Brooks Laich works on his breakfast skills amid social distancing mandates
What marriage problems?! Julianne Hough's husband Brooks Laich took advantage of the time home with his lady on Wednesday, March 19, to treat her to a huge breakfast spread, in the interest of expanding his home chef horizons. "You guys, I'm using this social distancing time to work on a magical skill. I'm getting better at cooking breakfast," Brooks said on his Instagram Story (via People). "So today we have pancakes, we have smoked salmon, I'm going to make some scrambled eggs and some turkey bacon and some tea. And I already have the table set. … Skills training begins now!" Brooks, a former hockey star who now focuses on his podcast, "How Men Think," with co-host Gavin DeGraw, has been speaking more openly in recent months about his willingness to "explore [his] sexuality," in part, for the sake of his marriage, which has reportedly hit a few stumbling blocks in the past year. On one episode of the pod last month, the co-hosts explored why couples decide to divorce. Brooks said, seemingly from experience, that he thought sometimes it was just about losing that connection that would otherwise allow you to continue communicating. Couples sometimes "lack a little bit of courage … to share those things that could really actually keep people together and, like, light their marriage on fire," he said at the time. At the end of the breakfast clip, Brooks showed off the final meal, including fruit stuffed pancakes, eggs scrambled with veggies, bacon and smoked salmon. He also took some Sriracha out of the fridge to have on ready for Julianne, who eventually walked into the kitchen with a fresh-out-of-the-shower head of wet hair. Gesturing to the hot sauce, he told viewers: "My wife likes it on top of the eggs." Fire, indeed!
Read on to find out why the Surgeon General wants Kylie Jenner's help in stopping the spread of the coronavirus …
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Did Lily Allen and David Harbour secretly get married?
David Harbour and Lily Allen sparked engagement rumors over the holidays when Lily was spotted wearing some new bling on her left ring finger during the couple's arm-in-arm stroll. They never confirmed anything at the time — nor did they comment on the ring the second time Lily was seen out and about with it sparkling on her left hand. All of which makes us dubious about their attempts to recant comments about being married that they both made during Lily's Instagram Live session on Wednesday, March 18. At one point, a fan asked Lily how many copies of "No Shame" she's sold since its 2018 release. Lily, lying in bed with her man in her PJs, laughed and suggested, "I don't know, like 5,000?" (via ET). Speaking to David, she joked, "You think you married a pop star? You didn't. Not that we're married. We're not married. I just want to make sure you know." The "Stranger Things" star then followed suit, chiming in with, "But she is my wife, my wife … We do pretend." Oh come on, y'all, we need some happy news out here!
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'Friends' reunion special delayed amid coronavirus outbreak
Looks like "Friends" fans will have to rely on Jennifer Aniston's internet-breaking Instagram habits for their next Central Perk fix. The planned reunion, featuring original cast members Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, plus series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman, is now postponed as Hollywood continues to navigate the effects of the coronavirus on the industry. THR points out it would be almost impossible to adhere to the CDC's mandate about avoiding large gatherings to "flatten the curves," with most production requiring at least 100 people on or near a set at any given time. The unscripted show, which was expected to bring in $2.3 to $5 million per returning cast member, was reportedly supposed to film in Burbank, California, early next week. A postponed filming date has not yet been set.
Cardi B would like to speak to the Pentagon about social distancing, please
Um, helloooooo …. Pentagon? It's Cardi B calling. And she wants answers. On Tuesday, March 17, Cardi, who was recently featured in the viral (sorry) track "Coronavirus Remix," posted an Instagram Live session in which she demanded to know how long all this social distancing and self-quarantine business is expected to last. "If you work at the fucking Pentagon, let a b—- know," she said in the clip (via Complex). "I need to know. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm losing my f—— mind. I want to get dressed up. I want to put a f—— lace front on, I want to put on my f—— expensive outfits, and I want to go out. And I can't!" Cardi and DJ iMarkkeyz have promised the Twitterverse they'll use proceeds from the track the DJ made of her yelling "Coronavirus … s— is gettin' real!'" to support families in need.
