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J.K. Rowling on reaction to new Hermione: ‘I thought that idiots were going to idiot’

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Character portraits for the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child were released over the weekend and they are all lovely; take a look on Pottermore. As we reported in December of last year, Olivier-Award winning actor, Noma Dumezweni, was cast as Hermione in this production. After the announcement, people with nothing better to do complained to the Twitterverse about her casting. The issue was not her credentials but the fact that she is not white and that somehow flies in the face of the characterization of Hermione. At the time, J.K. Rowling gave the following statement in support of the casting choice: Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione ? https://t.co/5fKX4InjTH — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 21, 2015 JK wrote the story upon which Jack Thorne’s play is based. HPatCC takes place 19 years after the gang has graduated Hogwarts. Harry is married with three children and the youngest, Albus, is reluctant to carry on the family legacy. The story is a continuation from the books, not the movies so it really doesn’t matter who played the part in the movie, even if they did a wonderful job in that role. Now that the dust up on social media has died down, JK expressed her annoyance about the controversy and did so in classic JK fashion. JK Rowling has revealed her frustration at online reaction by “a bunch of racists” to news that the role of Hermione will be played by a black actress in the eagerly awaited new play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The production, which has broken records by selling 175,000 tickets in 24 hours, is tipped to be the theatrical event of the year. But the Harry Potter creator criticised those who have suggested that Hogwarts’ studious heroine could not be played by the Olivier-award-winning actress Noma Dumezweni. “With my experience of social media, I thought that idiots were going to idiot,” she said in an interview with the Observer. “But what can you say? That’s the way the world is. Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job.” While the vast majority of people responded positively to the casting decision, Rowling said: “I had a bunch of racists telling me that because Hermione ‘turned white’ – that is, lost colour from her face after a shock – that she must be a white woman, which I have a great deal of difficulty with. But I decided not to get too agitated about it and simply state quite firmly that Hermione can be a black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm.” Dumezweni was cast by the play’s director, John Tiffany – known for the productions Black Watch and the musical Once – who has collaborated with Rowling and the playwright Jack Thorne, writer of This Is England and The Last Panthers. Tiffany said he was surprised by the opinions expressed online, but had stopped reading the comments. “I am not as Twitter-familiar as Jo and Jack, so I hadn’t encountered its dark side, which is just awful. But what shocked me was the way people couldn’t visualise a non-white person as the hero of a story. It’s therefore brilliant that this has happened.” [From The Guardian] I always cast books in my head and producers never go with my picks when they are made into movies. Shockingly, I am able to get over it and see the film without bias. I remain at a loss over the criticism of Noma; I would be thrilled to see someone of her caliber perform. Elphaba in Wicked needed to be green, it was a huge point in the story but Hermione’s skin color has no affect on her. I think I’ll save my outrage for the fact that I will never get tickets to this show and not the fact that Hermione is not alabaster or Ron not-ginger enough. Embed from Getty Images Photo credit: WENN and Fame/Flynet Photos and Getty Images

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Johnny Depp’s ex-assistant claims Amber Heard is lying about the 2014 texts

