By Wonderwall.com Editors
4:00pm PST, Nov 19, 2020
Travis Scott launches scholarship program for HBCU students and more
Travis Scott dropped out of the University of Texas at San Antonio in his second year to pursue a career in music, despite the wishes of his grandfather, Waymon Webster. Now, the rapper's making it up to his grandfather by launching a scholarship fund in Waymon's honor through his new Cactus Jack Foundation. "My grandfather wanted me to take it all the way through college," Travis explains on the new website for Cactus Jack. "I feel there is a power in education so to be able to give someone the opportunity to fulfill that dream as my papa thought for me is amazing." Named after his granddad, the Waymon Webster Scholarship will support students at HBCUs — including Waymon's former alma mater, Prairie View A&M — who face financial hardship and have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, TMZ reports. The fund is earmarked to cover tuition needs for the students selected. Meanwhile, Cactus Jack has partnered with The New School's Parsons School of Design to bring a fashion design to high school students in Houston, where Travis grew up. The new charity is also launching Cactus Jack Gardens, a program for Houston elementary school kids that will teach them about agricultural economics as well as nutrition.
Keep reading to see how Brad Pitt's paying forward, what Matthew McConaughey's political aspirations are and more …
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Brad Pitt spotted distributing boxes of groceries to families in need in Los Angeles
With the holidays just around the corner as both unemployment claims and COVID-19 cases continue to rise, Brad Pitt donated a few some of his time last week to families in need. According to the Daily Mail, Brad spent hours passing out out boxes of groceries to neighbors in a public housing community in the South Central section of Los Angeles. Clad in a face mask, flannel shirt and jeans, the Oscar winner also reportedly pitched in on truck driving needs for the organizers of the food donation event. "The man did not stop all day," an eyewitness told the Mail of Brad's efforts. "He was completely committed, you could see it wasn't a case of him turning up and showing his face." The source said Brad was smiling, chatting and laughing as he piled boxes onto carts and handed them out. He also kept the group's spirits up by pulling out speakers to play some upbeat tunes on his phone. Before he left for the day, Brad took a coffee break on the edge of the truck with a woman with long dark hair and shared a big hug with his sculptor friend, Thomas Houseago, who appeared to surprise him when he showed up. Prince Harry also spent some time distributing food to needy families in Los Angeles last week, though it's not clear if the stars were volunteering with the same organization.
Matthew McConaughey: American politics are 'at a real crossroads'
As Matthew McConaughey continues to promote his new memoir, "Greenlights," he's finding a common thread in interviews. Whether he's asked about rumors he might consider a run for governor in his home state of Texas or asked about his interest in running for office in general, there's clearly interest in seeing the star move in that direction. Speaking to Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show" on Wednesday, Nov. 18, Matthew, 51, said he has "no plans" to run for governor "right now," but he didn't rule out politics altogether. "Politics seems to be a broken business, politics needs to redefine its purpose," he argued. "… Am I gonna consider leadership roles where I can be most useful? I'd love to. I'm doing that regardless," he said. Matthew elaborated on that comment Thursday on Fox News Radio's "Brian Kilmeade Show." "Politics is at a real crossroads where for whatever side or wherever you were on this year's election or the election four years ago, politics has sort of some explaining to do," he said. "I think a lot of people are going, 'It's a time to redefine, to redeclare what politics is. What is the purpose of politics?' That's a real question that I think politicians and politics needs to answer. What is its purpose?" he asked. "I want to know that answer and understand that answer first before I would really sort of be interested in hopping in politics."
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Jason Momoa says he was a 'nervous wreck' when he first asked out his 'goddess' future wife, Lisa Bonet
Will someone please cast this man in a rom-com?! Yes, we're talking about Jason Momoa, who covers the December issue of Men's Health, where he reveals his secret dream gig would be to appear in a comedy. "Romantic-comedy lead, the nerdy best friend, anything," he suggests "I would love to do it, but so far nobody will hire me for it." While Jason made a splash as the non-rom-com-friendly Khal Drago in "Game of Thrones," he tells the outlet he's "nothing like" that character, joking that he's "not even the king of [his] own house" and that he's "absolutely terrified of" his wife, Lisa Bonet. He's also absolutely head-over-heels in love with her — and prone to gushing about it. "My wife is very sophisticated and smart," says Jason, joking that he and the couple's kids, Lola, 13, and Wolfie, 11, are less like Lisa and more, "like animals that need to be trained a little better." Jason says he's "constantly a work in progress" and has "just been trying to get better as a father and a husband" while taking advantage of the close family time mandated by the events of 2020. As for that rom-com lead dream? Jason hopes that once his forthcoming film "Dune" comes out next year, he'll get to try his hand at a new kind of role. He doesn't really need to feel "comfortable" anyway, according to Men's Health, which points to the fact Jason asked Lisa out when she was 38 and he was 26 and a self-described "mess." "Especially when you meet someone you're completely infatuated with and then find out she's amazing, intelligent, and funny and she's a goddess and you're a degenerate," he ays. Asked what tips he'd give someone else looking to date up, he goes deadpan and advises, "Give up … don't do it," before bursting into laughter. "I was a nervous wreck," he admits. "I really don't have any tips. Be you. Try to be funny and make her laugh."
