Month: June 2021

Both John Travolta and his daughter Ella shared images to Instagram on Sunday for Father’s Day.

The photos were of John – who is best known for his movies Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction – with Ella Blue, 21, and son Benjamin, 10, as they huddled together; both shared sweet notes for their followers.

It is the family’s first Father’s Day since Kelly Preston passed away from breast cancer at age 57.

Cute family: Both John Travolta and his daughter Ella shared images to Instagram on Sunday for Father’s Day; this post is from John

John said on Instagram: ‘Happy Father’s Day everyone! It is a privilege to be the father of these two beautiful children – thank you for the honor and my love and respect to all fathers.’

And Ella shared: ‘Daddy, You make parenting look so easy, though it not always is. You make everyday better than the one before it.

‘You bring joy to us when we are down. You are our best friend and we love you to the moon and back around,’ she said.

Family first: Ella shared: ‘Daddy, You make parenting look so easy, though it not always is. You make everyday better than the one before it. You bring joy to us when we are down. You are our best friend and we love you to the moon and back around,’ she said

‘I hope to be even half as good of a parent as you someday Happy Father’s Day to this incredible man and to all of the amazing Dads out there.’

This comes a month after widower Travolta posted a poignant tribute to her for Mother’s Day on his Instagram.

Sharing photos of himself and Kelly with their children, the Hollywood movie star wrote: ‘Dearest Kelly, you brought into my life three of the most wonderful children I have ever known. Thank you. We love and miss you. Happy Mother’s Day.’

Touching: Travolta posted a poignant tribute to his late wife Kelly Preston on the first Mother’s Day following her death last July. He shared photos of himself and Kelly with daughter Ella, son Benjamin and their late son Jett who died in 2009 at age 16

In the first of two photos Travolta, 67, shared, he and Kelly are seen with Ella and Benjamin.

A second photo showed the couple with their firstborn son Jett, who died in January 2009 at 16.

Jett had autism and had suffered seizures since he was young.

Travolta and Preston had married in 1991 after meeting in 1987 on the set of the movie The Experts, which was released in 1989.

Hard loss: Kelly passed away on July 12, 2020, after a secret two-year battle with breast cancer. She was 57. The couple, pictured in June 2018, met on a film set in 1987 and married in 1991

‘I have learned that mourning someone, mourning, is personal,’ Travolta shared with Esquire Spain. ‘Mourning is individual and experiencing your own journey is what can lead to healing’

In an interview for the May issue of Esquire Spain, The Saturday Night Fever and Grease star spoke about his experiences of grief and loss.

‘I have learned that mourning someone, mourning, is personal,’ he shared. ‘Mourning is individual and experiencing your own journey is what can lead to healing.’

He explained: ‘The most important thing you can do to help another when they are in mourning is to allow them to live it and not complicate it with yours. That’s my experience.’

Travolta added: ‘Life is movement and a journey; what you leave behind in people, I guess that’s your legacy.’

As for his role as dad to Ella and Benjamin, the actor shared: ‘I will ensure the future of my children, help them with what they want to do with their lives. 

‘It is what I do with Ella now with her films and teaching her to work in the profession,’ he said. ‘Ben is barely ten-years-old. I want to help him evolve because he has his whole life ahead of him.’

Travolta is now raising Ella, 21, and Benjamin, 10, as a single dad and told Esquire Spain’s May issue: ‘I will ensure the future of my children, help them with what they want to do with their lives’

Last month, Travolta had memorialized Jett on what would have been his 29th birthday on April 13, sharing this sweet black and white photo of the two of them together.

Jennifer Lopez has continued to turn up the heat on Instagram amid her blossoming romance with Ben Affleck.

The 51-year-old megastar celebrated ‘Fashion Friday,’ with glamorous shots in sassy sky high gold boots and an expertly curated outfit from the comfort of her home in Bel Air, California.

JLo’s posts come just days after she was seen packing on the PDA with her new-old flame at Nobu, and amid reports that she had always viewed the actor as ‘the one that got away,’ before rekindling.

