Lady Gaga has opened up about being raped and left pregnant when she was only 19.
Speaking on the first episode of Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey’s The Me You Can’t See series featuring mental health issues, Gaga revealed she was raped at the age of 19 by a music producer who threatened to burn her music if she refused to undress.
“I was 19 years old, and I was working in the business, and a producer said to me, ‘Take your clothes off,’” she recalled. “I said no and I left, and they told me they were going to burn all of my music. And they didn’t stop.”
“They didn’t stop asking me, and I just froze and I… I don’t even remember,” she added.
Months later, the sexually assaulted singer was left pregnant without any support from the harasser.
“I [couldn’t] feel my own body,” she recalled. “First I felt full-on pain, then I felt numb, and then I was sick for weeks after.”
“I realised that it was the same pain that I felt when the person who raped me dropped me off pregnant on a corner, at my parents’ house, because I was vomiting and sick. Because I had been being abused, and I was locked away in a studio for months,” shared Gaga.
The singer burst into tears when describing that the trauma hit her years later when she won an Oscar Award in 2019. Gaga said that she experienced a “total psychotic break” because of her delayed traumatised response.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, refused to name her perpetrator.
“I understand this #MeToo movement, I understand that some people feel really comfortable with this, and I do not,” said the singer. “I do not ever want to face that person again.”
Lady Gaga is one of the stars to be featured in The Me You Can’t See series which is co-produced by Harry and Oprah and airs exclusively on Apple TV+.
Nick Jonas has revealed that he cracked a rib and received some bumps and bruises in a recent bike accident, which also led to him being hospitalised. As per details, the singer was hospitalised over the weekend after sustaining an injury on the set of a secret project.
When The Voice host Carson Daily asked coach Jonas about his accident on Monday’s episode and how he was feeling, Jonas said he was doing okay.
“I’ve been better, but I’m doing all right,” said Jonas as he held his side. “Cracked rib from a spill on a bike and a few other bumps and bruises. But I just want to go ahead and say that, in case I’m not as physically enthusiastic as I usually am.”
Turning to fellow coach Blake Shelton, Jonas requested: “Blake, please don’t make me laugh as much, because it hurts to laugh,” to which Shelton said that the singer was “just trying to get sympathy votes on the show.”
“Yeah, a big elaborate plan,” Jonas shot back.
Jonas, who is one-third of the group The Jonas Brothers, debuted as a coach during Season 18 of The Voice which aired in Spring 2020. He returned this year for Season 20, which will also be his last as he’s going to be replaced by newly married Ariana Grande next season.
Meanwhile, Jonas’ love for motorcycles is well-known and the actor also appeared in a recent video for The Voice popping a wheelie on one as he arrived on set for the show.
American pop star Ariana Grande married her luxury real estate agent fiancé Dalton Gomez at her home in Los Angeles on Sunday.
According to reports, a representative for 27-year-old Grande said the ceremony “was tiny and intimate” with less than 20 people.
“The room was so happy and full of love,” said the rep, adding: “The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.”
The wedding ceremony reportedly took place at the couple’s home in Montecito, California.
“Both Ari and Dalton love Montecito. They spend a lot of time there,” revealed to a source to People. “It seems only natural that they would get married at Ari’s beautiful and historic house.”
Grande announced her engagement to Gomez in a December Instagram post that included photos of the pair and her diamond and pearl ring with the caption “forever n then some.” The couple reportedly began dating in January last year and quarantined together during the lockdown.
While the couple prefers to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, Grande occasionally expresses her feelings publicly on social media with loved up pictures.
They were seen for the first time together in public in a music video for Stuck with U, a charity song she recorded with Justin Bieber during the coronavirus lockdown in California and released earlier this month.
The lyrics of the song refer to the couple spending the lockdown together.
The song tells a story familiar to many young couples in the pandemic era – forced to settle down together quickly or be kept apart thanks to virus mitigation restrictions.
Ellen DeGeneres, a staple of daytime American talk show culture, has said that she is ending her show after 19 seasons following allegations of toxic workplace, which DeGeneres says “destroyed” her. However, she insisted her decision to bring the curtain down on the daytime show named after her has nothing to do with allegations in the past year of a toxic workplace environment there, including bullying, racial discrimination and sexual harassment.
“When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged. And as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore,” DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter.
Earlier, in 2020 when complaints from staffers working on the show came out, DeGeneres acknowledged there were problems and pledged to do better.
