highly publicized defamation lawsuit brought by Johnny Depp against his former wife, Amber Heard, focused attention on just about every aspect of the idiosyncratic actor’s personal life.

One person who remained out of the fray during that dramatic courtroom clash between the warring exes was Depp’s other ex-wife.

She’s a sought-after makeup artist who has achieved professional distinction in her own right. Here’s everything we know about Lori Anne Allison.

Lori Anne Allison Married Depp When She Was 25—And He Was Only 20

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Allison and Depp met through her brother, who was the bassist and singer in Depp’s band, The Kids.

The pair married young, especially Depp, who was just 20 when he exchanged vows with Allison. Their youth may explain why their marriage ended rather quickly. Wed in 1983, they parted in 1985.

Depp’s relationship with Allison had at least one big professional benefit for him, however. Allison’s pal, Nicolas Cage, got Depp together with an agent who helped him get his very first part in a movie, Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). That role was the springboard for his amazing career.

In May 2016, TMZ reported that Allison was allegedly skeptical of Heard’s claims of physical abuse by Depp and she supposedly said so to friends.

Although Allison’s comments defending Depp have not been confirmed, TMZ stated that in her opinion, Depp was not prone to violence and would not hurt someone. In fact, she believed Depp was a gentle and considerate person who loved animals and never was abusive to her or even raised his voice.

Allison Made A Name For Herself As A Makeup Artist In Hollywood

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Allison proved to be a talented makeup artist who established her reputation in the film industry. She worked on films such as Sunset Heat (1992), Acting on Impulse (1993), and Cyber Bandits (1995). Allison also styled hair for Venus Rising (1995) and The Muse (2016).

Allison’s skills were put to the test in the late 1980s when she had to do makeup on Sting for an MTV Rockumentary. She said she was cautioned beforehand that he was extremely sunburned. Even with 30 years of professional experience, Allison shared that it was “…the one experience that probably made me the most nervous and it just stands out the most in my mind” (per Enstarz).

She headed to a local beauty supply store and stocked up on what she needed. Allison knew that green makeup hides skin redness, so she mixed some green in with the foundation she applied to Sting’s face.

Sting, not realizing that she was actually making him look better, bristled when he saw what she was doing. Allison said that he apprehensively remarked, “You’re not going to make me look green are you?”

Allison explained to him that she definitely wasn’t. She even gave him a mirror so he could watch the whole process by which she applied his makeup. “He looked fine once I was done and went off without a hitch,” she said.

Allison branched out and introduced her own line of lip glosses, Serendeppity, in 2015. She said the glosses were moisturizing, made of “animal-friendly” ingredients, and could double as blush for the cheeks.

The glosses all had names that were tributes to famous actresses. There was a clear one called Olivia in honor of what Allison considered the purity of actress Olivia Hussey, who starred in Romeo and Juliet (1968), a sultry red shade called Marilyn for Marilyn Monroe, and another named Sandy for Olivia Newton-John’s character in Grease (1978).

Allison posts examples of her makeup artistry on social media like Facebook and Instagram, along with some of her observations about makeup products.

Allison Is A Dog Lover

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She posts pics of her pooch on Instagram. Allison seems to like canines so much that she published a coffee table book showing celebrities and their dogs, Gimme Shelter (2016).

It has snaps taken by her sister, photographer Suzanne Allison. The project took five years to complete and features well-known entertainment figures like Courteney Cox, Steven Tyler, and Demi Moore with their four-legged buddies. Johnny Depp wrote the foreword to the volume, part of whose proceeds went to animal organizations.

Lori Anne Allison and Johnny Depp became husband and wife when they were barely into their adult years. The marriage was brief, but they seem to have remained on good terms.

She has built a successful career as a makeup artist for films and celebrities and is apparently thriving in that role.

Mike Myers became a household name during his time on Saturday Night Live from 1989 to 1995, creating a trove of lovably madcap characters such as Coffee Talk host Linda Richman, “Handsome Actor” Lank Thompson, and Lothar (of the Hill People).

However, the most indelible moments of Myers’ career were yet to come. His work in the title roles of three of the most successful film franchises in comedy history added boundless luster to his reputation. Wayne’s World (1992–1993), Austin Powers (1997–2002), and Shrek (2001–2010) will never be forgotten by their legions of fans.

Despite his massive success, Myers seems to have dropped off the map lately. Does he have projects in the pipeline or has he chosen to enjoy some downtime? This is everything we discovered about what happened to Mike Myers.

Despite His ’90s Powerhouse Status, He’s Struggled To Succeed Outside Of His Three Main Franchises

Myers has not maintained the stratospheric level of success achieved by his trio of blockbuster franchises. Perhaps that was an unrealistically lofty bar to set for any entertainer.

Still, audiences seemed to expect Myers to remain at that sky-high standard of artistic and financial success, at least for a while. By comparison, many of his other projects have been disappointing critical and commercial letdowns.

The Cat in the Hat (2003), a live-action interpretation of the treasured tale by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel that starred Myers as the title feline, was a box-office and audience non-starter. The film was so mediocre that it landed on many critics’ lists of cinematic duds of the year.

On top of that unfortunate distinction, Geisel’s widow, Audrey, who was president and CEO of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, said that she was so dissatisfied with the movie that she did not intend to give her blessing to any more live-action films based on her late husband’s work (per Today).

The Love Guru (2008) was another colossal failure on Myers’ resume. Reviewers slammed it and it lost $20 million. Myers had a bigger-than-usual share of the responsibility because he was the co-writer and co-producer.

Critic A.O. Scott of The New York Times seemed to be at a loss for words to adequately convey the film’s sophomoric wretchedness. This comment from Scott should suffice, however: “…The Love Guru is downright antifunny, an experience that makes you wonder if you will ever laugh again.”

Myers Earned A Reputation As A Diva

As if it wasn’t dismal enough that Myers’ career went from fabulous to freefall, he was becoming known for being demanding and temperamental.

Entertainment Weekly summarized Myers’ alleged toxicity this way: “Over two decades of making comedies, Myers has brought joy and laughter to millions and left bitter feelings and battered relationships in his wake.”

Director Penelope Spheeris, who helmed Wayne’s World, had a few barbs of her own for Myers. “He was emotionally needy and got more difficult as the shoot went along,” Spheeris claimed.

To pacify him somewhat, Spheeris’ daughter made sure that Myers’ favorite snacks were consistently available on the set.

Myers spoke appreciatively of Spheeris via his publicist. “I’m incredibly grateful for Penelope Spheeris’ contributions on Wayne’s World. Some 17 years later, the movie is still a bright highlight in my professional career.”

Stories of Myers’ unpleasant tactics to get his own way began to make the rounds in the industry. “I think Mike’s a visionary, but his way of getting what he wants is to remote and threaten and express anger,” said the producer of So I Married An Axe Murderer (1993), Rob Fried.

Myers’ talent redeemed him to a degree in some people’s eyes. Spheeris said, “I hated the bastard for years. But when I saw Austin Powers, I went, ‘I forgive you, Mike.”’

After one misfire after another, though, Myers’ comedic genius wouldn’t always be a buffer shielding him from colleagues’ impatience and irritation with his prima donna-like attitude.

Things reached a new low point when Myers and Universal Pictures butted heads over the collapse of an upcoming movie project featuring his Dieter character from SNL.

According to BBC, Universal sued Myers because they contended he backed out of a promise to do the movie. Myers sued Universal for $20 million, claiming he had not approved a script.

A settlement was eventually reached between the two feuding parties. In a statement, Myers said, “In regard to the resolution, I’m glad to put all of this behind me, and I’m looking forward to doing a movie that we can all be proud of.”

A Universal spokesman said that plans for a film with the Dieter character were scrapped.

Actress Amy Hill, who was in The Cat in the Hat, said that making that film was “just a horrible, nightmarish experience,” which she seemed to attribute mainly to Myers’ unfriendliness to people on the set and his weird behavior (per the AV Club). She mentioned one of his habits that struck her as peculiar, haughty, or maybe both.

“There was a guy who held his chocolates in a little Tupperware [container]. Whenever he needed chocolate, he’d come running over and give him a chocolate. That’s what divas are like, I guess. Or people who need therapy.”

Myers’ career seemed to dry up completely between 2012 and 2018, when he had virtually no acting jobs. He did direct and produce a generally well-received documentary in 2013. Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, was about a successful manager for rock music performers and his illustrious clients who included Blondie and Pink Floyd.

He told GQ in 2014, “I never get offered anything. I’ve never been offered anything. I’ve never been on lists where I’ve been offered anything.” He added that he had only gotten 15 scripts since 1991. Myers also acknowledged that he rejected all 15 of them.

He then clarified that remark when he said, “I don’t know the exact number [I turned down]. It could be as high as forty. But I would say in the fourteen-to-forty range.”

He Built An Active Personal Life In New York City

Myers and his second wife, Kelly Tisdale, have been married since 2010. Myers’ first wife was Robin Ruzan (née Richman), an actress and comedy writer. They were married for 12 years before they divorced. Her mother was reportedly the inspiration for Myers’ SNL Linda Richman character.

Myers stays occupied with his three children: Spike, Sunday Molly, and Paulina.

Fatherhood seems to have transformed him. He told GQ, “…[T]wo and a half years ago I had my first child and I really wanted to be present for that, I wanted to just take it in. And it’s just been…I mean, it’s the happiest time of my life. I had no idea. I knew I would like it, I didn’t know I would love it this much…Everything is ‘before kid’ and ‘after kid.’”

Myers has several leisure-time pursuits he enjoys when he’s not on dad duty. He plays floor hockey two times weekly at home in New York City, he likes to paint, create GarageBand songs, and he even wrote a memoir, Canada (2016), about his heartfelt connection with the land of his birth.

He Returned To Acting In 2018

Myers headed back to acting with a supporting role in Terminal, a thriller that starred Margot Robbie. It fared very poorly, failing to gross even $1 million.

He was also in Bohemian Rhapsody, based on the rock group Queen. This film was highly successful, bagging four Academy Awards and bringing in more than $900 million globally.

He played eight different characters in a Netflix miniseries, The Pentaverate, in 2022. Some viewers liked it, while others were lukewarm.

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Forbes was icily dismissive of the whole endeavor, stating, “…Mike Myers was only a star for his three breakout franchises.”

Myers popped up for another supporting stint in David O. Russell’s Amsterdam (2022), in which he portrayed a government agent in the 1930s in an ensemble cast that included Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Taylor Swift, and John David Washington.

A Fourth ‘Austin Powers’ Movie Could Be In Our Future

Loads of moviegoers would love another installment of the Austin Powers franchise, and it sounds like Myers would, too. He told Today, “I would love to do one.”

Elizabeth Hurley said she would plunge in another time as Vanessa Kensington. She stated to People, “It would be wonderful to do something with [Myers] again.”

Another pivotal person, director Jay Roach, also left the door open to doing a new Austin Powers film.

Mike Myers is a wacky comic virtuoso. Lately, though, he has largely receded from view. Perhaps there are numerous explanations: Myers is choosy about the projects he takes on, he’s wrapped up in raising his young kids with his wife, and his conduct has probably been responsible for burning a few bridges in the industry.

Even so, if another Austin Powers romp ever gets made, theaters will fill, box-office cash registers will ring non-stop, and Mike Myers will probably be right back in the driver’s seat in Hollywood.

