By Marisa Laudadio
12:15pm PST, Feb 25, 2020
Nicki Minaj and husband Kenneth Petty hint at a pregnancy
Is Nicki Minaj expecting her first child? Fans began speculating that the rapper is pregnant after Nicki posted a video on Instagram on Feb. 23 showing husband Kenneth "Zoo" Petty, whom she wed last fall, rubbing her belly as he says, "We on our way to Trinidad, with your dad." ETonline reported some of the comments included "Girl are u pregnant or not?" and "She pregnant 100%. No man rubs ur belly like that if his baby ain't in it" as well as "That better be a new album he's rubbing in that stomach 😭." Over on Nicki's Twitter account, she further confused fans after a follower tweeted a screen grab of the video as well as a grab of another time Zoo rubbed Nikki's stomach, captioning it, "Zoo LOVES to rub nicki's stomach" with several laughing/crying emojis and hearts, to which Nicki replied, "Thank you- y'all know that," along with prayer hands and a heart.
Keep reading to find out what the costumer designer for "The Notebook" had to say about the late Kobe Bryant gifting wife Vanessa with the movie's blue dress…
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"The Notebook" costume designer responds to Vanessa Bryant's memorial story about Kobe gifting her blue dress from the movie
During the public memorial service for Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna at Los Angeles's Staples Center on Feb. 24, the late NBA star's wife, Vanessa Bryant, told mourners about how her romantic and thoughtful husband had once gifted her the blue dress worn by Rachel McAdams' Allie when she "comes back to Noah" in the 2004 film "The Notebook." Reports soon revealed that Vanessa first shared the story of Kobe's incredible present (which also included a prop notebook and heels from the film) in a throwback Instagram post on Valentine's Day 2013. In the wake of the news, The Hollywood Reporter reached out to the movie's costume designer, Karyn Wagner. Karyn said she didn't know the Bryants had the dress, which was custom-made for the beloved 2004 Nick Cassavetes movie that also starred Ryan Gosling. "I had zero idea. When I was finished with the movie, I put the dress in a box and it went into storage," Karyn told THR. The costumer, who speculated that maybe Kobe purchased it through a connection he had with the filmmakers or studio, said when she heard Vanessa's story on the memorial livestream, "I started bawling. I'm still drying the tears off my face. What a beautiful eulogy. I'm so honored that I was able to contribute in some small way to the history of this amazing man."
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Beyonce changed potentially triggering lyrics as she sang for widow Vanessa Bryant at memorial for Kobe and Gianna
Fans noticed that during the star-studded Feb. 24 "Celebration of Life" memorial for late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna — who died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 — held at L.A.'s Staples Center, Beyonce, who would not allow photographers to take her picture when she performed at the event, made some thoughtful changes to her lyrics. MailOnline reported that the music star scrapped the potentially "triggering" word "crashing" for the word "laughing" as she performed what she called "one of [Kobe's] favorite songs," the 2013 track "XO." So instead of singing, "And I'm crashing into you," while looking at Kobe's widow, Vanessa Bryant, she sang, "And I'm laughing into you." E! News further reported that Bey also swapped the line "You kill me boy XO" for "Just kiss me boy XO." E! also reported that at the end of her second song, 2008's "Halo," Beyonce added the line, "He will be your, she will be your halo" — a reference to Kobe and Gianna.
