Who wrote Kendall Jenner's mysterious love letter? Plus, more news

Kendall Jenner shares a mystery love letter …

Kendall Jenner has long kept details of her romantic life very private, so it was a shock to fans this week when she shared an extremely candid, handwritten love letter from an admirer, even if she blacked out the name of the sender. She posted the letter on her Instagram Story after attending the 2018 British Fashion Awards, and given the mention of how "far apart" she and the secret someone are from each other right now, it's hard to nix NBA star Ben Simmons, whom she's been casually dating for months, from the list of potential contenders. "Dear Kendall," the handwritten letter reads. "We may be miles apart but my love for you grows stronger & stronger by the minute. My innermost feeling is love for you. I will love you until death separates us. Right now this separation is killing me, but in my heart I know that nothing could come close to separating us. We are united into one forever, body & soul and I want you to know that I love you from the deepest part of my heart." Signed, "Love," then, we assume, the name of the writer in question, the letter certainly seemed to suggest Kendall's getting serious with … someone. The most recent reports on her relationship with Ben suggest they're still not exclusive, according to People. That said, she did check out two of Ben's games with the 76ers in Philadelphia over the course of three days recently.She's been linked to Gigi and Bella Hadid's brother Anwar Hadid this year, too. A lot of fans also seem confidant the letter could be from Kendall's ex, Harry Styles, whose penmanship is very similar. So who actually wrote the letter? Eventually, Kendall updated her Instagram to reveal who actually wrote the sweet missive — and the answer turned out to be more tied to her fashion career than her love life. "Nice try," she wrote over a new photo that showed an "M+M" signature. "My secret admirer's actually @mertalas & @macpiggott." Aka photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot, who also go by Mert & Marcus professionally, according to E! News.

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Julie Chen still thinks Les Moonves did nothing wrong, is focused on her marriage

After the latest sexual misconduct allegations hit former CBS CEO Les Moonves in November, it seemed as if his wife, Julie Chen, might finally be considering a split from her husband of 14 years. Despite those whispers, a source close to the couple is now telling the New York Post Julie remains committed to the relationship, adding that the two intend to spend as much time in New York City as they can, since it's easier to be anonymous there, but they'll also continue spending time in Los Angeles in the interest of their family. "Julie's not on [her former CBS daytime talk show] 'The Talk' anymore and they're spending a lot of time [together]," says the source, echoing Julie's rep's assertion that the scandal "has drawn Julie and her husband as well as their entire family closer than ever." The Post's insider goes on to say Julie "thinks [Les] didn't do anything wrong." Adds the source: "They have a small child. She's very loyal and is very supportive. She's a fighter and she sticks by her man." Last month, the New York Times covered a draft of the report being prepared on the network's investigation into Les' behavior. That draft stated the former exec interfered with the investigation into claims lobbied against him by destroying evidence and misleading investigators in the hopes of protecting his $120 million severance package.

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Charlie Sheen celebrates a sobriety milestone

As 2018 comes to a close, Charlie Sheen has a different kind of new year's celebration on his mind. On Tuesday, Dec. 11, he tweeted out a photo of a black and gold Alcoholics Anonymous recovery chip with a large "1" in the center. Since the tokens designating months tend to have the word "months" beneath the letters, it seems like Charlie is now officially one year, booze-free. "so THIS happened yesterday! a fabulous moment, in my renewed journey. #TotallyFocused," he wrote in the post. Charlie's been open about his decades-long struggle with substance abuse and has been through rehab a number of times , the most recent of which came after he was diagnosed with HIV in 2012, according to TMZ. Onward and upward!

