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Khloe Kardashian Has a Message for "Toxic People"

Feb 21, 2016 celebrityabout

Khloe Kardashian is dropping truth bombs left and right these days. We’ve recently learned that Khloe likes dirty talk during sex and also that she once hid under the bed while Kris and Bruce Jenner got it on. Gross and grosser, we know. Now, in a manifesto posted to Instagram, the reality star has gone off on all the negative influences in her life. First, Khloe shared a photo of the following quote: “You never really see how toxic someone is until you breathe fresher air.” Then, without naming names or getting very specific, Khloe added in her own words: Let me remind you that we don’t need anybody’s approval to be happy in life. It’s on you to validate and accept your version of happiness. Take the control back. You choose your life. Don’t let anyone else decide for you. We are no victims to life. No prisoners. But we do become victims and prisoners to the people we choose to surround ourselves with. We tend to become content, passive and blind within our relationships. Whether it be a family member, business partner, friend or a lover. Out of comfort and possibly fear. The unknown will leave you stuck in a bad situation. Choosing comfort over your own happiness. View Slideshow: 11 Times Khloe Kardashian Taught Us The Value of Tough Love Kardashian then concluded with: Letting go is self-love. Letting go means putting yourself first instead of holding on to that negative space you don’t deserve. Nobody deserves. Removing toxic people from your life is only allowing room for a positive flow to elevate your mind, body and soul. Not everyone who started with you will finish with you. Be OK with that. ‘God Helps Those Who Help Themselves. Khloe split from James Harden several weeks ago and has been spending a lot of time with estranged husband Lamar Odom. The two do not appear to be back together, however. Who is the “toxic” person or persons Kardashian is referencing with this diatribe? Your guess is as good as ours. But Kris Jenner has shown complete support for her daughter, sharing Khloe’s entire message and including as a caption: “God helps those who help themselves.” #repost @khloekardashian #proudmama #love #choosehappiness.” View Slideshow: Khloe Kardashian Memoir: 6 Things We Learned

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Caitlyn Jenner: I’ve gotten more flack for being Republican than being trans

Feb 19, 2016 marc

When I watched Caitlyn Jenner’s 20/20 special last April, I came away genuinely moved. Caitlyn was still going by Bruce then, although she identified as a woman and was still in the middle of transitioning physically. While Caitlyn’s interview was interesting and even moving, the news of her transition was mostly fait accompli at that point. In fact, I was more surprised – and I said so at the time – that Caitlyn still identified as a Republican. And she still does! In the first season of her show, there were many record-scratch moments where Caitlyn was trying to hang out with her girlfriends and she would start spouting some GOP talking points and her girls were like, “Cait, you’re ignorant as hell.” Caitlyn’s consistent perspective seems to be that if someone wants to transition, then they should just be white and rich like her. Even after all that Cait went through, she was still being judgy about gay marriage as late as last fall!!! So, yeah, her politics are still more shocking to me at this point that her transition. And Caitlyn said as much during a speaking engagement at the University of Pennsylvania. Caitlyn Jenner appeared in front of a sold out house of students Wednesday night and U. Penn students didn’t hold back in asking important questions. In response to one student who asked Caitlyn why she doesn’t belong to a more liberal political party, the 66-year-old E! star replied (via a local Philadelphia blog), “I have gotten more flack for being a conservative Republican than I have for being trans.” Vanity Fair writer Buzz Bissinger, who was the one interviewing Cait last night, supported Caitlyn’s Republicanism adding, “Just because you change gender doesn’t mean you change your core beliefs.” Bissinger, who wrote Cait’s famous Vanity Fair article last year, later brought up the media headlines suggesting Cait transitioned for publicity or profit. “I don’t need the money. So I don’t understand that claim,” Jenner answered. “No one transitions for financial gain. No way…You don’t do it unless you know deep down in your soul that it’s the right thing to do. If I can’t be honest with myself about what I’m doing, I’m no good for anything.” Another student asked Caitlyn about her status as an LGBT role model. “I’m not a role model!” Jenner replied. “I’m so new to this community I don’t expect to be one.” Caitlyn also reflected on the fact she never told her father she was transgender before he died over a decade ago. Cait said she imagines her dad telling her today, “You know what, you’re doing a good job. You’re making a difference.” [From E! News] “I have gotten more flack for being a conservative Republican than I have for being trans.” That’s because your political affiliation is a choice. Being transgender is not a choice. You can chose to open your mind, acknowledge your privilege and try to open yourself to the transgender community. Or you can just be a rich, white Republican woman complaining about how those messy trans people are living on government handouts. Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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Chiwetel Ejiofor: ‘It’s probably harder to be gay’ than black in Hollywood