Feeling herself: Jennifer Lopez, 51, took to Instagram to celebrate ‘fashion Friday’ with a backyard photo shoot where she donned sky high gold boots

Jennifer’s ultra glamorous look included a tailored white blouse and a tangerine skirt with a slit in the front.

And she added to the already striking outfit with a pair of shiny platform gold boots that went over the knee as she flashed a hint of leg by the pool.

She continued to accessorize with oversized gold hoops and a series of statement rings with a diamond pendant, and showed off her expert glam and fresh blowout in a mirror shot.

The singer continued to tag MTV in her posts, as she appeared to shoot some new project for the network.

Takes balance! The megastar dressed up a rather tailored look with edgy platform gold boots that went over her knees

New project? JLo continued to tag MTV in the posts and seemed to shoot something for the network

After calling off her two-year engagement to Alex Rodriguez, JLo began spending time with Affleck, which led to their rekindled romance.

A source told Page Six this week that after she and Affleck split in 2004, she had seen him as ‘the one that got away.’

‘Jennifer always saw Ben as the one that got away. She was crushed after they broke up, though she felt at the time that she had no other choice but to call off their engagement,’ an insider said.

It had been revealed that the Good Will Hunting actor had actually reached out to her during the time she was filming Shotgun Wedding in the Dominican Republic, and he reportedly wrote to marvel at how ‘beautiful’ she looked.

Romantic weekend: The Good Will Hunting actor and the singer were spotted shacking up together in Miami; pictured May 25

At ease: At their love nest she was seen doing yoga while Affleck smoked a cigarette; pictured May 25

From there they engaged in back and forth communication with plans to meet up, and they were first officially seen together on a getaway to Big Sky, Montana in May.

Prior to that she and Affleck, 48, had been spending time together quietly, as SUVs brought them to matching locations and he was seen paying visits to her Bel Air home.

But as it was said that they weren’t ‘letting distance be too much of an obstacle,’ the vacations continued as he jetted to Miami to see her where they shacked up in a villa, and they have now been spending time together in Los Angeles.

Additionally she was seen touring ritzy private schools on the westside for her kids Emme and Max, 13, which suggested she may be uprooting them to be closer to Affleck who wanted to stay near the three kids he shares with ex Jennifer Garner.

Memento: On Friday the actor was seen once again donning the watch JLo had gifted him back in 2002

LA life! JLo was seen touring ritzy private schools on LA’s westside for her kids Emme and Max as she continues to pursue her romance with Affleck who has three kids he wants to stay close to; pictured June 4

Both have been spotted wearing mementos from each other as JLo arrived to LA via private jet in his flannel, and before that he had slipped back on a watch she had gifted him in 2002. He was seen wearing it again on June 18.

During a recent trip to Las Vegas, Affleck was also seen spending time with her mom Guadalupe as photos surfaced of the pair chatting and laughing together on the casino floor at the Wynn.

A source told People that Jennifer’s mom was ‘thrilled’ they were back together and that Lopez ‘loved’ that her man and mom were spending time together, after Affleck had tapped the 76-year-old to make a cameo in a project he was directing.

Most recently, the now second time Hollywood power couple were seen kissing at Nobu this week. And amid all their now very public outings her ex A-Rod has now reportedly ‘come to terms’ with things being ‘over’ between them.

‘When they first split, he wanted to work things out, and still held on to hope that he and J.Lo would get back together,’ a source told ET. ‘He’s come to terms with the fact that it’s over now.’

It’s over! ‘When they first split, he wanted to work things out, and still held on to hope that he and J.Lo would get back together…He’s come to terms with the fact that it’s over now,’ a source told ET about A-Rod.

Zak Williams, the son of the late actor and comedian Robin Williams, and his wife Olivia June have welcomed a baby girl.

The 38-year-old actor and entrepreneur announced the happy news on Instagram and shared adorable photos of his daughter, Zola.

‘Introducing our newest member of the family, Zola June Williams!’ The Graduates actor wrote in the caption.