The popular sitcom Saved by the Bell (1989-1993) endearingly depicted the passions and predicaments of a bunch of teenage pals at Bayside High School. If you were a fan of the show, you recall Lisa Marie Turtle, a character played to the hilt by actress Lark Voorhies. Her admirers want to know what she has been doing since Saved ended.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Voorhies. Saved was about teens having lighthearted fun, but Voorhies’ own life has sometimes been troubled. She encountered mental health issues that had to be dealt with. Voorhies also had a marriage that lasted just six months.

We took a deep dive into what went awry for this talented lady and how Lisa Turtle is now.

Voorhies Has Experienced Many Career Ups And Downs Since Her Role As Lisa Turtle

The 1990s were a busy period for Voorhies professionally. There was seldom a time when she didn’t have an acting gig lined up.

Guest-starring and recurring roles came her way. Not only did Voorhies have acting opportunities on daytime soaps, but she also revisited the part that made her famous, Lisa Turtle.

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She seemed to be in demand several years back. Voorhies guest starred on TV shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Family Matters, and The Parkers. She landed recurring roles in soap operas Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful.

She reprised her role as Lisa Turtle in Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, and Saved by the Bell: The Next Class.

Everything looked so promising for her. Then Voorhies decided to take a different path for a while.

She Took A Hiatus From Acting Between 2002 And 2008

Voorhies opted for a detour from her acting career for several years. She wasn’t idle, though—she went to college. Voorhies then returned to acting with a role in an episode of Robot Chicken (2008), followed by one in a thriller, The Next Hit, that same year.

Voorhies appeared in two Christian films, Measure of Faith (2011) and Closer to God: Jessica’s Journey (2012). She also co-starred with fellow Saved by the Bell alum Dustin Diamond in Little Creeps (2012).

Voorhies was still keeping her hand in the business and doing something she gravitated to and did well: acting.

Her Most Recent Appearance Was In The Saved by the Bell Reunion In 2020-2021

Jimmy Fallon liked Saved so much that in 2015, he had some of the show’s cast members on The Tonight Show for a hilarious throwback sketch. Many of Saved’s stars participated.

Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Tiffani Thiessen, Dennis Haskins, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar hammed it up alongside Fallon, who rocked a ‘90s-style mullet.

Judging by the audience’s full-throated whoops and hollers of delight, the skit got a thumbs-up from everyone.

Speculation was rampant as to why Voorhies was not part of Fallon’s Saved rewind. Her publicist told E! News that as much as Voorhies would have liked to join in the fun, her “intense work schedule” prevented her from participating.

When Voorhies appeared on The Dr. Oz Show in 2020 with her mom, Tricia Holloway, and her psychiatrist, Dr. Shahla Modir, Oz asked Voorhies how she felt about not being invited to be part of an upcoming Saved reboot.

With great composure, she read from a prepared text: “I have to admit I did feel a bit slighted and hurt when I was not invited to be part of the Saved by the Bell reunion as well as other cast members’ events,” Voorhies stated.

“Yet of course, I also realized that [my mental health] may have played a major part in that factual decision. With that in mind, I am truly thankful for having had the chance to work on a show that has been so successful.”

It was a gracious and restrained reply from Voorhies, given the heart-wrenching circumstances. When Oz asked her how she would react to being included in the reboot’s cast, she said, “Elated and happy.”

Voorhies did ultimately play Lisa Turtle on three episodes of the new Saved iteration. It’s hard not to wonder if that erased the disappointment she experienced at initially being left out.

She Has Struggled With Mental Health Issues

In 2012, it seemed as if something was badly amiss with Voorhies. She behaved peculiarly in a video interview with Entertainment Tonight when she had difficulty putting her thoughts together coherently and responding to simple questions. Some attributed her strange demeanor to possible drug use, which she denied.

Her mother revealed to People that Voorhies had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Voorhies pushed back and refuted that.

She did, however, reveal a diagnosis of schizoaffective thought disorder, a condition that can cause disorganized thinking and problems with verbalizing thoughts.

Two years before Voorhies appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, he said that his staff grew concerned when they conducted a pre-broadcast interview with her.

Wanting to help her, Oz got Voorhies together with Modir for professional assistance. She was finally able to come on his show to discuss her progress and aspirations for the future.

She acknowledged during her on-air interview with Oz that she was sometimes fearful about leaving her house. She hoped to act again if and when treatment for her condition made it possible for her to do so.

Meanwhile, Voorhies found herself fending off rumors that she had the autoimmune disease lupus. In an odd turn of events, someone who said they were Voorhies created a bogus Instagram account in her name in 2015 and posted that she had had lupus since 2007 (per People). Voorhies’ rep denied it and said the actress did not have an Instagram account.

Voorhies Sued The National Enquirer For Claiming She Had A Drug Problem

Voorhies had to fight off even more false information about herself when The National Enquirer published a story in June 2005 that claimed she had been hospitalized for a cocaine habit.

She sued the publication for libel, saying that the scurrilous story caused her to lose professional opportunities. Voorhies’ doctor also denied the article’s assertions.

Voorhies’ attorney, Cyrus J. Nownejadi, reportedly told TMZ that she dropped her lawsuit against The National Enquirer and “the matter has been resolved.”

She Had A Tumultuous Marriage In 2015

There was more heartache on the way for Voorhies, this time in the form of a painfully short-lived marriage. TMZ announced that Voorhies had tied the knot in Las Vegas with a man named Jimmy Green, who they said was a music engineer she crossed paths with on Facebook.

Green told the outlet that he and his bride had an April 1 commitment ceremony, followed a month later by the Vegas nuptials. He said there were plans in the works for yet another ceremony, this time with family members and friends in attendance.

The storm clouds gathered quickly, however. According to People, Voorhies’ mother got a temporary restraining order against Green just days before news of his and Voorhies’ Vegas wedding was made public.

The reason why Holloway sought the restraining order is unclear, but Green reportedly had previous run-ins with the law. Court documents allegedly said that there was an arrest warrant for him in Tucson, Arizona for threatening to intimidate and disorderly conduct.

Her mother’s actions against Green did not seem to alienate the actress from Holloway. People reported that “Lark and her mother are spending more time together,” according to her rep.

In October 2015, People reported that Voorhies had filed for divorce from Green in Pasadena, California due to irreconcilable differences, court documents stated.

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Voorhies Has Self-Published Three Books

In her spare time, Voorhies took up writing and self-published three books: Reciprocity (2010), Trek of the Cheshire (2011), and True Light (2011).

Lark Voorhies attained tremendous popularity on television, thanks to her effervescent personality and a great role on Saved by the Bell. Her mental illness has made it challenging for her to keep her career momentum going.

She seems to have made substantial progress, however. We hope that Voorhies continues on the road to health and makes it back to the small screen again soon.

Joni Mitchell’s artistry is truly timeless. Songs like “Woodstock” (1970), “Free Man in Paris” (1974), and “Help Me” (1974) have become much-loved classics. Her distinctive sound has resonated with audiences since the 1960s. Mitchell has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1997) and honored with 10 Grammys.

Mitchell’s admirers wonder about the state of her health and what she is doing professionally these days. Is she still recording or touring or has she retired? Here is the latest scoop on this beloved singer and songwriter.

Joni Mitchell Has Overcome Severe Health Issues In Her Later Life

Mitchell, who was born on November 7, 1943, has dealt with some major health problems in recent years such as Morgellons syndrome, which she was diagnosed with in 2009.

According to Mayo Clinic, the condition is characterized by itching, sores, or rashes and can be accompanied by depression and problems with concentration. Some medical experts have theorized that Morgellons, which is apparently not entirely understood, is more of a psychological illness marked by a delusional belief that fibers or parasites exist on or under a patient’s skin.

In 2010, Mitchell told The Los Angeles Times that she was beset by “[f]ibers in a variety of colors [that] protrude out of [her] skin like mushrooms after a rainstorm: they cannot be forensically identified as animal, vegetable or mineral.”

She defined the condition this way: “Morgellons is a slow, unpredictable killer—a terrorist disease: it will blow up one of your organs, leaving you in bed for a year.”

Mitchell added that she was at that time taking a step back from music to “battle” for those with Morgellons so that their illness, in her view, was not dismissed as psychological in origin.

Mitchell shared her feisty attitude toward her health issues when she spoke to The Star in 2013. She said then that she had been dealing with Morgellons for seven years.

“I don’t want to give up life,” she declared. “I’ll give death a real fight. I just want it to be a long way off.”

Maybe it was Mitchell’s fight with polio earlier in her life that gave her that never-give-up mindset. She contracted polio during the 1951 epidemic and recuperated in a hospital ward where the presence of kids in iron lungs to help them breathe more easily “terrified” her. Mitchell did recover, but emerged with a weak left arm and later on, muscular atrophy.

Mitchell’s Morgellons syndrome has had practical ramifications for her, making travel by plane out of the question, and according to Billboard, putting recording, singing, and performing out of reach for her, too.

She reportedly suffered a brain aneurysm in 2014. She was discovered unconscious at home on March 31. Billboard noted that she required a lengthy hospital stay. An unnamed source said Mitchell was in “very serious” condition. BBC News reported that Mitchell had a stroke as well.

There were conflicting reports about her progress in getting back to health. Her lawyer, Rebecca J. Thyne, said that Mitchell was speaking and was expected to recover fully (per the BBC).

On the other hand, musician David Crosby, who had dated Mitchell in the 1960s, told The Huffington Post that “she took a terrible hit” and was not yet able to talk.

From published reports, it did seem like Mitchell had a long road ahead of her. She was undergoing daily physical therapy. She told The Guardian in 2020, “I’m showing slow improvement but moving forward.”

Mitchell also confided that she had been unable to walk after the aneurysm, although her speech returned rather quickly.

Mitchell’s health situation sidelined her for quite a while. In fact, she was not seen in public until 2016, when she attended a Chick Corea concert on August 20 in Los Angeles. That first venture out was a big victory for her. A snap on Mitchell’s website was captioned, “We are thrilled to see Joni out and about again!”

Mitchell Has Continued To Work On Archival Projects

Mitchell has recorded so much brilliant music that bringing all of it together for her present-day fans and future collectors has become a passion of hers. She evidently cares greatly about these archival projects which will preserve her legacy both visually and aurally.

In September 2018, a documentary, Joni Mitchell Both Sides Now: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival was released on DVD and Blu-ray to showcase that memorable 1970 performance.

To mark Mitchell’s 75^th birthday in November 2018, Rhino Records released a boxed set of eight LPs featuring 53 career-spanning songs that Mitchell herself curated. It was a limited edition of 5,000 copies. This was actually a reissue of her 2014 collection Love Has Many Faces that was making its debut on vinyl.

Rhino Records included Mitchell’s fourth studio album Blue (1971) in their “Start Your Ear Off Right” promotional campaign in January 2019. It was reissued as a 6,000-copy limited edition vinyl LP.

In October 2019, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt released Mitchell’s book Morning Glory on the Vine: Early Songs and Drawings. Mitchell created the volume in 1971 and gave it to some of her close friends.

It was not available to the public at the time. It contained poems, lyrics, and her own illustrations. The new edition had an introduction she penned for it recently.

She Created The Joni Mitchell Archives With Rhino Records

Rhino Records went a step further in their enshrinement of Mitchell’s greatest achievements. They issued an archival collection in October 2020 that celebrated the music she made at the start of her remarkable career, Joni Mitchell Archives — Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967).

