Author: Larry Fitzmaurice

Sarah Silverman On Using The N-Word And Blackface Past

Joe Biden Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer

Former United States president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

According to CNN, the former president’s personal office issued a statement saying that he was diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of the disease, and that it has spread to his bones as well.

“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” the statement read. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.”

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.”

The statement also said that the former president and his family “are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”

We’ll let you know if there’s any updates to this story as it unfolds.

Gene Hackman Hated Making The Royal Tenenbaums

Earlier this year, legendary actor Gene Hackman passed away alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa in the couple’s Santa Fe home.

Gene was a larger-than-life talent, so it’s not surprising that we’re still hearing new stories from those who worked with him. The latest comes from director Wes Anderson, whose new film The Phoenician Scheme just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

As you probably know, Gene was effectively the lead in Wes’s 2001 classic The Royal Tenenbaums, playing Royal Tenenbaum. His performance was critically acclaimed, garnering a Golden Globe win for his efforts.

Gene, who was fairly private as a celebrity and effectively retired from acting in 2004, also didn’t show up to collect the award itself — and according to a new Sunday Times interview with Wes, he very much wasn’t a fan of making the film either.

“Gene was very annoyed about the money,” Wes said in the interview, gesturing toward the flat pay rate that The Royal Tenenbaums’ cast received across the board. “He was furious. Also, he didn’t want to do the film anyway.”

Wes went on to claim that he had to basically convince Gene to be in the film — and that he “wouldn’t go away” until the storied actor said yes. “And everybody else said yes to the salary, so Gene just went with it — and that just became our way,” he explained.

Wes also said that Gene said “not a word” to him when they were finished filming. “In fact he left without saying goodbye,” he claimed. “He was grumpy — we had friction. He didn’t enjoy it. I was probably too young and it was annoying to him.”

In fact, the last conversation the two had — according to Wes, at least — was when The Royal Tenenbaums opened in theaters. “He liked it,” Wes recalled. “But he told me he didn’t understand it when we were shooting. I wish I’d shown him 10 minutes, early on. Then, maybe, he would have said, ‘OK, I get it.’”

The more you know about the movies you love! You can read the entire interview with Wes right here.

Jennifer Lawrence Rare Comments On Motherhood

Last month, it was revealed that Jennifer Lawrence gave birth to her second baby in New York City. You’ll recall that she welcomed her first with husband Cooke Maroney, Cy, back in 2022.

Even though Jennifer is known to yap (and I mean that as the highest of compliments), she’s pretty private about her personal life. So until now, the only word we’d really heard about her post-second pregnancy was a report from People as to how she was doing.

“Her first child was born in Los Angeles. She recently gave birth to her second child in N.Y.C. She’s doing well,” a source told the publication at the time. “She was very excited about the pregnancy. She thought it was the perfect timing. She was very active and felt good.”

So, Jennifer was just at the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of her new movie Die, My Love from acclaimed director (and, it must be said, one of my personal faves) Lynne Ramsay. During the press conference for the film (via Variety), Jennifer made her first comments about dealing with motherhood — a theme that’s central to the film — since giving birth again.

“As a mother, it was really hard to separate what I would do as opposed to what she would do,” she said about her character in the film, which she made while she was five months pregnant. “And it was just heartbreaking.”

“I had just had my firstborn, and there’s not really anything like postpartum. It’s extremely isolating, which is so interesting. When Lynne moves this couple into Montana, she doesn’t have a community. She doesn’t have her people. But the truth is, extreme anxiety and extreme depression is isolating, no matter where you are. You feel like an alien.”

“Having children changes everything,” she added. “It changes your whole life. It’s brutal and incredible. So not only do they go into every decision of if I’m working, where I’m working, when I’m working, they’ve taught me — I mean, I didn’t know that I could feel so much and my job has a lot to do with emotion. It’s almost like feeling a blister or something — like, so sensitive.”

“So they’ve changed my life, obviously, for the best and they’ve changed me creatively. I highly recommend having kids if you want to be an actor.”

Jennifer, let me be the first to say that if I ever become an actor, I’ll definitely keep that in mind.

Remember how I previously mentioned that the pair have been spotted at a few Knicks games over the past month? Well, a source tells the publication that they’ve actually been living — together — in NYC over the last several months.