Congratulations! Robin Williams’ son Zak and his wife Olivia June have welcomed a baby girl

A family of four now: Zak and Olivia seen with baby Zola as well as son McLaurin ‘Mickey’ Clement, two

‘Since joining us, she’s getting on amazingly with her big brother @mickeycwilliams and has proven to be one laid back little girl’ he continued.

‘@heyoliviajune is doing awesome and we are over-the-moon to be welcoming Zola into the world!’

Zak and Olivia, 34, also share son McLaurin ‘Mickey’ Clement, two. The pair are the co-founders of PYM, a mental health support brand. They married in October 2020 on World Mental Health Day.

Tragic: Zak met Olivia in 2014 when he was struggling to cope with the death of his father, who committed suicide in August of that year at the age of 63. Pictured in 2012

Going way back: Robin holding Zak in 1987. Zak describes his problems with substance abuse as ‘generational,’ Williams also vowed to ‘break the cycle’ now that he is a father himself

In the first photo, Zola is clad in ruffled leopard print and laying on a furry blanket as she gazes into the camera.

The second shot shows the infant in a baby blue bodysuit with a colorful rose pattern nestled in a floral Deluxe+ docking station by luxury baby brand, DockATot.

Her hands are balled into tiny fists as she turns her head to the side.

Adorable: The second shot shows the infant in a baby blue bodysuit with a colorful rose pattern nestled in a floral Deluxe+ docking station by luxury baby brand, DockATot

Big brother: In the next cute image, Mickey is seen wearing red pajamas as he holds his baby sister in his lap

In the next cute image, Mickey is seen wearing red pajamas as he holds his baby sister in his lap. The towheaded child looked cheerful as he cradled Zola’s head with one hand and wrapped his other hand around her fingers.

The last photo featured the whole family smiling joyfully as they sat on a white couch and posed for the snap. June looked delighted as the mom of two held Zola.

Though no details about Zola’s birth have been released, Olivia revealed in her Instagram story that she was born at the end of May.

 ‘2.5 weeks into being a mom of two. And my nanny is [out] for a few days. But. I think I got this?!!?’ she wrote.

In the video that she posted, Olivia is walking with Mickey who is in a red push car and holding Zola in a baby sling.

On Mother’s Day, June paid tribute to her own mother and grandmother and shared photos as they celebrated the holiday together.

Mommy duties: Though no details about Zola’s birth have been released, Olivia revealed in her Instagram story that she was born at the end of May

Olivia captioned the post: ‘Did you know that women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, so when your mother was in your grandmothers uterus, the little egg that carried 50% of your genes and became you was there, too

‘So grateful that I got to be there celebrate my grandmother on her 94th birthday with my momma and with my baby girl in my belly. May baby girl continue on the legacy of the fierce, smart, ambitious, and creative women that came before her.

‘And I can’t help but wonder if she will have a daughter one day, and what that little egg inside her will be like.’

Sweet: On Mother’s Day, Olivia paid tribute to her own mother and grandmother and shared photos as they celebrated the holiday together

Good times:  Olivia wrote ‘So grateful that I got to be there celebrate my grandmother on her 94th birthday with my momma and with my baby girl in my belly’

Williams honored his wife on Mother’s Day with a sweet caption under a photo of her wearing sunglasses and sipping an iced coffee.

‘Happy Mother’s Day to the BEST MOM a boy could ask for. I love you so!’ he said.

Olivia commented, ‘Awe love you guys more than everything. ‘

In love: Zak honored his wife on Mother’s Day with a sweet caption under a photo of her wearing sunglasses and sipping an iced coffee

The couple announced that they were expecting their second child on Christmas morning. June shared a photo of the family of three clad in matching red pajamas as they smiled in front of a Christmas tree.

‘Well… we tried to get a Christmas card done this year… and a nice family photo… but 2020, ‘ she said in the caption, while showing off her baby bump. ‘On the upside, we are thrilled to use the excuse of Christmas jammies to announce that @zakpym and I are expecting a baby girl to turn us into a family of four (six if you count our fur children) this May 2021!

