By Jessica Wedemeyer
7:47am PDT, Aug 2, 2019
This year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is reportedly cancelled
During an interview with The Daily Telegraph that hit the Internet in late July, Shanina Shaik confirmed rumors that the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show — which launched in 1995 and has taken place every year since with the exception of 2004 — "won't be happening this year." Said the 28-year-old beauty, who's walked in the televised runway special several times since 2011, "It's something I'm not used to because every year around this time I'm training like an Angel. But I'm sure in the future something will happen, which I'm pretty sure about. I'm sure they're trying to work on branding and new ways to do the show because it's the best show in the world." In May, The New York Times reported that the 2019 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show would not air on network television — as it has every year since 2001. At the time, CNBC reported that the company was "rethinking" the annual production in favor of "a new kind of event."
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Hannah Brown breaks "The Bachelorette" tradition, dishes on choosing Jed and possibly reconciling with Tyler
When Hannah Brown accepted a marriage proposal from Jed Wyatt on the finale of Season 15 of "The Bachelorette" on July 30, she broke the longstanding unofficial tradition of giving her final rose to the same man who won her first-impression rose: The former beauty queen gave her first-impression rose to Luke Parker, whom she sent home on the July 15 episode. (The past four Bachelorettes have all ended up with the winner of their first-impression roses: Kaitlyn Bristowe and Shawn Booth have since called it quits, but JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers, Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo, and Becca Kufrin and Garrett Yrigoyen are all still engaged.) Of her decision to choose the controversial musician — whom she dumped in June amid reports that he had a girlfriend when he joined the show — over model Tyler Cameron, the 24-year-old beauty told People magazine, "I was immediately attracted to Tyler, but I didn't take it seriously at first. I was so scared to get hurt by him. And I didn't know if he was really ready for [marriage]. Then I started to slowly break down. And [by] the Fantasy Suites, it wrecked me. I felt like I did a disservice because I hadn't allowed myself that time to be ready to be engaged to Tyler. … He was the scary choice, and Jed was more familiar. In that moment, [choosing Jed] felt like the safest, best decision I could make." That doesn't mean she was totally confident in her decision, though: "I wanted to be 100 percent sure, but I don't think I ever was," she said. "There was a second that I questioned [my decision]. But I felt like my heart was broken in four pieces, and Jed had the biggest piece." Meanwhile, Hannah's runner-up has said that he "will always love and care for" her but doesn't think it's healthy for them "to jump into anything right away" now that Jed is out of the picture. "I think we need to be friends and see where life takes us," Tyler told People. Added Hannah, who asked him out for a drink on the live finale, "Tyler will always have a place in my heart no matter what our relationship looks like. The feelings I developed for him were real and they don't shut off instantly. And it's hard to say [yet] what the future holds with him, or anyone else."
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Russi Taylor, voice of Minnie Mouse for three decades, dead at 75
Voice actress Russi Taylor, who brought Minnie Mouse to life for three decades, died in Glendale, California, on July 26. She was 75. The Walt Disney Company, which made the announcement, did not provide a cause of death, though according to The New York Times, she had colon cancer.
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Former "America's Next Top Model" contestant sues Ryan Seacrest, Bravo over "Shahs of Sunset" nudity
On July 25, former "America's Next Top Model" contestant Kiara Belen filed a lawsuit against Bravo and Ryan Seacrest for allegedly filming her in the nude without her consent for a 2017 episode of "Shahs of Sunset" — which the "Live" host's company produces. According to Deadline, the model claims that she was filmed backstage during a 2016 LA Fashion Week runway show in which "Shahs of Sunset" star Golnesa "GG" Gharachedaghi also walked. Belen claims she was called a pejorative term by another member of the Bravo reality show's cast — which "objectified" her "in an offensive way" — and filmed in what she thought was a "private dressing area." She adds that when the incident occurred, she was pregnant and "dealing with the challenge of her body changing as a result" of her pregnancy, which led to "a period of great insecurity" for her. "The fact that Defendant exposed Ms. Belen's pregnant nearly naked body to millions of viewers left Ms. Belen feeling completely violated," reads the complaint. She's reportedly seeking general, compensatory, exemplary and punitive damages, as well as special damages, "in excess of $100,000" for each of the five counts.