It snagged a Grammy in 2022 for Best Historical Album. That was notable, but so was Mitchell’s appearance at the Grammy ceremony, one of her rare public jaunts since her aneurysm. She looked super stylish in a red leather beret, her silky blonde tresses cascading loosely down her shoulders.

To commemorate the 50^th anniversary of Blue, Rhino Records brought out The Reprise Albums (1968-1971) in June 2021. It included the remastered Blue, plus three of Mitchell’s earlier albums. This was the second release in the Joni Mitchell Archives series.

Mitchell Had Her Music Removed From Spotify After Joe Rogan Promoted COVID Misinformation On The Streaming Service

Mitchell denounced what she considered to be COVID-19 misinformation in 2022 when she yanked her music off of Spotify. She objected to Joe Rogan using his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, to perpetuate allegedly untrue information about COVID-19 vaccines. Rogan’s podcast is hosted by the streaming platform.

Mitchell did not relent. She made her position on the matter clear in adamant language.

“Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives,” Mitchell posted on her website. “I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”

Directly below her statement is a link to an open letter signed by scores of medical and scientific professionals protesting Spotify’s association with The Joe Rogan Experience, which they claimed “has a concerning history of broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Another long-revered musician, Young, did the same thing by taking his tunes off Spotify because of his objection to Rogan’s COVID vaccine views. Young and Mitchell’s friendship goes back over 50 years.

Mitchell Returned To Public Performance In 2022

Mitchell beat the odds by coming back to the stage again after all her health crises. In April 2022, she was honored by the Recording Academy as the MusiCares Person of the Year at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas (per NPR). The ceremony took place two days prior to the Grammys.

Mitchell appeared to be deeply moved by all the heartfelt tributes she received that night from superstars like Meryl Streep, Cyndi Lauper, and Brandi Carlile.

The unforgettable highlight of the evening came when Carlile and Jon Batiste gathered all the evening’s performers onstage to sing two of Mitchell’s signature songs, “Big Yellow Taxi” and “The Circle Game.”

Mitchell ecstatically joined in, singing the famous line from “Taxi”: “Put up a parking lot.” The audience went wild.

That was just for starters. Mitchell performed at the Newport Folk Festival in July 2022. It had been 22 years since her last full-length concert and she did not disappoint.

She wowed the concertgoers with renditions of her own hits, plus the Gershwin classic, “Summertime.” She even played the electric guitar. Mitchell roared back in full force, and it was like she never left.

The event must have helped to stoke Mitchel’s desire to perform yet again. She and Brandi Carlile plan to team up for a couple of shows in June 2023 at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state, according to Billboard.

Joni Mitchell has powered back from one health scare after another. Rather than leaving her depleted and enervated, her ordeals seem to have given her amazing strength.

Anyone who counted her down and out was very much mistaken. Mitchell is still every bit as vibrant as her glorious music, and we look forward to what she does next.

Barbados-born musician and fashion mogul Rihanna (born Robyn Fenty) used to sing in the shower when she was growing up. Under the spray, young Rihanna trilled the hits of a group of legendary female songstresses she called “the divas”: Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey.

As an adult, Rihanna marched into their rarefied ranks by singing wonderfully danceable tunes of her own, making bold fashion choices (especially during her pregnancy!), and cultivating her amazing talent.

She has also been through painful turmoil, including a widely-publicized domestic abuse incident with her boyfriend at the time, Chris Brown, in 2009.

So, what information is out there about her parents? Here’s what we found out.

Rihanna’s Father Was Abusive To Her Mother

Rihanna’s parents, Ronald Fenty and Monica Braithwaite, have reportedly had turbulence in their relationship in the form of domestic abuse. Rihanna confirmed this in 2009.

According to ABC News, she said, “[My parents] had a very abusive relationship. My dad was the abuser. [He hit her] on numerous accounts. … She never went to the hospital. … He broke her nose one time….Domestic violence is not something that people want anybody to know.”

The pattern of abuse repeated itself in Rihanna’s life when she was physically harmed by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown. In February 2009, he reportedly assaulted her while they were sitting together in a Lamborghini the day before the Grammy Awards.

According to police documents, their spat escalated into violence he committed against Rihanna. A photo of her taken shortly after the encounter shows her bruised, battered face.

She discussed the traumatic incident when she spoke to Diane Sawyer on 20/20. Rihanna sounded anguished when she recalled the violent events of that night. She said, “All I kept thinking all the time: When is it going to stop? When it is going to stop?”

From Rihanna’s description of what occurred that night, Brown was consumed with anger at her. She added, “It wasn’t the same person that says I love you. It was not those… eyes. He had … no soul in his eyes. Just blank. …He was clearly blacked out. There was no person when I looked at him.”

Brown reportedly bit her, punched her, had her in a headlock, and threatened to kill her. Someone heard Rihanna screaming and called 911 to notify the Los Angeles Police Department.

To the surprise and concern of many observers, she briefly got back together with Brown after the assault. She admitted that she didn’t want to dwell on what happened and even worried about Brown.

She finally realized that she needed to safeguard her own well-being and also send an appropriate message to other women who might be caught in an abusive relationship.

“When I realized that my selfish decision for love could result into some young girl getting killed, I could not be easy with that part. I couldn’t be held responsible for going back. … If Chris never hit me again, who is to say that their boyfriend won’t?”

Ronald’s Addiction Led To Their Divorce

Rihanna’s dad’s addictions to alcohol and crack cocaine led to difficulties with his wife and with his daughter. He and Braithwaite separated when Rihanna was nine and split for good when she was 14. Even so, Fenty was still involved in Rihanna’s life.

“I did have a drug problem and [Rihanna] did walk in and see me taking drugs in our house. She was just a little kid and it made her look at me, and other things, differently,” Fenty explained to The Sun.

He continued, “I did not want my children to see me sleeping on the sidewalk so I started making the changes.  I had to give up drugs for my family. I still kind of lost them, I split up with my wife. But I still had to do it for myself and eventually I beat it.”

At the time of her parents’ separation, Rihanna’s mom was working a lot, she said, so she had the responsibility of looking after Rajad, her youngest brother. “He was my best friend,” Rihanna said, per The Guardian. “He thought I was his mom!”

Rihanna Is Very Close With Her Mother

Rihanna has voiced effusive praise for her mother. She once lauded Braithwaite as “one of the strongest women I know, if not the strongest.”

She posted this sweet tribute to Braithwaite on Instagram for her birthday in 2019: “Happy Birthday to my sweet beautiful mother. Thanks for teaching me that strength, love, forgiveness, sacrifice, hard work, and helping others in whatever way you can…is what true beauty looks like. Love you and I appreciate you! Thank You God for choosing this wonderful being to be my mom!”

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When Rihanna’s beau, A$AP Rocky, interviewed her for Vogue on YouTube, she said that her mother was her number one beauty icon.

“My entire concept of beauty came from her,” Rihanna said. “I was always so intrigued by her. I wanted to dress like her, I wanted to look like her, I wanted to do my hair like her, I wanted to do my makeup like her.” Braithwaite was even an inspiration for Rihanna’s beauty businesses.

Her Relationship With Her Father Has Had Many Ups And Downs

Rihanna’s relationship with her dad has had good moments along with bad ones. When she was a youngster, she “hated him” (per The Guardian). There seemed to be a strong undercurrent of ambivalence that Rihanna had toward him from an early age

In 2009, she said she had not had contact with Ronald for a year and a half after she sent him packing from her North American tour, reportedly due to his alcohol-fueled misbehavior on her bus. “He came on tour and acted a mess again, and we sent him home, and after that he didn’t answer my calls.” Rihanna told The Guardian.

There would be more ruptures in their father–daughter relationship. According to Cosmopolitan, Rihanna was upset with Ronald because he talked to the media about Rihanna’s assault by Chris Brown and was allegedly paid for speaking to them.

“My dad went to the press and just told them a bunch of lies, because he hadn’t talked to me after … that whole thing. He never called to find out how I was doing, if I was alive, nothing,” Rihanna said. “He just never called. He went straight to the press and got a cheque.”

Then in 2016, things between them were apparently on the upswing again when Rihanna bought her father a mansion in Barbados. She reportedly shelled out a cool $1.8 million for the luxurious home in a community whose residents included Simon Cowell and Beyonce and Jay Z.

Three years later, in 2019, Rihanna sued her father and his business partner for, in the words of her lawsuit (per USA Today), “egregiously and fraudulently” claiming that their company, Fenty Entertainment, is somehow connected with Rihanna herself.

When Ronald got COVID-19 in 2020, Rihanna was very solicitous and generous, sending him a ventilator in case he needed it and checking on him daily. Ronald, who reportedly fretted that he might succumb to the virus, was deeply grateful to his daughter for her help and concern, according to The Sun.

“I thought I was going to die to be honest,” Ronald said. “I have to say, I love you so much, Robyn. She did so much for me. I appreciate everything she has done.”

Rihanna has had a rock-solid relationship with her mother all along, but her connection to her father has frayed quite a bit from time to time. However, they seem to have finally reached an understanding, despite their past discord. We hope that as Rihanna charts a new course as a mom herself that she and her dad remain on an even keel.

Suge Knight (born Marion Hugh Knight Jr.) once had a rip-roaring hot career as a music executive and producer. As one of the moving forces behind Death Row Records, Knight gave a big boost to a trio of memorable albums: Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle (1993), Tupac Shakur’s All Eyez on Me (1996), and Dr. Dre’s The Chronic (1992). Knight used his industry clout to put gangsta rap in the limelight.

The good times stopped rolling for Knight, however, when he landed in jail for voluntary manslaughter. We did some research to see how the famous producer is faring in prison and when he will be eligible for parole.

Knight Is Serving A 28-Year Sentence

On January 29, 2015, Knight killed one man and seriously hurt another in a hit-and-run in Compton, California. Because Knight pleaded no contest to a voluntary manslaughter charge, he wasn’t put on trial for murder, meaning he avoided a possible life sentence (per NBC).

The incident, which was recorded on surveillance video, occurred as the result of a confrontation between Knight, Cle “Bone” Sloan, and Terry Carter at a place called Tam’s Burgers. Knight evidently backed his truck up, ran over Sloan, and then went forward, fatally striking Carter with his vehicle before leaving the scene.

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Public Inmate Locator System, Knight will be eligible for parole in October 2034 at the absolute earliest.

At Knight’s sentencing, one of Carter’s family members—her face is not shown on the video—spoke powerfully of the crushing emotional impact her dad’s death has had on his family. She also decried Knight’s actions which led to Carter’s demise.

She said that Knight “callously murdered [her] dad in cold blood” and added that Knight had a “lack of moral character and no respect for human life.”

Suge Knight Is Currently Incarcerated In Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility

The Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility is a medium to maximum California state prison located in San Diego County. Suge Knight isn’t the only infamous inmate RJDCF presently houses.

Among the others are Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968; the Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1996; John Getreu, a suspected international serial murderer; and Tex Watson, a member of the Charles Manson family.

The RJDCF is apparently extremely crowded. As of July 31, 2022, there were 3,074 prisoners held there (per a monthly report). That put the RJDCF at 102.7% of its intended capacity.

Knight Is Working With Producer Steve Whitney To Create A Biopic About His Life

According to a 2021 Deadline article, a biopic about Knight is in the works—and is helmed by some big-time talent. Producer Steve Whitney brought in Nick Cassavetes, a director, actor, producer, and writer who is the son of actress Gena Rowlands and director John Cassavetes, to collaborate with producer and writer Anthony Thorne on the script.

