By Wonderwall.com Editors
3:37pm PDT, Oct 21, 2020
Beyonce calls for an end to police brutality in Nigeria as her foundation partners with emergency coalitions there
Politicians and celebrities around the world have been speaking out to show their support for the largely young protesters who continue demonstrating against police brutality in Nigeria. Beyonce joined the chorus of voices on social media in the early hours of Wednesday morning, around the same time security forces were reportedly opening fire on a group of demonstrators, according to a new Amnesty International report (via the New York Times). "I am heartbroken to see the senseless brutality taking place in Nigeria," the singer wrote on social media and the platforms for her BeyGOOD Foundation. "There has to be an end to SARS," she continued, referencing the controversial Special Anti-Robbery Squad that has a "reputation for abusing, torturing and even killing young people," according to the Times. "We have been working on partnerships with youth organizations to support those protesting for change," Beyonce said in the statement. "We are collaborating with coalitions to provide emergency healthcare, food, and shelter. To our Nigerian sisters and brothers, we stand with you." She then linked to a new section on Beyonce.com where fans can find a list of organizations through which they can help, including Nigeria's Feminist Coalition and Connected Development (CODE). Protesters in Nigeria have called for the country to "#EndSARS" for weeks — a call the government appeared to be heeding when it said recently it would ban the organization. The new report from Amnesty, however, suggests security forces in the streets of the country remain brutal, as SARS officers may simply have been redeployed to other groups. Beyonce's post garnered a mix of responses, with some complaining that the singer hasn't done enough to support Nigerian and other African protest movements. Others, though, came to her defense. "THIS is why it took so long for her to post, because her team were working on providing ACTUAL resources for people in Nigeria!" wrote one supporter.
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50 Cent urges ex, Chelsea Handler, not to 'let Trump and Joe Biden come between us'
Chelsea Handler's friendship with 50 Cent outlasted their romantic relationship, but can it withstand the political pressures of 2020? Neither of them seems very sure. On Wednesday, the rapper shared an exchange he had with the comic this week in which she responded not so favorably to comments he shared Monday on Twitter about Donald Trump and Joe Biden. In his posts, Fiddy urged his social media followers to vote for Trump because of Biden's plan to hike taxes for those who earn more than $400,000 a year. "Yeah, i don't want to be 20cent," he joked. "62% is a very, very,bad idea. 😟i don't like it !" Chelsea, however, doesn't like the current president. "You used to be my favorite ex-boyfriend," she told Fiddy in a comment. When he reposted the exchange on Instagram, he included a plea that she not allow their political differences ruin their relationship. "Oh my God this is affecting my love life now," he captioned the screenshot of their exchange, adding, "@chelseahandler I love ya Gator, don't let Trump and joe Biden come between us girl." Chelsea appears not to have responded publicly, although she did share some thoughts on Trump the same day as Fiddy's original tax bracket post. "More than 70,450 new cases were reported in the US on Friday, the highest number since July 24," Chelsea tweeted Monday. "We are 8 months into a pandemic, with no plan. Can you tell your children you voted for this man not once, but twice?" The rapper and comic reportedly dated for a few months in 2010 after he appeared on her show.
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Engagement buzz hits Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse
As Robert Pattinson gets back to work on the Liverpool set of "The Batman" following his recovery from COVID-19, his romance with model Suki Waterhouse is reportedly getting more serious. "Rob and Suki have definitely discussed getting engaged but are in no rush," an insider tells E! News in a new report. "Suki is not pressuring him and they are both very committed to each other." It seems the couple's time spent in quarantine together in the U.K. has only magnified the fact that they're "a really good match," according to E!'s source, who says the actor, 34, and model, 28, are "truly inseparable and in love." Rob and Suki were first linked romantically back in 2018.
RELATED: John Cena secretly marries, plus more celeb love news
Mark Hamill, Billie Lourd and more honor Carrie Fisher on what would have been her 64th birthday
Wednesday, Oct. 21, marked what would have been Carrie Fisher's 64th birthday, a milestone many of her friends, family members and former colleagues marked with love on social media this week. Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker opposite Carrie's Princess Leia in "Star Wars," was among the first to post about the special day on Twitter. "Happy Birthday Carrie Frances Fisher," he wrote, sharing a photo of the two circa 1980-something, rubbing noses in a near-kiss.
The world will never stop missing you…..," he added. Jim Belushi, who worked with the late actress and writer on "The Man With One Red Shoe" and "The Blues Brothers," tweeted, "Happy birthday sweetheart, I think about you all the time," while "Star Trek's" George Takei shared that he was, "Thinking of Carrie Fisher on what would have been her 64th birthday," and asked, "What's your favorite work by Ms. Fisher, friends?" Carrie's daughter, Billie Lourd, meanwhile, simply shared a photo of her mom when she was pregnant with Billie — a choice that felt extra meaningful, given that she just welcomed a child of her own. Billie and Austen Rydell named their son Kingston Fisher Lourd Rydell in Carrie's honor. Carrie died at age 60 in December 2016 after suffering a heart attack on a plane.
Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor-penned 'Legally Blonde 3' finally gets a release date
It took two years — and a 20th anniversary reunion — but MGM has finally confirmed the release date for the third installation of "Legally Blonde." "Elle Woods is back! Legally Blonde 3 coming May 2022. We rest our case," MGM Studios tweeted late in the day Tuesday. The studio initially confirmed the project was a go back in 2018. At the time, the film was expected to open in theaters on Valentine's Day 2020, according to EW. But screenwriter Mindy Kaling didn't confirm she and "Parks and Recreation's" Dan Goor were working on the script until this past May. "I'd been working with her on a couple movies and we've been friends for a while," Mindy said on "Good Morning America" earlier this month. "I have always quoted the movies to her — I was that annoying friend that would be like, 'Bend and snap' to her," she recalled with a smile.