‘Wishing you all very happy holidays full of love in your hearts and hope for the new year ahead.  Olivia, Zak, Mickey, April, and Cozy Cat’

Holiday surprise: The couple announced that they were expecting their second child on Christmas morning

Williams met June in 2014 when he was struggling to cope with the death of his father, who committed suicide at the age of 63.

Robin was found dead at his home in Tiburon, Marin County, California on August 11, 2014. The actor had antidepressants, caffeine and Parkinson’s drug levodopa in his system. Williams had battled severe depression for years.

Zak and Olivia are mental health advocates and Zak recently made an appearance on Prince Harry and Oprah’s new Apple TV+ mental health docuseries, The Me You Can’t See.

He described his problems with drinking and drugs as ‘generational.’ His father Robin had a history of substance abuse before taking his own life.

Williams also vowed to ‘break the cycle’ now that he is a father himself.

Think you know how to pronounce Alicia Silverstone’s name? Think again!

The “Clueless” star, 44, recently joined TikTok, and she used one of her first videos to set the record straight about something that many fans have been getting wrong for years.

“My name is ‘Ah-LEE-see-ah,’” she said in the short clip. “Not ‘Ah-LEE-shah.’ Not ‘Ah-lee-SHAH.’ Alicia!”

“Just an FYI… it’s Ali-SEE-yuh ??,” wrote in the accompanying caption.

This piece of information blew many people’s minds, with some fans saying they had been mispronouncing her first name for decades.

As if! See Alicia Silverstone talk ‘Clueless’ slang on TODAY in 1995

“I would like to give a formal apology for completely pronouncing your name wrong for my entire life??? That’s wild,” one person commented on TikTok.

“Well it seems like I’ve been saying your name wrong my whole life haha,” another fan wrote.

Silverstone replied to that comment with a face with tears of joy emoji, as well as a heart emoji, so it seems like she is not too upset about the varying pronunciations of her name.

“It doesn’t bother me though!” the actor commented on her TikTok video. “But my sweet mama didn’t like it… so for her… get it right! Ali-SEE-yuh.”

Silversone joined TikTok less than a week ago, and her first video served up some delightful “Clueless” nostalgia. She channeled Cher Horowitz in a yellow plaid blazer as she re-created the famous “As If” scene from the 1995 teen rom-com.

She is also not the only celebrity who has had to clarify the pronunciation of her name. In 2019, Rihanna dropped a bombshell during an interview with British Vogue, when she pronounced her own name as “Ree-ANNE-ah” — not “Ree-AH-na,” as many fans had always pronounced it.

In 2018, model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen also revealed that fans had been pronouncing her last name incorrectly for years. Teigen is pronounced “TIE-gen,” not “TEE-gen.”

Anthony Mackie was on hand to give Captain Americahis new shield at Disney’s Avengers Campus. The MCU star was a part of the live stream to the grand unveiling of the theme park on social media. It was a big affair near the quinjet atop the new section of Disney’s California Adventure. Fans can go see all their favorite heroes in action and performing stunts at the Avengers Campus. Sam Wilson becoming the new Captain America was a big deal for a lot of fans out there. Mackie sounded visibly emotional about this moment while he gave his speech. Sam Wilson ran out in his brand new version of the costume and the actor passed the torch himself. Kevin Feige thanked both of them for being there before the fireworks show began. Fans from all over were touched by this moment for the star of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. You can watch for yourself down below.

SAM WILSON FINALLY BECAME CAPTAIN AMERICA IT WAS A MOMENT THAT WAS ALL ABOUT THE FUTURE pic.twitter.com/5sD69p2rV0

“I think [Dave Bushore, Vice President, Franchise Creative & Marketing, Marvel Studios was] always bringing this line in the very beginning, the Nick Fury line. ‘You’re part of a bigger universe, you just didn’t know it yet,'” Scot Drake, Portfolio Creative Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, explained as ComicBook.com got a behind-the-scenes look at Avengers Campus. “And we take that into every attraction, every Heroic Encounter, everything should make you feel like you’re part of something even bigger.”

Are you excited to see Captain America at Disney’s Avengers Campus? Let us know in the comments!

