Newsletter Friday, February 23, 2018

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Friday, February 23, 2018 [Intro for February 23, 2018]( [Silver medal winner Evgenia Medvedeva of Olympic Athlete from Russia (L) and gold medal winner Alina Zagitova of Olympic Athlete from Russia celebrate during the victory ceremony for the Ladies Single Skating Free Skating on day fourteen of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Ice Arena on February 23, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea](Dear Gossips, A couple of days ago, Johnny Weir, while broadcasting during the Olympic women’s figure skating short program, described the marks like this (with minor paraphrasing): “Anything between 70 and 75 points is good; 75 to 80 is great; a score over 80 is Russian.” Did you watch the women’s figure skating final last night? Are you Evgenia or Alina? Every night during figure skating, my friend Iain and I have been texting back and forth during the performances. Figure skating judges love young, plucky figure skaters, like the Oscars love young, plucky actresses. This also happened in Sochi four years ago when there were many, [many people who thought]( Yuna Kim should have won back to back gold medals. If Alina Zagitova skated clean, it would be predictable…and it was. But was it artistic? I mean, she’s an amazing jumper. And that’s all her program was, to me – a tutu jumping all over the place, not much else. Obviously I’m all about Evgenia Medvedeva. Evgenia is only 18, younger than Queen Yuna was when she won in Vancouver. There’s no reason why she can’t compete in 2022 at the next Winter Games in Beijing. But that probably won’t happen. Alina Zagitova might not be back either and she’ll be an ancient 19 by then. I linked to the New York Times feature on [Russian female figure skaters]( last week - did you read it? It’s a factory over there. Their program is producing champion after champion, it’s true. But it doesn’t seem like they’re interested in a legacy champion. It’s one and done. They have 12 and 13-year-olds right now coming up in the system who are working on quad jumps. (Like Alexandra Trusova, currently 13, who almost landed [a quad Salchow in competition]( last year.) Which is why their careers could be so short. Because they’re pushed to spend everything they have so that they can peak during the Olympics and, sometimes, there’s nothing left. Right now, Evgenia is already a dinosaur in their minds. Wouldn’t it be great though if Evgenia could train with, say, Brian Orser? Is it even possible for them to leave the Russian program and go elsewhere if they’re not wanted anymore? How is it even possible to be the best, at only 18, and have to consider retirement because there are 12 year olds in the pipeline? Can you even imagine what an Evgenia-Brian Orser partnership would look like?!? Tonight… Big Air! Have a great weekend! Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:04 PM [What Else?]( Ashton Kutcher is another This F-cking Guy for me](. Sure. He’s cut down on his f-cksh-t now that he’s with Mila Kunis and is a father but now he’s trying to revisionist his old f-cksh-t and it’s still the same f-cksh-t. Have you heard about how he told Dax Shepherd that after he got busted for cheating on Demi Moore, he went into the woods for a week-long cleanse? And made up his own Tai Chi? LEAVE THE TAI CHI ALONE, Ashton. He also sent letters to all the women he’s ever wronged which, let me check you right now, is NOT sweet and it’s not thoughtful. Because if you’ve ever been dicked around by a dude, the last thing you want is a letter that he wrote on behalf of himself for absolution. You don’t get to long distance that sh-t with a pen and a piece of paper. (Dlisted) I continue to be obsessed with the Black Panther box office. The movie will cross the $300 million mark domestically some time today (tracking the BP box office is like a comet now) and has already made more money in its first week than the Avengers did in its first week. If you are one of the people who has yet to see it, are you going this weekend? I’m telling you, EVERYONE is telling you, you won’t be sorry. And you’ll get to enjoy Michael B Jordan. Who went from [the kid in The Wire to one of the best villains in a superhero movie ever](. (Pajiba) I have a good celebrity memory. F-ck it, I don’t even want to try to be modest here: I have a GREAT celebrity memory. This explains my job. But you know what I can barely remember? I barely remember Jennifer Lopez when she was pregnant. There are hundreds of JLO memories I have archived in my mind and I could probably timeline the specifics of all of her relationships for you without cheating but even when I google it to look at pictures of JLO when she was pregnant, I don’t recall ever having seen them the first time. Is it because I just don’t care about celebrity