By Wonderwall.com Editors
9:35am PST, Jan 3, 2018
Brad Pitt gets back to his roots in flirty exchange
If a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, a Brad Pitt by any other name would probably be just as charming. The star apparently proved that point during a recent coffee run. A spy for the New York Post says that while waiting in line at Coffee Commissary in Los Angeles, Brad, clad in shades, jeans and a leather jacket, started chatting with a blonde woman standing near him who looked vaguely like Kate Bosworth. "She was acting overly bubbly," the onlooker dished, adding that despite the woman's resemblance to Kate, "it wasn't her." At one point in the conversation, the woman introduced herself, telling her easy-on-the-eyes new pal, "I'm Lydia." Brad, who was born William Bradley Pitt, then "put out his hand and said, 'Hi, I'm William,'" according to the source. "She replied, 'Oh, you look like a Bradley.' And he responded, 'Well, that's my middle name' and smiled and winked at her." On her way out of the coffee shop, Lydia reportedly offered a coy "goodbye:" "'Nice to meet you, Bradley … I mean William." According to the Post's snitch, Brad "laughed to himself," then hopped on his motorcycle.
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Does James Packer want Mariah Carey to return her engagement ring?
Back in January 2016, Mariah Carey joked that the 35-carat engagement ring her then-fiance James Packer gave her was "so heavy I can't lift my arm up." Welp, if James has his way, Mariah might need enlist her on-again beau Bryan Tanaka or another strapping young backup dancer with helping her raise that diamond-endowed left paw. "He's told pals he wants his ring back and he's going to have his team reach out to her to ask for it," an insider tells Life&Style of the $10 million bauble, which Mariah was reportedly allowed to keep as part of her split settlement with the billionaire. According to the tab's source, James is now dating socialite Kylie Lim and the relationship has him thinking he should get the sparkler out of Mimi's clutches: "James is telling his pals that he'd eventually love to give Kylie the ring." Pro tip: Diamonds previously given to Mariah Carey are not necessarily a gal's best friend.
RELATED: Celebs getting married in 2018
Hoda Kotb is reportedly making $18M less than Matt Lauer as 'Today' anchor
Now that Hoda Kotb has replaced Matt Lauer as Savannah Guthrie's co-host on "Today," the long-running show is helmed entirely by women for the first time in its nearly 66-year history. Before the TV world starts sending gender equality accolades in NBC's direction, however, the New York Post would like to point out Hoda's new role is hardly helping to close the industry's gender wage gap. Network insiders tell the tab Hoda's making $7 million a year for a position that reportedly earned Matt between $20 and $25 million year before he was fired over a slew of workplace-based sexual misconduct allegations. The $7 million figure would put her paycheck on par with Savannah's contract, according to the Post. Said one source close to the show: "Hoda isn't complaining about the money. She has landed the big job she always dreamed of, and most definitely deserves. Plus, Matt's salary reflected the long time he was on the show — 25 years. If things go well, Hoda could ask for more next time if she re-ups her contract. But the figures underline the huge wage disparity at NBC News." Megyn Kelly, meanwhile, is said to have signed a $20 million-a-year deal for the 9 a.m. hosting slot. When Hoda's promotion was announced, she told viewers Matt had sent a congratulatory text right away, along with "some nice words."
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John Krasinksi gushes about Emily Blunt's acting in Vanity Fair
Somebody's got a pretty sweet No. 1 fan. When Vanity Fair checked in with Emily Blunt's husband, John Krasinski, about the experience of working on "A Quiet Place" with his wife, John made it very clear that his respect for Emily goes way beyond pure marital bliss. "The air changes in the room when she starts doing what she does," John marveled. "It's so honest and so pure and so powerful. It's like a superpower that she can just unlock and do so specifically with not many attempts. For me, I love acting, and I'm so lucky to be doing it. But she's on another plane. This weird intersection happened while filming where I totally forgot I was her husband. I was just watching her performance and was lucky enough to be in the front row." Directed by John and starring both John and Emily, "A Quiet Place" hits theaters in April. Emily's new Vanity Fair cover story is out now.
James Gunn calls Jodie Foster's perspective on superhero movies 'old-fashioned'
Comments Jodie Foster made about superhero movies in a recent interview with Radio Times have Hollywood's superhero movie bigwigs buzzing on social media. In the interview, pegged to her directorial turn for Netflix's "Black Mirror," Jodie is quoted as saying that "going to the movies has become like a theme park" and "studios making bad content in order to appeal to the masses and shareholders is like fracking — you get the best return right now but you wreck the earth." The Oscar winner added, "It's ruining the viewing habits of the American population and then ultimately the rest of the world." James isn't so sure that's what's going on. In a six-part series of tweets, he replied: "I think Foster looks at film in an old-fashioned way where spectacle film can't be thought-provoking … I say not without basis because most studio franchise films are somewhat soulless – and that is a real danger to the future of movies. But there are also quite a few exceptions." The director continued: "For cinema to survive I believe spectacle films NEED to have a vision and heart they traditionally haven't. And some of us are doing our best to move in that direction. Creating spectacle films that are innovative, humane, and thoughtful is what excites me about this job. … from Foster's quotes, she seems to see filmmaking as something that's primarily about her own personal growth. … For me, that may be part of why I do this, but spending many millions of dollars on a film has to be about more than that – it's communication – so my experience is merely one spoke on that wheel." Ultimately, though, James said, "… I respect Foster and her talent and what she's done for films and I appreciate her different way of looking at Hollywood's landscape."