“It almost impacted the show,” Ellen said. “It was very hurtful to me. I mean, very. But if I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn’t have come back this season.”
DeGeneres is believed to have been considering ending the show for several years. In a 2018 New York Times profile, Ellen had revealed that her actress wife, Portia de Rossi, had been encouraging her to move on from the 180-shows-a-year gig, while her comedian brother, along with executives at Warner Bros., had urged her to continue. In the end, DeGeneres signed on for three more seasons but had decided that this contract — which would take her well beyond 3,000 shows, and a stunning 2,400 celebrity interviews — would be her last.
She is scheduled for a television interview with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday to talk about ending the program.
The final episode is scheduled for the spring of 2022.
The 63-year-old host, writer, producer, actress and comedian won dozens of Emmy awards for the show and has been a pioneer of the LGBTQ community in America since she came out as gay in 1997. That revelation shocked America and nearly doomed her career.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has honoured billionaire lifestyle guru Kim Kardashian’s “dairy-free diet” by naming a cow after her.
“For Mother’s Day, PETA India names rescued mother cow ‘Kim Kowdashian’ after reality TV star Kim Kardashian,” tweeted the animal rights advocate’s India branch.
“Thanks for promoting a dairy-free diet Kim,” it added.
For mothers day, PETA India names rescued mother cow “Kim Kowdashian” after reality TV star Kim Kardashian.
In a statement, PETA India said that they wanted to “thank the mother of four for showing compassion to mums of all species by promoting a dairy-free diet to her more than 200 million followers.”
The bovine, which was described as having “striking eyes and long, dark eyelashes” was chosen as she is just like her 40-year-old celebrity namesake.
‘Kim Kowdashian’ was reportedly rescued by a PETA-approved sanctuary after the animal rights boy caught her being abused on the streets by her former owner.
Meanwhile, Kardashian has been very vocal about her no-meat, nearly vegan lifestyle. She is also believed to have converted three family members, including sister Kourtney, to a plant-based diet.
Earlier this year in February, Kim posted an Instagram picture in which she flaunted her chiseled abs.
“Plant based does a body good,” she captioned the post.
Matt Damon has said that it would be “awesome” if his best friend Ben Affleck and his ex-beau Jennifer Lopez are really back together.
When asked on the Today show about Ben and Lopez’s latest photographs, Damon at first said: “There’s not enough liquor in the world for you to get me to say something about that.”
However, he later admitted that like the rest of the world, he too, would love to see the exes give their relationship a chance again.
“I love them both,” said the Oscar winner. “I hope it’s true. That would be awesome.”
Earlier this week, the Daily Mail published photos which showed Affleck, 48, and Lopez, 51, heading to the airport in Montana together and then arriving in Los Angeles. According to details, the two celebrities — who broke off their very public engagement back in 2004 — attended a party together at a luxury ski resort in Montana. It is believed that Affleck owns a chalet there. Reports have also claimed that the two spent “about a week” together at the club and “were alone” during their stay.
While it was earlier reported that the two were just reconnecting as old friends after Lopez’s recent breakup with Alex Rodriguez, the Montana trip has sparked rumours that the two are perhaps more than “just friends”. It has been reported that the two reconnected over email when Affleck reached out to J Lo while she was in the Dominican Republic, writing that she looked beautiful in her recent photographs for Shotgun Wedding. The pair reportedly continued communications over the next couple of weeks.
Affleck and Lopez were engaged in 2002 and dubbed “Bennifer.” Their relationship appeared to hit the rocks in 2003 when they postponed their wedding and ultimately broke up in January 2004. After their split, Lopez married Marc Anthony in 2004 with the couple welcoming twins in 2008. On the other hand, Affleck married Garner in 2005 and the two welcomed three children together. Lopez later divorced Anthony in 2014, while Affleck and Garner divorced in 2018.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez is said to be “shocked” with Lopez and Affleck’s photographs, as he reportedly believed that he and Lopez would get back together after a break.
“A-Rod is shocked that J Lo has moved on,” reported E! News. “He truly thought they would be able to make it work and reconnect. He has been reaching out to J Lo trying to meet with her and she has been very short with him.”
Jennifer Lopez with Alex Rodriguez
The report, quoting a source, further said that Rodriguez is “saddened” by Lopez’s vacation with Affleck, so much so that he’s reached out to her to let her know “he’s upset.”
However, Jennifer is “not interested in rekindling anything with A-Rod and is done”.
