Kenny Rogers Last Deal, Gambler … Dead at 81




Idris Elba Wife Tests Positive for Coronavirus … Tested With No Symptoms




Anna Nicole Smith – Legend of the month

 

Born on November 28, 1967, in Mexia, Texas, Anna Nicole Smith rose to fame as a model. She was named Playboy‘s Playmate of the Year in 1993. In 1994, she wed 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II, who soon died. Smith spent years fighting for a share of her late husband’s estate. She starred in her own reality show from 2002 to 2004. Smith died of an accidental drug overdose in 2007.

Early Life

Anna Nicole Smith was born Vickie Lynn Hogan on November 28, 1967, in Mexia, Texas. A high school dropout, Smith’s dramatic life began quietly in the small Texas town of Mexia. She had a difficult childhood, growing up without her father who left the family when she was only a baby. 

As a teenager, Smith worked at a local fried chicken restaurant. There she met cook Billy Smith, and the pair married when she was only 17 years old. The couple had a son named Daniel in 1984, but the marriage later broke up. Not content with small-town life, Smith dreamed of becoming the next Marilyn Monroe.

Before her big break, Anna Nicole Smith worked numerous jobs, including as a Wal-Mart employee and a dancer. She left her son in the care of her mother, Virgie Arthur, to work in Houston at a strip club. In 1991, Smith met Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II while working at a club. She soon had her own reversal of fortune.

Fight for Fortune

Smith married Marshall in 1994. At the time, she was 26 and he was 89. The tremendous age difference between the couple surprised many, and Smith endured allegations of only being after Marshall’s sizeable fortune. According to People magazine, the bride took off for Greece without her groom shortly after the wedding. The pair also weren’t living together in Marshall’s final days, and the unusual union ended with Marshall’s death in 1995. 

Smith claimed that Marshall had promised a share of his estate, but he had not put her in his will. She spent years fighting his son, E. Pierce Marshall, in court. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2006, with the court’s decision opening the door for Anna Nicole Smith to collect money from her late husband’s estate, though the case was not yet settled. 

Reality Star and Spokesperson

In 2002, television viewers got an inside look at Smith and her wacky, quirky ways with a new series. The Anna Nicole Show, a reality program, followed her through her daily activities. At times, the show was difficult to watch as Smith seemed disoriented or confused, but the audience continued to tune in to see what Smith might do or say next. She was often shown in the company of Howard K. Stern, her attorney. While the show went off the air in 2004, Anna Nicole Smith remained popular with the American public.

Having struggled with her weight on and off for years, Anna Nicole Smith became a spokesperson for a line of diet products in 2003. She lost a significant amount of weight and did some modeling and acting. In 2006, Smith starred in the science fiction-comedy Illegal Aliens. Her son Daniel also worked on the project with her.

Personal Problems

While her professional life appeared to be on the rise, Anna Nicole Smith experienced both joy and tragedy in her personal life. She announced that she was pregnant during the summer of 2006, and gave birth to a daughter on September 7, 2006, at a hospital in Nassau, Bahamas. She named her child Dannielynn, and was thrilled to be a mother again. But her happiness was short-lived. Her 20-year-old son Daniel died only three days later from an apparent drug overdose. Later reports indicated that the interaction of methadone and two different types of antidepressants may have caused his death. Anna Nicole Smith never truly recovered from the loss.

Smith found herself in the middle of media frenzy with reports on her son’s death appearing on entertainment news programs on an almost daily basis. She also became embroiled in a paternity lawsuit regarding her daughter. Her ex-boyfriend, photographer Larry Birkhead, claimed to be Dannielynn’s father. Smith stated that her attorney, Howard K. Stern, was the child’s father, and he is listed on the child’s birth certificate. In the midst of all this heartbreak and legal battles, Smith and Stern held a small commitment ceremony, after which they ate fried chicken and drank champagne. While the event symbolized their devotion to each other, it was not legally binding.

Death and Legacy

Anna Nicole Smith died on February 8, 2007, at the age of 39, after being found unconscious in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. In death as in life, Anna Nicole Smith made headlines around the world. As a tribute, Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner told the press at the time: “She was a very dear friend who meant a great deal to Playboy and to me personally.”