After helping funnel more than $2 billion into ABC through her hit shows, Shonda Rhimes left recently and signed a new deal with Netflix. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview, she explained that she'd suffered through a slew of arguments about budgeting and content already when one refusal from ABC, which is owned by Disney, made her decide to finally leave. "I felt like I was dying. Like I'd been pushing the same ball up the same hill in the exact same way for a really long time," she said. Then, when she needed an extra pass for her sister to take her daughter to Disneyland on the all-inclusive ticket she has for one person (because she's single), she was told repeatedly the network brass "never do this." At one point, she says an exec challenged her by asking, "Don't you have enough?" That's when she called her lawyer and said, "Figure out a way to get [me] over to Netflix, or [I'll] find new representatives." The one-day ticket costs $199, according to Page Six.
Stephen Colbert breaks down in tears as Dolly Parton sings on the 'Late Show'
Get this man a Kleenex! Dolly Parton called in to "The Late Show" Tuesday night for a chat with host Stephen Colbert — who, viewers quickly learned, is hardly immune to the legendary singer-songwriter's charms. While discussing the folk songs her mom, Avie Lee, sang to Dolly and her siblings as kids, she suddenly launched into the traditional bluegrass ballad, "Bury Me Beneath the Willow" at one point in the interview. Between Dolly's haunting vocals and the heartbreaking tale laid out by the lyrics, Stephen was visibly moved. He admitted he had goosebumps after she sang one part of it, then had to wipe tears from his eyes as she sang another. "I better hush before you cry yourself to death and we can't finish the show," the singer cracked, according to E! News. "Like a lot of Americans, I'm under a lot of stress right now, Dolly!" Stephen replied, laughing. Dolly clearly didn't mind his emotion, though. "We used to sing when momma would sing. Momma would cry, we'd cry — those old songs were just amazing," she said. Stephen, still seemingly a bit emotional, then asked, "Isn't it funny that sometimes there's nothing happier than a cry?" Said Dolly: "Yeah, I think it cleanses your soul. Water's good to wash it out. That's what tears are for, I think." The 74-year-old — who recently confirmed she's in talks with Playboy to appear on the magazine's cover for her 75th birthday in a few months — recently finished a new book, "Songteller: My Life in Lyrics," out Nov. 17.
Matthew McConaughey wants America to 'embrace' whomever wins the election
If it's starting to feel like everyone in America is at each other's throats ahead of the election look no further than Matthew McConaughey to sow some unity in divisive times. The actor checked in with "Fox and Friends" this week to promote his new memoir, "Greenlights." But he spent a good deal of the the interview discussing politics. For the "alright, alright, alright"-quipping star, what matters most after the election is that we come together as a country and make the results work for as many people as possible. "It's time to get constructive and not deny the fact of whatever's happened and embrace the situation," he said, according to Fox. "Whoever is going to be commander in chief and president of the United States of America, that's not something, hopefully, that we're going to deny or be able to argue. I hope it's a clean election," he admitted. Still, he believes, "we have a lot of work to do as a country." Calling himself "aggressively centric," the native Texan added: "We've got to come together whatever happens in this election right now. We can do better as individuals and as people, as a community, as Americans. We can do better."
Chris Pratt's fellow 'Avengers' defend him after 'worst Chris' dis
Chris Pratt was voted Hollywood's "worst Chris" this week on Twitter in a contest that asked users to rank him alongside Chris Pine, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans — and Chris Pratt's fellow "Avengers" were not having it. "What a world… The 'sinless' are casting stones at my #brother, Chris Pratt…," Robert Downey Jr., aka "Iron Man," posted on Instagram in defense of his pal. "A real #Christian who lives by #principle, has never demonstrated anything but #positivity and #gratitude… AND he just married into a family that makes space for civil discourse and (just plain fact) INSISTS on service as the highest value," he continued, referencing Chris' marriage to Katherine Schwarzenegger. "If you take issue with Chris,,, I've got a novel idea. Delete your social media accounts, sit with your OWN defects of #character, work on THEM, then celebrate your humanness… @prattprattpratt I #gotyerbackbackback." Zoe Saldana, who played Gamora alongside the Chris in question, focused on keeping him confident despite the slight. "'No matter how hard it gets, stick your chest out, keep your head up and handle it,'" she posted, quoting Tupak Shakur. "You got this @prattprattpratt. Your family, friends, colleagues & everyone who's ever crossed paths with you knows your heart and your worth!" Finally, Mark Ruffalo, aka The Hulk, chimed in to declare Chris "as solid a man [as] there is," telling the Twitterverse, "I know him personally, and instead of casting aspersions, look at how he lives his life. He is just not overtly political as a rule." Mark was referencing critics who posted assumptions that Chris supports Donald Trump or generally leans right, politically, given his devout religious beliefs. "This is a distraction. Let's keep our eyes on the prize, friends," Mark continued. "We are so close now."
Kim Kardashian celebrates her 40th birthday with family and some extra love from Kanye West
Kim Kardashian West is having quite the birthday week. The reality star celebrated the big 4-0 on Wednesday, Oct. 21, the same day netflix released the newest season of David Letterman's "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction." Kim was among those guests, featured in a segment where she reflected on her experience being held hostage and robbed in Paris in 2016, and how she's overcoming the lingering effects of the trauma. On her birthday, however, she appeared to be in what she called her "happy place" — with family, whom she was pictured celebrating with on social media. She got a sweet shout-out from her husband, Kanye West, too. Alongside a photo from the day they got engaged that showed the couple kissing, he wrote, "been doing empty stadiums. Happy 40th birthday!! I love you so much."