Whitney feels that Knight’s story is significant given his achievements in the music industry. “During the golden era of rap and hip hop, all roads led through Suge Knight,” Whitney stated. “That era helped define a new brand of music and culture that changed the world.”

Knight apparently has confidence that this movie will be an accurate telling of his life with all its highs and lows.

“So when it came time to do a real movie,” Knight said, “and tell the truth about it [Mike Klein of Ruthless Records] introduced me to Steve Whitney. Now, Steve, Mike, and I, and the woman that has my back, are making this movie. Taking it to the next level!”

The project may also appeal to Knight because his personal fortune is estimated to be only $200,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The project could potentially bolster his bottom line.

There is no question that Suge Knight has been a highly influential figure in the music business. His imprisonment for so many years to come seems to have ended his career, at least until he is freed. Until then, fans of Knight’s may get to watch a biopic about him that recaps the milestones of his personal and professional life.

Amanda Berry endured an inconceivably horrific ordeal when she was kidnapped in Cleveland, Ohio on April 21, 2003, one day prior to her 17^th birthday. During her captivity, she was abused physically and emotionally and even gave birth to a daughter fathered by her abuser.

Berry’s captor, Ariel Castro, also kidnapped and held two other young women, Michelle Knight and Georgina “Gina” DeJesus. He kept all three of them imprisoned in his home for years. They, like Berry, were brutalized during their captivity.

Berry and her then-six-year-old daughter finally escaped from Castro’s home on May 6, 2013, when Berry called 911. In the call, she can be heard saying “Help me, I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been missing for ten years. And I’m here. I’m free now!” DeJesus and Knight were rescued shortly after.

Despite having been exposed to the worst that humanity has to offer at such a young age, Berry has managed to use her experience for good. She currently hosts a segment on Fox 8 in Cleveland where she sheds light on other missing person cases. Here is more about Amanda Berry’s incredible story.

Berry Helps Find Other Missing People On Fox 8

Since 2017, Berry has done a segment on Fox 8 television in Cleveland called “Missing With Amanda Berry” to help others who have vanished and their families. On each segment, Berry spotlights missing persons’ cases from Northeast Ohio, believing that the renewed media exposure might generate fresh leads regarding their whereabouts.

“I’m just excited to be able to help families who need it and give [the missing] more than just a name,” Berry told Fox 8.  “They have a face. They have a family. They have a sister or brother. Just to make it more personal means the world.”

She also recorded a public service announcement on behalf of the U.S. Marshals imploring people to keep their loved ones’ missing persons’ cases in front of the public and telling them and law enforcement officials not to stop searching and hoping.

Berry’s efforts were recognized in 2022 when she was honored with the 69^th Attorney General’s Award for her dedication.

Another young woman who was kidnapped and survived is Elizabeth Smart, someone Berry called “one of [her] personal idols.” Berry interviewed her in February 2017, and they had an emotional exchange when they talked about the despair they felt while they were being held against their will.

Smart was abducted from her home in Utah in 2002 when she was 14. She was held by two captors, a married couple, for nine months. Smart now speaks up for those who were sexually assaulted and for people who have disappeared.

“Meeting her was a turning point for me,” Berry said. “I always admired the way she used her voice to help others.”

Berry speaks to students about the dangers of sex trafficking and warns them to be careful and cautious. She said to them that getting into Castro’s van when he offered to give her a ride “was the biggest mistake [she] ever made in [her] life.”

She Is Raising Her Daughter, Jocelyn

Berry gave birth to a baby girl, Jocelyn, three years into her captivity on December 25, 2006. DNA indicated that Castro had indeed fathered the infant. Naturally, Berry experienced an unimaginably complicated range of emotions surrounding her pregnancy, but she did her best to describe them in her memoir.

“I think my mom sent me this baby. It’s her way of giving me an angel. But I worry about what [Castro is] going to do. … When the baby started kicking, I reached for his hand and placed it on my stomach. … I knew the baby would be safer if he was excited about being a new father.”

Miraculously, Berry was able to keep her now-teenage daughter safe, and she has said her little girl is growing up to be a compassionate person who loves animals and is very caring.

One of Jocelyn’s former teachers, Erin Hennessey, told ABC, “Jocelyn is more special than I could even use words to describe. I always describe her as wise beyond her years.”

Berry’s Relationships With DeJesus And Knight Are Complicated

Castro deliberately prevented the three girls from getting too friendly, possibly to prevent them from drawing comfort from each other. He may also have felt that if they bonded, his iron grip on them could weaken.

Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts hosted “Trapped,” a 20/20 broadcast in 2020 about Berry’s, Knight’s, and DeJesus’ plight as Castro’s captives. She spoke to Inside Edition about the cruel mind games Castro played on them.

He “pitted them against each other,” Roberts said.

During her time as Castro’s prisoner, Berry kept a journal on anything she could find, such as scraps of cardboard boxes, napkins, and paper bags from take-out food. By the time she escaped, Berry had penned a 1,200-page epic tale of courage.

Berry’s writings eventually became a book, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland (2015). DeJesus collaborated on the published version, as did journalists Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan.

Michelle Knight authored a book herself, Finding Me (2014). According to Cleveland.com, the three women did not explain the rift that eventually arose between them.

Berry wrote in Hope, “We endured the unthinkable together, and we’ll always have that bond. I wish [Knight] happiness.”

In 2013, when Knight was interviewed on television by Dr. Phil McGraw, she said that Castro singled her out for particularly vicious mistreatment because he said that her family wasn’t even searching for her.

Per CBS News, she told McGraw that Castro said, “I can abuse you and nobody would care. No one.”

Knight also claimed that Castro had a soft spot for Berry. “He would always say, ‘I don’t want to make her cry, I don’t want to make her upset or I don’t want to hear her whiny mouth. He would try to make her happy instead of sad.”

Knight mentioned that she helped to deliver Berry’s baby and was told by Castro that if the infant did not live, Castro would kill her.

In contrast, Knight said she had five pregnancies while she was kept in Castro’s home, and each time, she said Castro did things to induce her to miscarry, such as punching or jumping on her stomach.

Of Berry, she said, “Amanda was one of those girls that really didn’t get it.” She acknowledged that they are not close.

Like Elizabeth Smart, Amanda Berry’s harrowing experience has motivated her to help others who have vanished. She is making an impact and has succeeded in reclaiming her life and living it her way.

Charlamagne tha God (born Lenard Larry McKelvey) has carved out a high-profile niche for himself on the radio. He is a co-host of the popular radio program The Breakfast Club, which has been nationally syndicated since 2013.

The show has welcomed celebrities for chats that are fun and freewheeling about hot-button topics of all kinds, from politics to hip-hop. Charlamagne and his colleagues never sidestep being provocative.  

The Breakfast Club’s website states that early in his career, Charlamagne drew inspiration from renowned talk show hosts like Bill O’Reilly, Arsenio Hall, and Larry King. Wendy Williams was one of his most helpful professional mentors.

You might want to know more about Charlamagne’s behind-the-scenes life with his wife, Jessica Gadsden. She is a gym instructor, fitness coach, personal trainer, and volunteer. Here’s the low-down on her and their relationship.

They’ve Been Together Since High School

Charlamagne and Gadsden were sweethearts years ago, back when they were students at Berkeley High School in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. They have been together for 23 years. Charlamagne was 16 when he began taking Gadsden out on dates.

They Tied The Knot In 2014

Charlamagne and Gadsden got married on September 6, 2014. They share four daughters. “I’m four for four when it comes to girls,” he once quipped.

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Information about the kids—even ordinary details like their names and birthdays—is hard to come by because Charlamagne and Gadsden prefer to keep their family’s life private.

“First of all, I’m not raising my kids via social media,” he said on his podcast. “I never felt like that was a place for my family to be. I don’t knock anyone who does it, but I don’t want my family on Facebook or Twitter. That’s something I chose not to do.”

It was actually one of their girls who gave them a push to get hitched. She innocently asked why Mom and Dad did not have identical last names. That question made Charlamagne pause and reconsider.

“When you have your seven-year-old daughter asking why you and mommy don’t have the same last name, that affects you as a man. It made me think, ‘Well, why don’t we? What’s stopping me from taking that next step?’’’

They Don’t Have A Prenup

The pair dispensed with the idea of getting the document that loads of celebrities automatically spring for: a prenup. Most affluent famous people want to safeguard their wealth and set some conditions for their relationship, especially if things go sour later on.

Not Charlamagne. He felt that his connection with Gadsden was so reliable, and they had been partners for such a long time, that a protective legal agreement was just not necessary for them.

He has also spoken of all the times Gadsden was in his corner when he needed someone to be there for him. According to BET, Charlamagne didn’t want to seem ungrateful or suspicious of such a loyal, patient wife by getting a prenup. As he put it, “What the f*ck I look like doing a prenup?”

Divorce will never be an option on the table for this couple either, according to Chalamagne. “I don’t even gotta knock on wood that sh*t ain’t happening,” he said.

Gadsden Supported Him Financially During Career Struggles

It seems like Gadsden hasn’t ever failed to go to bat for her man, even when the chips were really down money-wise.

“When I was getting fired from radio, four times, she was the one going to work every day and paying the bills,” Charlamagne said appreciatively.

“When we were getting evicted, she was the one going down to the courthouse, explaining to the judge why we couldn’t get evicted.”

His driver’s license happened to be suspended when he was initially trying to get a foothold in the radio industry. Gadsden was there on the spot to drive him to a radio station so he could apply for a job.

They’ve Weathered Rape Allegations Together

Despite their seeming dedication to each other and to their kids, there have definitely been challenging times along the way for the McKelveys.

When Charlamagne was 20, he was accused of criminal sexual conduct for an incident that occurred in 2001 with a 15-year-old named Jessica Reid.

He told DJ Akademiks that he threw a party to celebrate his cousin’s high school graduation. One of the girls who attended the get-together claimed afterward that she had been raped.

“There ain’t nobody else they could pin it on,” Charlamagne said of himself. He denied having committed the crime; DNA evidence did not prove that he was responsible.

According to The Blast, Reid was “uncooperative” with authorities. They consequently felt that obtaining a conviction for Charlamagne on the criminal sexual conduct charge was highly unlikely.

The charge was reduced to contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He pled guilty and got three years’ probation.

Charlamagne Tha God Was Embroiled In Controversy After A Discussion Of Rape Culture

In July 2018, Charlamagne found himself in the center of a red-hot furor. The question of whether drunk sex constituted rape came up on The Breakfast Club.

He called Gadsden during the broadcast and asked her, “Did I rape you the first time we had sex with each other?” Gadsden responded, “That’s not what happened, we both know what happened and I was not passed out.” She said she was coherent at the time of their encounter.

However, an old interview came to light, which seemed to contradict what she said. In that previous interview, Charlamagne said, “It’s a lot of things guys did especially when we were young that were rape that we just didn’t consider rape.”

He also said he asked Gadsden if he raped her on that first occasion and he said she replied, “I mean in hindsight, yeah…”

Charlamagne tha God and his wife, Jessica Gadsden, have endured plenty together, including major successes and scandals. They have hung in there with each other for years, and are showing no outward signs of walking away from their marriage. On the contrary, the hardships they have gone through seem to have only strengthened their relationship.