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One of the most frustrating things about the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp situation is not just the bro-culture of Johnny’s fans, but the blatantly misogynistic tone of some/much of the reporting. The way Amber’s story has been second-guessed and third-guessed and fourth-guessed by TMZ and other outlets has gotten ridiculous at this point. So, let’s talk about some of TMZ’s reporting. Yesterday, we covered Entertainment Tonight’s exclusive about the alleged text messages sent between Amber and Johnny’s then-assistant, a man named Stephen Deuters. In the text messages (reportedly from 2014) that ET published, Deuters and Amber were texting about an incident that happened the night before, where Depp kicked Amber in a drunken rage. Deuters told Amber that Johnny didn’t even remember doing it and that Johnny is “a little lost boy.” So what does TMZ have to report about those text messages? Johnny Depp’s assistant, Stephen Deuters, tells TMZ, the texts that were posted in which he allegedly apologized to Amber Heard for Johnny’s violent behavior are heavily doctored … and he never said Johnny attacked her. Deuters says he knows of no acts of abuse toward Amber at the hands of Johnny and has never made such a claim to anyone. He adds, Johnny has never been violent toward anyone he knows. Deuters says the texts themselves are suspicious because they don’t even show a date. Bottom line … he says he will testify under oath he never had a conversation about alleged violence with Amber. [From TMZ] First of all, it’s not like Amber doesn’t also have photos, witnesses and a video. Why are people acting like IF Deuters is telling the truth, then Amber’s story should be thrown out? Second of all, telling TMZ you will testify under oath about having no knowledge of abuse is different than actually testifying under oath and being cross-examined by a series of lawyers. Do you know what I mean? Lindsay Lohan can run to TMZ and tell them any story she wants (and she has, hundreds of times), but when it comes time to actually give testimony under oath, it’s a totally different story. Especially when Amber has made it pretty clear that she’s been holding on to two years’ worth of receipts which her lawyers will use to incriminate the dudes being sent out to muddy the waters on Amber’s claims. As for those receipts, TMZ is still playing fast and loose with whether Amber has filed police reports and whether filing a police report is the make-or-break evidence in whether Johnny abused Amber for years. Many abuse victims never file police reports and it doesn’t make the abuse any less real, that’s all I’ll say. Anyway, TMZ also says that Amber has had a “change of heart” about filing a police report because she “doesn’t want to bury him” and she doesn’t want to see Depp arrested. But “sources connected with Johnny scoff at Amber’s sympathy,” and claim that Amber has just done all of this so that Alice Through the Looking Glass would bomb at the box office. Seriously? And no one is going to second-guess THAT claim? Photos courtesy of WENN.

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Sources: Calvin Harris dumped Taylor because he couldn’t handle her success

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A lot of people think I’m a Taylor Swift-hater. I’m really not! I like to call her out on her bulls—t, of course, but I actually love her. I love that she rarely takes the high road. I love that she’s so smart in business and an absolute idiot when it comes to romance. I love that you can always count on Taylor to be a melodramatic narcissist. I even love the fact that absolutely NO ONE believed that Taylor and Calvin Harris’s split was going to be drama-free. Where’s the fun in that? So I had a smile on my face when I read People Magazine’s new exclusive story on The End of the Fairy Tale. Guess how Team Swifty is spinning the fact that Taylor got dumped again? Calvin Harris was intimidated by her success! Calvin Harris and Taylor Swift’s relationship ended because the DJ was “intimidated” by her success, a friend of the singer tells PEOPLE. “[Harris] said on multiple occasions that he was intimidated by Taylor, which is why he would not attend any events where she was being honored, or any award shows unless he was nominated,” explains Swift’s friend. Harris, 32, was notably absent when Swift co-chaired the Met Gala last month, as well as at the Grammys ceremony in February, and when the “Bad Blood” singer accepted an award named after her at the May BMI Pop Awards. But Swift is holding her head high, adds the pal. “Taylor is an independent young woman, and she realizes it will take a very secure man to handle her success,” says her friend. A source close to the DJ – whom sources confirm ultimately pulled the plug on the relationship – tells PEOPLE that the split “wasn’t a shock” for Swift because the couple had ongoing issues. “They come from very different worlds,” the source explains. “Taylor is used to being treated a certain way.” The Harris insider added that he didn’t feel like the relationship was “leading anywhere.” “It wasn’t an equal relationship. Their age difference might not be significant for many couples, but for them it was part of the problem too,” says the Harris source. “Taylor somewhat lacks real-life experience. They will not be getting back together.” Regardless, the insider says that Harris still has high praise for his ex, noting that the Scottish star “very much admires her as a person and what she has been able to do with her career. This is what drew him to her in the first place. She works incredibly hard for things that she believes in,” the Harris source says. He always saw that as an amazing quality. They are still friendly.” [From People] “She realizes it will take a very secure man to handle her success…” You guys, I’m telling you… I love Taylor Swift. SO MUCH DRAMA! She’s basically telling the world that she got dumped because poor little Calvin Harris felt emasculated by her success. She’s calling him insecure. She’s saying that he couldn’t handle the fact that she’s so rich, beautiful and acclaimed. Is that the truth? Does it matter? As for the quotes from Team Calvin sources… well, this was always the reason why Calvin and Taylor were perfect together. He gives as good as he gets, and he’s great at unleashing his inner bitch. “Taylor somewhat lacks real-life experience.” OUCH. He’s saying she’s immature, naïve and insular. “They will not be getting back together.” As in, she wanted to get back together and he didn’t. Meanwhile, the National Enquirer says that Taylor was convinced that Calvin was cheating on her after that now-infamous massage parlor incident. And sources claim Calvin was convinced that Taylor was cheating on him after he heard about her behavior with Tom Hiddleston at the Met Gala. There are a lot of people who think TIDDLES (Taylor + Hiddles) could be a reality soon. Still, other people want to see Taylor go for Prince Harry. I don’t see that, mostly because Taylor is SO not Harry’s type. Blake Lively is Harry’s type. I think TIDDLES is a better possibility than TARRY. Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.