Feb 18, 2016 celebrityabout

Chiwetel Ejiofor is during the promotional rounds for Triple 9, the cops-and-robbers movie also starring Kate Winslet, Anthony Mackie, Casey Affleck, Aaron Paul, Woody Harrelson and more. I remember that there were a lot of casting rumors going back and forth about this film, and I’m pleased that Chiwetel decided to do it. I’ve wanted good things for his career post-12 Years a Slave, but I think Chiwetel is more focused on diversifying his CV, doing a shoot ‘em action film here, a Marvel film there, a quiet African drama over there, and more. There’s no doubt in my mind that Chiwetel would be a much bigger “star” if he was white. But… I do have my doubts about whether Chiwetel is really interested in being a celebrity or a star. I think he just wants to work, and if he says that he’s living his dream, then I believe him. Anyway, as Chiwetel was promoting Triple 9, he was asked about Hollywood diversity and all of the hot topics of the day. And Chiwetel said something surprising – he thinks it’s harder to be gay in Hollywood than black in Hollywood. The industry has been accused of a lack of diversity following the 2016 Academy Awards nominations, where no African-American actor or director was nominated for a top honour for the second year in a row, but the 12 Years a Slave star believes it’s harder for someone to succeed if they’re homosexual than if they’re black. “I hope this changes (but) I think it’s probably harder to be gay,” he told British newspaper The Times. “I think sexuality is still marginalised in a way that is pretty open. I think it’s tough. I think for one’s own piece of mind, for one’s own sense of self and psychological health, I feel like that’s the horrible thing about ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and all that f**ked-up s**t, because it produces a sense of shame, and therefore this sense of being ‘less than’, you know? And I hate that. I hate that for anybody.” But Chiwetel argues that at the same time, a person’s sexuality isn’t anyone else’s business, and if the individual wants to, they should be able to declare their preference without fear of it affecting their opportunities in life in any way. When it comes to race, the 38-year-old’s Nigerian heritage has never held him back from his dream of being an actor, having received a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his role in 12 Years a Slave in 2013, and winning a Laurence Olivier Award for his theatre work in the 2008 production of Othello. “If I hadn’t had the opportunities and the fortune that I have had, of course I would have a very different perspective to that, but I can’t be completely intellectually dishonest about what has happened in my life … It’s a tiny bit more nuanced for me to talk about,” he explained. [From Contact Music] Ian McKellen was talking about this too last month – while #OscarsSoWhite, it’s also important to remember that #OscarsSoStraightCisgenderedandHeteronormative too, at least when it comes to “out” actors. No “out and proud” gay actor has ever won an Oscar. Ian McKellen wants to be the first! As for who has it harder, gay folks or black folks… this isn’t a slam against Chiwetel, who was just trying to be an awareness-raising ally, but it’s not a competition, and of course there is intersectionality, because of course there are black, gay actors and gay Hispanic actresses and bisexual Asian actors and they want to be able to work too. Here are some photos of Chiwetel, Kate Winslet, Anthony Mackie and Aaron Paul at a special screening of Triple 9 last week. Um, seriously, WTF is going on with Winslet’s face these days? Photos courtesy of WENN.

