Twitter swoons over Meryl Streep & friends' boozy Sondheim homage

By Wonderwall.com Editors 2:20pm PDT, Apr 27, 2020

Twitter is obsessed with Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald's boozy Sondheim tribute

Dear livestream universe: Give up, go home, game over. Meryl Streep, Audra McDonald and Christine Baranski boozing it up in bathrobes from their respective homes while singing "Ladies Who Lunch" wins all of the quarantine prizes. Twitter users around the world duly noted this fact during the Stephen Sondheim birthday tribute that aired on Broadway.com and YouTube Sunday, April 26. The special, a fundraiser for Artists Striving to End Poverty and dubbed, "Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration," was initially scheduled for March, but was delayed by the pandemic. It landed instead on the 50th anniversary of Sondheim's beloved Broadway show, "Company," which famously featured "Ladies Who Lunch," a sardonic musical toast to wealthy, middle-aged ladies whiling away their lives with cocktail-soaked afternoons and not a whole lot else. Christine kicked off Sunday night's version near the end of the special, pouring a large glass of red wine and settling back for a sip in her white robe as she sings of toasting "ladies who lunch / lounging in their caftans and planning a brunch / on their own behalf." Meryl, also wearing a white robe as she video conferences in from home, joins in next, her camera tilted to show her mixing a martini and looking hilariously bored. Finally, Audra, clad in the ladies who liquid lunch uniform of a bathrobe, videos in, taking over the tune as she opens a bottle of bourbon. The whole thing is, according to more than a few Twitter users, "the ultimate mood" amid our ongoing quarantine. Other viewers (via Vogue), hailed the moment as "the cultural reset that we needed," joked that it "added ten years to my life," and predicted, "This version of 'Ladies Who Lunch' will be played at gay bars for the next 50 years."

Keep reading to see why fans think Ariana Grande is going to be on the next season of 'AHS' …

Why Ariana Grande's fans think she's on the next season of 'AHS'

Ryan Murphy has Ariana Grande's fans convinced she's been cast in the next season of "American Horror Story." Online chatter to that effect began on Sunday, when the singer's fans noticed two seemingly telling updates to Ryan's Instagram. First, he shared a photo of the rubber suit-wearing character who first appeared on "AHS" in 2011. Then, according to Elle, fans noticed Ryan had started following Ariana, making her one of just two people on his "following" list, the other being his husband. Factor in Ariana's 2015 "Scream Queens" role and Ryan's previous acknowledgments the singer is an "AHS" superfan — he once told E! he thought she only met with him about "Scream Queens" because of she "had questions about the new season" of "AHS" — and an Ariana-centric Season 10 starts sounding like a strong possibility …

Blake Lively dares you to unsee Ryan Reynolds' gross mini-ponytail

Blake Lively just tipped the scales in her favor in her ongoing troll-feud with Ryan Reynolds. Unfortunately, she may have forever sullied our image of her usually hot husband in the process. On the other hand, can anyone but Ryan really be blamed for the minuscule mullet-in-training 'tail he seems to be sporting in quarantine? Blake shared a photo of the offending appendage on her Instagram Story on Sunday, April 26, captioning the shot: "I dare you to forget this every time you see him for the rest of eternity." Ryan later trolled his wife right back, joking, "clearly, your birth control doesn't work," in a stab at the fact that she's had three kids with him, current coif aside. Teen Vogue noticed Blake also shared a thank-you over the weekend to her hairstylist, Rona O'Connor, who sent her a hair color touch-up kit she could do at home. "Read options A and B with Ryan," Rona advised in a note that accompanied the gift. Blake responded with a mix of excitement and fear. "You are an actual earth angel," she wrote on the 'Gram alongside a pic of the color box. "Thank you for surprising me with a handmade hair color kit. The fact that you trust @vancityreynolds to get this right makes me concerned for your sanity. But who needs hair anyway?"

Katie Couric finally weighs in on 'The Morning Show'

Six months after Apple TV+ launched "The Morning Show," featuring Jennifer Aniston as the Katie Couric-inspired host of a morning news program rumored to be based on "Today," Katie is sharing her thoughts on what "TMS" got right and where it could use some work. "I have so many thoughts … ," she recently said on the podcast "Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino" (via Page Six). "I thought some of it was really interesting, and I think the long-term impact and the serious devastation that results from certain behaviors was quite well represented, or quite well conveyed in that." Katie was referring to the Apple Show's Steve Carrel plotline, in which his character is fired over a sexual misconduct scandal a la Matt Lauer on "Today." (The show's producers, which include Jennifer and her costar Reese Witherspoon, maintain the characters are amalgams of powerful people in the real-life media world.) As for Jen's portrayal of Alex Levy, a newswoman rumored to have been based on Katie? "I think Jennifer Aniston is great," Katie said. "I wish they had made her more charismatic because I think you need a certain ebullience to pull off a show like that," she added. Katie reportedly demurred when asked to elaborate, as she's working on a memoir due out next year that will delve into some of what she experienced on "Today." "I thought it was really interesting to watch," she said on the podcast. "… but it was very interesting for me to watch, I'll just leave it at that."