pregnancies (because I can remember both of Angelina Jolie’s pregnancies quite clearly) or is it something else? [JLO’s kids are 10 years old now](. (TMZ) Michael B Jordan has been wearing the sh-t out of his sweaters recently. A few of MBJ’s sweaters are printed. Now Idris Elba is here to remind MBJ and us that a plain sweater worn well, draped over hotness, [is equally as stimulating as a print sweater]( that looks like it’s about to be Hulked. Seriously. Doesn’t MBJ look like he’s trying to Hulk his sweaters? (Go Fug Yourself) Many of you have emailed and tweeted about [Brendan Fraser’s GQ interview](. It’s on the Show Your Work podcast pitch list. It’s very high on that list. So if you haven’t read it, you have to read it. I believe Duana’s first reaction to it was “HOLY SH-T”. And she wasn’t even being dramatic. It is, indeed, HOLY SH-T. Wait, wait, wait. What about Brendan Fraser with Jennifer Aniston? Or has he spent the last few years trying to get AWAY from that kind of life? (Cele|bitchy) [Will Smith vs an Australian meat pie](. God he is good on social media. But can we talk about food temperature? I like my food really, really, really hot. When I’m reheating food, I’m always trying to get it so that it almost blows up in the microwave. They key is to find the right amount of time to nuke it so that it doesn’t quite explode but it’s just about to. My husband, Jacek, only gets it to lukewarm. Disgusting. (Mashable) [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 8:48 PM [Smutty Social Media, February 23, 2018]( [Kirsten Dunst out in LA, February 20, 2018](Victoria Beckham’s line has seen an uptick in menswear-inspired suiting – trousers, button downs, tuxedo jackets. This particular Chloe Grace Moretz suit is Fendi but I did a quick check and she does indeed wear VB sometimes (Harper’s Bazaar did a little story on VB’s influence on Chloe’s style – you can see more examples [here](). And in Brooklyn news, he’s reportedly not happy at Parsons in New York and looking to make a move [to another school](. Will it be LA? Or Miami, to be close to his dad’s new work commitment? [A post shared by Chloe Grace Moretz (@chloegmoretz)]( on Feb 23, 2018 at 1:30am PST This Valentino dress photographs for a cover better than a red carpet. The bubble skirt/fitted hem is not an easy cut to navigate and Kate Mara’s shoe choice was weak. But from behind? Very photogenic. [A post shared by Valentino (@maisonvalentino)]( on Feb 23, 2018 at 4:28am PST [A post shared by @styleisanattitude]( on Feb 22, 2018 at 11:21pm PST [A post shared by @styleisanattitude]( on Feb 22, 2018 at 11:09pm PST I am forcing myself not to watch the second Tiffany Haddish clip until I meet all my deadlines today. Kathleen is [making that hard for me](. But this photo of Reese Witherspoon being the third wheel BFF will sustain me. [A post shared by Ellen (@theellenshow)]( on Feb 22, 2018 at 11:47am PST We’ve seen more of pregnant Kristen Dunst than I have expected. Will we get a baby photo? Not a full face, but maybe a foot or hand. [A post shared by Molly R. Stern | MAKEUP ARTIST (@mollyrstern)]( on Feb 22, 2018 at 12:42am PST At the Gucci show (it’s Milan Fashion Week), some of the models carried sculptures of their own heads down the runway (creative director Alessandro Michele says he was inspired by a 1984 essay centered on [identity, politics and cyborgs](. Very arty, very esoteric. At the Tod’s show, the models carried puppies. Sure it’s a ploy to make dumb dumbs like me squeal with delight (side note: squeeeeeeeeee), but if you think of fashion as a utilitarian force, Tod’s actually has the right idea: you are more likely to carry a puppy down the street than a fake severed head. [A post shared by Tod's (@tods)]( on Feb 23, 2018 at 7:09am PST So Michael B. Jordan is not just tall but also a good son and a sexy nerd. You really burned him, random guy on the Internet. First of All I’m 6ft and they live with ME, put some respeck on my name. LOL...aaaand goku & naruto are real ones 🙌🏾 lol — Michael B. Jordan (@michaelb4jordan) [February 23, 2018]( Michael B Jordan Is A 5’9” Adult Man That Loves Anime & Lives With His Parents....Y’all Told Me All Of Those Things Were Unacceptable Though — Chris (@chrisfrom_216) [February 22, 2018]( Have you watched Claws? Last I heard, it was renewed [for a second season]( so if you can track down the first season, do. Karrueche was a pleasant surprise – she can act and definitely has a sparkle to her. [A post shared by karrueche (@karrueche)]( on Feb 20, 2018 at 9:20am PST Ray of Light is 20 and I will always associate that album with Lola Leon – she was just a baby when it was made. The Ringer did a deep dive into the work, the recording, the success and the process behind Ray of Light – it’s an [interesting read](. Happy 20th birthday to Ray Of Light, the album that invented the concept of “I’m really into