Actor John Cena’s embarrassing capitulation to communist China last week did not produce the outcome that Hollywood executives had hoped.

What is the background?

Cena, of course, posted a video to Sena Wiebo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform, apologizing to Chinese fans for calling Taiwan a “country” in a recent interview promoting “F9,” the latest installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise. The mea culpa was delivered in Mandarin, the official language of China.

Who prompted Cena to apologize is not clear, whether his own instincts or the demands of Hollywood executives who depend on Chinese ticket sales. However, the former WWE star, whose foray into the movie industry has been successful thus far, was immediately rebuked by Americans for, as it appeared, bowing down to China.

Disputed claims over Taiwan stem from the Chinese civil war in the last century, which was ultimately a fight between communism and democracy. China maintains its claims over Taiwan, yet the island is self-governed and has declared its own sovereignty.

What are the details?

Despite Cena’s apology, ticket sales for “F9” plummeted in China following his Chinese nationalist faux pas, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

In fact, the movie generated $136 million in China during the opening weekend, but earned only $20.8 this past weekend, the second weekend the movie was played in Chinese theaters. That’s a massive 85% decrease in ticket revenue.

And, despite the successful opening weekend, “F9” is now predicted to earn slightly more than just half of the two preceding “Fast & Furious” movies in China.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Reaction from Chinese fans to Cena’s apology almost foreshadowed the hard crash in ticket sales.

“Please say in Chinese, ‘Taiwan is part of China,’ otherwise we won’t accept [your apology],” the top comment on the video said, Newsweek reported.

“Then at least say Taiwan is China’s. You’re avoiding the issue and talking nonsense. You can’t benefit from [the Chinese market] and trash it at the same time,” another critic said.

Costumes for film and television can often become so iconic that they transcend the actors who wore them. Simply envision a blue, gingham pinafore and a pair of red shoes or a little black dress and a string of pearls: these costumes conjure characters well before the movie stars who played them.

Yet costume designers — many of whom are women — are rarely compensated or credited for the myriad ways in which their creativity and hard work generate revenue off-screen, whether through dolls, Halloween costumes or licensed fashion collaborations.

A recent incident over a “Cruella”-inspired fashion line, which was licensed, designed and released without costume designer Jenny Beavan’s knowledge, has finally pushed a number of fellow costumers — including the Costume Designers Guild itself — into publicly calling out the “unfair” practice, despite the risk it poses to their own careers.

Oscar-winning Beavan is the brains behind the sumptuous outfits in the new “Cruella” film, starring Emma Stone and Emma Thompson. She has been nominated 10 times for best costume design at the Academy Awards and has won twice, once for “A Room with a View” and another time for “Mad Max: Fury Road”. When she worked on “Cruella,” she says, she “never stopped thinking” about her work. And, she admits: “I’ve got what every [costume] designer has, which is a bad right shoulder from heaving heavy costumes off racks.”

During production of “Cruella,” Beavan recalls there had been some talk of working with Disney on co-branded products for Target and Singer sewing machines. There was also discussion about a possible fashion collection. But production ended, the pandemic hit and suddenly Beavan had more important things to worry about, like whether she’d ever work again. “Because I’m 70, I didn’t think I’d get insurance. And a lot of producers were saying, ‘You know, we may never be able to make films again.’”

Beavan, who says she didn’t hear anything more from Disney about merchandise or licensing, promptly forgot all about it. Then, last month, a friend sent her an Instagram post from fashion brand Rag & Bone, advertising their new, officially licensed “Cruella”-inspired collection and asking if she was involved. It was the first she had heard of it.

“I just was sort of horrified,” Beavan tells Variety from her London home, where she is currently at work on the “Mad Max” prequel “Furiosa.”

“The thing about ‘Cruella’ is that you’ve got a film about fashion, about two fashion designers. The whole story is them almost having a war using fashion. So, that’s so disrespectful to then bring out fashion lines,” notes Beavan.

Disney did not respond to Variety’s query by press time.