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Duchess Kate blogs from Kensington Palace about children’s mental health

Feb 17, 2016 celebrityabout

Today is the day. Right at this very moment, our Duchess Kate has turned into a blogger and blog editor. Like many professional bloggers, she’s working from home. Unlike most professional bloggers, Kate’s home is a palace. Kate invited editors and writers from the Huffington Post UK to Kensington Palace today so they could work together to “guest edit” a day of HuffPo UK devoted to children’s mental health. If you follow @KensingtonRoyal, you’ll see that the younger royal’s Twitter feed has been taken over with at least two dozen tweets about Kate’s work. That Twitter feed also posted some photos of Kate in this Reiss blouse at the palace, hard at work. If only we could ALL look this glamorous whilst blogging. Oh, and to start her day, Kate posted this essay about the importance of mental health. Do you think she wrote this herself? Not to be a hater… but I do not believe she wrote this. It is such a privilege to have this opportunity to be Guest Editor of the Huffington Post today, and to celebrate the amazing work being done to improve and understand the mental health of young children. Young Minds Matter, being launched today, is a new series where issues and work around the mental health of young children will be explored. Shortly after I got married, I started working with charities helping those affected by issues such as addiction, family breakdown and vulnerable children. As was to be expected, I often heard some heart-breaking stories about lives that had been torn apart, with devastating impacts for all involved, particularly children. What I did not expect was to see that time and time again, the issues that led people to addiction and destructive decision making seemed to almost always stem from unresolved childhood challenges. It became clear to me that many children – even those younger than five – have to deal with complex problems without the emotional resilience, language or confidence to ask for help. And it was also clear that with mental health problems still being such a taboo, many adults are often too afraid to ask for help for the children in their care. It is time for this to change. The mental health of our children must be seen as every bit as important as their physical health. For too long we have been embarrassed to admit when our children need emotional or psychiatric help, worried that the stigma associated with these problems would be detrimental to their futures. Research published today by the Huffington Post indicates that around a third of parents still worry that they will look like a bad mother or father if their child has a mental health problem. Parenting is hard enough without letting prejudices stop us from asking for the help we need for ourselves and our children. Like most parents today, William and I would not hesitate to seek help for our children if they needed it. We hope to encourage George and Charlotte to speak about their feelings, and to give them the tools and sensitivity to be supportive peers to their friends as they get older. We know there is no shame in a young child struggling with their emotions or suffering from a mental illness. Of course, for some parents and carers seeking help is not so easy. When families are short of time or money it is not always easy to know where to look for help or advice. That is why we need schools and communities to play their full role to help children who are struggling in ways that are not always easy to see. In the series of articles we have commissioned, you will be introduced to some extraordinary people and organisations. You will hear from a recently bereaved wife, confronting the reality that the depression that led to her husband’s suicide was with him as a 10-year old boy. You will hear from people who have fought back from their own serious illness to lead a change in the way we speak to children about their feelings and challenges. You will meet some of the extraordinary researchers who are asking important questions about the mental health of young people, and are getting answers that will be of real benefit to all parents and teachers. I am so grateful to all those who have participated in this series and to all those who will contribute after today. I am also hugely grateful to all of you who will take the time to read, to watch, and to listen to these stories. Together, we have the chance to make a real difference for an entire generation of young children. [From HuffPo UK] “Like most parents today, William and I would not hesitate to seek help for our children if they needed it.” I sometimes wonder about this. Because from what little we know about how the Windsors reacted following Princess Diana’s death, I really don’t think William or Harry ever, ever got any therapy or grief counseling or anything like that. I believe the Windsors are very anti-counseling, anti-talk-therapy, pro-stiff-upper-lip. And I wonder if Kate sometimes wonders if William needs counseling now to deal with his issues. And if William won’t accept help, what would he do if his children needed help? Photos courtesy of WENN, @KensingtonRoyal Twitter.

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Jessie J: In America, ‘I’m kind of celebrated as one of the greatest singers’

