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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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VF: Duchess Kate runs Anmer Hall ‘with just a handful of domestic staff’

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In the new issue of Vanity Fair – the one with the Queen and her corgis on the cover – Katie Nicholl has an exclusive new story on the Cambridges. Nicholl is long-believed to have sources deep within the Middleton family and within William and Kate’s group of friends. Nicholl often writes pro-royal propaganda, although she has, at times, written pieces critical of both William and Kate. Basically, I believe that she has legit sources close to Will and Kate but I often think she’s just using pro-Cambridge sources with an agenda. So, caveats in place, this story is a pretty good read. Good as in I eye-rolled throughout with the glowing, sycophantic prose and sympathetic quotes. You can read the full piece here, and here’s the new stuff. William has the Queen & Charles’ blessings to live like a country squire. “It’s no secret that William doesn’t like the media intrusion into his life, and in the country he can escape,” says a family friend. “The Queen and the Prince of Wales have given their blessing for William to live this life, and William is very grateful. It’s enabling him and Kate to raise their family in a way that’s as close to ordinary as they can get.” Says another royal source, “William doesn’t want George and Charlotte going through some of the experiences he went through growing up. Everything he does regarding his family is very deliberate.” Life at Anmer Hall. They have crazy security measures, a swimming pool, a tennis court, police cars patrolling the perimeter and more. Nicholl writes: “Kate runs the 10-bedroom house with just a handful of domestic staff, including full-time nanny Maria Borallo and a housekeeper. Aides insist there is no in-house chef—Kate loves to cook, and she has been spotted buying local produce at Back to the Garden. Occasionally, she sends the family’s bodyguards out to do the grocery shopping at the local shops. Mealtimes are hectic family occasions with pots of food served straight to the table. (Like most little boys, George prefers French fries to vegetables.) Kate and William take turns giving the children their baths and putting them to bed.” Kate is happy at Anmer. Privately, Kate has told friends she is delighted to have left London. “They love the countryside and that’s where they are happiest,” says one family friend. They want another baby. There are rumors among the Cambridges’ set of friends that the couple won’t wait too long before trying for another baby. Says a source, “They want at least three kids and for them to be close in age.” The pressure to carry out more work. “William says there is no negotiation when it comes to his family,” says one royal source. It is this worry, say friends, which lies behind the Cambridges’ controversial decision to hide away from the public gaze in Norfolk. At Anmer, William says, they are “a family unit. We are a normal family… Right now it’s just a case of keeping a secure, stable environment.” William’s job as a pilot. Friends say that he is determined not to be in the same waiting role his father has occupied for decades, and that he loves being a pilot. “Often he comes home physically and emotionally shattered and he just flops in front of the TV,” says one of the Duke’s closest friends. “But there’s no doubt he loves the job. It gives him a sense of purpose and normality.” But they will have to work more, and soon. “I do think we are going to see things change this year,” says one well-placed source. “The Queen is 90 and there’s talk that more responsibility is going to be handed down to the younger royals, which is right. I expect this will come at a time when it’s necessary for William, Kate, and Harry to do more to support the Queen and Prince Charles.” [From Vanity Fair] I’ve long believed that Kate is the one who wants a third child and William couldn’t care less, so we’ll see how that plays out. I suspect that if Kate is really going to have a third child, she will get pregnant this year so the kids will be close in age (like Kate and her siblings). There’s a lot of other stuff in Nicholl’s story, about how Will and Kate are all about their family and they’re very hands-on parents, etc. But after that quote about how William is so exhausted from working as a pilot a few days a week (with extensive, month-long holidays throughout the year), I’m not sure I even believe that Will and Kate are spending that much time being hands-on parents. Maybe Kate is, but William? I have literally no idea how he spends his days. Oh, and I would LOVE to know how many household staffers Kate and William really employ. Because it is absolutely more than two. Plus her mother. Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.

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Calvin Harris has a ‘huge amount of love & respect’ for Swifty, but was he ‘bored’?