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Diane Kruger can't wait to share her baby's first Christmas with Norman Reedus

Diane Kruger's Los Angeles premiere for "Welcome to Marwen" on Monday, Dec. 10, marked the new mom's first evening away from her daughter since she and Norman Reedus welcomed her last month. And as she admitted to ET on the red carpet, her emotions were running high. "I already am [emotional]," she said. "Everyday is special, you know, I am actually being emotional being away from her for the first time, so I am looking forward to coming home." Looking ahead, the 42-year-old said she can't stop thinking about getting home to enjoy some holiday downtime. "… I love Christmas and I just want to be cooking and, you know, sit on the couch with my baby and my man," she said. "He is just ready for me to come home … He's done this before, so he is really experienced and he teaches me a lot. He's great with her." (Norman has a 19-year-old son, Mingus, as well. Neither he nor Diane have shared their daughter's name yet.) "It will be special. Baby's first Christmas," Diane added. "We just moved into a new home, and so yeah, we just want to be home and light a fire."

Jennifer Lopez talks early plans to remake 'A Star is Born' with Will Smith

It turns out what became Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's "A Star Is Born" remake has a long history behind it that goes beyond the 1937 original and subsequent remakes in 1954 and 1976. Back in the early 2000s, Jennifer Lopez considered making a version of the film with Will Smith, who wanted her to play Ally. Jennifer recently opened up to "Extra" about her early involvement, saying that while it fizzled for her, she's thrilled and "proud" of what her pal, Bradley was able to do with the Oscar-nominated box office hit. "Will and I talked about it and talked about developing the script. It just never took off. Projects are like that," she explained. According to the Daily Mail, Clint Eastwood followed up on the idea of remaking the movie in 2011 with Leonardo DiCaprio and Beyonce in the leading roles. The two ultimately backed out, leaving producers and other industry insiders to consider Christian Bale, Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe and Eminem for the male lead. "I'm really proud of Bradley, one for directing his first film and doing it," Jennifer gushed. "We're friends, and watching Lady Gaga do her thing in the movie, it's just great. It was perfect. Everything happens in its own divine timing." Jennifer returns to the big screen Dec. 21 in "Second Act." She's also slated to appear in NBC's forthcoming live musical "Bye Bye Birdie."

Nicki Minaj's sex offender beau was one of her first loves as a teen

The man Nicki Minaj is catching flak for dating because of his criminal record is actually someone she first got involved with in her hometown New York City borough of Queens when she was 16. Sources tell TMZ she trusts he's grown up since doing time for a rape conviction in 1995, that "they still have great chemistry" and that she's happier with him than she's been in ages. The controversy popped up on Sunday, Dec. 9, after Nicki shared a handful of Instagram posts from a birthday vacation with Kenneth Perry. The pics sparked a storm of comments about the rape conviction. The Blast later turned up a manslaughter conviction from the early 2000s that also reportedly landed him behind bars. TMZ's sources say the alleged rape victim was a then 15-year-old Kenneth's 16-year-old girlfriend, whose mother filed charges because she wasn't a fan of the young couple's relationship. Kenneth reportedly planned the birthday getaway for Nicki, who later posted in the comments to one of her photos of her new man, "y'all can't run my life. y'all can't even run y'all own life."

Ariana Grande sounds off on Ricky Alvarez romance rumors

"We're friends everyone take a big ol breather." That's how Ariana Grande shut down Internet speculation about whether she'd rekindled her romance with her former backup dancer, Ricky Alvarez this week. The buzz kicked in on Monday, Dec. 10, after Ariana commented on a photo of Ricky wearing a mustard yellow sweater against an overcast, rose and gray backdrop that appeared to be a New York City street. All the singer wrote was "these colors are sick," but that was apparently enough to get fans clamoring for a romantic reunion between the two. Comments picked up on by E! News ranged from "Ready for Rickiana?," a play on Ricky's "Ready for it" photo caption, to "[What] about you and Ariana???? We all want to know." Ricky, one of multiple exes Ariana namechecks on her hit, "Thank U, Next," dated the singer for about year until they ended things amicably in 2016.

