By Wonderwall.com Editors
8:30am PDT, Sep 27, 2022
Kelly Ripa reveals working with Regis Philbin 'was not a cakewalk'
In her new book, "Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories," Kelly Ripa gets candid about her sometimes difficult relationship with longtime "Live!" co-star Regis Philbin. It was "the hardest chapter to write," she tells People. Kelly, 51, co-hosted the morning show with Regis from 2001, after Kathie Lee Gifford's departure, until 2011. "There were good and bad days," she admits. "I don't want to feel like I'm slamming anyone or that I'm being disrespectful. But I also want people to know it was not a cakewalk. It took years to earn my place there and earn things that are routinely given to the men I worked with. Including an office and a place to put my computer." Kelly went on to note "the biggest misconception is that it all came easily," when, in fact, she had to fight for her own success amid a complex web of power dynamics and more. Kelly recalls that the offer she got to come on "Live!" in a permanent role after multiple appearances as a guest co-host came with a warning that she needed to "know who your boss is," meaning Regis. "It was very ominous, and it did not feel good," she says. She goes on to recall what happened when she showed up on set with two people — her hair and makeup stylists — after being told not to bring "an entourage." Though she only had two helpers on hand, she says Regis saw them and told executive producer, "Uh-oh, Gelman, it's got an entourage." Says Kelly: "I felt horrible," she says. "He was probably trying to be funny, but at the same time it felt like a pile-on. I understand that probably he didn't want a co-host, but the network wanted me to be the co-host and I didn't think I should pass up that opportunity. I don't think it was fair to him. But it was also not fair to me." Though she describes the pair's off-camera relationship as friendly, she and Regis have both said they basically stopped speaking after he left the show. "It makes me sad but it's not something I will ever understand," she says. "I was steadfast in my attempt at communication. You can't make a person befriend you." Regis died in 2020 at age 88.
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Alec Baldwin reflects on upcoming 'changes' amid new 'Rust' developments
As Alec Baldwin and his wife, Hilaria, get to know their newborn daughter, new developments are brewing in Alec's "Rust" set shooting case. Those developments could soon include criminal and homicide charges in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. On Monday (Sept. 26) Deadline reported Santa Fe, New Mexico, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has been granted $317,750 to move forward with potential charges and prosecutions of up to four people involved with the shooting. According to the DA's letter requesting those funds, "one of the possible defendants is well known movie actor Alec Baldwin." (The actor was holding the gun that killed Halyna in the fatal incident, but had been told it contained no live rounds. Halyna's death was later ruled accidental.) Alec's lawyer, Luke Nikas, however, tells Deadline it's premature to "draw false conclusions" about whether Alec will be charged. "The DA has made clear that she has not received the sheriff's report or made any decisions about who, if anyone, might be charged in this case," he said, in part. In the meantime, Alec seems to be embracing life as a newly minted father of eight. "Lots of changes coming. But my family has kept me alive," he shared on Instagram on Monday. "My heart has been broken a thousand times this past year. And things in my life may never be the same," he added.
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Jay-Z, Katy Perry and more stars react to Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime show news
After a five-year break from performing live, Rihanna will headline the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, the singer announced alongside the NFL on Sunday (Sept. 25). The news sparked a wave of excitement among fans, including Rih's longtime label head, Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation entertainment agency is set to executive produce the show again on Feb. 12. In a statement, Jay called the Barbados-born star "a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn" and "one of the most prominent artists ever," noting that she's "self-made in business and entertainment." Rihanna's fellow pop stars chimed in on the news too, with Katy Perry posting "h*** yeah" in the comments on Instagram, while Justin Bieber declared "the queen is back." "Screaming," Lizzo replied after spotting Rih's announcement. Speaking to Apple Music 1's Ebro Darden, Dr. Dre said he's a Rihanna "super fan" and had just heard she'd be headlining the show, which he performed at in 2022. "Put the right people around you, and have fun," Dre suggested to the singer. "That's basically what it is, making sure you have the right creative people around you. … She has the opportunity to really blow us away. I know we set the bar extremely high." Although 2023 will mark Rih's Super Bowl halftime show debut, she told Vogue in 2019 that she turned down an offer to perform at the event that year in support of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. "I just couldn't be a sellout," she said, referencing widespread allegations the NFL's owners colluded to block Colin from playing because of his decision to kneel during the national anthem in protest of racially fueled police brutality. Jay's Roc Nation signed on as the NFL's "live entertainment strategist" later that year.
