By Mark Gray
9:03am PST, Feb 20, 2022
"Rust" lawsuit
Alec Baldwin and others involved in the production of the indie Western "Rust" have been sued by the family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was killed on the New Mexico set of the movie last fall. In the wrongful death lawsuit filed on Feb. 15, the family says numerous safety measures were violated when a gun wielded by Alec accidentally discharged and fired a live round. A lawyer for the family said "reckless behavior in cost cutting" led to the 42-year-old director of photography's death. Lawyers for Halyna's estate assert that Alec and the others involved "disregarded at least 15 industry standards" for safety on the set. Estate attorney Randi McGinn told NBC she "expected the case would get to trial within a year and a half to two years." She added, "You don't hand somebody a gun until you give them safety training … No one should ever die with a real gun on a make-believe movie set."
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Royal mess
Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre reached an out-of-court settlement in her civil sexual abuse lawsuit against him, court documents revealed on Feb. 15. Terms of the settlement are not known though various British media reports put the figure at between $10-$20 million. Virginia has long claimed that she was forced to have sex with the royal years ago when she was 17 after she was trafficked by Andrew's old friend, late convicted pedophile and financier Jeffrey Epstein. A court filing states that Prince Andrew, who is Queen Elizabeth II's second son, "intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights" on top of the settlement payment. The statement also said, "Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre's character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks. It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others. He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims." Andrew has already been stripped on his military titles and he can no longer use the title "His Royal Highness." There are now calls for him to be stripped of his Duke of York title.
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Bad behavior?
Chevy Chase isn't worried about what other people think about him. In an interview that aired on "CBS Sunday Morning" on Feb. 13, the "Saturday Night Live" alum addressed his well-documented history of feuding with co-stars. "I guess you'd have to ask them. I don't give a c***," he said. "I am who I am. And I like where — who I am. I don't care. And it's part of me that I don't care. And I've thought about that a lot. And I don't know what to tell you, man. I just don't care." Chevy's past fights have reportedly included arguments with "Community" creator Dan Harmon and his "SNL" colleague Bill Murray, with whom things allegedly turned physical. "SNL" star Pete Davidson once called Chevy a "genuinely bad" person.
Head trauma
The circumstances surrounding comedian Bob Saget's January death in Florida are still a mystery to many, but according to a report from TMZ, it's likely that he hit his head on a part of his hotel bed frame, resulting in a skull fracture that lead to brain bleeding. Some medical experts, however, have said the skull fractures are more consistent with "being hit by a bat" or falling 20 to 30 feet, TMZ explained. In related news, Bob's family filed a lawsuit against Orange County Sheriff John Mina and the District Nine Medical Examiner's Office on Feb. 15 to stop any further release of documents or photos related to the "Full House" star's death. A judge granted the temporary restraining order to block the release of photos from the scene in Bob's Orlando, Florida, hotel room.
Returning to life
Linda Evangelista has opened up about her botched cosmetic surgery. Last year, the former supermodel made headlines when she filed a $50 million lawsuit claiming that a series of seven sessions of CoolSculpting "fat-freezing" procedure she underwent in a dermatologist's office in 2015 and 2016 left her "permanently deformed" and "brutally disfigured," leading her to live in seclusion for almost five years. In a new cover story with People magazine, Linda said she was diagnosed with paradoxical adipose hyperplasia after the surgery (PAH, which causes affected fatty tissue to thicken and expand, is a rare side effect that affects less than 1% of CoolSculpting patients). Her doctor told her "no amount of dieting and no amount of exercise was ever going to fix it," she said. With the lessons she's learned, Linda is now preaching body acceptance. "Why do we feel the need to do these things [to our bodies]? I always knew I would age. And I know that there are things a body goes through. But I just didn't think I would look like this," she says of her body protrusions, which developed after the procedures. "I don't recognize myself physically, but I don't recognize me as a person any longer either." The image people have of Linda the supermodel is "gone," she said, adding, "I hope I can shed myself of some of the shame and help other people who are in the same situation as me. That's my goal."
Over and done
Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley's engagement has been sacked. On Feb. 16, multiple outlets reported that the duo split up and called off their engagement of just over a year. "While Shailene is supportive of Aaron's career, he put football first and they were barely spending any time together," an insider told In Touch magazine. "She felt he neglected their relationship. Neither of them was happy." According to a People magazine source, the split was amicable, with the source adding that the romance just wasn't working.
Love lines, Hollywood spawn edition
The next generation of Hollywood is finding love. On Valentine's Day 2022, Ryder Robinson, who's the son of actress Kate Hudson and the Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, posted this photo of himself kissing girlfriend Iris Apatow, who's the daughter of actress Leslie Mann and filmmaker Judd Apatow, on Instagram with a red heart emoji caption. It served as the teens' public coming out as a couple. The duo seems to have the blessing of their famous parents: Leslie commented on the photo with three heart emojis and Kate commented, "Sweets."