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After Pete Davidson criticized "SNL" atmosphere, new report claims comedian gets special treatment from boss Lorne Michaels
In a new interview with radio personality Charlamagne Tha God posted on YouTube on Feb. 24, comedian Pete Davidson spoke about his high-profile romances as well as how he's treated by colleagues at "Saturday Night Live," where he's been a cast member since 2014. "I personally think I should be done with that show because they make fun of me. They think I'm f—ing dumb," said Pete (seen here with Jennifer Lopez in a December 2019 sketch starring his "Chad" character, adding, "I have a weird feeling in that building where I don't know whose team they're playing for really, if I'm the joke or I'm in on the joke." He also said he thinks "I've done as much as I can over there" but will remain as long as "father figure" creator/producer Lorne Michaels wants him to stay. Hours later "SNL" sources spoke to Page Six, calling Pete's complaints rich considering he gets what they see as unfair star treatment on the NBC show. The sources told Page Six that Pete not only got time of to shoot the "Suicide Squad" movie sequel this season but that Lorne, according to an insider, "gave him the week off to go" to friend Ricky Velez's wedding, which is "unheard of" on the show. Page Six was also told that Pete isn't a big contributor in the writers' room. "Pete has a pretty cushy gig, to say the least," added another source, while yet another claimed, "The cast isn't into him. He's just there — he doesn't add much."
Kim Kardashian West appears on magazine cover with her style idol: Cher and Naomi Campbell
On Feb. 25, CR Fashion Book revealed the stars chosen to grace the cover of its new "Power" issue — Kim Kardashian West, Cher and Naomi Campbell. In the mag, the women all dressed in black leather looks and donned '60s-inspired hair and makeup as they posed on motorcycles. They also all spoke about their fame and activism. Kim shared a few images with Cher on Instagram, captioning her post, "A whole cover with @Cher!!!! Now you know Cher is my style icon of life so shooting this was a dream come true! (My other style icon @naomi was on set too 🥰!!!) What is this life! So happy to share these pics with you guys for the @crfashionbook cover! … I felt like Mermaids 🧜🏽♀️Thank you @carineroitfeld." Kim's love for Cher, who shares her Armenian heritage, is nothing new: She's dressed up as Cher for Halloween and channeled the music and acting star for a 2017 cover of Harper's Bazaar Arabia. In 2018, Kim gushed about both Cher and Naomi to Refinery 29, calling Naomi "my glam and style inspiration, always."
Celebs weigh in with tattoo regrets as Tallulah Willis reveals she's lasering away arm ink
Tallulah Willis took to Instagram on Feb. 24 to reveal that she, like big sister Rumer Willis in 2017, is undergoing laser removal to get rid of some ink she regrets. "TATTOOS R FUN UNTL THER NOT ~~~ 🙃🙃🙃 thankful that magic erasers for skeen exists @laseraway 🩹🩹 *disclaimer my arms are burning as deep as my ego, but it really does work," she captioned this selfie of her bandaged arm after a treatment at a removal clinic in Beverly Hills. It's unclear which tats Tallulah, whose parents are Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, is getting rid of (she's been pictured with, as reported by Ink magazine, the word "RAD" and a walkie talkie on the inside of her left arm, the word "BABY" on the outside of her left arm and the phrase "obviously magic" on her elbow). After a fan asked Tallulah in the comments why she wanted to get rid of the art, she replied, "I was 20 and impulsive and didn't understand the word 'permanent.'" Two celebrity pals weighed in on Tallulah's post in the comments. "Sign me up," Ireland Baldwin, who's covered in tattoos, wrote, while actress Ashley Greene added, "Girl! I'm in the same boat with my foot!" Ink magazine pointed out that Tallulah also had a tattoo of a cactus on her hip removed in 2016 (she posted video of the procedure on Instagram at the time).
Nick Jonas makes dramatic entrance as he joins coaching panel on "The Voice," replacing Gwen Stefani
Nick Jonas made quite the entrance as he joined the cast of NBC's "The Voice" as a new judge for season 18 (he's replacing Gwen Stefani). In a playful video bit that aired on Feb. 24, the returning judges — Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Blake Shelton — watched as the Jonas Brothers member and solo artist dramatically parachuted onto the lot wearing a tuxedo underneath his jumpsuit ala James Bond then, when told he was overdressed, ripped it away to reveal a more casual yet still very cool outfit as they walked inside. During their first night of blind auditions, Nick got a bit of a new-guy hazing when contestant Nelson Cade III delivered an incredible performance of Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Pride and Joy." (See it on "The Voice" Twitter account here.) John, Kelly and Blake all turned their chairs around and though Nick tried to too, he discovered John had used his only block to prevent Nick from trying to woo the singer. "Nick is the new guy," John explained, as reported by USA Today. "So I'm going to use my block because I can tell that he's a threat… It's the newbie treatment, Nick. But it's always a friendly rivalry."