Tituss Burgess slams Andy Cohen after "Watch What Happens Live" appearance, Bravo host responds
Tituss Burgess was none too pleased with a certain line of questioning on the July 28 episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," on which Laverne Cox also appeared. The trouble started when the Bravo host asked about the actor's "Dolemite Is My Name" co-star Eddie Murphy — who, as Andy put it, "was very problematic for the gays at one point when I was coming up." (The iconic comedian has apologized for the homophobic jokes about gay people and the AIDS epidemic that he made back in the early '80s.) "He wasn't problematic for Tituss, and we had a wonderful time. … Any troubles he may have had with gay people, I guess, are gone because he loved me," replied the "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" alum, who later took to Instagram to call the "WWHL" host "messy" and bash him for trying to "rehash old rumors" and "bring a star negative press." Tituss went on to call the incident "a display of ratchet behavior by a well-connected man having blatant disregard for one of his guests." He ended his takedown by questioning Andy's talent and suggesting that he "learn how to do his job." Andy later addressed the kerfuffle on his Sirius XM radio show: "He wasn't having me," he said of Tituss, adding that after their interview, the Emmy-nominated actor "ran out" of the studio and refused to sign the show's guest book. Andy then revealed that things between them first grew tense when he forgot that the Broadway star has been working on the musical adaptation of "The Preacher's Wife" … even though they've talked about it on "WWHL" before. "He made an entertaining show, I'll tell you that," Andy concluded, adding that "sometimes it's fun to watch the show when the guest hates the host." Later, when "Access Hollywood" asked Andy about feuding with Tituss, he said that while the singer-actor "might be" feuding with him, "I'm not." And in spite of everything, Tituss is still welcome on his show: "He's been on four times. He can do whatever he wants. I just don't want to offend him," said Andy.
New details on Wendy Williams' Lifetime biopic revealed
TMZ reported on July 28 that the biopic Wendy Williams is producing about her life will be titled "Just Wendy" and will span all the way back to when the talk show host was just 10 years old. Wendy told TMZ that she and her colleagues "start auditions really soon" to find the two actresses who will portray her at different ages in the Lifetime project — she "would prefer somebody unknown," she said, because she doesn't "want the distraction from the story." The made-for-TV movie, which is due in 2020, will chronicle the former radio star's sex life, cocaine addiction, the fat-shaming she's endured and, according to Lifetime sources, "a never-before-told story of date rape at the hands of a chart-topping artist." The film will also cover some recent scandals: Wendy's feud with Mo'Nique, her husband Kevin Hunter's longtime affair with a younger woman — with whom he welcomed a child earlier this year, prompting Wendy to file for divorce after two decades of marriage — and her recent stay in a sober house.
A.J. Calloway out as "Extra" host after sexual assault investigation
Warner Bros. Television and A.J. Calloway "have mutually agreed to part ways" following an investigation into sexual assault allegations leveled against him earlier this year, the company said in a July 31 statement. Warner Bros. suspended the "Extra" host in February after two women alleged in January that he sexually assaulted them. Calloway — who was arrested in 2006 when a third woman accused him of sexual assault, though the charges against him were ultimately dropped — has maintained his innocence. It's unclear what exactly Warner Bros. found during its investigation into the TV personality's behavior.
Special 25th anniversary "Friends" pop-up opening in New York City
In honor of the 25th anniversary of the first episode of "Friends" on Sept. 22, Warner Bros. is opening an immersive pop-up experience paying homage to the beloved sitcom. The pop-up, which includes a retail section, promises to provide plenty of "grammable" moments: re-creations of the sets (the Central Perk coffee shop, the gang's apartments and the fountain from the opening credits) and iconic props and costumes from the show. It will run in New York City from Sept. 7 through Oct. 6.