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Considering that Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris’s breakup went from zero to DRAMA in the span of an hour on Wednesday, it’s sort of interesting that Calvin is trying to reclaim the higher ground. After some particularly juicy gossip came out about the breakup last night, Calvin tweeted this: The only truth here is that a relationship came to an end & what remains is a huge amount of love and respect — Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) June 2, 2016 “A huge amount of love and respect…” Sure. For what it’s worth, I think they really did care about each other. I know there were always claims that this was all a contractual relationship, but I think they were for real. And now she’s heartbroken and he’s doing damage control and their teams are leaking damaging stories and it’s all so petty and melodramatic and amazing. Speaking of, as I covered earlier today, People Magazine had a bitchy he-said/she-said story last night, with Swifty sources claiming that Calvin dumped Swifty because he was intimidated by her success. This is what Page Six had to say about that: Calvin Harris breaking up with Taylor Swift because he’s “intimidated by her success is a bunch of crap,” a source close to the DJ told Page Six. “She broke up with him this week,” the source said. “She gave a bulls - - t excuse about her career. He was ring shopping.” A friend of Swift’s had told People magazine that Harris was “intimidated” by her success and “would not attend any events where she was being honored.” But another source told us, “He’s not intimidated. He’s a global success.” The couple dated for 15 months. [From Page Six] Love it. Love everything about it! And no, I don’t believe he was ring-shopping. And no, I don’t believe Taylor dumped Calvin. Taylor only acts this crazy when she’s the one who gets dumped, and all of the other sources are still sticking to the original story, that he dumped her last week. Still, E! News’ sources claim that Calvin was unhappy for months: For Calvin Harris, the spark in his relationship with Taylor Swift had fizzled out long before he called it quits, E! News has learned. “Adam has been bored for a while and was hoping the spark would come back but it hasn’t,” a source told E! News exclusively Thursday. “Friends were even surprised it lasted this long because of the lack of chemistry.” [From E! News] I do think that Calvin Harris’s pre-Swifty girlfriends were “sexy” ladies, more of the model/bombshell variety. And while I love Swifty, she has always come across as somewhat asexual, like she’s more about cats, baking and antiquing. Still, I think there’s something mean about all of these Team Calvin sources insisting that Tay and Calvin had no heat together. Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet.

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Johnny Depp: Drunken Assault on Amber Heard Revealed?

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On Friday, Amber Heard requested a restraining order against Johnny Depp, claiming that her estranged husband had violently assaulted her and left her with facial bruising and other injuries. Several of Depp’s high profile friends and exes expressed their skepticism about Heard’s version of events, with some even going so far as to accuse the actress of blackmailing Depp.  Heard’s attorneys responded by issuing a statement indicating that Heard plans to file assault charges against Depp. Her legal team now claims that she had only declined to do so on the night of the alleged attack in hopes of protecting “her privacy and Johnny’s career.” Now that Depp’s team has publicly accused her of lying, however, it seems that all bets are off. Not only will Heard be filing a police report that could result in serious criminal charges for the 52-year-old actor, her lawyers have claimed that the attack that took place last week (during which Depp allegedly struck Heard in the face with an iPhone) was not an isolated incident. So perhaps it’s no coincidence that sources supporting Heard have started coming forward with shocking allegations about Depp’s brutish behavior throughout the 15-month marriage: View Slideshow: Johnny Depp Domestic Abuse Allegations: Stars React “Johnny has been drunk for most of their relationship. He often wakes up drinking and he does not stop until he blacks out,” an insider close to the couple tells Radar Online.  Just two months after Depp married Heard, he was photographed with a cast on his hand that was reportedly the result of an accident on set. The source claims that was merely a story cooked up by Depp’s agency, and the reality of the situation was much darker: “The real reason Johnny broke his hand is because he tried to hit Amber and he hit a wall instead!” the insider says. “Johnny can be dangerous and unpredictable when he is drinking, and he was often drinking when they were together.” In court documents, Heard claimed that Depp was “barely ever sober” over the course of their marriage, and she filed a restraining due to her fear of what he may be capable of while intoxicated: “Amber was legitimately afraid for her life,” says the source. “The only reason that she is even taking legal action now is because she really believes that she was in danger.” View Slideshow: 15 Celebs Who Have Been Accused Of Domestic Violence

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Cincinnati Zoo Parents May Be Charged in Connection to Gorilla Shooting