After Smith’s death, there was much speculation regarding the paternity of her daughter, including one claim made by Prince Frederick von Anhalt, Zsa Zsa Gabor’s husband. He told the Associated Press that he had an affair with Anna Nicole Smith and believed that he was Dannielynn’s father. In April 2007, it was determined by DNA test results that Larry Birkhead was the biological father of Dannielynn. Howard K. Stern did not contest this ruling and legal custody was granted to Birkhead.  

There was also speculation over the cause of the reality star’s death, with authorities eventually announcing that it was an accidental drug overdose. Smith had been taking nine different kinds of medication in the days before her death. Stern and two others were later found guilty of crimes associated with her death. All of these convictions were thrown out in 2011 except for a misdemeanor against Smith’s psychiatrist.

That year, the battle over Smith’s claims on Marshall’s estate once again made it to the U.S. Supreme Court. This time, it was determined that the earlier Texas probate court finding against Smith would stand. Legal proceedings would continue until 2014, with a judge ruling against another lawsuit brought forth by Smith’s team.

In 2012, Stern again faced legal consequences for his alleged role in supplying Smith’s prescription drug habit. The Second District Court of Appeal objected with the vacating of these convictions against Stern. The court stated that it believed that Stern may have “knowingly participated in conduct designed to avoid detection and scrutiny” in regard to the prescription drugs used by Smith, according to Eonline.com.

While ridiculed by some for her spacey persona, Smith was also admired for her rise to success despite so many personal obstacles. Perhaps the quintessential underdog, Smith had lots of fans rooting for her to overcome the recent tragedies. Unfortunately, that was not to be. After her death, she has been compared to many of Hollywood’s beautiful women who died too young, including Jean Harlow and Anna Nicole Smith’s personal favorite, Marilyn Monroe.

Smith continues to be a subject of great fascination and speculation to this day. Her life and sudden death has inspired numerous books, documentaries and movies. In 2011, an opera entitled Anna Nicole—telling Smith’s tragic tale in song—debuted in London to mostly favorable reviews. In 2013, Lifetime TV network released The Anna Nicole Story, with Agnes Bruckner starring as the troubled pin-up and Martin Landau portraying J. Howard Marshall.

 

 

 

 

 

 




Congrats on baby number 4, Ayda and Robbie

Ayda and Robbie Williams celebrated Valentine’s Day in a very special way as they announced the birth of their fourth child.

“On this Valentine’s Day, we would like to celebrate love in the most awesome way… Beau Benedict Enthoven Williams,” Ayda wrote in an Instagram post, sharing the couple’s good news with her followers.

“As with Coco, he is biologically ours, but born via our same incredible surrogate. We are so blessed to have our healthy son safely in our arms and are officially complete as a family.”




Golden Globes 2020: Full list of winners and nominees

The winners of this year’s Golden Globe Awards have been announced at a ceremony in Los Angeles, California.

Here is the full list of winners and nominees:

Best motion picture – drama

  • WINNER: 1917
  • The Irishman
  • Joker
  • Marriage Story
  • The Two Popes

Best actress in a motion picture – drama

  • Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
  • Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
  • Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
  • Charlize Theron – Bombshell
  • WINNER: Renée Zellweger – Judy

Best actor in a motion picture – drama

  • Christian Bale – Ford v Ferrari
  • Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
  • Adam Driver – Marriage Story
  • WINNER: Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
  • Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes

Best motion picture – musical or comedy

  • Dolemite Is My Name
  • Jojo Rabbit
  • Knives Out
  • WINNER: Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
  • Rocketman

Best actress in a motion picture – musical or comedy

  • Ana De Armas – Knives Out
  • WINNER: Awkwafina – The Farewell
  • Cate Blanchett – Where’d You Go, Bernadette
  • Beanie Feldstein – Booksmart
  • Emma Thompson – Late Night

Best actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy

  • Daniel Craig – Knives Out
  • Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit
  • Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
  • WINNER: Taron Egerton – Rocketman
  • Eddie Murphy – Dolemite is My Name

Best motion picture – animated

  • Frozen 2
  • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
  • The Lion King
  • WINNER: Missing Link
  • Toy Story 4

Best motion picture – foreign language

  • The Farewell
  • Les Miserables
  • Pain and Glory
  • WINNER: Parasite
  • Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Best actress in a supporting role in any motion picture

  • Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
  • Annette Bening – The Report
  • WINNER: Laura Dern – Marriage Story
  • Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers
  • Margot Robbie – Bombshell


Best actor in a supporting role in any motion picture

  • Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
  • Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
  • Al Pacino – The Irishman
  • Joe Pesci – The Irishman
  • WINNER: Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best director in a motion picture

  • Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
  • Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
  • Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
  • WINNER: Sam Mendes – 1917
  • Todd Phillips – Joker

Best screenplay – motion picture

  • Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story
  • Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won – Parasite
  • Anthony McCarten – The Two Popes
  • WINNER: Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
  • Steven Zaillian – The Irishman

Best original score

  • Motherless Brooklyn – Daniel Pemberton
  • Little Women – Alexandre Desplat
  • WINNER: Joker – Hildur Gudnadottir
  • 1917 – Thomas Newman
  • Marriage Story – Randy Newman

Best original song – motion picture

  • Beautiful Ghosts – Cats
  • WINNER: I’m Gonna Love Me Again – Rocketman
  • Into the Unknown – Frozen 2
  • Spirit – The Lion King
  • Stand Up – Harriet

Best television series – drama

  • Big Little Lies
  • The Crown
  • Killing Eve
  • The Morning Show
  • WINNER: Succession

Best actress in a drama series

  • Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show
  • WINNER: Olivia Colman – The Crown
  • Jodie Comer – Killing Eve
  • Nicole Kidman – Big Little Lies
  • Reese Witherspoon – The Morning Show

Best actor in a drama series

  • WINNER: Brian Cox – Succession
  • Kit Harington – Game of Thrones
  • Rami Malek – Mr Robot
  • Tobias Menzies – The Crown
  • Billy Porter – Pose

Best television series – musical or comedy

  • Barry
  • WINNER: Fleabag
  • The Kominsky Method
  • The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
  • The Politician

Best actress in a television series – musical or comedy

  • Christina Applegate – Dead to Me
  • Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
  • Kirsten Dunst – On Becoming a God in Central Florida
  • Natasha Lyonne – Russian Doll
  • WINNER: Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag

Best actor in a television series – musical or comedy

  • Michael Douglas – The Kominsky Method
  • Bill Hader – Barry
  • Ben Platt – The Politician
  • Paul Rudd – Living With Yourself
  • WINNER: Ramy Youssef – Ramy

Best television limited series or motion picture made for television

  • Catch-22
  • WINNER: Chernobyl
  • Fosse/Verdon
  • The Loudest Voice
  • Unbelievable

Best actress in a limited series or TV movie

  • WINNER: Michelle Williams – Fosse/Verdon
  • Helen Mirren – Catherine the Great
  • Merritt Wever – Unbelievable
  • Kaitlyn Dever – Unbelievable
  • Joey King – The Act

Best actor in a limited series or a motion picture made for television

  • Chris Abbott – Catch-22
  • Sacha Baron Cohen – The Spy
  • WINNER: Russell Crowe – The Loudest Voice
  • Jared Harris – Chernobyl
  • Sam Rockwell – Fosse/Verdon

Best actress in a supporting role in a series, limited series or a motion picture made for television

  • Meryl Streep – Big Little Lies
  • Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown
  • Emily Watson – Chernobyl
  • WINNER: Patricia Arquette – The Act
  • Toni Collette – Unbelievable

Best actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television

  • lan Arkin – The Kominsky Method
  • Kieran Culkin – Succession
  • Andrew Scott – Fleabag
  • WINNER: Stellan Skarsgård – Chernobyl
  • Henry Winkler – Barry

CONGRATULATIONS!!!




Ozzy Osbourne: I’m Not On My Deathbed!!! Out And About With Sharon

tmz.com




Friends fans fuming as show is dumped from Netflix on New year’s Day in the US

 

 

Fans of Friends in the United States are having a meltdown after the show is no longer available to stream on Netflix .

The 1990s sitcom, which had been available on Netflix since Jan. 1, 2015, will disappear into the streaming ether until May, when Friends will be available domestically exclusively on WarnerMedia’s new HBO Max service.

According to reports, this will be a five-year deal estimated to be worth $425 million.

WarnerMedia is believed to have previously paid a combined $1.5 billion for The Big Bang Theory and Two And A Half Men.

Netflix, is widely credited with introducing the sitcom to a new generation, making sure the obsession continues almost 30 years later.

Friends was so popular – second only to The Office – that Netflix reportedly paid another $100 million in 2018 to keep the rights for another year.




Fauda series 3 debut watched by a million Israelis within 48 hours

 

 

The first episode of the third season of the hit Israeli drama “Fauda” was viewed by Israelis about 1 million times in the 48 hours after it first aired.