Kim Kardashian is no longer storing jewelry at home
Kim Kardashian West is going bare — in this case, with her house and her jewelry. TMZ reports Kim and her husband Kanye West are no longer storing jewelry in their home. Now that they've moved into their massive pad in the Hidden Hills section of Los Angeles, they've reportedly made arrangements to keep all valuable jewels in a separate location, where the pieces will be "under constant supervision" and guarded by "very elaborate security measures," according to the website. Their home, meanwhile, will continue to maintain a security staff 24 hours a day. In the wake of Kim's Paris robbery, her entire family began upping security measures early last year.
Sofia Richie brings out Scott Disick's 'less serious side'
Whether her dad Lionel Richie likes it or not, Sofia Richie's relationship with Scott Disick still appears to be on full-tilt following the holidays. The 34-year-old reality star and his 19-year-old lady spent New Year's in Aspen, Colorado, where E! News reports they rang in the new year at a 1Oak popup alongside Paris Hilton and her newly minted fiance Chris Zylka, plus Rita Ora, Bella Hadid, Bethenny Frankel and Kyle Richards. "Sofia and Paris hung out for a lot of the night with Paris' cousins," said an insider, adding that Sofia and Scott shared a "long kiss" at midnight on New Year's eve. The two also spent some time over the weekend shopping, dining, catching up with friends and indulging in their usual PDA thang. "They walked around a lot holding hands and snuggling up in the cold," said an onlooker. "They were very playful together and at one point Sofia stopped to sit on a spinning seat in a park. Scott spun her around in circles so she got dizzy and he had the biggest smile on his face. Sofia was laughing with joy and very youthful. They took pictures together with their phones and always seemed to be having a lot of fun. She seems to bring out a much less serious side to Scott and he was really enjoying himself." After the festivities were over, the two shared a ride on a private plane back to Los Angeles.
Taylor Swift's fans are not pleased with the price of 'Reputation' tickets
Is Taylor Swift overcharging for her "Reputation" tour tickets? Fans on social media seem to think so. They're not too happy with some of Ticketmaster's new maneuvers aimed at the tour, either. In multiple gripes excerpted by the New York Post this week, Twitter users complained that seats folks paid $150 for a couple years ago now cost about $500. The Post also deduced that as of Jan. 1, none of the 33 North American "Reputation" concerts had sold out — a drastic change for Taylor's usual box office record, in spite of her massive album sales and Billboard chart position for "Reputation." Finally, fans complained that Ticketmaster forced them to pre-register ages ago to prove they were fans and not bots or ticket resellers. The company has used the system before, but is reportedly now employing questionable tactics that promise to give fans who in some cases pay more in advance a better slot in line. As of New Year's Day, Universal had yet to comment.
Suzanne Somers, 71, shows off her amazing gams in Palm Springs
If this is 71, we'll take it! A mini-dress clad Suzanne Somers happily showed off her apparently ageless legs at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Jan. 2, 2018, giving stars half her age a run for their proverbial money on the red carpet. The "Three's Company" alum, who hit the awards event with her husband of 40 years, Alan Hamel, 81, has credited her youthful appearance with her devotion to avoiding pesticides by doing her own farming. "There's a new way to do this whole aging thing. I write about it all the time. I eat right, grow my own food, so it works. I think it's all about the food," she told Wonderwall in 2016. Of course, exercise comes in handy, too — and not just the gym variety. "I do yoga three times a week," Suzanne added, "and have a lot of sex!"
Jessica Chastain: 'Major change is coming' to Hollywood
At the Palm Springs Film Festival's opening gala on Tuesday, Jan. 2, A-listers were focused on politics, hope and the potential for 2018 to usher in new ideals across multiple levels of society. Accepting the Vanguard Award with his "The Shape of Water" cast, director Guillermo del Toro told the crowd, "I wonder everyday what is going to become of us … and this is where film and fairy tales can help restore some of the faith we have lost," according to Variety. Chairman's Award honoree Jessica Chastain also used her acceptance speech as a chance to reference optimism amid seemingly dark times. "I want to acknowledge what a difficult year 2017 has been for all of us," said the "Molly's Game" star. "Major change is coming. Change is good. Change is needed. Through a joint effort we will make things better. We must be better. And we will."