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People Mag: Johnny Depp & Amber Heard ‘should have never gotten married’

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Here are some photos of Johnny Depp in Stockholm on Monday. He’s still touring Europe with his band, the Hollywood Vampires. Do you think Team Depp’s crisis management just operates without him? Or is Depp on those conference calls, suggesting quotes that need to be placed in People Magazine? The only thing I know for sure is that Team Depp was hard at work on Memorial Day. Their current vibe is “let’s throw everything against the wall and see what sticks.” Which is the only explanation for two of the most blatantly pro-Depp pieces thus far, in People Magazine and TMZ. Some highlights: TMZ’s police sources are chatty. TMZ’s “law enforcement sources” want you to know that Amber Heard did not tell police officers that Johnny Depp had smashed her in the face with an iPhone. TMZ’s sources have already claimed that Amber was sporting no visible injuries and now they’re reiterating that Amber did not tell cops the whole story. TMZ ends their story with this: “We’re told Amber still has not filed a police report. If Johnny’s right and he never touched her … had she filed an official report she could be prosecuted for a felony — filing a phony police report.” Just what every victim of domestic abuse wants to hear, right? If you do come forward and tell (gossipy) police officers about your abuse, you could be prosecuted. Thanks, TMZ! Update: Oh, great, TMZ has another story about how Amber tried to “set up” Johnny by screaming for security when they were 20 feet away from each other. Amber and Johnny should have never gotten married. And now for the “derp” part of Team Depp’s media strategy, People Magazine has unnamed sources saying the most obvious things. Things like “they are just not good together. They had lots of problems before they got married, and should have never gotten married. Their personalities are just not compatible.” YA THINK? People’s source also says Heard caused a lot of “drama” and that she “exacerbates” his “jealousy issues,” and Depp is “very insecure when it comes to Amber.” I love that she’s getting the blame for “exacerbating” his unhinged jealousy. OH SHE MADE HIM JELLY. Then she totally deserved it, right? Amber is incredibly upset. E! News has one of the few pieces with quotes from pro-Amber sources. E!’s source says: “This has been incredibly upsetting for Amber but she knows she is doing the right thing. It has been very traumatic for her to finally speak out, but she needs to do what she can to protect herself.” The source also says that Amber “tried to hide what was really happening in the marriage from most of her friends because she wanted to believe that it would get better. That things would change. But ultimately they didn’t and so she had to do what she did to stop it.” I believe that. You know why? Because it happens all the time. The victim believes that things will change for the better. The victim is embarrassed that this is happening. The victim doesn’t think anyone will believe her/him. The victim doesn’t want to tell other people because then it becomes real. Meanwhile, Amber’s team finally responded to Doug Stanhope’s guest column in The Wrap (you can see our coverage here). Stanhope claimed that Amber was “blackmailing” Depp, and Stanhope based his accusations on stuff that Depp had told him. Amber’s lawyer tells The Wrap that Stanhope’s “allegations against Ms. Heard are absolutely and unequivocally false” and that the guest column “has no basis in reality and is nothing but the typical celebrity muckraking for profit.” Amber’s lawyer demanded that The Wrap take the column down and they’re currently speaking to their lawyers, but Amber’s lawyer told The Wrap: “It is highly offensive and disturbing that you would choose to publish it in the first place.” Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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Julia Roberts laughed at ‘image-obsessed’ Amal Clooney: ‘She’s so absurd’