yoga right now.” — Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel) [February 23, 2018]( [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:56 PM [Lupita’s new ABP role]( [Lupita Nyong'o arrives at Daily show with Trevor Noah on February 22, 2018 in New York City](Every actor in Black Panther (except for maybe living legends Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker) can look at their careers in two parts: BBP and ABP, as in Before Black Panther and After Black Panther. Sure, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya and my man Michael B. Jordan all had great careers before this movie BUT starring in a record-breaking box office SMASH like Black Panther has catapulted each of them into a different realm of celebrity and thus, opportunity. Chadwick and Lupita were well-respected Serious Actors BBP but now, they’re bona fide superheroes capable of carrying a franchise (Lupita’s role in Star Wars is often overlooked.) If Danai and Daniel were at risk of being forever known as Michonne from The Walking Dead and Chris from Get Out respectively, there’s no chance of that anymore. I’ve had to release my Michael Bae Jordan into the world ABP since everyone with a pulse is thirsting for him after seeing Killmonger shirtless. He’s also got Creed 2 and another Coogler co-production [in the works](. Right now, he’s the hottest young actor in Hollywood. As for Letitia Wright and Winston Duke? Well, Shuri and M’Baku are relatively unknowns no more. One of my favourite post-Black Panther pastimes is following what each of these incredible talents is going to do next. This is another important thing about representation. Each of these black actors who in years past would be scrounging to play the same tired stereotypical roles are now sought-after entities, with the chance to create content they believe in – that is, if studios are smart enough to invest in them. Maybe I’m being naively optimistic but after the ridiculous amount of money Black Panther made, haven’t they proven that they’re good investments? Which brings me to [Lupita Nyong’o](’s new role. It was just announced that she’ll be starring in [Trevor Noah](’s [autobiography]( Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. She’ll play Trevor’s mom Patricia, who raised her mixed-race son during Apartheid when children born of interracial relationships were illegal. She was also shot in the head by Trevor’s stepfather in 2009 [and survived](. It’s a fascinating story that sounds like the perfect vehicle for Lupita’s talents. It also has lit a fire under me to pick up my copy of Born a Crime off my bookshelf and finally read it. Lupita is not only starring in Born a Crime, she’s also producing it. After that, she’s set to finally star and co-produce the long-awaited Americanah – one of my all-time favourite books— adaptation with a script written by Danai Gurira. Being the star and producer of films affords power on set that few actresses get, especially not black actresses. Lupita Nyong’o is parlaying her ABP buzz into really exciting work. I can’t f-cking wait. [A post shared by Lupita Nyong'o (@lupitanyongo)]( on Feb 21, 2018 at 2:31pm PST [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:24 PM [Jennifer Aniston’s possibles?]( [Joshua Jackson at the Children of a Lesser God First Day of Rehearsals held at Roundabout Rehearsal space in New York, February 22, 2018](Have you seen those photos of Jennifer Aniston’s sad face leaving the Game Night premiere [earlier this week](? It’s obviously Photo Assumption. But it works with the current narrative: poor Jen, alone once again. If they’re not talking about how lonely Jen is, they’re trying to figure out why she and Justin Theroux broke up. I’m bored by that conversation already although I have been thinking a lot about John Mayer. (Remember Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer?!) Specifically how John Mayer relates to Justin Theroux and Brad Pitt and even Adam Duritz (remember Jennifer Aniston and Adam Duritz?!) and where they’re all slotted on the Venn Diagram of her relationships. You see a connection there, right? It’s a clash of lifestyle and personality. “Laid back” is how [Jennifer Aniston]( is often described. She likes being at home, enjoying nights in with friends. She likes a routine. She’s all about that zen California life. Many of her lovers, however, don’t necessarily fit into that vibe. Justin is allegedly “arty” and “New York”. John Mayer is…well… he wasn’t exactly quiet when they were together. And Brad Pitt preferred uncomfortable furniture and a more adventurous schedule. Is Jennifer classic-attracted to the opposite? Looking ahead, will it be more of the John-Justin-Brad type? Or someone who does share her interests, who will want to be hang out at home, in California? Any suggestions? People have been trying to Gossip Genie [Chris