By Wonderwall.com Editors
2:10pm PDT, Jul 28, 2020
Reese Witherspoon has plenty of reason to celebrate the 2020 Emmy nominations, despite being snubbed
The 2020 Emmy Award nominations were announced Tuesday, with big leads for "Watchmen," which garnered 26 nominations, and Netflix, which became the most-nominated network, streaming service or studio, with 160 nominations. A record number of Black performers were nominated as well, with 33 actors snagging spots across the board in acting categories, according to Variety. After the initial flurry of excitement about nominees, however, came the annual roundup of snubs. Reese Witherspoon arguably leads that category, having received no acting nominations despite her key roles in up for her roles in "Big Little Lies," "Little Fires Everywhere" and "The Morning Show." Not she seemed to mind. Her production company, Hello Sunshine, helmed all three shows, which together notched 18 nominations — an "incredible honor" she happily tweeted about Tuesday. "I'm so proud of our team who works tirelessly behind the scenes to bring these stories to life! BRAVO to the cast & crews," she added. In a second post, Reese praised the late filmmaker Lynn Shelton's Outstanding Director nomination for the "Find a Way" episode of "Little Fires …" "Our beloved Lynn Shelton. A beautiful way to honor her spirit and inspiring work," she posted, sharing a similarly loving tweet from Hello Sunshine about Lynn. "Her legacy as a champion for female filmmakers will live on," the tweet read.
Keep reading for the latest on Kanye West's presidential bid and more …
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Presidential hopeful Kanye West meets New Jersey filing deadline, faces multiple objections in Illinois
Kanye West is still pushing ahead with his "Birthday Party" ticket presidential bid. On Tuesday, NJ.com reported the rapper and designer met this week's deadline to file to appear on the ballot in New Jersey. Independent presidential candidates need to submit 800 signatures to the state Division of Elections, according to the outlet, and 'Ye is said to have ponied up 1,327. While he has made it onto the ballot in states including Oklahoma, he's having more trouble in Illinois, where he grew up. According to TMZ, three objections to Kanye's petition papers and signatures were filed with the Illinois Board of Elections. The website reports the board is expected to take another look at whether all 3,200 signatures Kanye submitted were valid. Whether he's allowed on the ballot after that will be determined at a special Board of Elections meeting. The wrinkle in Illinois comes after a complicated few days for Kanye. Over the weekend, he apologized publicly to his wife Kim Kardashian West for revealing personal information about their family . He also reportedly visited a hospital near his ranch in Wyoming, though he is believed to have left and seen medical professionals at home instead.
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Demi Lovato's engagement ring could be worth as much as $5M
The massive, emerald-cut diamond engagement ring Max Ehrich slipped on Demi Lovato's finger last week might be worth more than initially reported. While Page Six's sources guessed the Peter Marco-designed bauble was worth somewhere between the (admittedly wide) range of $300,00 to $850,000, TMZ is now reporting the value appears to be more like $2.5 to $5 million. The "elongated" center stone is reportedly "hand set in platinum" and surrounded by trapezoid shaped diamonds, according to webloid, whose sources think Demi has 10 to 20 carats of sparkle on her hand. Her fiance is said to have spent lots of time and thought on the design, working with Peter Marco to explore a variety of shapes and angles for the side stones before settling on a final piece. The PDA-prone couple reportedly just started dating in March, but as Demi told Max in her engagement announcement post, it was definitely love at first sight for the singer. "I knew I loved you the moment I met you," she wrote. "I'm ecstatic to start a family and life with you. I love you forever my baby. My partner. Here's to our future!!!!"
RELATED: Demi Lovato celebrates her 'miracle day' two years after overdose
'Ellen' faces internal investigation amid allegations of workplace toxicity
After months of reports claiming a toxic work environment plagues "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," WarnerMedia has launched an internal investigation, Variety reports. "Ellen" staffers reportedly got a memo last week telling them the show's production company and distributor had asked WarnerMedia's employee relations group and an unnamed "third-party firm" to investigate the on-set experiences of the show's staff. Neither a rep for the show nor a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Television have commented in response to Variety's report. The investigation follows reports from Variety and BuzzFeed alleging racist behavior, the intimidation of staffers and unfair treatment of the production crew, who were allegedly not filled in on plans regarding the coronavirus shutdown. They were also said to have temporarily lost wages while nonunion crew members were employed to produce the at-home version of "Ellen."
Amber Heard gives statement on 'incredibly painful' experience of Johnny Depp's libel trial
Johnny Depp's lawyers delivered closing remarks Tuesday in the actor's libel trial against The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, and executive editor, for casting him as a "wife beater" when he was married to Amber Heard. On the steps outside the London courthouse, Amber spoke to press and fans on both sides, according to the Guardian. "It has been incredibly painful to relive the breakup of my relationship, have my motives and my truth questioned, and the most traumatic and intimate details of my life with Johnny shared in court and broadcast around the entire world," she told the crowd. She also thanked everyone who has supported her as she told her side of the story. Inside, Johnny's lawyer called the actress a "compulsive liar" and said she, not Johnny, was the "abuser" in the marriage, pointing to a recording in which she reportedly talks about hitting Johnny. The attorney said his client's court fight is "not about money, this is vindicating him." He added that Amber accused others of lying to protect Johnny, claiming it was she who has lied about the abuse in the marriage. Johnny has maintained he was never violent towards his wife or any other woman. Johnny's lawyer's closing argument marked the end of the trial; according to the Guardian, a "judgment … will be delivered at a later date."