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As previewed yesterday, this week’s tabloids are full of interesting/funny/untrue speculation about George and Amal Clooney’s marriage, based solely on their appearance at the Cannes Film Festival last week. For the record (since we’re on the record!), I kind of think George and Amal are fine. Their first year of marriage was a whirlwind of craziness, but they seem to have “settled down” quite a bit in 2016. Still, I always enjoy some good Amal gossip. In Touch Weekly had the longer story full of deliciously bitchy details. Some highlights: Amal’s posing. An insider says: “Cannes has strict rules about a non-movie member posing for obligatory cast photos – it’s a big deal and very rare for a spouse to join. But Amal, with George’s blessing of course, barged right in. Amal wore a look-at-me bright yellow gown amid the cast’s sea of black, she had trouble adjusting her long train in the wind so she also held up the entire process, which meant all eyes were on her.” Julia was pissed. “Julia was stunned that Amal tried to steal her show and her thunder, and that George actually let her.” So in retaliation, Julia flirted with George, and the source says, “Amal felt like Julia was flirting with George and she was seething!” Amal hates Julia. Amal hated how friendly George and Julia were on the set of Money Monster and “Amal can’t stand how Julia monopolizes her husband’s time.” After the Cannes red carpet, Amal pulled George aside and told him that Julia was being “disrespectful.” Julia “was so mad that she had a mini-meltdown about it and was overheard complaining about Amal’s rude move and George should have known better.” Julia hates Amal too. After spending some time with Amal and George in Como, Italy last summer, “Julia left with a very bad taste in her mouth.” Julia would “mock image-obsessed Amal behind her back after seeing how Amal constantly had her hair and makeup touched up and wore glamorous gowns during a casual weekend.” A source says: “Julia laughed at her because she thinks she’s so absurd.” [From In Touch Weekly, print edition] While I think this whole thing is being overblown, I do believe that there’s some shade and gossip going on at the core. Like, Julia was pissed that Amal was being so showy and look-at-me. And Amal was pissed because Julia was goose-honking all over George. I also sort of believe that Amal is severely image-obsessed? That’s just my gut-level reaction to seeing her pap strolls and red carpet posing. Meanwhile, Star Magazine claims that Amal and George looked like they were having serious problems at Cannes. A Cannes tipster reveals that after George and Amal walked the Cannes carpet together, they stopped pretending to be all lovey-dovey. “Once inside, it was obvious to everyone there that George and Amal had been fighting all day. I don’t think either one of them wanted to be there.” Arms crossed and scowl fixed, it was clear the human rights lawyer wasn’t happy with her husband. In fact, eyewitnesses say the two barely said a word to each other during dinner that night at Le Michelangelo in Antibes and cast a frosty chill over the afterparty at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. “It looked like George truly regretted bringing Amal out. Just imagine what it must have been like when they got home!” [From Star Magazine, print edition] Sure, but WHY were they fighting? Was it because of Julia? Or something else? Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

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Duchess Kate repeats a McQueen for the Queen’s garden party: cute or meh?

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I wouldn’t have even used this ^^ photo but the @KensingtonRoyal Twitter account actually posted this pic to promote the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s appearance at Tuesday’s Buckingham Palace garden party. Isn’t that interesting? The KensingtonRoyal account – the official account for Will, Kate and Harry – is often accused of cherry-picking particular images that reflect the younger royals as looking particular good and/or engaged. But this photo seems particularly unfortunate for Kate – it’s almost like the KP press office is just owning the fact that this is Kate’s Social-Interaction-Face. As for Will and Kate’s appearance at the palace yesterday, Kate has been to the annual garden party several times before, but this is William’s first time. I would suspect that, if pressed, his press office would say that this is the first time he’s ever had an opening in his diary to attend! Kate repeated an Alexander McQueen coatdress which we saw back in 2013, for Prince George’s christening. I didn’t really care for it then, and I really don’t care for it now. The boob ruffle is just odd, and whenever Kate tries to move her arms (to touch her hair, or whatever), the coat bunches up in weird places. The whole thing looks sloppy, and it’s not just the sh-tty tailoring. It’s the design! Why would anyone want a big, vertical ruffle down their chest? Will and Kate also chatted with some medical personnel at the garden party, because apparently the “support” OBGYNs who delivered George and Charlotte were there. Maybe this makes me sound prissy, but I would not want to socialize with my gyno at a garden party at the palace. That just seems awkward and unnecessary. You can read some quotes from the doctors here. They’re very forthcoming with details about the lead-up to the royal births. Also, check out the refreshments at the garden party! I hope Will and Kate are taking notes on the Queen’s refreshments – when Will and Kate hosted a get-together before their India-Bhutan tour, the refreshments were really struggling. That strawberry (??) cake looks AMAZING. ? A selection of the cakes available to guests at today's Garden Party pic.twitter.com/E1ZL1KaYtX — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 24, 2016 Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Photos courtesy of @KensingtonRoyal and Getty.