Emma Corrin responds to rumors the royal family is upset by the Princess Diana storyline
Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana on Season 4 of "The Crown," knows her performance is controversial, given the Princess of Wales' difficult marriage, her divorce from Prince Charles and her untimely death. But as she told Tamron Hall on the Wednesday, Nov. 18, edition of her show, it's important viewers understand that the Netflix series' script is largely fictional. Asked how she responds to reports members of the royal family including Prince Harry are angry about or offended by the show, Emma admitted it's a "difficult" situation. "I think for everyone in 'The Crown,' we always try and remind everyone that the series that we're in is fictionalized to a great extent. Obviously, it has its roots in reality and in some fact, but [creator] Peter Morgan's scripts are works of fiction," she said (via ET). "I understand why people would be upset because this is history and even with Diana, you know, it's still very much fresh, I suppose, everything that happened. So I do really understand if people would be upset," she continued. "All of the cast, we just want to constantly remind people that we approach these people that we play as characters, which is why it's such a joyous job because Peter writes such rich and complex characters and as an actor it's such a joy to really be able to bring a lot to them." Emma plays Diana from her teenage years until age 28, after which she'll be replaced in the role by Elizabeth Debicki.
Reese Witherspoon pays tribute to the cast and crew of 'Walk the Line' on the film's 15th anniversary
Back in 2005, after the release of "Walk the Line," Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix's Oscar-winning story about June Carter and Johnny Cash, Reese told ET that as a "Southern girl" who grew up in Nashville, it was "daunting" to play such a beloved country music star. Fifteen years later, though, those nerves have transformed into positive memories. "Wow!" she wrote on Instagram on Wednesday, Nov. 18, alongside a photo from the set of the film. "Today marks 15 years since the release of #WalktheLine 🎶 Playing the role of June Carter was one of the most rewarding experiences of my lifetime. From the stunning costumes created by @ariannephillips to recording all of those classic country songs with T. Bone Burnett, to the incredible scenes written and directed by James Mangold, I felt completely transformed into an authentic country artist 🌟." She went on to share, "I will never forget the proposal scene… how Joaquin looked with the light beaming behind him asking June to marry him in front of a full audience. You could hear a pin drop." The actress, who won an Oscar for her "Walk the Line" performance, wrapped up by thanking "the entire cast and crew for bringing Johnny & June's love story to life.🎙."
Kerry Washington adds Jewelry Designer to her resume
After spending much of the last few months traveling the country to get out the vote, Kerry Washington has a new focus — jewelry. Specifically, her own jewelry line, which she recently launched via the women-owned brand, Aurate. The line consists of four, pieces — a pendant, earrings, a bracelet and a necklace. The designs were inspired by imagery related to the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet, who was seen as regularly taking the form of a lioness, Kerry tells Fast Company, and range in price from an affordable $150 to $380, the idea being these are pieces women can buy for themselves. They're also made from sustainable gold. "The collection is all about women's power, which is only stronger when we work together," Kerry says. "The pieces are carefully designed to go with everything, so you can wear them everyday," she adds. Twenty percent of proceeds from the line's sales will go to support SuperMajority, which mobilizes women across the country to build "an intergenerational, multiracial movement for women's equity," according to its website. "It's important for us to be fighting for women's representation in politics all the time," says the "Scandal" alum. "Not just before an election. We need to be nurturing the next group of women leaders now."
Mossimo Giannuli reports to prison to serve five months for his role in the college admissions scandal
Six months after they entered guilty pleas in the college admissions scandal, both Lori Loughlin and her husband, designer Mossimo Giannuli, are behind bars. Mossimo, 57, checked in to USP Lompoc, a medium security penitentiary in Santa Barbara, California, on Thursday, Nov. 19, three weeks after Lori arrived at FCI-Dublin, in Northern California, according to ET. Mossimo is slated to spend five months at Lompoc as part of his sentence, which also includes two years of supervised release, 250 community service hours and a $250,000 fine. Lori pleaded guilty to lesser charges in the couple's plan to pay Rick Singer $500,000 to get their daughters into U.S.C. as fake rowing recruits. She's expected to be released shortly before Christmas Day.
Brie Bella reveals fires forced her family to evacuate from their new Napa home two days after moving in
A few weeks ago on their "Bellas Podcast," Brie Bella and Nikki Bella confirmed they were moving with their families to California's Napa Valley. Unfortunately, Brie didn't get to kickstart her new life in Napa quite as planned. It was still fire season when she and her family moved — and this year's fires have been historically devastating, with the Glass Fire alone scorching about 67,000 acres in Northern California. "When we moved, literally two days later, we evacuated because of the smoke," Brie, 36, tells Page Six. "The fires weren't far. They were close, but it wasn't the flames that we were nervous about. All of a sudden our house got filled with smoke, so we had to go because of the little ones." Brie and her husband, Daniel Bryan, welcomed their second child over the summer, just one day after Nikki welcomed her first child with Artem Chigvintsev. "My husband looked at me, and he was like, 'Brie!,' and I was kind of like, 'Oh my gosh. Did I make a mistake?'" recalled Brie, who also convinced Nikki to move to Napa. "Because it did make me nervous with the fires and, unfortunately, I feel like we're seeing this happen every year. … Fire season, we're expecting a huge fire to come through California, so that definitely freaks us out." She said the couple has decided not to move again despite the risk. Nikki, meanwhile, confirmed this week on the "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" podcast that she's waiting for Artem to wrap up the current season of "Dancing With the Stars" before the family relocates to their new home near Brie and Daniel.