Rose McGowan confirms new romance with girlfriend Sienna and touches on old relationship with Rain Dove
In December 2019 — the same month Page Six saw her snuggled up to a new love interest in New York City — actress-activist Rose McGowan confirmed that she'd split with model-activist Rain Dove six months earlier. Rose has now opened up about both her new romance and her old one. Page Six reports that on the Feb. 25 episode of the "Shut Up Evan" podcast during a conversation about her sexual identity, Rose described her new romantic partner as a woman named Sienna. "I really don't know. The whole thing is that I know people are a lot more comfortable with the labels. I'm in a relationship with this great young woman named Sienna right now, and she identifies as a lesbian, but I don't identify … I don't know," Rose said. Rose said that she's found "a lot of comfort and happiness" in her new relationship following her split from Rain, who identifies as non-binary. Of that relationship, Rose explained, "It was hard going out with somebody that was non-binary because then you're like, 'What am I like in real life?' You're not a girlfriend. I would say 'girlfriend' because I didn't know what else to say. I had no idea what to like. What are you at that point? Like I think we just need a new dictionary. [Nomenclature] is so binary." Though Rose has in the past made it clear her split from Rain was fraught with drama, she didn't elaborate on the podcast, Page Six reported, opting only to say, "People come to you when you're down and they might not be the right people."
Production on Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible 7" in Italy halted due to coronavirus fears
On Feb. 24, Paramount halted production on the film "Mission: Impossible 7" in Venice, Italy, because of coronavirus concerns. "Out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew, and efforts of the local Venetian government to halt public gatherings in response to the threat of coronavirus, we are altering the production plan for our three-week shoot in Venice, the scheduled first leg of an extensive production for 'Mission: Impossible 7,'" a Paramount spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. "During this hiatus we want to be mindful of the concerns of the crew and are allowing them to return home until production starts. We will continue to monitor this situation, and work alongside health and government officials as it evolves." THR further reported that star Tom Cruise was not yet in Italy, where the number of confirmed cases of the virus had reached 229 by Monday, CNN reported. "M:I 7" and "M:I 8" are being shot back to back by director Christopher McQuarrie, who's also writing the films, for release in July 2021 and August 2022.
Bachelor Nation's Chad Johnson arrested for domestic violence
Chad Johnson — who was a villain on JoJo Fletcher's season of "The Bachelorette" and has also appeared on "Bachelor in Paradise" — was arrested in Los Angeles on Feb. 24 following incidents with now-ex-girlfriend Annalise Mishler on the 23rd and 24th, TMZ reported. An LAPD spokesperson confirmed to People magazine that the arrest was for robbery — Chad allegedly grabbed her phone while she was calling 911 — with domestic violence enhancement charges. Before cops arrived, Annalise documented some portions of a fight with Chad in since-deleted posts shared on her Instagram Story that were captured by Reality Steve and shared on the reality TV blogger's Twitter account. Chad could be heard yelling in some footage. A hole in the wall, where he allegedly punched it, was also visible. Chad, who allegedly got physical with Annalise, spoke to TooFab late on Feb. 24 and said her story was probably true but he didn't remember much because of his alcohol use. "I had a little relapse… well I wouldn't call it a little relapse," he said. "Big relapse." Chad started drinking on Sunday, he admitted, when he and Annalise broke up: "I've been so stressed man, just sitting in my car crying sometimes, just losing my mind. And to top it all off, the one person I'm closest to doesn't get me a lot of times. I just lost it." He also told TooFab, "I don't remember actually seeing her. I drank to the point where I didn't even know I was with her. I just gotta take the Instagram Story's word that I was there."