50 Cent apologizes to Megan Thee Stallion for sharing meme about her shooting
In an uncharacteristic moment of mea culpa, 50 Cent publicly apologized to Megan Thee Stallion for posting a meme about the shooting that recently hospitalized the Houston-based rapper. He's since removed the meme from his social media. Fiddy's apology was sparked by an emotional video Megan shared in which she spoke candidly about the gunshot wounds she suffered in both feet earlier this month. Like others on social media, 50 Cent said he didn't realize she had actually been shot. "It sounded so crazy @theestallion i'm glad your feeling better and i hope you can accept my apology," he wrote, sharing her Instagram Live video. "I posted a meme that was floating around. I wouldn't have done that if i knew you was really hurt sorry," he added. Page Six has reported the shooter in the incident was allegedly rapper Tory Lanez. In her moving video, Megan lashed out at those who had posted "fake" stories about what happened to her. In a previous tweet, she wrote: "Black women are so unprotected & we hold so many things in to protect the feelings of others w/o considering our own." She added, "It might be funny to y'all on the internet and just another messy topic for you to talk about but this is my real life and I'm real life hurt and traumatized."
Ed Sheeran reveals how binge drinking and eating sunk him to his 'lowest' point ever
This month, publisher Hay House teamed up with the producers of "Chasing the Present," a documentary about one man's struggle with mental health issues. The result is an online "Summit" featuring celebs and thought leaders discussing their journeys to happiness. For Ed Sheeran, who appears on the July 29 edition of the series, the past five years have been a turning point where he ditched a lifestyle that led him to what he called "the lowest I've ever been," (via E! News). Reflecting on his 2015 tour, Ed recalled the negative a combination of a "bad diet, drinking … not seeing sunlight at all," and not exercising. "I would stay up and drink all night…The buses would park underneath arenas and I'd sleep on the bus all day and then wake up and then come out, do the show, drink, get back on the bus and I didn't see sunlight for like maybe like four months," he said. After a while, what seemed like "all rock and roll" fun began to feel "just sad," he said, adding, "I think that was probably the lowest that I've been." It didn't help that he "ballooned in weight." At some point, he felt like his life was meaningless. "I kind of felt …What was the point?'…Actually, I guess in a dark way, you're kind of like, 'Why am I around? Like what is the point?'" Ed also admitted he has "a very, very addictive personality," something he's had in mind while reading Elton John's new memoir. "He would be like, 'I would just go on an ice cream binge and eat four … desserts until I threw it up,' and I was like, 'Oh, I've done that before,'" Ed revealed. "Or his martini binges, where he sees how many he can drink. And I'm like, 'I've done that before, too.'" Ultimately, Ed has come to see the value of moderation — and to recognize the fact that he's not someone who can have just one glass of wine.He's also learned how much exercise boosts self-confidence. Spending time with his wife Cherry Seaborn, who he says exercises a lot, eats healthily and "doesn't drink that much" has helped, too. "I think that all changed things," he said.
Al Roker opens up about his new book and recent interview with the late John Lewis
With his new book, "You Look So Much Better in Person," "Today" co-host Al Roker hopes he can help others by sharing some of the things he's learned in his own personal and professional experiences. Among them? Pointing to everything the world has endured in just a few months of 2020, he tells People, "being flexible and being open is one of the greatest skills you can develop." Another touches on how to build an "A-Team" of supporters in life. The 65-year-old also shared highlights from his recent interview with the late Congressman and civil rights activist, John Lewis, who died Friday. In particular, he said the two discussed their shared, hopeful belief that the protests sparked by George Floyd's killing could really make a difference. "I asked him about what he sees in this latest round of social unrest," Al recalled. "He said seeing the diversity — black, white, brown, Asian, Latinx — all together, protesting this injustice, gives him hope. He said this is different than what he saw in the sixties." He added, "Much like #metoo, I think a door's open and you're not going to be able to close that door."
Mick Jagger, Sheryl Crow, Lionel Richie and more demand politicians get consent before using their music at events
With the presidential election less than 100 days away, dozens of musicians are taking a stand to ensure their work isn't used at political events without permission. This week, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Steven Tyler, Sheryl Crow, Lorde, Lionel Richie Sia, Elvis Costello and dozens of other A-list artists signed an open letter demanding politicians on both sides of the aisle obtain clearance "before publicly using their music in a political or campaign setting," Rolling Stone reports. The letter, a collaborative effort with the Artist Rights Alliance, also urges political party committees to "establish clear policies requiring campaigns to seek consent" from artists, songwriters and copyright owners" before playing any music in those contexts. "As artists, activists and citizens," the musicians write, "we ask you to pledge that all candidates you support will seek consent" from those who made the music they intend to use. "This is the only way to effectively protect your candidates from legal risk, unnecessary public controversy and the moral quagmire that comes from falsely claiming or implying an artist's support or distorting an artists' expression in such a high stakes public way," the letter concludes. In recent years, The Rolling Stones and Neil Young, among other artists, have sent cease and desist letters to Donald Trump's campaign team after learning their music was used at campaign events. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones have threatened Trump with legal action for his use of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" during both his 2016 and 2020 campaigns.
NY state investigation of crowded Chainsmokers show could yield civil fines, criminal liability
DJ duo The Chainsmokers joined the not-so-illustrious list of musicians whose live shows during the coronavirus pandemic failed to adhere to social distancing protocols. The Chainsmokers, Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, performed a charity "drive-in" show in New York's Hamptons region over the weekend. Videos and photos on social media later showed a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of fans, many of whom did not have masks on. "The concert that happened in the town of Southampton was just a gross violation of not only the public health rules, it was a gross violation of comment sense," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday (via the New York Post). He noted that local officials could be hit with "civil fines and potential criminal liability." He announced the state's investigation Monday. Organizers have said the estimated 2,000 attendees were told every 30 minutes to stay in their socially distanced sections. They also claimed to have offered concertgoers masks and hand sanitizer.