Some actors are so incredibly unique that they stand out for their singularity as well as their talent. Jack Nicholson is one of them. His inimitable skill is on full display in classic movies like The Shining (1980), Terms of Endearment (1983), and Chinatown (1984), just to name a few. He has demonstrated that he is brilliant at handling intense dramatic roles along with lighthearted zany ones.

Nicholson has been the recipient of three well-deserved Academy Awards, is a Kennedy Center honoree, and has gotten dozens of other accolades—but hasn’t appeared on-screen since 2010.

His fans want to know where Jack Nicholson is these days and if he is well. Is he puttering around in the garden or on the golf course? Does he plan to return to acting? We have the latest on this popular actor’s doings.

Nicholson’s Last Film Role Was 2010’s ‘How Do You Know?’

With an illustrious career that spans decades, shelves groaning with awards, and nothing left to prove, Nicholson can be understandably choosy about the projects he tackles. In 2013, he shared his criteria for selecting movies to act in with Vanity Fair:

“…I only want to do films that move people, films about emotions and people.” He also said that he does not feel the same urge to “be out there anymore.”

Sometimes, he pops up in the unlikeliest places. A tuxedo-clad Nicholson presented a selection of political humor clips culled from four decades of Saturday Night Live on the show’s 40^th anniversary retrospective on February 15, 2015. Nicholson was an ideal choice, thanks to the sardonic wit he is widely known for.

Nicholson also appeared on the HBO program The Fight Game, hosted by Jim Lampley, to discuss Muhammad Ali. Nicholson recalled getting into an elevator at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel with Ali and his friend, Warren Beatty.

Beatty introduced the two men. Talking about the encounter with Lampley, Nicholson was still wide-eyed with delight at making the acquaintance of the legendary boxer.

He had opportunities to make more films but he declined them. One was the sequel to The Shining titled Doctor Sleep (2019). There were a couple of alternatives to casting Nicholson again as Jack Torrance, director Mike Flanagan said.

One was to have a digitally created Jack, which was nixed. Another was to hire a different actor who could be a reasonable Nicholson lookalike, so Flanagan went with Henry Thomas of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial fame.

Why did Nicholson give a thumbs-down to the juicy role? Flanagan told Variety that the star is “very serious about being retired.” Flanagan added that he heard Nicholson turned down a part in Ready Player One (2018) for the same reason he walked away from Doctor Sleep—he was definitely not being cajoled out of retirement.

Nicholson Is An Avid Sports Fan

You may have seen the star sitting in the front row at L.A. Lakers games. He has been a season ticket holder since 1970 and seems to have an unquenchable passion for his favorite team. Occasionally, though, Nicholson’s ardor gets the better of him.

That happened in 2003, when he was watching the Lakers go up against the San Antonio Spurs in a playoff match. When Shaquille O’Neal got his third foul, Nicholson became so enraged that he shouted at the referee. BBC News reported that officials said he would have been ejected from the spectator area if he had ventured onto the court.

In sassy Nicholson style, he reportedly said, “I pay a lot of money for this seat. This is the NBA, you can’ t tell me to sit down.”

The outcome of the Lakers’ games is so important to Nicholson that the producers of Ironweed (1987), a film he was in, were obliged to work around their games when filming was scheduled per a stipulation in Nicholson’s contract.

He was apparently deeply affected by the shocking death of Kobe Bryant, Bryant’s teenage daughter, and seven other passengers in a tragic helicopter crash in California on January 26, 2020.

Nicholson told CBS Los Angeles in a phone interview, “My reaction is the same as almost all of L.A. Suddenly, where everything was solid, there’s a big hole in the wall. I was so used to seeing and talking to Kobe that——it kills you. It’s just a terrible event.”

We hear Nicholson’s a big New York Yankees fan, too.

Nicholson Has An Enviable Art Collection

When he isn’t following the Lakers or making rare guest appearances, Nicholson is busy scooping up art of the highest caliber. He favors contemporary and 20th-century works.

The artists represented in Nicholson’s sublime collection include Magritte, Andy Warhol, Rodin, Henri Matisse, Picasso, and Tamara de Lempicka.

In 2015, CNBC placed Nicholson fifth on their list of Hollywood’s 10 leading art collectors along with heavy hitters like Steven Spielberg and David Geffen.

“I think Jack Nicholson has one of the best collections out here,” artist Ed Ruscha told Vanity Fair in 1995. It’s valued at a cool $150 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

He’s Likely Spending More Time With His Children

Nicholson’s image is more of a swinging single than a devoted dad, but he has six children with five different women.

Looking back at his life in an interview with The Sun in 2012, Nicholson said, “I…wish I had known how much joy that having children can bring. I didn’t see enough of my eldest daughter Jennifer because I was trying to make a career. I have a daughter Lorraine and son Raymond, with whom I was able to spend much more time.”

He savors giving his younger children fatherly advice—“I say: ‘Do not lie, do not steal and do not be afraid’”—and doing things like attending plays his daughter is acting in.

In 2021, People reported that Nicholson was spotted at a Lakers game on October 19, 2021. It was the first time he had been courtside to see them in nearly two years. With him was his son, Raymond.

Nicholson seems to have everything: a spectacular career to reflect upon, children, fans galore, wealth, and leisure pursuits. But there is something missing: a special lady to share it all with. When he talked about it in 2015, he sounded melancholy.

“I would love that one last romance,” Nicholson said, according to Closer Weekly. “But I’m not very realistic about it happening. What I can’t deny is my yearning.”

The Status Of His Health Is Unclear

There has been talk that Nicholson has dementia or memory loss, but other than some comments that have surfaced in the media, those rumors can’t be confirmed.

Jack Nicholson has plenty to occupy his time now that he has stepped back from acting, perhaps permanently. His admirers hope that one irresistible role will be presented to him that he just can’t turn down. Until then, however, we will have to be content with watching his many wonderful films and waiting for him to make a surprise public appearance.

It is hard to figure out why Meg Ryan has not yet gotten an Oscar nod. The coveted gold statuette has eluded her thus far. She has wowed audiences for years in crowd-pleasing films like Top Gun (1986), When Harry Met Sally (1989), and You’ve Got Mail (1998).

Ryan has dated famous men such as John Mellencamp and Russell Crowe. She was married to fellow actor Dennis Quaid for a decade. Fans are curious about whether Meg Ryan currently has a husband or if she is romantically involved with anyone at the moment.

We checked it out and this is what we discovered.

Ryan Was Married To Dennis Quaid From 1991 To 2001

Ryan and Quaid met when they were filming  Innerspace in 1987. The pair started dating when they were making another film the following year, D.O.A. They were envied for many reasons: great looks, successful Hollywood careers, endless charisma, and what seemed at the time to be the prospect of a happy future together.

They got married in 1991 and had a son, Jack, on April 24, 1992.

This couple who outwardly had it all separated in 2000. The news came as a huge surprise to many. A longtime friend of Ryan’s told People she was “flabbergasted.”

People noted that someone said they saw Ryan on a flight to London with Russell Crowe, with whom she was making a film called Proof of Life. According to this eyewitness, they were behaving too intimately to be just pals, with Crowe allegedly “kissing her on the neck and stroking her hair.”

Those who knew Ryan and Quaid well said they had led a quiet, no-frills family life and loved it that way. Quaid did the cooking. They were the antithesis of what you might expect from a superstar Tinseltown couple.

Some speculated that Crowe was the cause of the tension in the Quaids’ marriage. People reported that the British media was on the verge of making Ryan’s and Crowe’s attraction public when Quaid’s friends alerted him to the bombshell news that was about to drop. Quaid was said to be deeply jarred by it.

“He was devastated. He almost started crying,” said an unnamed source. He was also worried about what their split would do to their son.

Their reps denied that anything was afoot between Crowe and Ryan, but those who saw them interacting told a different story. One claimed they were “cuddling, hugging, kissing.”

There was more trouble in paradise. On the set of the film Any Given Sunday in 1999, some women reportedly said that Quaid was allegedly acting in an unwelcome manner with them, “touching them and grabbing their butts.”

Quaid denied a woman’s assertion that he kissed her in a restroom. People who knew him said they doubted these women’s stories.

Ryan’s and Quaid’s divorce was finalized in July 2001. In 2016, their son, Jack (an actor himself), said that it was rough on him when he was a child to watch the very public demise of his parents’ marriage.

On the podcast Allegedly with Matthew Cole Weiss, Jack explained, “It’s hard to ignore when you’re at a grocery store and you’re checking out and you look at [magazines] … and there’s a photo of them with a little paper rip graphic between them. It’s a hard deal.”

Ryan put the ball back in Quaid’s court when she claimed that he cheated on her while they were married. “Dennis was not faithful to me for a very long time,” Ryan said (per The Sydney Morning Herald), “and that was very painful.”

Ryan told Oprah Winfrey in 2006 that her marriage to Quaid was “very unhealthy.” “It was pretty much not a happening marriage for a long time. I probably should have left much earlier.”

Another factor that led to the couple’s split was the stress of seemingly competing careers in the same industry. In 2018, Quaid told Today that when Ryan’s career seemed to eclipse his, things got more difficult. Nevertheless, Quaid said that his relationship with Ryan was the “most successful” one of his life.

She Dated Russell Crowe After Co-Starring In Proof of Life In 2000

As for Crowe, Ryan shared with Winfrey that in her opinion, he was “not a home-wrecker.” Ryan said, “I did not leave my marriage for Russell Crowe. My marriage was not working.” They dated briefly and Ryan still spoke appreciatively of him long after.

Ryan Adopted Daughter Daisy True In 2006

In January 2006, Ryan adopted a little girl from China. Her rep told People that it was not something she wanted to discuss publicly.

She And John Mellencamp Were In A Relationship Twice

After Crowe, Ryan had another relationship with someone prominent in the entertainment industry: singer John Mellencamp. According to People, they reportedly began dating in late 2010, but they supposedly broke it off in 2014 because Mellencamp was unwilling to give up his Indiana roots.

There must have still been a romantic spark smoldering between them though, because in 2017, Ryan and Mellencamp rekindled things. They announced their engagement in 2018, with Ryan posting one word on Instagram: “Engaged.”

They ultimately called their nuptials off.  According to The Things, a source said, “They love each other, but there are disagreements which can become issues.”

Meg Ryan has yet to find the right man who can give her life a perfect romantic-comedy-style ending. We’re rooting for this lovable star whose romantic life has had many starts and stops.

The TV fantasy series Game of Thrones proved to be a huge audience favorite that had seemingly endless durability. It made a big star of Emilia Clarke, who played the dragon queen herself, Daenerys Targaryen. Her acting ability earned four Emmy nominations plus a host of other prestigious accolades.

Fans do ponder her personal life, especially who she may be spending romantic time with these days. Does Emilia Clarke have a new high-profile boyfriend or perhaps a husband?

Clarke has been previously linked with some famous men. We looked into what she’s been up to in her off-hours. Here’s what we found.

She Had A Short-Lived Relationship With Seth MacFarlane

For a while, Clarke was the girlfriend of Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame. They reportedly began seeing each other in 2012 and the relationship lasted about six months before they threw in the towel and ended it.

E! News quoted an anonymous source who explained that because Clarke’s and MacFarlane’s crowded work schedules and projects often kept them far away from each other, maintaining their bond long distance just was too difficult. The source added that their parting was amicable.

Being miles apart may have been the primary reason that Clarke and MacFarlane split, but there were other problems, too, according to Clarke. She said that she found it unsettling to have people walking up to her, and without being asked to do so, offering pointers about her dating life.