John Nacion / Variety via Getty Images, Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images

Lizzo Says She Was Canceled Throughout Her Career

Obviously, you know Lizzo.

It’s not a stretch to say Lizzo’s career has had its share of ups and downs over the last several years. Three years after her “About Damn Time” was the #1 song in the US, she recently returned with several singles that failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. More notably, Lizzo faced several lawsuits in 2023 for alleged sexual harassment and other claims, which she’s since addressed publicly. (At least one of the lawsuits is still ongoing.)

“I’ve been canceled a lot,” she said. “I shouldn’t say I’ve been canceled, because I’m still going, but I’ve gotten backlash a lot. Literally every single time I’ve received backlash I use it as a growing and learning lesson.”

In the interview, Lizzo also reflected on the backlash she faced after her song “Good As Hell” appeared in a Weight Watchers commercial in 2019, shortly after Oprah Winfrey bought the company.

“It was like, ‘Oprah wants to use your song,’ I lost my mind,” she recalled feeling at the time. “I was like, ‘Oh my god Oprah knows who I am!’ I was like, ‘Yes! Yes.'”

“I remember posting the commercial because I was so proud and everybody was like, ‘You’re fucking joking right, like this is promoting eating disorders. And I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ It broke my heart. It truly broke my heart.”

If I may, for a moment: Being in the public eye seems miserable, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, really. That said! If you are appearing on a podcast talking about how you’ve been “canceled” — especially after you’re still signed to a major label that releases your music, and you’re booking promising film roles — I think it’s well worth examining if being “canceled” is even a thing.

Anyway, whatever. You can listen to the entire episode with Lizzo here.

Cassie And Husband Responds To Diddy Trial Testimony

This post contains discussion of physical abuse and sexual assault.

In case you missed it, Diddy’s federal sex trafficking trial began in New York earlier this week. If you want a full catch-up of what took place in the first week of the trial, you can go right here.

One person who testified in the trial this week was Diddy’s ex-partner Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, whose 2023 lawsuit against the disgraced music mogul brought forth a wave of allegations — and, eventually, criminal charges — against him.

According to The New York Times, Cassie — who testified for two days straight while eight and a half months pregnant — choked back tears as she described several traumatic instances during her time dating Combs. You can read the details of her testimony here.

Cassie has also been married to personal trainer Alex Fine since 2019. Following the conclusion of her testimony, Cassie and Alex both issued statements through her lawyer Douglas Wigdor (via USA Today).

“This week has been extremely challenging, but also remarkably empowering and healing for me,” Cassie’s statement read. “I hope that my testimony has given strength and a voice to other survivors, and can help others who have suffered to speak up and also heal from the abuse and fear.”

“For me, the more I heal, the more I can remember. And the more I can remember, the more I will never forget. I want to thank my family and my advocates for their unwavering support, and I’m grateful for all the kindness and encouragement that I have received. I’m glad to put this chapter of my life to rest. As I turn to focus on the conclusion of my pregnancy, I ask for privacy for me and for my growing family.”

“Over the past five days, the world has gotten to witness the strength and bravery of my wife, freeing herself of her past,” Alex’s statement read. “There has been speculation online surrounding how it must feel for me to sit there and listen to my wife’s testimony. I have felt so many things sitting there. I have felt tremendous pride and overwhelming love for Cass. I have felt profound anger that she has been subjected to sitting in front of a person who tried to break her.”

“So, to him and all of those who helped him along the way, please know this: You did not. You did not break her spirit nor her smile that lights up every room. You did not break the souls of a mother who gives the best hugs and plays the silliest games with our little girls. You did not break the woman who has made me a better man.”

“I did not save Cassie, as some have said,” Alex added. “To say that is an insult to the years of painful work my wife has done to save herself. Cassie saved Cassie. She alone broke free from abuse, coercion, violence and threats. She did the work of fighting the demons that only a demon himself could have done to her. All I have done is love her as she has loved me.”

“Her life is now surrounded by love, laughter, and our family. This horrific chapter is forever put behind us, and we will not be making additional statements,” he concluded. “We appreciate all of the love and support we have received, and we ask that you respect our privacy as we welcome our son into a world that is now safer because of his mom.”

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE, which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.