Entertainment

Megan Fox didn’t shy away from discussing her mental health in a new interview, where she candidly discussed overcoming a “pretty severe eating disorder” that was triggered by childhood trauma.

Speaking to CR Fashion Book for their forthcoming CR PARADE issue, the Transformers actress opened up about her complicated relationship with body image and self-love.

“I came into the world really bright and sunny and happy,” she began, according to Daily Mail. “However, at a certain point, I went through some trauma in childhood and I developed a pretty severe eating disorder and manic depression, which runs in my family, so there was definitely some wrestling with chemical imbalance going on.”

Fox, 35, related her inner struggle to the character she played in the 2009 film Jennifer’s Body by telling the outlet, “As I got into my early 20s, that hell-hath-no-fury, a woman scorned demon did rise up in me…I did tap into that archetype a few times as well.”

“That’s kind of what you see in Jennifer [of Jennifer’s Body] — that sort of nasty streak that can exist if you align yourself with that ancient energy,” she said. 

Fox also opened up about being typecast as the vapid and pretty love interest in movies, and told the outlet, “I had always known that I was smart, so it was weird to have that one thing taken away from me now that I’m famous.”

“All of these other reasons that people recognize me, all of which I don’t resonate with or believe, and then to have the one thing that I do believe about myself be taken away, has been very challenging,” she said, slamming the “archaic slut-shaming, mom-shaming” in pop culture.

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Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which claimed the lives of 2,977 people in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The attacks left New York City at a standstill for weeks — but just 48 hours after the horrors in Lower Manhattan, all Broadway theaters were re-opened. New York City’s then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani saw the Great White Way’s return as a key to the city’s recovery. 

One of the performers that night was Tony winner Idina Menzel, then a struggling actress.

“I was going into Aida at the time, and…I was replacing Taylor Dayne … I was sort of at a low point in my career, and I was really excited about it,” she recalls to ABC Audio. “And then the day I was supposed to get on stage was 9/11.”

“When we finally did come back. I remember my dad was in the audience, and it was quarter filled, people were just not in the mood or weirded out or scared to be in a public space together,” she adds. “And it…felt, I remember, awkward to be up there. Is it OK to be singing and celebrating and making the attention about ourselves? But yes, it’s good for people because they…needed to heal.”

“I remember we all sang ‘America the Beautiful’ at the curtain call, and I remember my dad was with my husband at the time, he just started bawling, and he’s not a very emotional man. And my…ex-husband Taye [Diggs], he didn’t know what to do with my father,” Idina recalls, laughing.

She adds, “So…I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of those kinds of moments and to provide some kind of sanctuary when we’re all going through things.”

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With the 2021 Met Gala just days away, Zendaya announced that she’ll be sitting out this year’s festivities.

Speaking to Extra from the Venice Film Festival, the 25-year-old fashion icon and actress revealed, “I will unfortunately not be able to attend [the Met Gala] because I’ll be working for Euphoria. I got my time off to come here and do this Venice experience, which has been really, really special.”

Noting that her “fans are going to be very upset with me” because she will not be going, Zendaya expressed, “I wish I could, especially since this fashion icon [Timothée Chalamet] is going to be hosting,” referring to her Dune co-star.

The upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home star has gained a reputation for being one of the best-dressed attendees at the Met, rocking looks such as a Joan of Arc-inspired Versace dress from 2018 and a Tommy Hilfiger illuminated Cinderella gown in 2019. Reflecting on the latter, she quipped, “That one almost took me out, let me tell you.”

Chalamet will be serving as co-chair of Monday night’s Met Gala, along with tennis star Naomi Osaka, singer Billie Eilish and inaugural poet Amanda Gorman.

This year’s theme will highlight an exhibition of the same name, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” which opens September 18 at the Anna Wintour Costume Center, exploring “a modern vocabulary of American fashion.” The 2021 event will also commemorate the Costume Institute’s 75th birthday.

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Kelly Clarkson‘s daytime talk show will fill the time slot vacated by Ellen DeGeneres‘ when its 19th and final season concludes next year.  However, Clarkson is making it clear she doesn’t want to be compared to the talk show legend — or anyone, for that matter.