She candidly shared her thoughts on this in a 2016 interview with Glamour: “…[Y}ou have strangers giving you love-life advice like, ‘I’m a big fan of the show, and I’m not sure what you’re doing with that guy,’ which I didn’t react well to. That happened in New York when Seth and I were together. This guy started to give me advice: ‘Can I get a selfie? And by the way…’ Unh-unh, bro.”

Clarke And Cory Michael Smith Enjoyed A Fling In 2014

Clarke was seeing another actor, Cory Michael Smith, for a brief time in 2014. With his chiseled good looks and acting talent, it’s easy to see what may have attracted Clarke to the young performer.

The two were both in the play Breakfast at Tiffany’s based on Truman Capote’s classic novella on Broadway; the production was actually Smith’s debut on New York’s fabled Great White Way.

Clarke played Holly Golightly, the role made famous by a ravishing, Givenchy-clad Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film version. Smith was cast as Fred, the man who wants to woo her.

The pair apparently pursued their relationship when they weren’t on stage. Page Six reported in 2014 that they “looked close” when they attended Vanity Fair’s annual Oscars bash. The outlet noted that onlookers reportedly saw them slow dancing and holding hands at the gala.

Despite their PDA, they broke it off after a few months.

She Dated Charlie McDowell In 2018 And 2019

Clarke later paired up with screenwriter and director Charlie McDowell, the son of actors Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen and the stepson of Ted Danson.

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Fueling the chatter about their relationship was a photo she posted on Instagram in October 2018 supposedly showing their shadow silhouettes locked in a kiss against a sandy backdrop. Clarke’s caption read, “Well that was a birthday I won’t be forgetting for a while.” It was her 32^nd birthday.

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McDowell posted the identical photo on his own Instagram. He wrote, “Happy birthday, E” with a heart emoji.

Those matching snaps seemed to be a flat-out giveaway indicating that they were a romantic twosome.

Another Instagram post also seemed to be an indirect boyfriend reveal when Clarke gave McDowell a photo credit on a pic of her in an Instagram post in December 2018.

Whatever the nature of their relationship was, however, it did not last long. McDowell unfollowed Clarke on IG by March 2019. A few months later, he was courting Lily Collins. They got married on September 4, 2021.

No, Emilia Clarke And Jason Momoa Have Never Dated

The talk about Clarke’s actual boyfriends has gone on for a while, but there have also been rumors about people she has not dated. Jason Momoa is one of them.

Momoa, who was on Game of Thrones as Khal Drago, created red-hot sparks with Clarke, his on-screen spouse. She said their first real-life meeting was kind of unforgettable in a comical way.

It took place in a hotel lobby in Belfast, as she shared with Rolling Stone. “I walked in,” Clarke recalled, “and from the other side of this enormous lobby I hear [someone yell] ‘Wifey!’ And this huge Hawaiian man comes bounding over to me and genuinely gets me in a rugby tackle to the floor.”

However, Clarke’s and Momoa’s relationship is good-natured, sweet, and platonic. He was evidently Clarke’s buddy, never her beau. The snaps and captions that the two posted of each other on social media were all in fun and friendship.

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Momoa was actually married to Lisa Bonet, formerly of The Cosby Show, until they announced their split in 2022.

Emilia Clarke is a gifted young actress with a devoted following. She seems to be lightheartedly enjoying herself with various boyfriends these days. We’ll be on the lookout in case she decides to make a special someone her one and only for keeps.

Action film star Jackie Chan has enjoyed stratospheric fame for years, with a worldwide following and some 150 films to his credit. He’s also a trained opera singer, philanthropist, and multi-millionaire who is worth $400 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Although it may seem hard to believe, Chan’s wife, actress Joan Lin, was even more well-known than he was when they first crossed paths. She was in more than 70 movies before she retired from acting. The pair has been through a lot together, and they tend to keep a low profile.

Here’s what we discovered about the special lady who has been by Chan’s side for 50 years through many difficult moments.

Joan Lin Was A Superstar In 1970s Taiwanese And Hong Kong Cinema

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Back in the 1970s, Lin was a film superstar in her own right in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Born in Taiwan on June 30, 1953, Lin dropped out of school when she was just 12 due to her family’s poverty. She had four siblings.

Lin began her career when she was quite young. At 19, she starred in her first movie, The Hero of Chiu Chow (1972). Lin had a leading role as a character named Hsueh Feng in the film, which revolved around the struggle of workers pushing back against their unfair boss. Billed as a Kung Fu action film, it would not be the last time Lin was accorded praise for her acting skill.

Despite her success with her first film, it was another project that would catapult her to stardom: The Story of a Small Town (1979). The movie depicts a man who is let out of prison and then finds himself enthralled by a woman who does not speak, played by Lin.

It was a significant milestone in her career. The film earned multiple honors at the 16^th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards that year, including Best Leading Actress for Lin. She was now a bonafide star, thanks to her hard work and talent.

Chan Was Attracted To Lin By Her Down-To-Earth And Mature Demeanor

In many ways, Joan Lin was very unlike Jackie Chan. According to the way he described himself in his autobiographical book, Never Grow Up, he was somewhat brash and headstrong when he was younger.

Lin, on the other hand, was demure, low-key, and uninterested in the kind of flashy clothes and jewelry that many movie stars typically sported.

Chan’s team liked her a lot, and he recalled their fondness for his wife in a chapter of his book titled “The Love of My Life.”

They urged him to pay close attention to this charming woman who had so much finesse. He remembered them saying, “Jackie, she’s so beautiful, and such a nice person.” Chan was impressed with Lin, too. He took her out many times.

The better acquainted he became with Lin, the more he was bowled over by her. She was unpretentious and friendly, and she accepted him exactly the way he was. They got along well. Chan made Lin laugh.

“I behaved like an oaf as usual,” Chan wrote self-deprecatingly, “but it didn’t bother her. I never felt uncomfortable with her.”

If there was a minor sticking point in their relationship, it was that the media took the stance that Lin was too classy for the rough-hewn Chan. She was also depicted as a bigger star than he was. That could have caused a rift between them if they had allowed it to.

Their Relationship Got Serious After Lin Became Pregnant

Lin became pregnant with Chan’s child in 1981. He told her he wanted the baby, but under the surface, he harbored serious concerns. Chan wondered how the public would react to an out-of-wedlock pregnancy and whether fans might be distraught at the news that his baby was on the way.

He came up with a solution of sorts, which was to have Lin give birth to the child in secret in the United States. She went along with the plan, and left for California. Chan was working, so he did not accompany her. Instead, his manager traveled to America with Lin.

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Chan was not too attentive to Lin during this time when she needed him most. He admitted that he was working throughout Lin’s pregnancy. He never made the journey to this country to be with her. His manager departed from California, so Lin was by herself in a strange land with no one to turn to.

Chan finally took time from his career to come to America’s shores when the baby was on the verge of being born. His manager thought that they should get married. Chan and Lin had their wedding in a private room at a rooftop coffee shop.

He shared that the place was teeming with customers grabbing a midday bite to eat. Chan and Lin could hear their loud hubbub during their ceremony. Not too romantic!

Their only child, Jaycee, was born that very night. “Most babies are ugly when they’re born, and Jaycee was no exception,” Chan wrote, showing scant fatherly pride in his new offspring. Still, he seemed relieved that the child was at least apparently healthy.

Chan Was Often Tight-Fisted With Money

Chan’s friends started to put ideas in his head about Lin’s sincerity, suggesting without basis that she was a gold digger who was after his money even though she had earned quite a bit of her own. He acknowledged that he was stingy with Lin despite the fact that she was now his wife and the mother of their child and never gave him any cause to be suspicious of her.

“Although I frittered away my own money like crazy,” Chan wrote in his book. “I never gave Joan access to my bank accounts and made sure that, if we were to divorce, she wouldn’t receive a dime.”

Chan’s unkind attitude toward Lin, who he said was a loving and devoted partner and parent, bothered him to some degree. “I was the wicked one, not her, and also stupid,” he said.

Chan’s 1999 Affair With Another Woman Led To A Child

A bombshell landed in the middle of the Chans’ marriage when he had an extramarital relationship. The other woman, Hong Kong actress Elaine Ng Yi-lei, had Chan’s daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam, in January 1999.

In 2017, The Straits Times reported that Ng’s lawyer had reached out to Chan in 2015 via a middleman for some financial support for Ng. She had fallen on hard times amid discord with Etta that led to an alleged domestic incident and Ng’s arrest for criminal intimidation. Chan reportedly flatly declined to assist her.

Chan was so embarrassed by his behavior that he thought he could use his transgression as an excuse to slink away and get a divorce from Lin.  Any way out was preferable in his mind to facing his dignified, loyal wife and taking responsibility for his betrayal of her and their marriage vows.

“I’d behaved abominably and I’d let her down badly,” Chan conceded.

The three Chans—Jackie, Joan, and Jaycee—had an awkward family meeting at Chan’s request. He had something to confess to them.

Owning up to his “unforgivable mistake” in front of his wife and son, Chan said, “I want to apologize to you both.”

He said they never talked about the subject again. Chan changed his will after that, leaving everything to Lin. It seems as if this incident had brought him clarity about her decency and the unfairness of some of what he put her thorough.

She not only resolutely stood by him, but also urged him not to be hurtful toward Ng. Lin’s big-heartedness in this messy marital situation was almost saintly.

Chan’s Relationship With His Family Is Reportedly Distant

Chan wasn’t always a model husband and father. He often prioritized the demands of his hectic and extremely successful career over his family. Chan and Lin reportedly each went their own way to the point that he felt at ease dating other women.

His son, Jaycee, was said to only see his dad rarely. Chan didn’t even want his family present when he was busy filming.

Jaycee’s Legal Troubles Motivated Chan To Show His Son More Kindness

He may be rethinking the way he has conducted his relationships with Lin and Jaycee, however. In 2014, Jaycee was arrested in Beijing for marijuana possession. He spent time in prison. That incident seemed like a fresh beginning for the whole family.

Chan made a thoughtful video for Jaycee when he was released from jail because he was unable to be there in person. He said in this video, “No matter what, your mom and I will always have your back. … we can celebrate the New Year as a family.”

Chan, Lin, and Jaycee reportedly viewed the video together. Chan’s uncharacteristic tenderness left all of them in tears.

Chan’s co-author of Never Grow Up, Zhu Mo, wrote, “In the six months that Jaycee was away, Jackie learned how to care for Joan.” He became more attentive and appreciative of her. They seemed to turn a corner.

Joan Lin has been stoic and steadfast in what may have been her most challenging real-life role as Jackie Chan’s wife. He has been, by his own admission, sometimes callous and harsh to her.

After many years of challenges and crises, this is one celebrity couple that hopefully has grown from what they have gone through and now appreciate each other in a new and deeper way.

The Brolin family sure is loaded with talent. The family’s patriarch, James, has been busy acting in TV series and films since 1960. His son Josh achieved fame in movies like Milk (2008) and True Grit (2010). James’ wife since 1998 is legendary singer, actress, and director Barbra Streisand. His former wife is actress Jan Smithers.

But did you know there’s another Brolin who is in the entertainment industry? James’ daughter, Molly Elizabeth Brolin, has been a presence behind the scenes on various productions for years. Here’s everything we know about her.