Feb 11, 2016 marc

Maybe I’m wrong, but the few times I’ve written about British singer Jessie J, I feel like most people were divided into two camps: Camp “Who?” and Camp “Meh.” It’s not that Jessie is particularly boring, untalented or uneventful – I actually think she’s got a great voice and she’s more interesting than many of the pop starlets today. But Jessie might have overestimated her popularity. Maybe. Jessie covers the new issue of Women’s Health UK, and she tells the magazine – which has a mostly British readership – that she doesn’t get a lot of respect in Britain but she’s “celebrated as one of the greatest singers” in America. Really? Some highlights: She’s received two Brit Awards but she’s never been asked to perform: “It makes me sad… I’ve done the Grammys, the VMAs. My profile in America is that I’m kind of celebrated as one of the greatest singers and I love it.” Her goal: “I wanna be up there with the Celine Dions, the Whitneys, the Beyoncés and Arethas. I go hard because I hope and pray that one day, people look back and go, ‘She could really f–king sing, you know.’ Which is why I keep going.” She wants kids: “I talk about my children every day even though they don’t exist. It sounds really weird, but I do. I put into the universe that I love them…who knows when it’s going to happen?” Turning 28: “The 27 Club and all that. It’s scary. I mean, the most hardcore I get is a glass of ginger wine, but if you’re successful at 27, the speed of your life is unreal. Nearly 30. You need to get your sh-t together.” [From E! News and Women’s Health] Yeah… she’s not going to win a lot of support in her own country with this interview. The thing is, she really does have a great, powerful voice. But I sometimes wonder if she needs to nail down one specific sound. I remember reading something about Jessie’s musical popularity with gay men, and I do think that’s where she should aim: be the next Cher. Killer voice, power ballads, gay-club anthems. Do that. And no, I don’t think America celebrates her as “one of the greatest singers.” Americans hears her music and they think, “Great voice, who sings it?” And then they forget her name as soon as they hear it. Photos courtesy of Women’s Health.

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Benjamin Millepied left his position at Paris de Opera after just 15 months

Feb 10, 2016 marc

I’ve been wondering why Benjamin Millepied had not joined his wife Natalie Portman on any of her red carpets lately, not even in Paris, which is where they live now. It’s not that I believe husband and wife should be joined at the hip at all times, it’s just Millepied has historically come out for many of Natalie’s red carpets, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen them together. Now I’m starting to get an inkling why – Millepied was dealing with his own drama at Opera de Paris, where he served as dance director since late 2014. On Thursday, Millepied announced that he was leaving his position and Opera de Paris for “personal reasons.” But there’s a mountain of French drama and shade going down. Dancer Benjamin Millepied announced Thursday he’s stepping down as dance director at Paris’ premier ballet company. Millepied’s efforts to innovate at the storied Opera de Paris have met mixed reactions since his arrival 15 months ago, and French media have reported tensions between him and some of the company’s star dancers. He said in a statement that he’s leaving for “personal reasons,” and that his role didn’t allow him enough time for “creation and artistic expression.” He sought to leave the Opera de Paris on friendly terms, appearing Thursday at a news conference with his successor, star dancer Aurelie Dupont, and Opera de Paris director Stephane Lissner. “I am convinced we’ve opened up things that are really important,” Millepied said. “The future is bright. What’s important for me is to create, to be inspired by the parts. That’s what motivated me in the ballet and today this position (the dance director position) isn’t for me, it doesn’t suit me,” he told a news conference. Speculation about a possible departure surfaced after a recent documentary in which Millepied said he still wasn’t satisfied with the level of dance. In an interview with Le Figaro in December, he said dancers should have more of a sense of entrepreneurship and fundraising — a concept foreign to many in France’s more traditionally funded cultural world. He was also quoted as saying, “To be a dancer is to express oneself, not to resemble a wallpaper pattern.” His predecessor, Brigitte Lefevre, played down any resistance to his unconventional ideas, saying instead that Millepied didn’t have the necessary management experience for the job. “Directing a great institution doesn’t happen by itself,” she said on Europe-1 radio. “You must have competence and energy to manage each post, from administration to rehearsal.” [From Page Six] So, he alienated dancers and staff by telling them they weren’t up to the job AND that they needed to be better at fundraising. And the woman who previously held his job is all, “He’s a crappy manager.” And Millepied is all “I better leave before they force me out.” There was similar drama when he left the New York City Ballet in 2011 – there was some talk that he was stretched pretty thin and incapable of being a hands-on director/manager. There was also some talk that Millepied has always been less interested in ballet and more interested in A) promoting himself and B) fundraising. Perhaps he should just seek a full-time fundraising position? So, does this mean Natalie and Benjamin will move back to America? Their Paris excursion was so brief! I also wonder if Anna Wintour regrets all of the hype she gave Millepied in Vogue. Photos courtesy of WENN.

