Tarek El Moussa surprises Heather Rae Young with some new wheels
Tarek El Moussa does not mess around when it comes to his girlfriend's birthday. Over the weekend, the "Flip or Flop" star helped Heather Rae Young get a jump on her 32nd birthday with a boat trip with friends. But the big gift arrived on her actual birthday, Monday Sept. 16, when Tarek shared videos on his Instagram Story showing Heather being taken to surprise location that turns out to be the Ferrari of Newport Beach dealership, where a new white Ferrari with a bow on it was waiting for her. "Omg omg omg I'm freaking out!!!! Best birthday ever!! I love you so much @therealtarekelmoussa" she captioned a video on her own Instagram Story. Tarek teases her with, "Oh yeah, you like your new car?" as she blows him a kiss. "We both share a love of sports cars and on our first date I asked her what her dream car would be. She told me that she has always dreamed of a white Ferrari convertible," Tarek tells People. "I wanted to surprise my best friend with the car of her dreams. I love cars so I get to enjoy it too." He later shared another post on Instagram gushing about his love for his lady. "What can I say other than wow how fast life can change!!" he wrote. "This girl came into my life out of nowhere and has improved it more than I ever could have imagined! / It's nice to have a partner, someone to talk to, someone to share with. It's just nice to have a best friend again:) / She always has my back, pushes me, motivates me and wants the best for me! I'm so lucky to be loved by her. / I'm so excited for what our future holds and I'm so lucky to share this life with her!!!" Before signing off, he added, "Happy birthday Hunny I love you ❤️❤️❤️." The smitten couple reportedly began dating this summer.
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Jennifer Lopez remains coy on Super Bowl rumors
If those rumors that Jennifer Lopez will perform at the 2020 Super Bowl Half Time show are true, she's got some serious poker face game. A week after the "Hustlers" star admitted she'd love to take the gig but said she didn't know if it was happening during an appearance on "Live! With Kelly and Ryan," she gave a similar answer to Ellen DeGeneres when the talk show host tried to get a confirmation out of her. "A lot of people are asking me that," she told Ellen on Monday, Sept. 16, according to the Daily Mail. "I don't know yet," she said. "I don't know." Ellen, however, wasn't having the non-committal reply and declared, "Let's just say right now that you're doing it … Let's just announce it that Jennifer Lopez is doing the Super Bowl." Jennifer, whose new strippers-turned-fraudsters movie opened at $33.2 million over the weekend, simply laughed.
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Laura Dern addresses Bradley Cooper romance rumors
A few months back, what appeared to be a lunch date for Laura Dern and Bradley Cooper shortly after his split from Irina Shayk sparked romance rumors. In a new interview with Us Weekly, the "Big Little Lies" star addresses those rumors — with an award-worthy take on the old "we're just friends" line. "We're amazing friends. We're so lucky. And we're family," Laura told Us. "I mean, everybody's always gonna comment about whatever seems intriguing, and he's the greatest human, and one of my best friends in the world," she continued. "So I don't blame anyone for having deep curiosity about his life cause he's spectacular."
Alec Baldwin gets teased mercilessly about his temper during Comedy Central roast
Payback time! The "Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin" aired on Sunday, Sept. 15, putting the "30 Rock" alum in the hot seat as Adam Carolla, Robert De Niro, Nikki Glaser, Blake Griffin, Caitlyn Jenner, Ken Jeong, Chris Redd, Caroline Rhea, Jeff Ross, and Roast Master Sean Hayes took turns taking swipes at him. But some of the lowest blows were delivered by Alec's own daughter, Ireland Baldwin. The 23-year-old, who famously once received a voicemail from her dad in which he called her a "rude, thoughtless little pig," got to work fast when she took the mic, joking to the guest of honor, "Dad, I'm Ireland," before telling the crowd, "It's good to be here. I almost didn't even know about it because I haven't check my voicemails from my dad from the last, like, 12 years" (via E! News). D'oh. Later, she offered up these not-so-kind words: "A lot of people only know my dad as an angry guy, but he's more than some lunatic who loses his temper. He also loses Emmys and Oscars and custody of his first-born child, am I right?" The show clocked in at more than two hours, making it one of the longest roasts in the network's history.
Kelly Clarkson initially turned down talk show hosting offers
Kelly Clarkson's new, eponymous talk show garnered the highest daytime viewership for a debut in seven years when it premiered on NBC on Monday, Sept. 9 — and that factoid is probably giving Kelly's husband a major "I told you so" moment. As Kelly told Ellen DeGeneres in pre-taped segment on the Monday edition of "Ellen," the singer initially poo-poohed the idea of hosting a show. But her husband and manager, Brandon Blackstock, pressed her to do it. "I actually said no the first couple of times. Eventually he convinced me," Kelly told Ellen, according to the Daily Mail. "There's a lot of negativity going on right now….. a lot of division happening… and one of my big things, even on tour, is to bring people together," she said, explaining how Brandon made the case for "The Kelly Clarkson Show." "My audience is filled with, like, random people that probably would never be in the same place and I want my show to be like that," she said. "And he kind of sold me on all the good we'd be able to do, inclusion and all of that." Kelly and Brandon said "I do" in 2013 at a small ceremony she described as being "both a wedding and an elopement," with just the happy couple and Brandon's three children in attendance.