In a candid conversation with The New York Times, the singer expressed, “No one can take over for Ellen. It’s an iconic show.”

“I’m never going to be Whitney Houston — I’m never going to be Cyndi Lauper, Reba or Trisha [Yearwood] or Mariah [Carey],” Clarkson further declared. “I’m going to be me. I think that’s fine. There’s room for everyone at the table.”

The Kelly Clarkson show, now in its third season, draws an average daily audience of 1.3 million viewers, which currently puts it ahead of Ellen‘s totals. Clarkson credits her hosting chops to her time on American Idol, saying it prepared her to helm something as chaotic as a daytime television talk show.

“We were on TV all the time,” she cracked. “Doing random things — being interviewed, interviewing other people, doing skits.”  Those unscripted moments, Kelly says, desensitized her to having a camera in her face and even inspired her be a little bit unpredictable.

“I don’t really feel pressure from that. That can be scary for other people sometimes, like, ‘Oh God, what’s she going to say?'” Clarkson laughed.

However, her biggest hurdle came last year, when she shot her show remotely from her Montana cabin because of the pandemic.

“We were in the middle of nowhere…I’m in snow up to my thighs. And I’m like, well, I have a camera,” she recalled. “I’m trying to be America’s cheerleader. And I never completely broke down about it, but I definitely laughed hysterically at several moments.”

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The new comedy Queenpins, opening in select theaters on Friday and streaming on Paramount+ September 30th, stars Kristen Bell as a suburban housewife drawn into the dangerous world of extreme couponing — a world in which she starts a criminal empire.

The movie is based on a true story,and Bell tells ABC Audio that husband and wife filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly managed to pull off the impossible.

“The challenge they had is to introduce two women, get the audience to root for them so that when the women started making criminal decisions, you were still on their side. And I think they did a really great job of that,” says the Frozen star.

The word “coupon” is pronounced several different ways in the film.  So which does Bell think is correct — “coo-pon” or “cyoo-pon?”

“It depends on your level of Arthur Lessac training in voice and speech school,” she suggests. “I mean, I say ‘coo-pon’, but I understand and love a liquid ‘u,’ OK? So I’m fine with a ‘cyoo-pon’ as well.” (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)

Queenpins, from executive producer by Ben Stiller, also stars Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser and Vince Vaughn.

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Rotimi is about to become a father for the first time.

The Power and Coming 2 America star made the announcement with a series of Instagram maternity photos with his pregnant fiancée, Vanessa Mdee.

“My greatest gift has been you. You changed my life and now we are beautifully linked forever to raise a little us.” Rotimi commented. “I pray our son has your glow Your heart, Your mind, and your spirit. I will protect you and our son with everything I have.”

He added, “You belong in a museum, baby…. Buttascotch prince on the way.”

Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child commented, “Simply beautiful!!”

“We are super excited to welcome our son. As first-time parents, everything about this experience has been a brand-new challenge,” the couple told People. “We love it.”

The actor/singer and the songwriter from Tanzania met at the Essence Festival in New Orleans. They were engaged on December 30, 2020 in Atlanta.

Rotimi, who released his debut solo album, All or Nothing, on August 27, will appear in the upcoming remake of the classic 1990 film House Party, which starred Kid ‘n Play, Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J. Johnson and the late Robin Harris, plus Full Force members Paul Anthony and Bow-Legged Lou.

 

 

 

 

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Based on the acclaimed film of the same name, FX’s comedy series What We Do in the Shadows follows a coven  of inept vampires who live in a house in the New York borough of Staten Island.

And while there are the traditional blood-suckers, a fan favorite from the series has become Colin Robinson, is an energy vampire, played by Mark Proksch. The nerdy character can literally sap the life from anyone he comes across via office high-fives, boring stories, and speeches at public hearings.

Robinson was created by movie and series co-creator Jermaine Clement, but Proksch’s take on him — and inspiration from his real life — landed him the job.