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Sofia Vergara won’t complain about diversity: ‘I’ve been treated like a queen’

Feb 5, 2016 celebrityabout

Some people are tired of Sofia Vergara. I’m not. I got a little bit tired of her a few years back, but I fell back in love with her during the drama last year with her ex, Nick Loeb, a drama which has no end in sight. Sofia covers the new issue of The Edit, and she talks about a lot of the same stuff: accepting who you are, her giant rack, her hair, her red carpet styling and more. But she has thoughts about other stuff too, like diversity in entertainment and playing a stereotype. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights: Stereotypes are not always bad: “I’m not afraid of them, and they don’t have to be bad, either. I mean, Gloria is an amazing character: a really good woman with this hilarious accent, so why criticize her for being a stereotype? Plus, all the Latinas I know are loud, they dress sexy and are really involved with their families: that’s Gloria!” She’s not Zen about aging: “Watching myself age on screen is awful! There is nothing more disturbing than watching an episode of Modern Family from the first season, then one from seven years later. It just makes me want to kill myself, but what can I do? I’ll be sad when the wolf whistles stop. I’m already sad that men have started calling me ‘Señora’. I get really pissed off: ‘What? It’s Señorita!’” How she’s changed in her 40s: “Back in my mum’s era, 40 was considered old, but now I don’t think it is. You have to accept that you can look beautiful, but in a different way. Nowadays I don’t do miniskirts and low-cut tops: it’s one or the other. I don’t do shorts or pink anymore, and I’ve softened my eye makeup. In Colombia, once women hit 40, they automatically cut their hair short. I used to think I would do that too, but when it came to it I thought, ‘Why should I f***ing cut my hair? It makes you look older!’” Motherhood: “I became a mother very young – at 20 – so I feel like I’ve been a mother my whole life, but I love that. Now that I’m 43 and my son is 23, it’s funny to see some of my girlfriends raising young kids. In the US, women postpone motherhood, but in Latin America most of my friends have kids my son’s age. I wouldn’t mind another child: my husband is younger than me and he wants kids so we’re trying to figure out what we’re going to do. The idea of doing it all again doesn’t scare me but, hey, it’s not like it’s going to happen naturally, is it?” Complaints about diversity: “I’m really not one to complain. I mean, seriously, how dare I! Here I am on prime-time television with this stupid accent, I can’t trash anyone. It would be so ungrateful of me because, trust me, I’ve been treated like a queen. Of course [the opportunities] can’t compare to an American or Caucasian woman’s, but things are changing. The problem is not the networks or directors: it’s that there aren’t enough writers creating things for Latinos. Once we have more Latinos writing, that’s when things may really start to change…” Her breasts: “My body has changed with age. People will often say that I wear the same thing on the red carpet, but I know my body: it’s very voluptuous and I’ve got the boobs of a stripper. They’re a 32DDD and because they’re real, they’re everywhere, so I need my dresses to have structure – and under armor. There is so much going on under my dresses that I bleed at the end of award ceremonies. In ten years I think it would be good to have a reduction. I don’t think it’s even going to be an option not to [have surgery], because I’m going to start having back pains. I wouldn’t make them too small – just enough that I don’t end up looking like an old stripper.” How she feels about being objectified: “I’ve never understood why women get so offended. I just don’t believe in all that drama, which is why I’ve made a whole joke out of it. I am secure enough not to take it all that seriously, and I like to laugh at myself.” [From The Edit] I wouldn’t hold it against her if she did complain about diversity, because she seriously toiled away, looking for a break for more than a decade. Once she had a hit, she leveraged that into her own empire through her own hard work. As for the other stuff… here are my Hot Takes: you don’t have to cut your hair when you hit 40, but I disagree that a short haircut makes everyone look older. I don’t think it’s bad idea to say breast reduction might be in the future for Sofia: it might happen. Also, if your dresses make you bleed, you should choose different dresses! Photos courtesy of The Edit.