Evangeline Lilly won't self-quarantine, hints at conspiracy theory about the new coronovirus
Evangeline Lilly is defending her decision not to stay isolated as the coronavirus pandemic continues. This week, she posted about her family conducting "business as usual" on Instagram, writing: "Just dropped my kids off at gymnastics camp. They all washed their hands before going in. They are playing and laughing. #businessasusual." When commenters questioned that approach given the difficulty of containing the spreading virus and potentially deadly disease it causes, the former "Lost" star said she's living with her father who is suffering stage 4 leukemia and that she's "also immune-compromised at the moment," noting, "I have two young kids. Some people value their lives over freedom, some people value freedom over their lives. We all make our choices," according to Page Six. As commenters urged her to reconsider she likened the outbreak to "a respiratory flu" and suggested the government was too involved in dictating what people could or should be doing. She also implied world leaders might try to "abuse this moment to steal away more freedoms and grab more power" given that it's an election year. Finally, she wrote that she "broke" at some point last year. "Publicly, I hid and made light of my deepest traumas and laughed in the face of my most profound pain," she told followers. "Until, last year, I broke. Suddenly I was forced to face my weakness and my limitations, my trauma and fears." It's unclear if she was referring to her father's condition, her own or something else.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp could meet face-to-face in court next week
After celebrities including Winona Ryder and Penelope Cruz gave statements defending Johnny Depp's character in his $50 million defamation suit against his ex, Amber Heard, Johnny and Amber could face off in person in London next week. According to Page Six, the trial remains scheduled to begin on Monday, March 23. Johnny has reportedly indicated he will be there and that he expects Amber to appear, as well. She and British tab The Sun are both named as defendants in the case, which Johnny filed over a 2018 story in which he was branded a "wife-beater" by The Sun. He has maintained he did not abuse Amber, whom he says defamed him by implying otherwise in an op-ed about her experience with domestic abuse. He says she was the "aggressor." The former couple finalized their divorce in 2016. Travel restrictions around the world due to the coronavirus outbreak make it unclear if Amber, who is based in the U.S., or Johnny, who lives in France, would be able to travel to England for the court date.
Rosie O'Donnell announces online special to support The Actors Fund
Nearly 20 years after her eponymous talk show went off the air, Rosie O'Donnell is revisiting the series with a special online edition of "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" to raise money to support The Actors Fund. CNN reports the special is set to air live on YouTube and Broadway.com on Sunday, March 22. "Everybody who knows me knows that Broadway has been one of the brightest lights in my life since the time I was a little girl," Rosie said in a statement to THR. "It has also been the lifeblood of New York City for generation after generation. After all Broadway has given to the world, now — in this time of tremendous need — it's our turn to give something back. There is no better way to support this community than via The Actors Fund. And, with a lineup like this, I dare you not to tune in." Guests will include Nate Berkus, Tituss Burgess, Kristin Chenoweth, Darren Criss, Gloria Estefan, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Harvey Fierstein, Neil Patrick Harris, Judith Light, Barry Manilow, Idina Menzel and Jordin Sparks, among others. The Actors Fund provides assistance and financial support to actors as well as those who work in a variety of other positions in the entertainment industry.
Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon are happy to 'distract' audiences with 'Little Fires Everywhere'
In other vaguely positive, vaguely coronavirus-related entertainment news … THR recently published an interview with Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon, who co-stars and co-executive producer the new show, "Little Fires Everywhere," an adaptation of Celeste Ng's best-selling novel. The two checked in with the outlet last week, shortly before the outbreak was deemed a pandemic and prior to the ever-tightening restrictions on social interaction happening around the world. "It feels a little odd to be here talking about a television show. If we have an opportunity to distract or entertain, I feel very lucky to be part of a community that's helping [do that]," Reese said at the time. Kerry reiterated that sentiment, adding that we all need downtime no matter what's going on around us. "Figuring out how to have moments of respite and calm and joy even in these times is really important because our stress level impacts our immunity," Kerry said. "If we're doing everything we can to stay well, then we have to get all the facts we need to get in order to make smart decisions about taking care of ourselves and our families. But we also need to figure out how to cultivate some calm."
Kelly Ripa shares the details of her super-clean meal plan
Kelly Ripa's insanely fit figure requires an insanely clean diet to maintain, apparently. The "Live!" host recently shot an episode of Harper's Bazaar's "Food Diaries" series, in which she broke down everything she eats in 24 hours.The 49-year-old said she starts the day with a greens-based powder mixed with water to get her system on an alkaline track, according to Us Weekly. She then moves on to coffee with ghee and vitamins. "I don't have any, sort of, chewing food before I talk on the air," Kelly said. "When we're finished ['Live!'], what I will have is a green apple, cut up, and then I take two tablespoons of almond butter and a teaspoon of cinnamon. I blend it all together, I put the apples in there and then I eat that like a porridge, if you will. That is my first chewable food of the day." When she gets to lunch, which she says is more like brunch because of the time she has to shoot the show, she says she opts for a big salad of microgreens, avocado and toasted nuts. For dinner, it's usually another salad, this time with seasonal veggies and a plant-based protein like tofu or tahini. Kelly, who recently revealed she quit drinking alcohol in 2019, said she avoids "cheat meals … because cheat meals leads to a cheat lifestyle," adding, "At my age now, I find that it takes too much effort to get ready, so I just stay ready." She makes the occasional exception for cake on her birthday ("I'm not a monster," she jokes) and cookies at Christmastime. Otherwise, she says, "What I will indulge in is, like, a delicious chocolate-covered almond or chocolate-covered cashew … so I still feel like there's something healthy in there."