“…[U]ntil I was in my early 30s, I was doing a lot of temping, mostly in the Midwest,” he explains to ABC Audio. “And so when you’re temping at in the marketing department of a bank, you tend to meet these energy vampires and emotional vampires. And I’ve met my fair share, as we all have when working in offices. And so, yeah, there’s definitely inspiration that I’ve mined from there.”

The mockumentary series was nominated for eight Emmys its first season, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and its fan base continues to grow as its third season just premiered. 

“It’s been really great,” Proksch explains. “You’re lucky when you’re on a show that it has any fan base at all. So many shows nowadays, it feels like you tune in for a little bit of it, and you can’t imagine who watches that show. And so to be on a show that is not only critically recognized but also recognized among people of all different generations has been really, really special.” 

What We Do in the Shadows airs tonight at 10 p.m. on FX.

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Morris Chestnut has starred in the Fox medical drama series The Resident since 2019, and now he’s also featured in the new Fox series, Our Kind of People, executive-produced by Empire creator Lee Daniels. While promoting his new show, the 52-year-old actor said he’s undecided about his future with The Resident.

“I’m not sure exactly what’s going to happen with The Resident,” Chestnut revealed during a Television Critics Association panel on Wednesday, according to Deadline. “I love the cast, I love everything about that show but I also love everything about this show.”

The NAACP Image Award winner, who launched his 30-year career in John Singleton‘s iconic 1991 film, Boyz n the Hood, has shifted to a recurring role as Dr. Barrett Cain in The Resident. He says he was immediately drawn to Our Kind of People and the plot about the life of the rich on the Martha’s Vineyard island in Massachusetts.

“I actually had an opportunity to go back to The Resident full time, but when the opportunity came to be on this show and I read the script…I wanted to be part of this world.” Chestnut says. “I felt that this story about affluent wealthy Black people who are not playing ball or in entertainment was something that the world needed to see and I wanted to be a part of that. It was a no-brainer for me to sign onto this show.”

The Resident returns on Tuesday, September 21 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on Fox, immediately followed by Our Kind Of People at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

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With a cute announcement on Instagram that shows a winking pair of eyes drawn onto her very pregnant belly, Jennifer Love Hewitt announced that she and husband Brian Hallisay have had their third child. 

“This l this is how my kids sent me to the hospital,” the 911 star said of her baby bump, on which was also penned “almost cooked” “It’s a boy,” and “9 months.” 

“My belly was a big hit,” she contended.

Hewitt shared, “It is said that women leave their bodies in labor… they travel to the stars to collect the souls of their babies, and return to this world together,” before revealing the name of her new son. 

“It was my greatest honor to go and collect you Aidan James,” Hewitt said, “Now back to snuggles and resting.”

Love’s two other children, 7-year-old daughter Autumn and 6-year-old son Atticus, share the same first initials and middle name as their new baby brother.

 

 

 

 

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) Andrew Garfield has gone on the record again, dispelling rumors that he will be joining another supposed star, former Spider-Man Tobey Maguire, in Tom Holland‘s upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home.

In a chat with Variety, the British Oscar nominee and lifelong Spidey fan said, “I understand why people are freaking out about the concept of that, because I’m a fan as well. You can’t help but imagine scenes and moments of ‘Oh, my God, how f****** cool would it be if they did that?'”

He added, “But it’s important for me to say on the record that this is not something I’m aware I am involved in. But I know I’m not going to be able to say anything that will convince anyone…It’s either going to be really disappointing for people or it’s going to be really exciting.”

That said, the 38-year-old actor  has no regrets about his time as ‘Ol Web-Head. “It was only beautiful,” Garfield tells the trade. “I got to meet Emma [Stone] and work with her and Sally Field.”

Stone and Garfield played on-screen couple Gwen Stacey and Peter Parker, respectively, in the 2012 and 2014 installments.  The two also dated for four years before going their separate ways in 2015.

Garfield also revealed how special the iconic red and blue Spider-Man suit was to him.  When he was three, his late mother, Lynn, sewed him a Spider-Man costume out of felt.  Twenty-five years later, she watched him portray Spidey on the big screen. Lynn passed away in 2019 from cancer.

Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on December 17 from Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios.

Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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