Beavan is by no means the first costume designer to be blindsided by merchandise based on her work. A licensed “Birds of Prey” collection by Her Universe, which was released last year, drew heavily from Harley Quinn and co.’s costumes but didn’t involve Erin Benach, the costume designer who created them. And Mona May, who has created iconic designs for films including “Clueless” and Disney’s “Enchanted,” recalls seeing “Clueless” dolls in 1995 that “had my costumes on, like verbatim — the yellow suit, the black suit.”

May tells Variety, “That was really shocking that I was not involved at all and I had no compensation for something that huge.”

Similarly, the puffball princess dress that May created for Amy Adams’ character in “Enchanted” was copied “to a tee” for children’s costumes, right down to the butterfly on the bust, the designer claims. “It’s such an old studio system in the sense that we basically sign [away] our life when we sign a contract, and there is no way around it,” May says.

“Historically, this is a huge issue for our membership, and for all costume designers,” says CDG communications director Anna Wyckoff. “Because, as everyone knows, a costume has a long life after the project — in merchandising and toys and Halloween costumes. So there are many opportunities for the costumes to be used in an ancillary marketing fashion.”

“As costume designers, our work has a life beyond the screen,” costume designer and CDG president Salvador Pérez Jr tells Variety. “Our work is reproduced for toys, costumes, fashion collections and more. Not only are we not allowed to participate in the profits made off of the merchandising, we aren’t even credited for our work on the original designs.”

Occasionally, licensing departments do bring in costume designers to work on fashion collaborations: Janie Bryant, who was responsible for the wardrobe on “Mad Men,” enjoyed a successful multi-year collaboration with Banana Republic, working on a licensed “Mad Men” line. Meanwhile, costumier Eric Damon worked with British retailer Miss Selfridge on a “Gossip Girl” collection in 2010. And in 2011, costume designer Trish Somerville curated a “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” collection for H&M.

It’s not standard practice, however, especially among the bigger studios. And involvement in other types of merchandise is almost unheard of, despite agents’ best efforts to negotiate their clients’ contracts. “You basically do sign your life away,” says Beavan.

What costume designers want is credit for their work in all its forms and, ideally, compensation, whether through profit participation from the film or a cut of merchandise profits where their work is used. “Producers, directors, musicians, actors and even first [assistant directors] get a percentage of profits from their work,” Perez Jr. points out. “Costume designers who help generate additional revenues from productions deserve to be compensated for the additional income earned.”

“We were hired to design the costumes for the show,” he says. “Not the merchandising.”

 

In case you had any reservations about Thor: Love and Thunder, you might as well toss those aside. According to helmer Taika Waititi, the movie is the craziest thing he’s ever done, and judging by his resume, that means it’s probably pretty darn crazy. Tuesday evening, Waititi reshared the mega-viral celebratory snapshot Chris Hemsworth shared earlier in the day. Though it’s the same picture, the director added his own spin with the caption.

“And that’s a wrap on Thor: Love and Thunder,” Waititi shared. “Sometimes two people come together to inspire the world and change the cinematic landscape forever. And then there’s me and [Chris Hemsworth] who are too cool to care about anything except making movies that bring people absolute joy. Ok I don’t look cool I know that.”

The filmmaker then added, “This film is the craziest thing I’ve ever done and I’m honoured to bust my ass and have a nervous breakdown so you can all see it in May 2022.”

Waititi’s latest comments echo those he first made in 2019, where he called Love and Thunder a “brighter” and “bolder” film than Thor: Ragnarok, a feature most might consider one of Marvel’s most radical films.

“The next Thor film I’m doing, basically, we’re sort of launching ourselves again on this adventure film, really. That was the thing really that I loved about doing Ragnarok, it felt like we were just putting Thor on a really cool adventure,” Waititi previously told Entertainment Weekly in 2019. “There’s always like new things to see and do, and this one, I think we’re gonna double down a lot on that and have it bigger, bolder, and brighter. There’s just gonna be some really crazy stuff in the film.”

Thor: Love and Thunder is currently set for release on May 6, 2022.

What other characters do you hope to see pop up in Thor 4? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!

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