Pratt]( with Jennifer Garner. I wonder if Chris Pratt might be an option for Jennifer Aniston though? Chris Pratt stays off the scene, he’s not a complicated guy, he’s not taking off to New York to be “arty” and “edgy”. Then, this morning, I saw these new pictures of [Joshua Jackson]( preparing to star in Children Of A Lesser God on Broadway. OMG. Rachel Green + Pacey Witter. Come on – it could work! Josh and Diane Kruger split last year after a decade together. He’s a commitment kind of guy. And he’s also the kind of guy who doesn’t mind being a plus one. Josh was with Diane at film festivals and premieres, at award shows, at parties. He’s down for it. Without being too thirsty for it. He’s experienced in the game. And he can go low-key when necessary too. Isn't this so much more fun than speculating about why Jennifer and Justin are over? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 5:12 PM [Tiff and O]( [Tiffany Haddish and Oprah](About 20 minutes after I watched the PURE JOY that is Tiffany Haddish meeting Oprah Winfrey for the first time, I saw this tweet from my favourite ex-Grantland writer, Rembert Browne. i'd watch 100 episodes of the show "Oprah Surprises Famous Black People Who Never Thought They'd Meet Oprah" — Rembert Browne (@rembert) [February 22, 2018]( Netflix, Rembert just gave you a million-dollar idea. GET ON THIS. Oprah Surprises Famous Black People Who Never Thought They'd Meet Oprah is already my new favourite TV show. The first guest was [Tiffany Haddish](, technically on The Ellen DeGeneres Show but [Ellen]( really didn’t need to be there. Can you win Emmys for guest appearances on talk shows? Tiffany is so damn GOOD as a talk show guest I want her to be recognized for her brilliance in this specific medium. It takes skill to make a daytime talk show segment as entertaining as Tiffany does (I would know, I produce them for a living.) Even before [Oprah]( shows up, Tiffany is charming the hell out of Ellen and the audience by re-pitching her “Tiff and O’s” vegetable garden business plan. Tiffany explained that her name goes first because Oprah is “not gonna show up.” I’m not even going to set this up any further. You just need to watch it all unfold. Take five minutes out of your day. You’ll thank me when you’re crying from laughter 30 seconds into the clip. “YOU DIDN’T LEAVE.” I would have cried real tears if I wasn’t laughing so hard watching this. Of course, Tiffany Haddish freaked out meeting Oprah. It’s OPRAH. The emotion here is genuine. What kills me is that Tiffany’s comedic timing stays intact. She keeps it together enough to deliver the “but I sent you six!” letters line and the “Should I write Gayle?” quip pitch perfectly. After a season of Oprah Surprises Famous Black People Who Never Thought They'd Meet Oprah, can we get a reality show documenting Tiffany Haddish and Oprah getting “Tiff and O’s Vegetables” off the ground? I actually can’t think of 2 minutes and 45 seconds of television that brought me as much joy as watching this cooking segment with Tiff, O and Ellen. The way she starts calling Oprah “Auntie O” like five minutes after meeting her destroys me. PUT TIFFANY HADDISH IN EVERYTHING. I don’t know if MTV was listening to me yell those five words into my computer screen but yesterday they announced that Tiffany Haddish will be hosting the [2018 MTV Movie and TV Awards.]( Of course she is. It’s a good gig that has previously gone to some of the biggest names in comedy like Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer and Conan O’Brien. Tiffany Haddish absolutely deserves to be in their company (she breathes funnier than Amy Schumer’s entire standup routine) but I almost think this gig is beneath her right now. [Sarah wrote]( about how Tiffany is everywhere. She’s fending off opportunities. I’m torn between wanting to see her do everything and wanting her to only do the things worthy of her talent. At least the MTV Movie and TV Awards just got a whole lot more entertaining. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:31 PM [Zendalland, Zomdaya, whatever… are “just friends”]( [Zendaya and Tom Holland have lunch together with a friend in LA, February 22, 2018](Kathleen posted about Zendaya and Tom Holland in London [the other day]( and then they flew back to LA together and she insisted that the portmanteau for this maybe-couple is Zomdaya even though Sarah thinks it should be Zendalland. So then a poll happened. And Sarah won. SETTLE THE DEBATE, TWITTER. Is it... — Sarah (@Cinesnark) [February 21, 2018]( I am not getting involved. All that matters is that these two are cute as f-ck, and, sorry, I don’t mean Kathleen and Sarah. Here they are, [Zendaya]( and [Tom](, in LA yesterday out for lunch. Another friend was with them and they didn’t want to be photographed together side-by-side. Tom actually jumped off to the side once the paps showed up and when one of the paps asked them about this Spider-Man reunion, Zendaya said they were “just friends” and Tom shouted out to co-sign “just friends”. I’m not sure anyone believes this or wants to believe it. I’m trying to decide how much I care. Like, on the list of celebrity couples we need to happen, this ranks much, much lower than, say, [Lupita Nyong’o and Michael B Jordan](. That said, if those fan reactions Kathleen posted the other day are any indication, I’m in the minority. The fans are going to get a lot of Zendaya and Tom in the next couple of weeks. They’re both presenting at the Oscars. And ….did you know that Law Roach, who styles Zendaya and Celine Dion (so he’s amazing) also works with Tom? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:58 PM [Jared Leto’s emo Yakuza movie]( [Jared Leto heads to the gym with Valery Kaufman, February 22, 2018](When looking for something to watch, literally no one has ever said the words, “But what I’d really like to see is an emo Jared Leto Yakuza movie.” Literally no one. Has ever. Said that. And yet HERE WE ARE, with an emo Jared Leto Yakuza movie. What have we done wrong? Which gods have we offended? What ritual must be performed under a waning moon in order to restore balance to the universe and lift the crone’s curse? The movie is called The Outsider and it’s about [Jared F*cking Leto]( joining the Yakuza. I don’t know what about John Wick made everyone think they can be John Wick, too, but John Wick only works because of Keanu Reeves and the very specific relationship he’s built with audiences by being a very specific kind of actor and even more specific type of celebrity. But I’m getting a real “John Wick but with Jared Leto and the Yakuza” vibe from this trailer, which means someone kind of misunderstood [the assignment]( because Jared Leto does not have the kind of audience relationship or type of celebrity to effectively sell that. Jared Leto’s audience relationship and type of celebrity makes him the guy you cast to get his ass kicked six ways to Sunday in Fight Club. Somewhere along the line we decided to let Jared Leto become more than the guy who got his ass beat in Fight Club, and now we have an emo Jared Leto Yakuza movie. Again, WHO ASKED FOR THIS. If you’re into noir but are tiring of the Scandi stuff, Japanese cinema has great noir game. You can start with Kurosawa’s classics Stray Dog and Drunken Angel, and you can’t go wrong with the work of Seijun Suzuki. More recently, The Snow White Murder Case and Traces of Sin are genre stand-outs. There’s no reason for an emo Jared Leto Yakuza movie, when there is already an entire sub-genre of great Japanese Yakuza movies (Takeshi Kitano and Takashi Miike are crushing it in that area). But if there simply must be this movie about an outsider joining the Yakuza, why not make it about a diasporic person? A Japanese-American, perhaps, exploring their duality in post-war Japan. Wouldn’t that be better? Wouldn’t watching two hours of pimple-popping be better than an emo Jared Leto Yakuza movie? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:21 PM [Aaron, Charlie, and Opie]( [Charlie Hunnam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson on the set of A Million Little Pieces ](Charlie Hunnam gave an interview last year while promoting The Lost City Of Z, casually dropping into conversation that he’s close with My Obsession, Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and as a I wrote at the time, [my head exploded](. Charlie and Sam know each other from Fifty Shades Of Grey, when he quit Christian Grey because of scheduling embarrassment. And I sent my gossip wish into the universe, please, Sam, take some pictures. Well, here it is: [A post shared by Artist & Director (@samtaylorjohnson)]( on Feb 22, 2018 at 10:46pm PST In fact, it’s a whole movie. The film adaptation of A Million Little Pieces. From what [Aaron](’s face looks like in this shot, I’m thinking he’s playing James Frey. [Sam]( and Aaron worked on the script together. She’s directing, obviously. You know who else is in the movie? Ryan Hurst, better known perhaps as Opie, Jax Teller’s best friend on Sons Of Anarchy. So it’s a mini SAMCRO reunion too. [A post shared by Artist & Director (@samtaylorjohnson)]( on Feb 22, 2018 at 11:58am PST Here’s another shot from earlier this month of Aaron and [Charlie]( together going over their script. [A post shared by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (@aarontaylorjohnson)]( on Feb 2, 2018 at 1:32pm PST This is fine and I’m not complaining. But when is this movie coming out? Because I’m already waiting for the press tour. And the interviews they’re going to do together. And all the posing in suits they’re going to do together. With Sam too. Charlie finally got to work with Sam. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:38 PM [Privacy Policy]( - [Unsubscribe](