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The fallout from this weekend’s tragic shooting at the Cincinnati Zoo continues. As previously documented, and as depicted in the video below, a four-year old boy fell into the gorilla enclosure at this famous facility on Saturday, May 28. After the gigantic animals grabbed hold of the boy and started thrashing him about, officials were left with no choice but to have an employee fatally shoot the gorilla, who was 17 years old and named Harambe. Was the animal protecting the toddler? Hurting him? About to cause him real harm? Watch the surveillance footage and try to decipher for yourself: Cincinnati Zoo Gorilla Killed to Save Toddler’s Life: Who’s to Blame? Debate has raged all over the Internet in regard to the incident, with critics wondering why the zoo could not simply use a tranquilizer on the gorilla. The zoo has responded by saying the tranquilizer would have taken too long to go into effect. Others have placed the blame squarely at the feet of the boy’s parents, specifically his mother, Michelle Gregg. In response to the criticism she has received online, Gregg posted (and then deleted) a Facebook message that referred to the situation as an “accident” and which thanked God for keeping her son safe. Celebrities from all walks of entertainment life have also weighed in on the death of Harambe: View Slideshow: Harambe Mourned, Celebrated by Celebrities Everywhere Now, sources have confirmed that Cincinnati police are looking into Gregg and Deonne Dickerson, the boy’s father, even though the latter was not at the zoo when his son fell into the gorilla pit.  Authorities are reportedly reviewing “the actions of the parents/family that led up to the incident,” according to TMZ, implying they may be charged with the crime of negligence. Do you think they ought to be? Or was this just a very unfortunate accident that has taken on a life of its own due to the Internet? An insider also says the Zoo is NOT under investigation of any kind. It falls under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Agriculture.

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Snoop Dogg wants people to boycott the History Channel’s ‘Roots’ miniseries

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I did not watch the History Channel’s miniseries reboot of Roots. The miniseries began last night, and it continues over four nights. The original miniseries – also based on Alex Haley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book – was groundbreaking television when it was made in 1977. It was one of the most-watched television events in American history and it became a national talking point in a larger conversation about race and civil rights in America. The History Channel’s reboot (or “reimagining”) of the miniseries with a whole new cast is supposed to be reflective of our current conversation about race in America, about Black Lives Matter, about violence against black bodies and more. But some people are just tired of watching movies and miniseries about slavery. One of those people is Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg has no plans to watch the Roots remake, and he’s telling his fans to also boycott the show. The rapper sent out his message over social media on Monday. “I’m sick of this sh-t. How the f— are they going to put Roots on, on Memorial Day?” Snoop said in an Instagram video. “They going to just to keep beating that sh-t into our heads about how they did us, huh?” The History channel’s revival is a four-part, eight-hour series that debuts Monday. Snoop said he has no interest in new shows and movies — specifically mentioning 12 Years a Slave — that “keep showing the abuse we took hundreds and hundreds of years ago.” “I ain’t watching that sh-t, and I advise you motherf-—ers as real n— like myself; f— them television shows,” Snoop said. “Let’s create our own shit based on today, how we live and how we inspire people today. Black is what’s real. F— that old sh-t.” [From THR] Snoop Dogg, social critic. Is it weird that I think he has a completely legitimate point? The most recent example is the 2013-14 awards season, where 12 Years a Slave dominated and Fruitvale Station was ignored. While I thought 12 Years was a powerful piece of filmmaking and a film full of incredible performances, why was it pushed for awards while Fruitvale largely ignored? Fruitvale was a modern story (and a true story, like 12 Years) of brutality on black bodies. Both were important films that said important things. But Hollywood likes to reward films and miniseries about slavery and white saviors and downtrodden historical black folks. They don’t want to reward modern stories about the African-American experience, with multifaceted African-American characters operating in a multiethnic and morally ambiguous context. Here’s Snoop’s video. NSFW for language. Message ????? A video posted by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on May 30, 2016 at 8:55am PDT Photos courtesy of WENN.

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Rihanna’s street style: are you feeling her ’70s-style Dolce & Gabbana caftan?

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Here are some street-style photos of Rihanna out and about in NYC on Sunday. She was apparently running some errands or doing some shopping. This is how Rihanna “runs errands.” She wears a bright Dolce & Gabbana caftan, Stella McCartney platform shoes and no Dior sunglasses! Incidentally, that sunglasses-story last Friday has made me review my previous opinions on cheap sunglasses. Maybe I will try an expensive pair of sunglasses one day, just to see what they’re like. As for Rihanna’s D&G caftan… it’s summery, it’s beachy, it’s glam and like most of what Rihanna wears, it probably only looks good on Rihanna and no one else. Don’t get me wrong, I long for the day when “caftans-as-outerwear” makes a triumphant return. People always roll their eyes at ‘70s style, but I love the ‘70s look of caftans and prints. What I hate here is Rihanna’s shoe choice. Those Stella McCartney shoes are just THE WORST. Speaking of shoes, Rihanna’s collaboration with Puma is still going strong. Puma released their third collection with Rihanna a few days ago and the sneakers sold out in just 35 minutes online. I’m telling you, Rihanna has the Midas touch when it comes to style/accessories and more designers should pursue her for collaborations. I’ve already convinced myself to start pricing caftans, because surely I’ll look the same as Rihanna when I wear a caftan, right? Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.