Netflix’s latest horror film Things Heard and Seen, featuring Amanda Seyfried and James Norton, is reportedly based on a true story of a murder that took place in 1982.
According to a report in NY Post, the film based on Elizabeth Brundage’s novel All Things Cease To Appear was partly inspired by the gruesome death of Cathleen Krauseneck in 1982 in Brighton, New York. Cathleen’s murder is better know as “the Brighton Ax Murder.”
On February 19, 1982, James Krauseneck Jr. returned to his new house on Del Rio Drive near Rochester from his job as an economist at Eastman Kodak Co., when he spotted broken glass inside from a window and called the police. He had found his 29-year-old wife, Cathleen, dead in bed with an ax lodged in her head and their 3-year-old daughter seated calmly in her own bedroom, dressed to go out.
In a statement to the police, James had said: “She [his daughter] had a red sweater over a pink sweater with blue ABC corduroy pants and two pairs of socks. She looked dazed to me. I picked her up from her bed and ran downstairs and out the front door with her.”
James, who was considered to be one of the key suspects, said he had been at work all day. The next day he reportedly took his daughter Sara and fled to Michigan, where he grew up. Brighton Police Chief Eugene Shaw opted not to question the daughter a month later because “too much time has gone by.”
James Krauseneck Jr.
Meanwhile, Cathleen’s murder case, which had gone unresolved for almost 39 years, finally made a breakthrough in November 2019 when James was indicted by a grand jury on a second-degree murder charge. He pleaded not guilty.
The Brighton Police Chief attributed the delayed charges to improved forensic technology that’s clarified the timeline of the murder — calling James’ alibi into question — and has shed more light on the crime scene.
“I understand people want a singular piece of evidence that can directly point to James Krauseneck Jr.,” the current Brighton Police Chief David Catholdi had told a local media out. “This is not one of those cases.”
It is pertinent to add that at the scene of the crime no other DNA was found other than the family’s. It was also reported that shortly before her death, Cathleen found that James had not completed his doctorate and lied to his employers.
After Michigan, James moved to Gig Harbor in Washington, where he worked as a vice president of sales for a timberland company called Weyerhaeuser. When he was charged, James was living in Peoria, Arizona, with his fourth wife.
To add another twist, serial rapist Ed Laraby, right before he died in 2014 claimed that he killed Cathleen and committed at least a dozen more crimes.
“Ed Laraby is a notorious self-described sociopathic killer of women,” Krauseneck’s defense attorney said. “The issue is he lived really within basically a half mile, or less than a half mile, and has confessed to this murder as he lay dying in prison.”
Unlike the ending of the movie, which had a comprehensive end, Cathleen Krauseneck’s murder remains unsolved. James, now 69, was freed on $100,000 bail and is awaiting a trial that was delayed by the pandemic — the next pretrial hearing is set for June.
Things Heard and Seen follows an unhappy young mother (Seyfried), who is brutally murdered with an ax while her child is found eerily seated on the couch downstairs. Her studious husband (Norton) leaves shortly after the crime. The film gives the real-life characters different names, changes up their circumstances (they have a son and live in the Hudson Valley) and adds some ghosts for some more horror.
The film is currently trending in the top ten on Netflix Pakistan.
The organisers of music’s Grammy Awards on Friday announced an end to the so-called “secret” committees that have led to allegations that the highest honours in the industry are open to rigging.
The Recording Academy said that nominations for the next Grammy Awards in January 2022 will be selected by all of its more than 11,000 voting members, instead of by committees of 15 to 30 industry experts whose names were not revealed.
The Academy was slammed last year when Canadian artist The Weeknd got zero Grammy nominations, even though his critically acclaimed album After Hours was one of the biggest sellers of 2020.
The Weeknd, in a Twitter post last November, said “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency.”
The Recording Academy said in a statement on Friday that the changes were significant and were made “to ensure that the Grammy Awards rules and guidelines are transparent and equitable.”
Allegations that the Grammy nominations process is tainted were made in a legal complaint filed in early 2019 by the former chief executive of the Recording Academy, Deborah Dugan.
At the time, the Academy dismissed as “categorically false, misleading and wrong” Dugan’s claims that its members pushed artists they have relationships with. Dugan was later fired.
American pop star Halsey, also shut out of the 2021 Grammys, last year called the nominations process “elusive” and said she was “hoping for more transparency or reform.”
Former One Direction singer Zayn Malik called in March for an end to “secret committees.”