Molly Elizabeth Brolin Is A Producer

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Molly, who graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, has an eclectic array of projects to her credit. She worked on theatrical films including Men in Black (2012) and John Mulaney: New in Town (2012). She ventured into rock opera territory two years later in 2014 with Smile Swamp Princess—which was directed by Eden Brolin, daughter of Molly’s half-brother, Josh.

After that, Molly was the assistant producer on a TV movie for the Hallmark Channel, Royal Hearts (2018). It starred her dad as a Montana rancher who unexpectedly inherits a kingdom. James also was the executive producer and director of the film.

Molly’ creativity led her to become a metalsmith artist who crafts wearable objects of silver and gold. According to her website, she does custom work on request.

Her Parents Are Both Successful Actors

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James Brolin has had a successful career as an actor going back decades to his days on the TV drama series Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969-76) and Hotel (1983-88). More recently, he was in a sitcom called Life in Pieces (2015-19).

His rugged handsomeness and imposing 6’4” stature first caught the eye of audiences who saw him in TV series like Love, American Style (1969-74), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-68), and Twelve O’Clock High (1964-67).

James has appeared in movies as well, including Traffic (2000) and Catch Me If You Can (2002).

It seems like he’s close to Molly. The fact that they worked together on Royal Hearts indicates as much, along with the sweet photos he has posted of her on his Instagram.

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Her Mother Is James’ Second Wife, Jan Smithers

Viewers may remember Smithers from her roles in TV shows such as WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-82), The New Mike Hammer (1985), and Cover Up (1985). However, Smithers came to the public’s attention in an unlikely way long before she was on the small screen.

In 1966, she was the quintessential pretty California girl with long, blonde hair who looked like she could have come straight out of a Beach Boys song. Smithers was spotted by two people from Newsweek who told her they were working on a story about teenagers and asked if she would like to be part of it. She said yes—and landed on the cover.

After that, Smithers did some commercials during high school and was eventually tapped for the role of Bailey Quarters on WKRP. She met James Brolin while they were filming Hotel, and the pair got married in 1986.

Molly was their only child. Smithers had intended to take just six months off from working to raise her, but her love for her daughter superseded her desire to go back in front of the camera. “I loved having a career, but when I met Molly, I just looked at her and told her, ‘You need me,’” Smithers told Newsweek.

As for her marriage, it fell apart after nine years due to James’ frequent absences from home for work. Smithers wanted a quiet life away from the hustle of Hollywood. “I had Molly,” she explained, “and wanted to be in the country and get away from that world.”

Her Brother, Josh, Is A Gen X Icon

Josh Brolin is the son of James and his first wife, Jane Cameron Agee, whose death affected Josh profoundly. “My mom dying when I was in my twenties [was painful]. All the impact that had on me that I hadn’t moved past; I was always such a mama’s boy,” he said.

Josh’s breakout role—playing Brandon Walsh in The Goonies (1985)—was followed by lots of other high-profile parts in films like No Country for Old Men (2007) and Thanos in the Marvel franchise. His acting has been recognized with an Academy Award nomination and a Screen Actors Guild award, among other honors.

The Brolins seem to be a close-knit clan, partly because they all like being involved in the entertainment scene. Molly has shown that she has an affinity for producing. She and her family have truly earned their place in the ranks of notable Hollywood dynasties like the Sheen/Estevez, Bridges, and Arquette families.

Every recording artist probably wishes they could have a smash hit album like Alanis Morissette’s alt-rock blockbuster, Jagged Little Pill. The word “classic” could readily be applied to it. You might even say it’s a cultural milestone.

Fans just can’t get their fill of timeless tunes like “You Oughta Know” and “Ironic.” Pretty impressive, considering that Morissette was only 21 years old at the time of Jagged’s release. Even at that young age, she was clearly a virtuoso who set the recording world on its ear.

Given her creative stature, it’s no shock that she is married to a fellow musician. On her website, Morissette adoringly wrote of him, “God bless this man. a true partner. the love of my life. so grateful.” 

If you want to know who Alanis Morissette’s husband Mario “Souleye” Treadway is and what their life together is like, we’ve got the insider details.

Souleye Is A Hip Hop Artist And Rapper

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Treadway fell in love with rap as a young teen after he heard a mix tape showcasing Grand Master Flash and Kool Herc.

He connected with the Transcendental Alliance in 2001, a cluster of rhymers from his home territory of New England. They had a free-spirited lifestyle, getting creative in places like coffeehouses as well as performing and traveling together.

From that modest beginning, he went on to release 10 albums, most recently Hunting Teardrops (2021).

He Gave Up A Basketball Scholarship To Pursue His Art Full-Time

Born in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, Treadway attended Western New England College on a basketball scholarship in 1999 but left after a year to focus on his real love, which was music. “I wasn’t learning what I wanted, and I really just wanted to grasp my passions,” he explained to the Broward Palm Beach New Times.

Tragedy Has Inspired Souleye’s Music

Two tragedies laid the early foundation for Treadway’s music. The first was the death of a childhood friend from cancer. Treadway went to see him shortly before he died.

Treadway told Broward Palm Beach, “I got there, like, two days before he passed and his parents told me that he waited to see me. I got to make him laugh. I rapped to him—freestyled. Played a bunch of beats…”

From that sad event sprung Treadway’s Flexible Morality album, which he penned in just five days during a retreat in rustic Vermont. Grieving for his late friend, he sought solitude. He said that he “just wrote, burned incense, danced around, and drank water” during that restorative period.

Then came another devastating loss for Treadway. His mentally-ill older brother took his own life in April 2004. It brought about a haunting epiphany for Treadway, one that touched his emotions and reinforced his commitment to music.

He was going through the things in his brother’s New Hampshire apartment. “My brother gave me a sticker a long time ago that says ‘Music Matters,’” Treadway recalled.

“I put it on my favorite rhyme notebook. The place where he hung himself had the same sticker on the ceiling.”

Those words became Treadway’s artistic philosophy. They seemed like a precious gift that his brother left behind for him. Treadway thereafter dedicated himself to making music that resonates deeply with listeners.

Souleye And Morissette Met At A Meditation Gathering In 2009

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Morissette met Treadway, who is six years her junior, met at a meditation retreat in 2009. Meditation is still an essential part of the couple’s lives.

In fact, Morissette has called meditation “the silence that sustains [her] and refuels [her] enough to keep giving.” She is a highly spiritual person, according to what she shared with Women’s Health in 2015.

There is a meditation and yoga room in their home, and a space for her essential oils because she finds aromatherapy healing and rejuvenating.

The meditation room helps to keep Morissette centered.  “It’s kind of where I go to tune in to emotions, get divine messages through prayer. I do my gratitude lists in there,” she told People. “I carve out different goals, I journal, I read, I listen to meditation—I do all my practices in there.”

As for Treadway’s place in her life, Morissette beams non-stop when she talks about him. She positively glows. Morissette confided to Oprah Winfrey on SuperSoul Sunday that he seemed different to her than the other people she dated in the past because he had what she called an intriguing “ceilinglessness” to him.

“I would date people,” Morissette said, “and there would be something about me that would hit a brick wall with whomever I was sitting across from. With Souleye when I first met him, I could see that there was this limitlessness to where we could go.”

Flirting Is The Secret To Keeping Their Relationship Strong

Couples use various strategies to maintain their emotional connection over time, whether it’s having romantic date nights, taking occasional getaways minus the kids, or making time for just having fun together.

For Morissette and Treadway, the key is flirting, even after many years of wedded bliss plus three kids.

“Flirting is nice … dates, gifts and compliments,” Morissette told People. “Anytime he says anything about me emotionally, like ‘Wow, you’re really nurturing’ or ‘really patient,’ that’s like full-blown sexy time for me.”

The pair tied the knot at home in Los Angeles on May 22, 2010. It was an intimate occasion that Morissette happily announced on Twitter, writing, “We’re very excited to embark on this journey with each other….”

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Their family has grown since then with the addition of their youngsters: son Ever (born December 2010), daughter Onyx (born June 2016), and son Winter (born August 2019).

There’s one other ingredient that keeps the Treadways’ union strong. They are always there for each other. “We’re helping each other out” is the way Morissette phrased it. They allow each other to “heal and grow.”

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They recognize and appreciate each other’s strengths and permit each other to be who they truly are. It’s a formula for long-lasting marital success, especially in Morissette and Treadway’s household.

Souleye And Morissette Love To Work Together

Yet another reason for their marriage’s stability is the way they relate to each other as artists. For example, Treadway opened his wife’s Guardian Angel tour.

They each understand the writing, recording, and promoting process that is integral to a performer’s life. The fact that they can share that with each other deepens their bond. They also collaborate on writing songs such as “Snow Angel” (2017).

Alanis Morissette and Mario “Souleye” Treadway seem to have achieved a genuine blending of their hearts, minds, and souls on every level that counts. They’re doing great after years together and show no outward signs of discontent. Quite the contrary—they are the picture of joyful togetherness.

Cameron Monaghan’s career began when he was quite young. When he was still in elementary school, he acted in movies and shows like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Winnie the Pooh, and Stuart Little.

At age nine, Monaghan scored the role of Winthrop Paroo in the TV version of The Music Man in 2003 alongside Kristin Chenoweth and Matthew Broderick. More recently, he has had major roles in Shameless and Gotham.

Monaghan’s current girlfriend, Lauren Searle, is talented and accomplished just like him. Here’s what we know about her, as well as Monaghan’s former flames.

Cameron Monaghan’s Current Girlfriend Is Lauren Searle

Monaghan enjoys a bevy of leisure pursuits such as dancing, playing the guitar, snowboarding, and martial arts. He also makes time for the special lady in his life: his girlfriend, Lauren Searle. She’s a model who has worked for Heroes Model and Vision Los Angeles. She is also a gifted artist.

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On her website, Searle wrote that she prefers people not to be entirely focused on her looks. She also wants them to appreciate the other qualities that make her who she is. She expresses those aspects of herself through her art.

Searle has been successful as a model, partly by not allowing others to define her. She explained to Cuup, “I felt this pressure to gain weight, lose weight, nothing was working…”   Searle even began to wonder if modeling was the right profession for her.

“But then I started booking jobs just how I am, at my natural size,” she added. That was key for her—being exactly the person she was, someone who happened to have curves. Trying to remake herself into someone else’s idea of who she should be wasn’t comfortable at all for Searle.

She and Monaghan made their relationship official on Instagram in September 2020 with some snaps of them luxuriating in a spacious tent complete with furniture.

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Three months later, in December 2020, Searle shared some lovely photos that Monaghan took of her modeling the SKIMS clothing line.

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He Dated Peyton List From 2017 To 2019

Lauren Searle isn’t the first model that Monaghan has dated. He was previously involved with Peyton List for two years. List is an actress and model who has appeared in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, 27 Dresses, Remember Me, and two Disney TV series: Bunk’d and Jessie.

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Working on the same movie brought Monaghan and List together as a couple. They were both in Anthem of a Teenage Prophet, a low budget indie film, in 2018.

List told BUILD Series that there were no glamorous, movie-star accommodations for the actors, who shared a trailer and stayed in the same hotel in a small town outside Vancouver. Collaborating day after day under those circumstances, everyone became really close.

“We fell in love on the set,” List said of herself and Monaghan. “In the middle of it, Cameron and I started realizing that we liked each other and started dating after.”

They made their relationship public in September 2017. One of the reasons that List said she hit it off with him was because Monaghan knew the pressures and challenges of an acting career first-hand.