Chris Matthews acknowledges wrongdoing in first interview since 'Harball' exit

Chris Matthews recently sat down for his first interview since he left his longtime post on MSNBC's "Hardball" on March 2 in the wake of journalist Laura Bassett's allegations he made inappropriate remarks to her backstage and to other women in his workplace. In a GQ feature in late February, Bassett said Matthews approached her when she was in makeup before a 2016 "Hardball" appearance and said, "Why haven't I fallen in love with you yet?" then told the makeup artist, "Keep putting makeup on her, I'll fall in love with her." She also alleged that at another point, he asked if she was going out later then instructed a makeup artist to "wipe this off her face after the show," saying, "we don't make her up so some guy at a bar can look at her like this." Speaking to Vanity Fair on the magazine's "Inside the Hive" podcast, Matthews said he had, in fact, said those things and acknowledged it was unprofessional of him. "I didn't argue about it, I didn't deny it," Matthews said, according to Deadline. "I accepted the credibility of the complaint in the article. I didn't want to challenge the person that made the complaint and wrote the article. I thought it was very credible and certainly within the person's rights to write that article, of course. That was highly justified. Basically, as I said, to repeat myself, it's inappropriate in the workplace to compliment somebody on their appearance, this is in the makeup chair, and I did it." Though it came after years of similar allegations about inappropriate behavior on Matthews' part, his exit from "Hardball" stunned viewers and colleagues alike. Over the weekend, Bassett tweeted that she'd heard Matthews' response to her claims. "I appreciate him owning up this and respect how he handled it," she tweeted on Saturday. "And to everyone who reflexively said I was lying: Please read this," she added.

Demi Lovato opens up about being 'overworked,' struggling with an eating disorder on 'Sonny With a Chance'

"Rehab. Several times." That's how a lighthearted Demi Lovato responded when her former "Sonny With a Chance" castmate Allisyn Ashley Arm asked what the cast members had been up to since they last worked together. Demi, Allisyn and most of the show's other stars got together virtually over the weekend for a reunion. And while Demi joked casually about her rehab stints at first, she later spoke candidly about the toll her childhood acting career took on her physical and mental health. She recalled how the eating disorder she was suffering from at the time left her constantly "freezing," and how her over-the-top work schedule left her angry, exhausted and sleep-deprived. "I would have people over for meetings on my lunch breaks, because that's how much I worked," Demi shared (via THR). "People would come in and I'd be covered in a blanket on the couch and people would say, 'Why is it 80 degrees in here?' I would be like, 'Because I'm freezing.' They would be like, 'Oh, my God, what's wrong with you?' … I had an eating disorder and I was underweight and freezing." She added: "I was so miserable and angry, too, because I felt like I was being overworked." Demi, who returned to music this year after taking time off following a near-fatal overdose in 2018, also admitted she's wondered if she would have been happier having a more typical life. "When you start off in the industry as a 7-year-old, 8-year-old, you kind of value your self-worth with your success," she said.

Kristin Cavallari deletes 'wife' from her Instagram bio

News of Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler's split after 10 years of marriage had barely made headlines when fans noticed the reality star had already updated her Instagram bio to reflect her new marital status, deleting "wife" from the list of her credits. The two announced their separation this week, saying they were parting ways with "nothing but love and respect for one another," and had simply grown apart. That said, Kristin also reportedly claimed Jay was guilty of "inappropriate marital conduct," in her filing, according to TMZ. The outlet claims Kristin was "surprised" Jay filed first, adding that they already seem to disagree on who has been the primary caregiver for their three kids.

Prince Harry launches mental health fitness tool for the military

When Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan split from the Royal Foundation, which they helmed with Prince William and Duchess Kate, Harry said he and his wife would continue to collaborate with his brother and sister-in-law on projects related to Heads Together, their mental health awareness initiative. This week, Harry, who served in the army for a decade, launched one of those projects, HeadFit. It's an online tool designed to help military personnel improve their mental fitness in areas like mood, motivation, confidence and anxiety. "Today, when we talk about fitness, we don't just mean how fast you can run or how much weight you can carry," Harry says in a video promoting the launch. "This is about mental fitness, strength and resilience, not just while wearing a uniform, but for the rest of your life. If you want to be truly fit, strong and healthy, you need to train your mind and body as one. Some people run, others swim, cycle or lift weights in order to be physically fit," he continues. "But what do you do to stay mentally fit? Think about what you can do to unlock your potential, and to perform at the highest level." According to the Independent, HeadFit has been in the works for three years and was intended to be released in June. Given the added stressors military personnel now face because of the coronavirus pandemic, the organization opted to launch sooner. Harry, Meghan and their son Archie are currently living in Meghan's hometown of Los Angeles, where they're working on a new charitable foundation, Archewell.

Jessie J wishes ex, Channing Tatum, a happy 40th

Jessie J and Channing Tatum were hit with reconciliation rumors again on Sunday, thanks to the singer's sweet Instagram post in honor of her recent ex's birthday. "Happy 40th Birthday to this special man right here," Jessie wrote on her Instagram Story beneath a photo of Channing (via the Daily Mail). "You are truly one of a kind. I am so grateful you were born, and even more grateful we met. Keep living your BEST life!" Jessie and Channing reportedly called it quits for the second time a few weeks ago, after trying to make their romance work again following their initial split.

Michael Imperioli believes he and his family members already had COVID-19

Is former "Sopranos" star Michael Imperioli among the many stars who've contracted COVID-19? He thinks so — and he's pretty sure his family had it, as well. Speaking to Page Six, the actor, who's now co-hosting a podcast about his famed HBO series, "Talking Sopranos," recently said he became "extremely ill" right around the time the virus started its rapid spread. "I was really sick," he said. "I didn't get tested but I was really sick in New York at the end of February," he told the outlet. "My wife and one of my kids got it," he added. We had most of the symptoms. We didn't get tested because we weren't sick enough to go to the hospital." He said that everyone in his family is feeling "better now."