Taraji P. Henson parties with Mary J. Blige at her '80s-themed roller skating birthday party
Happy birthday, Taraji P. Henson! The "Empire" star celebrated her 49th trip around the sun over the weekend with the help of pals including Mary J. Blige — and a little '80s roller skating inspiration. "About last night!!" Mary J. captioned a photo of the pair decked out in flirty metallic numbers on Instagram on Sunday, Sept. 15. "Celebrating my Sis @tarajiphenson's birthday in Chicago," the singer continued. "80's theme skate party!!! When the girls get together it's too much fun!!! Keep the celebration going all month!! #VirgoSeason." Other photos showed Taraji closing her eyes with a dreamy expression on her face as she skates past friends, a huge "Happy birthday, Taraji" sign and a warm embrace between the birthday girl and her fiance, Kelvin Hayden. "SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FUN!!!!" Taraji wrote on one collection of pics. "I am still floating!!! Thank you to EVERYONE who came out to help me celebrate my birthday. I pray y'all had as much fun as I did!! #MyShinsHurt."
Constance Wu: Nobody asks Tom Cruise what it's like to be a white actor
Constance Wu would like to remind interviewers that a person's ethnicity is not the end-all, be-all of their who they are. Speaking to the New Yorker, the "Hustlers" star declared, "I don't want to be a f—— role model, I'm an artist." From there, the conversation turned to the writer's curiosity about whether Constance felt more "pigeonholed" as an Asian-American actress playing specifically Asian-American characters as her fame continues to rise. "Look," she said. "When Tom Cruise is in an interview, people aren't, like, 'What's it like to be a white actor?' My answers coincide with Asian-American activism, but that's because those are the questions I'm being asked. It doesn't mean that I don't believe in it and that I'm not a proponent of it. But is it my reason for being alive? No." Her response comes after a wave of press around the fact that the central characters in Constance's previous projects, "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Fresh Off the Boat," were — you guessed it — Asian-American.
Brad Pitt reflects on 'failing to live as interesting a life' as he thought he could
Brad Pitt's been making major changes in his personal life recently, giving up booze and going to therapy regularly. As he tells GQ in the magazine's October cover story, though, his focus on transforming his personal life began many years earlier. "I hit this point in the late '90s or early 2000s, where I realized I was chasing these interesting [roles], yet I was failing to live as interesting a life as I thought I could," he recalls. Now 55, the "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" star says "just getting older" has given him a new perspective on what matters and why. "How you become more aware of time, and you've had more experience, good and bad, with people," he muses. "And your own wins and losses — the older you get, they don't seem like so much of a win or so much of a loss. Who you spend your time with, how you spend time — it has just become much more important to me." Focusing on those things helps with his filmmaking, too. "There was just too much emphasis on finding interesting characters. I went, 'F— me, man. Live an interesting life and the rest will take care of itself,'" he explains. "And that is what informs the work. Not going to find the interesting work and then trying to make it up. I just became more conscious of how I was living versus what I was living for."
Russell Simmons banned from NYC yoga studio for 'triggering' members
A yoga studio in New York City's West Village neighborhood has asked Russell Simmons , who's been accused of sexual assault by at least a dozen women, not to return. The music mogul has primarily been spending time in Bali since last year, seemingly to avoid the negative press amid multiple lawsuits from his accusers. Page Six reports he's made appearances in and around the Big Apple in recent months, though he presumably won't be going back to Modo Yoga Studio. "'The management invited me, and then said that my presence had 'triggered some members,'" Russell told the Post, adding that he's "deeply disappointed and hurt by" the ban and that "guilty by accusation" is not "a good way to go forward.'" In a statement to the tab, the studio's owners said, "We do not pass judgment, gossip or comment on any of our students . . . However, when we receive complaints from students who are uncomfortable because of another student's alleged conduct outside of Modo, we are put in a difficult position." Russell has denied the assault accusations. Earlier this year, Page Six reported Russell was at a yoga retreat during at least a portion of his Bali stint.
Aaron Carter cancels 2019 tour dates to focus on his mental health
Aaron Carter is putting the brakes on his tour to focus instead on his mental health. On Monday, Sept. 16, the singer tweeted that he's canceled future dates until 2020, according to E! News. "I appreciate the love and efforts from my supporters. But after my next two shows coming up in Kentucky & Missouri & after I fly to Vancouver to do the toy drive which I'm donating 400 toys and over 1k of fan donations I'm canceling the rest of my shows for the remaining year," he wrote. "I have to put my health first and I hope you can all understand how much I need this time to heal and recharge my batteries. I love you. Stay strong. Stay healthy, and just know I'll be back next year ready to go. But as a man, this is what I need to do to have some peace. Xo." When some fans responded by encouraging him to continue performing, he added a note saying he's determined to take a break. "No matter what I say I'm not gonna change these people's opinions," he posted. "I'm going to conserve my energy and I'm going to focus on the good things that I do and not waste my time on the ones that don't. MY HEALTH COMES FIRST." On last week's "The Doctors," the 31-year-old said his "official diagnosis is that I suffer from multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety and manic depression."