The Israeli drama, in Hebrew and Arabic, received a 12.6 percent share of viewers during its debut on Thursday night, according to a trade website, citing the YES satellite company.

The third season reportedly will focus its attention on Gaza.

The show was broadcast Thursday night on the YES Action Channel and then was available on YES VOD and on the YES YouTube channel.

Its creators are Avi Issacharoff, the Arab affairs reporter for the English-language Times of Israel news website, and actor Lior Raz, who stars in the show. Both men served in the IDF unit depicted in the series.

Last week the series was ranked eighth on The New York Times list of the 30 best international television shows of the decade.

 




Prince Andrew addresses Jeffrey Epstein scandal for first time while Sarah Ferguson publicly supports him

Prince Andrew has spoken out about his links to convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, in an interview with BBC Newsnight‘s Emily Maitlis, which was aired on Saturday night. Speaking at Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s son “categorically” denied having any sexual contact with American woman Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey’s accusers, who was aged 17 at the time. The royal told Emily: “It didn’t happen. I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.” Andrew also said that he would testify under oath if “push came to shove” and that his lawyers advised him too. Addressing Jeffrey’s attendance at Princess Beatrice’s 18th birthday party at Windsor Castle in 2006, Andrew said that he was unaware of an arrest warrant against the American financer at the time. The royal answered: “At the time, I certainly wasn’t aware when the invitation was issued, what was going on in the United States. And I wasn’t aware until the media picked up on it because he certainly never said anything about it.”

When asked if he feels regret over his relationship with Jeffrey, Andrew said that it was the wrong decision to visit him in December 2010. He said: “Do I regret the fact that he has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming? yes.” He added that he now regrets going to stay with Jeffrey. “I stayed with him and that’s.. the bit that… as it were, I kick myself for on a daily basis because it was not something that was becoming of a member of the Royal Family and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the side down, simple as that.”

Andrew said that the allegations have been a “constant sore” in the royal family. “We all knew him, and I think that if we have a conversation about it, we are all left with the same thing, what on earth happened? Or how did he get to where he was, what did he do, how did he do it? And so it’s just a constant ghaw. I mean this first came out in 2011 and it was a surprise to all of us because the photographs were published at a separate time to when I was there, and then we sort of questioned what was going on and discussed it.”

The Duke also said that the Queen and the wider royal family have been nothing but supportive. Andrew told Emily at the end of the interview: “I think you’ve dragged out most of what is required and I’m truly grateful for the opportunity that you’ve given me to be able to discuss this with you.” The royal’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, publicly shared her support for Andrew after the interview was aired. She took to Instagram to share a series of photos of him, which were accompanied by a statement. Sarah wrote: “It is so rare to meet people that are able to speak from their hearts with honesty and pure real truth, that remain steadfast and strong to their beliefs. Andrew is a true and real gentleman and is stoically steadfast to not only his duty but also his kindness and goodness of always seeing the best in people. I am deeply supportive and proud of this giant of a principled man, that dares to put his shoulder to the wind and stands firm with his sense of honour and truth.”

The mother-of-two added: “For so many years he has gone about his duties for Great Britain and The Monarch. It is time for Andrew to stand firm now, and that he has, and I am with him every step of the way and that is my honour. We have always walked tall and strong, he for me and me for him. We are the best examples of joint parenting, with both our girls and I go back to my three C’s ..Communicate, Compromise, Compassion.”

 

©hello magazine




Jack Osbourne Victim of Identity Theft … Someone Jacked Me for $30,000!!!

Jack Osbourne felt something was amiss while poring over his credit card statements … and he was proven right when he discovered he’d been the target of identity theft. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … the red flags started flying for Jack when he saw just a few odd charges, and it prompted him to start looking back at previous months’ statements. Good thing he did, ’cause lo and behold … he found a slew of charges he never made.

We’re told Jack contacted law enforcement and reported the unauthorized charges totaled around $30k. It appears the charge to his card came from an employee of a monthly service Jack has scheduled at his house. The LAPD is now investigating the case, though no arrests have been made. We know getting hit for five figures worth o’ cash flat-out sucks … but it beats the last time Jack fell victim to a crime.

TMZ broke the story … Ozzy and Sharon’s son was brutally attacked back in April after an apparent homeless man walked up to him on a coffee shop patio and sucker punched him. The attacker was tracked down and arrested for battery and assault. We’ll see if Jack has justice on his side again with the credit card scammer.