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Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani paying instagram users for relationship PR?

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Embed from Getty Images I know that hardly a day goes by without a mention of omnipresent pop culture couple Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, but today we’ve got a story packed with intrigue and shenanigans! Many of our commenters have remarked that the relationship between the pop/ska princess and the country singing cowboy is about as convincing as the Whitney Houston hologram. Well, you may be onto something, as evidence suggests that Gwake’s PR people may be paying social media influencers to promote them. The Cut’s Allie Jones put on her Nancy Drew hat when she saw d-list faux celebrities and Instagram-famous individuals posting gushing endorsements for Gwake and their (still awful) single, “Go Ahead and Break My Heart” on Instagram. What raised the red flag were a pair of posts which sounded like they may have come from somebody’s publicist. The first came from former Bachelor contestant, Becca Tilley. Tilly, who has over 700,000 followers, featured a shot of the couple singing their new duet at Blake’s album release party back on May 9. You can see the performance, if you haven’t had enough of them making goo-goo eyes at each other, below: This is strange as this happened a few weeks ago and Becca just posted this on Sunday. Becca wrote, “I have a weird obsession with these two right now!! Watching the whole performance for @iheartradio at iheartradio.com/hondastage — heart eyes!!!!’ ? @blakeshelton @gwenstefani.” Curious. I have a weird obsession with these two right now!! Watching the whole performance for @iheartradio at iheartradio.com/hondastage — heart eyes!!!!’ ? @blakeshelton @gwenstefani A photo posted by beccatilley (@beccatilley) on May 22, 2016 at 3:16pm PDT Soon afterward, The Hills alum Stephanie Pratt posted another photo from the same event with the same overly excited commentary (and pretty obvious promotional shout-outs), captioning the photo, “Saw these two cuties in concert w @ginaa_a … they are my new fave couple!!” she wrote. “Love ? you can watch Blake’s performance at iheartradio.com/hondastage” Saw these two cuties in concert w @ginaa_a …they are my new fave couple!! Love ? you can watch Blake’s performance at iheartradio.com/hondastage A photo posted by Stephanie Pratt (@officialstephpratt) on May 22, 2016 at 4:45pm PDT If this is true – and there’s been no confirmation or comment from Gwake’s camp, that’s kind of sad, and it does call the authenticity of the relationship into some doubt. Maybe they are in love but have realized what a auditory train wreck the song is. Blake’s still giving us “Aww, shucks,“ telling Entertainment Tonight, “I just like being with her, but when she’s all dolled up and we go places, it’s always fun for me. If she was here right now, not one person here would be looking at anybody else but her. It’s just cool to know that’s who I came here with.” He even wrote the song “A Guy with a Girl” from his new album If I’m Honest for her…that is, if he really is being honest! Blake made an appearance on Ellen recently and, to add more fuel to this latest fire, joked, “The last year of my life has been nuts, it’s been crazy, I just figure if all the magazines are going to cash in on me, I might as well too.” Hmmm… I get Blake and Gwen doing self-promotion on Instagram, but having third parties publicize their relationship and song is all kinds of tacky. Is anyone else rethinking their stance on these two after these interesting accusations? I have to admit I am – and I like both of them. Sick of them, yes, but I don’t dislike them. I’m very curious to see how this plays out. A photo posted by Gwen Stefani (@gwenstefani) on May 22, 2016 at 10:01pm PDT Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Thanks to Jezebel for the tip! Photo credit: Getty Images, WENN.com, Instagram