Ashton Kutcher and Ellen DeGeneres trade neighborly barbs about Ashton's 2-year-old

Ellen DeGeneres had some fun with her co-host and neighbor, Ashton Kutcher, on the Tuesday, Dec. 11, edition of "Ellen" — at the expense of Ashton and Mila Kunis' son, Dimitri. "The young boy who never walks is how old?" Ellen asked quite seriously at one point (via ET). Having gotten heat from his neighbor before about this, Ashton hollered in response, "He walks! He's two!" Turning to the audience, Ellen assured the crowd the father of two "never puts [Dimitri] down … he's always on his back." That's when "The Ranch" star revealed Ellen's been giving him grief about whether his youngest knows how to walk on his own for some time. "I now have a complex about this," he explained. "Because I have one of those hiking backpack things, so I put him in the hiker to go down to the beach so we can actually go down the beach, otherwise it's a whole wrangling session with the kid. And then you came out and you were like, 'Oh, does he walk?' And I'm like, 'Yes! He walks!'" Ellen patiently let Ashton tell his side of the story before returning to her original thesis: "I've seen him five times. I've never seen him walk!" Exasperated, Ashton told Ellen he has a payback plan for all her kvetching. "So now I take him out of the thing once we get to purview of your house, and I'm like, 'Go, go! Run, little sucker!'" he jokes. "And I'm trying to dish him along so I don't have to hear about it anymore. This kid's going to be an Olympian, man, because I'm going to be behind him like, 'To Ellen's house!'"

Reese Witherspoon, Ava Duvernay team up for Time's Up legal defense fund auction

It's been almost one year since a group of actors, actresses, set crew members, studio execs and other entertainment industry professionals launched the Time's Up movement to protect those facing sexual harassment, assault and sexism in Hollywood. Now, Reese Witherspoon, Ava DuVernay and more stars central to the campaign are staging an auction via eBay to raise money for the movement's legal defense fund in honor of the anniversary. Auction items listed on the site so far include meet and greets with Reese at the "Big Little Lies" Season 2 premiere and with Kerry Washington at her Broadway play, "American Son," as well as a chance to hang with Ava at a post-production session for her Netflix miniseries "Central Park 5." As of December 2018, the legal fund had raised more than $22 million, and signed up scores of volunteer lawyers ready to support anyone in the industry — particularly low-wage workers — with legal resources should they face harassment, assault or other sexism at work. The auction, which also features a sweepstakes, runs through Dec. 20.

How Kim Kardashian West's lawyer and friend, Shawn Holley, helped get Alice Marie Johnson's sentence commuted

Attorney Shawn Chapman Holley has been a lifelong family friend of the Kardashians dating back to her work defending O.J. Simpson alongside Kris Jenner's late husband, Robert Kardashian, Sr. So when Kim learned of the plight faced by nonviolent offender Alice Marie Johnson, who was serving two-plus decades in prison for a drug offense, she reached out to Shawn to find out if she could help. Shawn and Kim recount the story of how they managed to get Donald Trump to commute Alice's sentence in the new issue of Glamour. "We were able to change someone's life," Kim says. "There are thousands of Alices who are stuck in her same situation who don't deserve to be there." Kim recalls she texted Shawn about Alice's situation, saying, "This is so unfair. Is there anything we can do about it?" Shawn explained that she generally avoids federal criminal work "because it seems so incredibly unfair, so stacked against the defense. It's depressing," but she told Kim she'd see if there were any possibilities for a presidential commutation of the sentence. "It just seemed crazy. Trump is in the White house. He didn't seem like the person who would be for this," Shawn recalls. Given her celebrity client list (think Justin Bieber, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan), Shawn opted to hire clemency experts for the task. "I said to Kim, 'We have to retain some of these people.' And she said, 'How much?"' In addition to paying for and remaining in close contact with the team, Shawn says Kim became a constant squeaky wheel in Jared Kushner's ear and prioritized Alice's needs in her busy schedule. Finally, Kim met with the president to discuss Alice and criminal justice reform in general. Alice's sentence was commuted shortly thereafter. "Her commutation and forthcoming release is inspirational and gives hope to so many others who are also deserving of a second chance," Kim said in a statement at the time. "I hope to continue this important work by working together with organizations who have been fighting this fight for much longer than I have and deserve the recognition."