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Kanye West reunites with ex, Irina Shayk, shares cryptic post about losing his 'queen'
Kanye West was across the pond over the weekend, where he appears to have been moved by a pang of empathy in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's recent death. On "LONDON I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL I LOST MY QUEEN TOO," the Yeezy designer wrote on his Instagram Stories on Sunday (Sept. 25), according to Entertainment Tonight. Alas, Ye offered no further details on which "queen" had gone MIA from his life. While the internet seems collectively sure his post was about Kim Kardashian, who filed for divorce from the rapper in 2021, the cryptic message surfaced the same day he reunited with another ex, Irina Shayk after she walked in Burberry's spring 2023 collection fashion event in London. A video of the reunion posted to Vogue's Instagram on Monday shows Ye and the model sharing a hug and a few words behind-the-scenes. The longtime friends dated briefly in 2021.
Mila Kunis opens up about 'powering through' Ashton Kutcher's health scare
Less talk, more action. That's how Mila Kunis supported her husband Ashton Kutcher during his recent bout with a rare form of vasculitis that destroyed his vision, hearing and equilibrium. Asked about the ordeal in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Mila said that when the autoimmune disorder flared up three years ago, she simply "[powered] through" until they were past it. "I don't think you have time to sit down and talk, you kinda just power through," the actress explained. "You go and deal with whatever health issue comes your way, but you still got kids, you still got a family, you have to live life," she continued. "And I think that we are so fortunate to have one another, but as far as sitting there and incessantly talking about things, no. You gotta do." Ashton, who shares sons Wyatt, 8, and Dimitri, 6, with his former "That '70s Show" co-star, first spoke publicly about his health scare in an episode of "Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge" earlier this year.
Megan Thee Stallion launches online mental health resource hub
Megan Thee Stallion wants her fans to be able to "bounce back" from mental health rough patches like the "bad b******" she knows they are. That's why the rapper's launched a new online database of free therapy organizations, substance abuse helplines and other resources fans can access anytime they need a little extra mental health help and don't know where to turn. Dubbed "Bad B****** Have Bad Days Too," the site was launched over the weekend, according to Entertainment Tonight. Its title was inspired by lyrics from Megan's track, "Anxiety." "Hotties! You know how much mental wellness means to me, so I created a hub with resources that can help when you might need a hand," Megan reportedly told fans and followers via social media and email. The list also includes LGBTQIA+ community resources and links to mental health websites dedicated to BIPOC communities.
Alan Rickman's diaries reveal he repeatedly tried to quit 'Harry Potter'
Turns out Alan Rickman was hardly in love with the "Harry Potter" franchise in which he played Severus Snape. In fact, he almost quit multiple times, according to his diaries, which are due to be published posthumously in "Madly Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman," on Oct. 18, according to The Guardian. Among the beloved late actor's relative litany of gripes? Before filming began on 2000's "Sorcerer's Stone," Alan wrote that he was "feeling a bit nothing about HP which really disturbs me." He later wrote that the finished product "acquires a scale and depth that matches the hideous score by John Williams," and said the afterparty celebrating the wrap was "much more fun" than the actual movie. "Half-Blood Prince" comes under fire in the actor's diaries too. "I get the character development and the spiffing effects (dazzling), but where is the story????" he asks at one point. According to the AV Club, the book repeatedly delves into the actor's resistance to continuing on with the franchise. "Reiterating no more HP. They don't want to hear it," he wrote in 2002. He did ultimately stick around through all eight of the films. He died at age 69 in 2016 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