“He’s so understanding which is so nice and I am too,” List said “We’re always like, ‘If work comes up, that’s fine, that comes first.’”

List and Monaghan reportedly split in January 2019. E! News observed that their breakup seemed to be friendly. The two attended the premiere of Anthem of a Teenage Prophet together.

Monaghan And Shameless Co-Star Ruby Modine Were Reportedly An Item In 2016 And 2017

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Actress Ruby Modine was reportedly another of Monaghan’s flames. She portrayed Sierra Morton in Shameless and appeared in the slasher film Happy Death Day and its sequel.

Modine is also the frontwoman of a band called Ruby Modine and the Disease. Her dad is actor Matthew Modine.

He Reportedly Dated Sadie Newman In 2015

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Newman is a British model who works with Elite Model Management NYC and WILHELMINA LOS ANGELES. She has also dipped her toes into acting, most recently having appeared in the 2018 film Holmes & Watson, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.

Unlike His Shameless Character, Monaghan Is Not Gay

Monaghan played a gay character on Shameless, so some people assumed that he is gay in real life, or they at least wondered about his sexual orientation. When Vanity Fair asked him about it in 2011, he addressed the issue forthrightly.

“I’m not gay myself, but it’s a role I’m very happy to play. I’m always happy to support the gay community. Ian’s a really fantastic part. A non-stereotypical part. And I think a lot of teens—and a lot of gay teens, especially—will really relate to the role.”

Cameron Monaghan seems to be establishing himself as a versatile, appealing young actor who is up for the challenge of playing a wide variety of roles. He has been romantically linked to women who are successful actresses and models.

It doesn’t look like Monaghan is ready to settle down with someone yet, but we’ll certainly be watching.

It was impossible not to love Joey Tribbiani on Friends. Matt LeBlanc’s portrayal of the character stole the hearts of millions of viewers season after season. LeBlanc received three Emmy nominations for the role and was catapulted to the heights of fame.

Less is known about LeBlanc’s personal life. What happened to end LeBlanc’s picture-perfect marriage to Melissa McKnight? Is there someone in LeBlanc’s life these days? We took a deep dive into his marriage and past relationships, and here’s what we found.

Who Is Melissa McKnight?

Melissa McKnight is a British-born American model who was previously married to rock musician Anthony Esposito. She and Esposito share two children: Tyler and Jacquelyn.

LeBlanc And McKnight Were Introduced In 1997

It was McKnight’s friend, Kelly Phillips and her husband, Lou Diamond Phillips, who brought LeBlanc and McKnight together, and their connection was instant—LeBlanc proposed after less than a year.

The pair got married in May 2003. The wedding took place in a gorgeous locale: a Hawaiian cliffside. There were 75 guests including LeBlanc’s Friends co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow.

One of the wedding guests gushed, “They’re really sweet together. He loves her and she loves him. It’s very real.”

Their Daughter’s Health Issues Placed Strain On The Marriage

When a child has serious health problems, it is obviously extremely tough on the parents. The stress and challenges of trying to hold a marriage together and care for a sick youngster at the same time are hard to overcome.

That may well have been the case with LeBlanc and McKnight. Their daughter, Marina Pearl LeBlanc, was born in 2004. LeBlanc adored his little girl.

According to the Daily Telegraph, he said, “I remember when my daughter, Marina, was born. The second I laid eyes on her, I was in love, and I had never felt that way before. I couldn’t believe it. I knew from that moment there was nothing that would ever stop me from loving her—even if she crashed my Ferrari.”

Terrifyingly, Marina began to have seizures when she was just eight months old. LeBlanc noticed that she was falling on her left side when she was crawling. After being examined by a doctor, she was diagnosed with a condition called cortical dysplasia.

The condition can cause walking difficulties and seizures, along with vocal issues. Even actions as simple as sitting up or crawling can become challenging. Fortunately, the condition apparently diminished by the time she was two—but it still caused an understandable rift in LeBlanc and McKnight’s marriage.

LeBlanc Left McKnight For Another Woman

Unfortunately, LeBlanc’s troubles wouldn’t end there. In 2006, he told McKnight that he was packing up and leaving their home in Encino, California. The news came as a bombshell to McKnight.

According to a now-archived interview with People, McKnight’s friend Kelly Phillips said, “It was very sudden. She was absolutely blindsided by what happened.”

Two months later, the drama between LeBlanc and McKnight escalated when she accused him of being involved with someone else. People reported that LeBlanc said it was true.

Evidently, it was, because that month, he moved in with actress Andrea Anders, who played LeBlanc’s neighbor on Joey, the Friends spin-off he starred in.

Perhaps McKnight hoped they could patch things up, but LeBlanc made their split official on March 30 when his lawyers informed McKnight that he had filed for divorce. News of their shattered marriage became public almost immediately.

They were reportedly able to co-parent amicably, despite the circumstances of their divorce. As for McKnight, her friend Kelly Phillips said to People, “She has her good days and bad days, but she’s incredibly strong. She will heal with time.”

LeBlanc’s Other Romances

LeBlanc’s romantic pursuit of women had gotten to the point where even his own dad, Paul LeBlanc, reportedly had some harsh words for his son.

According to news.com.au, he said, “He’s not the Joey Tribbiani that everybody loves. He’s still my son but I’m very hurt by the type of person he’s become.”

LeBlanc remained with Anders for eight years before they reportedly broke up in January 2015.

LeBlanc’s most recent relationship that we know of, with Top Gear producer Aurora Mulligan, seemed to begin in 2016.

They showed up together in public for the first time at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, causing a stir that was due in part to their 17-year age gap.

At least one published report claimed they had chemistry right off the bat. When they were out on the town, it looked as if they were charmed by each other and enjoyed one another’s company.

However, things did not continue on that happy path. They are reportedly no longer a twosome as of February 2022, supposedly because Mulligan was based in England while LeBlanc was situated in California.

A source told The Sun that the breakup was painful for LeBlanc. “It’s a huge shame and Matt has taken the news particularly hard, as anyone would. He and Aurora fell for each on Top Gear and although there was a pretty big age gap they were a really great match.”

There are been unconfirmed rumors that LeBlanc has squired a number of high-profile ladies, including Kate Hudson, Minnie Driver, adult film star Jenna Jameson, and Playboy playmate Tonya Poole.

There was also speculation that LeBlanc had once been involved with his Friends costar Jennifer Aniston, but the actress has denied those rumors.

Matt LeBlanc’s career since Friends ended its run in 2004 has had its share of peaks and valleys, just as his personal life has. His marriage imploded, as have his subsequent relationships.

The popularity LeBlanc earned as a result of starring in what was arguably one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time has lingered. Nevertheless, we can only wonder what will come next for him.

Bret Michaels has held several titles over his years in the entertainment industry: winner of Celebrity Apprentice 3, judge for Nashville Star, solo recording artist, Travel Channel host, and most notably, frontman for the rock band Poison.

So, what’s the story of his love life? He has called his on-again, off-again romance with Kristi Lynn Gibson “a positive work in progress.” Is she Michaels’ wife or his special someone? Did they decide to break it off?

We took a deep dive into their relationship, and here’s what we found out.

Who Is Kristi Lynn Gibson?

Kristi Lynn Gibson was born on December 25, 1979, in Vancouver, Canada. Gibson is an actor known for the 1998 film A Letter From Death Row (in which Michaels wrote, directed, and starred) and The Untold Story (2019).

Michaels And Gibson Met In 1994

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They had an on-off relationship for about 18 years. They share two daughters: Raine Elizabeth, born May 20, 2000, and Jorja Bleu, born May 5, 2005.

Michaels Sought True Love On VH1 Reality Show Rock Of Love in 2007

Anyone or anything that gets parodied on Saturday Night Live has usually attained a certain level of campiness, and Rock of Love was no different. During what was presumably an “off” period of his relationship with Gibson, Michaels embarked on a televised journey to find love.

The premise of the show was simple. A bevy of attractive women vied to be Michaels’ ladylove, at least for one date and hopefully more thereafter. The show only lasted for three seasons, but it spawned spin-offs such as Rock of Love: Charm School and Rock of Love Girls: Where Are They Now? Like the show itself, the “relationships” flamed out fast.

Michaels Proposed To Gibson During The Finale Of His Reality Show, Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It

In place of the fourth iteration of Rock of Love, Michaels starred in the show Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It. During the shows December 2, 2010 finale, Michaels popped the question to Gibson.

They called off their engagement in July 2012, according to People. Michaels’ rep said they parted amicably and were co-parenting their daughters.

Despite their split, it looks like Michaels and Gibson are still close. She wished him a happy birthday on Instagram as recently as August of 2022, and regularly posts about his concerts as well as their anniversaries.

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Gibson Stood By Michaels Through Several Health Crises

Gibson devotedly stayed at Michaels’ side during several big health scares. In 2010, he had major stomach discomfort but wanted to perform in San Antonia, Texas, anyway, as he figured it was just a bad case of the flu. He actually needed to be brought to a hospital on the double for an emergency appendectomy.

Although Michaels’ recovery seemed to go smoothly, he had a brain hemorrhage that same month. His website reported that he was in critical condition.

He had a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which involves bleeding between the brain and the membrane around it. It can, in some cases, be lethal.

As Michaels said on The Wall Street Journal Live, “I’m one of the very few that have made a subarachnoid hemorrhage and survived it.”

According to People, When Michaels was brought to the emergency room of the hospital, a doctor asked him if he had children. Michaels wanted to know if he was dying. He later explained that if he was, he wanted to see his daughters, but if he wasn’t, he preferred not to have them see him in such a dire state.

Gibson’s steady, reassuring presence and faith that things would get better were evidently key to helping Michaels hang on. “In most of our world, Bret’s the hero, but in this situation, Kristi was the hero—she saved his life,” Michaels’ guitarist Pete Evick told People.

She was right there with him on the ambulance trip to the hospital in Phoenix.

“I said, ‘I’m not leaving his side,’” Gibson recalled. “I held his hand and told him, ‘It’s going to be okay.’”

Unfortunately, Michaels’ health scares were far from over. In May 2010, he had a transient ischemic attack, or TMI. This is also sometimes referred to as a warning stroke.

After experiencing numbness on one side of his body—a classic stroke symptom—Michaels underwent tests that indicated a hole in his heart.

Prior to that, his recovery from the brain hemorrhage had been proceeding well. His sly sense of humor had even returned. Michaels joshed to Rolling Stone that the brain hemorrhage ocurred while he was watching Busty Cops 3.

His doctor said that it did not seem like this newly-diagnosed heart condition was the reason for Michaels’ brain hemorrhage, which must have been a relief to him. He was “ready to rock again,” according to his rep.

Michaels reflected later on his serious medical issues, including his brain hemorrhage. When asked if his brush with death gave him a renewed sense of purpose, he told Vegas All Night, “I found more of a drive for life.” 

“The night I had my brain hemorrhage, my two daughters and Kristi truthfully saved my life. That’s the God honest truth,” Michaels told People. “When it all hit the fan, when it came to that moment that I needed to react, my family rallied behind me…”

Bret Michaels has had more severe health threats than most people ever experience. At times, his life apparently hung in the balance. It seems like his own stubborn will to survive, along with the unstinting love and support of his family, especially Gibson, were immensely important in helping him pull through.

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Although the nature of their relationship has been ever-changing and isn’t absolutely clear at the moment, she is definitely a beloved member of Michaels’ innermost circle and the woman that he wants with him when the chips are down.