“I’m keeping the pressure on and fighting for transparency and inclusion. We need to make sure we are honouring and celebrating ‘creative excellence’ of all,” Malik tweeted hours ahead of the 2021 Grammy Awards ceremony.
.@recordingacad are moving in inches and we need to move in miles. I’m keeping the pressure on & fighting for transparency & inclusion. We need to make sure we are honoring and celebrating “creative excellence” of ALL. End the secret committees. Until then … #fuckthegrammys
Malik had also lashed out the awards saying: “Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionery.”
Fuck the grammys and everyone associated. Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionary.
The Recording Academy on Friday also said it was adding two new Grammy categories — for best global music performance, and best Latin urban music album — bringing to 86 the total number of Grammy Awards each year.
It is not uncommon for celebrities to send each other products to promote. But when Justin Bieber decided to send Queen of Fashion Victoria Beckham a pair of crocs from his new collaboration, he probably never expected the reaction he got.
Sharing a picture of the crocs she received with her 28.9 million followers, Victoria Beckham said: “A lot of people have been asking me what I’m planning on wearing after lockdown, what do we think about this suggestion from Justin Bieber?”
While thanking Justin by saying that “it is very kind of him” to send her these, she moved the camera closer to display the features of the crocs before going on to say: “Never worn a pair of crocs. This did make me laugh”.
The former Spice Girls star also posted a poll asking her followers if they think she will ever wear these crocs or not. 57% of the voters voted ‘no’ bringing a sigh of relief to Posh, who said: “Well, that was close! I think I’d rather die but thank you anyway, Justin Bieber.”
While Victoria may have come across as sarcastic and mean, her act sure did bring Bieber’s new collection to light.
Former president of the United States, Donald Trump has bashed the Oscars, calling the ceremony boring and offered advice on how to revive the plummeting ratings.
In a statement emailed to reporters from his office, Trump said: “What used to be called The Academy Awards, and now is called the ‘Oscars’ —a far less important and elegant name—had the lowest Television Ratings in recorded history, even much lower than last year, which set another record low.”
“If they keep with the current ridiculous formula, it will only get worse—if that’s possible,” added the former president.
“Go back 15 years, look at the formula they then used, change the name back to THE ACADEMY AWARDS, don’t be so politically correct and boring, and do it right. ALSO, BRING BACK A GREAT HOST,” continued Trump.
Remarking that the broadcast has become too political, Trump said: “These television people spend all their time thinking about how to promote the Democrat Party, which is destroying our country, and cancel Conservatives and Republicans. That formula certainly hasn’t worked very well for The Academy!”
Last year, when Trump was still president, he had live-tweeted his criticism on the Oscars and bashed voters for giving the best picture to Parasite. At a rally, Trump while talking about the South Korean film had said: “What the hell was that all about? We’ve got enough problems with South Korea with trade. On top of that, they give them best movie of the year. Was it good? I don’t know.”
Meanwhile, this year’s ceremony drew only 10.4 million viewers, a record low, according to final Nielsen numbers released on Tuesday — a staggering if widely expected drop for a ceremony that many viewers found short on humour and star power.
With movie theaters shut for most of the year, many viewers had not seen or even heard of nominees such as Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, which was the night’s big winner with three prizes but which has taken just over $2 million at the domestic box office.
Several blockbuster films whose stars could have drawn interest at this year’s Oscars saw their release dates shunted to next year due to the pandemic, from Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story and the mega-budget sci-fi Dune to an array of popular superhero titles.
This year’s unorthodox Oscars ceremony was moved from a Hollywood theater to a glammed-up Los Angeles train station to abide by strict Covid-19 protocols and reunited Hollywood filmmakers and actors en masse for the first time in more than a year.
Reviews of the show were mixed, with several critics complaining about the show’s lack of humor and musical performances.
While many Oscars begin with gag-heavy monologues, producers turned this year to Regina King, who was one of many stars who referred to racism and police violence — specifically last week’s conviction of Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. Other political statements made during the Oscars did not focus on Trump, but on topics like gun violence and policing.
“I know that a lot of you people at home want to reach for your remote when you feel like Hollywood is preaching to you,” she predicted.
Regina King
Variety slammed the decision to go without a host for a third straight year, calling the ceremony “lost and guide-less.”
But the decision to strip out musical performances and most clips of nominated movies — and allow winners to speak at length without being “played off” the stage by an orchestra — drew some praise.
The Oscars drew more than 43 million viewers as recently as 2014, but audiences have become increasingly fragmented in the streaming era.
